Washing Machines

[Mike Goetzke]

About 3-years ago we needed to replace our old washing machine (Think the transmission or motor was the issue. I'm pretty handy - should have just replaced parts until I got it running.). The replacement is a high efficiency washer. Has no agitator and uses little to no water. So much so that some of the clothes are as dry coming out as they went in. I had to replace the drum springs because any little imbalance causes massive vibrations with the higher spin RPM these new/better machines. I now see my wife start the washer then stop it and put the laundry tub hose in it to fill it to an acceptable level.

I'm ready to toss this thing out and replace it but with what? I see some say the Speed Queens fill up and have an old fashion agitator.

Any replacement suggestions welcome!

 

[Peter_C]

Side load or top load? To me side load is the way to go, as I have never seen a top load with an agitator that didn't put holes in my shirts quickly.

We bought a top quality side load washing machine years ago on super sale and it works excellent. Living in California under perpetual drought conditions low water usage is important.

 

[Rick Herrick]

What is side load ?  I have seen old fashion top load and the current front load but have never heard of a side load.

We got one of the HE top loads about 6 years ago and it also has no agitator and uses very little water.  My wife wants to toss it in the street.  I would like one from about 20 years ago where they actually did something.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Side load or top load? To me side load is the way to go, as I have never seen a top load with an agitator that didn't put holes in my shirts quickly.

We bought a top quality side load washing machine years ago on super sale and it works excellent. Living in California under perpetual drought conditions low water usage is important.

Our current washer is top load.

 

[pixelated]

For full-size, traditional  “American” style machines, the recommendation I see most often is Speed Queen.
For compact front-load, Asko worked very well for us.
It wasn’t for a washer/dryer, but I’ve had problems with Whirlpool honoring their warranty, hence i won’t buy any more of any of their products.

 

[batmanimal]

Dollar for dollar this is the best washer I have had for the money (unfortunately it is about $350 more than I paid for it from a local retailer 4 years ago but it’s worth trying to get it below MSRP still - I believe it was $899 MSRP when I got it; I paid around $670).
https://www.maytag.com/washers-and-...