Clothes washing machines - any reccos of new machines and manufacturer experiences?


 
Brett-EDH said:
i think my new rate is $0.11 fixed for the year, with the solar plant on the roof.
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Yeah, SMUD is great. PGE, not so much.

Solar on the roof is saving me. It generates about 12 MW per year and with current net metering my net electric cost is less than $100 per year.
 
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We are on a co-op and the rates are $0.098 per kwh for the First 800 kwhs per billing period and
$0.076 per kwh for Over 800 kwhs per billing period. Every few months, I get a rebate check from them for $20-30.
 
Chris Allingham said:
Funny you should mention this. These exact units came with the house we just moved into, both not more than 2.5 years old. The front of the condenser was caked with lint that we couldn't vacuum off or remove using a toothbrush, and it had a poor fitting filter that was allowing lint to get to the condenser. Then I started watching YouTube videos on what it takes to disassemble and clean these units and how what you see at the front of the condenser is literally the tip of the iceberg in terms of how much lint build-up happens inside. Then the washing machine threw an error code at us and we decided to chuck them and buy something new.

We're stuck having to use a heat pump dryer based on the location of the laundry room and no outside venting, and while I'm a fan of the technology and the significant energy savings, it just can't be a good idea to pass lint-filled air through a series of condenser coils even after passing through a series of filters.

For anyone interested in how this works, here's a good video.

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Don't know how good they are but there are ventless condensing dryers (European size again) that have a pull out heat exchanger to clean. These are electrically heated (not heat pump) so use more power to run than the heat pump. They use less than a conventional dryer, however, because no heat is vented out. They also tend to heat up the room they are in (not a problem in winter but not so great in summer).

The way they work is to run the heated "wet" air through a heat exchanger with cooler room air blowing over it. The water condenses and drips out. The Bosch units I looked at (washer and ventless dryer) were both 220 volt. The washer (220 volt) plugs into the dryer and that plugs into the wall. They looked to be well made.

I decided to go with the heat pump due to power useage. Funny, I think I saw that same Youtube video (and I saw it BEFORE I bought the dryer). Is it in some other language (not English)? That is my exact model number dryer (that's how I found the video). Yeah, that looks like a bit of a project but I'll do it someday. And I will try to make the filters better. Biggest problem is stuff gets by the regular lint trap (along the sides where it plugs in). If we find a way to seal that up I think it will go a long way to keeping the exchanger clean.

Also, you probably noticed the grey plastic grid covering the fins. I assume it was to protect the fins from someone plugging in the filter carelessly. I intend to leave that grid out when I do the cleaning. It will make future cleaning easier.
 
Steve Hoch said:
That is interesting, and it sounds good in theory for someone who can't have a vented dryer.
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As homebuilders build tighter homes for energy efficiency, vented dryers may fall out of favor. Think about it: when you run your conventional dryer, whether gas or electric, you pull conditioned room air into the unit, heat it, blow it over the clothes, and exhaust it through the vent to the outside. How does the air sucked into the machine get replaced? Through cracks around your windows, under your doors, etc. So in the winter, you're pulling cold outside air into the house when you run the dryer and your heater ends up having to warm your house more. In the summer, you're pulling hot outside air into the house when you run the dryer and your air conditioner ends up having to cool your house more. These heat pump units avoid all of that since there's no venting and the air just cycles around and around in the dryer, going from hot to cold and back again. It's really pretty ingenious, and were it not for the lint issue I described is almost a perfect solution for electric energy efficiency.

One way to get around this "air sucking" inefficiency would be to do like they do for air-tight fireplaces with a pipe-inside-pipe exhaust system, with incoming air being pulled through the outer pipe and the exhaust air going out through the inner pipe...but I don't think this exists for dryers.
 
Back in RI we had a valve on the exhaust vent hose that would redirect the dryer exhaust into a water filled container to add humidity in the winter. In the summer we would change the valve to exhaust to the outside. Worked great as long as you remembered to clean it after use and refill the water otherwise you ended up with lint inside the house.
 
There's a lot of replies that I didn't read so my comment might be a repeat. The problem with washing machine sold in CA is that they limit how much water that goes in the washer. As a result, you can have clothes that go through the wash cycle and never get wet. So make sure whatever you buy, you have the ability to "deep fill."
 
ChuckO said:
There's a lot of replies that I didn't read so my comment might be a repeat. The problem with washing machine sold in CA is that they limit how much water that goes in the washer. As a result, you can have clothes that go through the wash cycle and never get wet. So make sure whatever you buy, you have the ability to "deep fill."
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My reading is showing that the water consumption rules are set at the federal level. And manufacturers achieve the water restriction by making Eco mode the default wash mode. So as long as the consumer makes a choice other than Eco mode, you can get more water into the machine to wash clothes.

Now without much kids washes anymore, I’m wondering how dirty do adult clothes get? We wear a lot of athletic type of materials. More synthetic blend types. So unlike cotton, how much dirt are these materials holding?

And some of the newer machines have 24 different program cycles. The learning curve is interesting. Lots of bells and whistles, all to separate you from your money.

Note, charcoal grills like the WSK are easy to own and operate. Why can’t washing machines be on the same plane!?!?!?
 
Does anyone else besides me have to push their washing machine back into the designated space after washing? With all of my Whirlpool issues this is the most irritating! :cry: I bought the extended warranty but walking is not covered.
 
JohnTak said:
Does anyone else besides me have to push their washing machine back into the designated space after washing? With all of my Whirlpool issues this is the most irritating! :cry: I bought the extended warranty but walking is not covered.
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You need to relevel the legs. Your machine is out of balance which will prematurely wear some parts. This is something I’ve read in my research.
 
Brett-EDH said:
You need to relevel the legs. Your machine is out of balance which will prematurely wear some parts. This is something I’ve read in my research.
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I did that and it only walks out a foot away from the wall now. Out of balance loads and too much soap are constant errors on the computer. It doesn't matter how much or little the front load tub is filled. We never use more than one pod to wash so too much soap doesn't make any sense to me. We also do extra rinse on everything because the tub doesn't use much water. Definitely thinking a top loader next but I heard those now have balance issues. Maybe Speed Queen next, anyone love or hate those?
 
JohnTak said:
Does anyone else besides me have to push their washing machine back into the designated space after washing? With all of my Whirlpool issues this is the most irritating! :cry: I bought the extended warranty but walking is not covered.
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Assuming it is level, do you distribute your clothes evenly around the drum? I had a couple top load Whirlpools and they only walked a couple times. My LG has a "load balancer" that runs at the beginning of the cycle to even out the load. I do not think that washer has ever moved. It has shut off and prompted me to redistribute the load.
 
JohnTak said:
I did that and it only walks out a foot away from the wall now. Out of balance loads and too much soap are constant errors on the computer. It doesn't matter how much or little the front load tub is filled. We never use more than one pod to wash so too much soap doesn't make any sense to me. We also do extra rinse on everything because the tub doesn't use much water. Definitely thinking a top loader next but I heard those now have balance issues. Maybe Speed Queen next, anyone love or hate those?
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Watch some Yale Appliances videos on YouTube.
 
JSaus said:
Assuming it is level, do you distribute your clothes evenly around the drum? I had a couple top load Whirlpools and they only walked a couple times. My LG has a "load balancer" that runs at the beginning of the cycle to even out the load. I do not think that washer has ever moved. It has shut off and prompted me to redistribute the load.
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:LOL: I was told that front loaders work the best on full loads, in my world I suppose we don't have enough clothes for a full load but it does't matter what seems to matter is how heavy the load gets when wet. I have had to hand squeeze towels out to get them to spin and finish. The Samsung we got rid of because the drum would bang so loud it sounded like a little man with a sledge hammer was trying to beat his way out but it actually got the job done. Back then the washer and dryer were in the garage so the noise wasn't such an issue. The Samsung uses a yoke with shock absorbers, I suppose the shock absorbers were worn out. My friend at work had the same machine and his broke the yoke a couple of times.
My Whirlpool uses some belt system to keep the drum under control? I suppose mine is worn out but the issues started in just a couple of months. Sorry for the rant but I have a long sad history with appliances.:ROFLMAO: The next machine will probably be smaller if possible.
 
JohnTak said:
Maybe Speed Queen next, anyone love or hate those?
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I hope someone chimes in on the Speed Queen I am starting to lean that way, expensive yes but with a 7 year warranty maybe not. I like that parts and labor especially labor are included. You spend 700 for something else lucky to get a 2 year warranty out of it something goes wrong after that who knows depending on what it is what the cost will be and the last time I had a guy come out for my Stove it was over $100 for the trip charge to look at it throw in another 350 for parts it ain't cheap.

Your 700 washer could cost you a grand or more within 3 years if you were unlucky.

This is a pretty good video on Speed Queen also.

 
Not sure about Speed Queen. Not a lot of info out there on them. Seems to be basically a dealer brand and not sold through Lowe's or Home Depot etc. Consumer report rated them in the middle, but repair and customer satisfaction were at the top. The warranty is still shorter than the expected life of the appliance.
 
We had a Maytag that last 3 moves and 16 years, we then bought a Samsung set which was great for about 2.5 years then became obvious to us it was a good thing we had the extended warranty, the company helped us to exchange for a set of LG front loaders, which we have have Zero issues with. we moved to AZ in 2019 and the Dryer was damaged but was replaced buy the movers. so the dryer is now 5 years newer than the washer both same except the dryer door has a chrome trim. I would buy these again in a heart beat no mold issues i have drained and cleaned the filters a few times but that is all. ours are 5.5 cu ft and can sallow any thing. my wife wanted the front loader as she is short and it makes it easier for her.
 
JSaus said:
The warranty is still shorter than the expected life of the appliance.
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Does anyone warranty the expected life of an appliance? The expected life per Speed Queen is 25 years. Going to look at a few next week will report back and no they are not sold thru box stores, fortunately I have a dealer 4 miles away from me that services and sells them.
 
anyone with Bosch units? the in-field repair rates appear to be very low on newly sold units and service over time, based on what i am reading.
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
Does anyone warranty the expected life of an appliance?
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No, all I meant is that any washer should last at least that long without problems. Most issues with any appliance usually show up very early. I can not imagine having a 25 year old washer. Would likely be as outdated as a wringer washer.
 
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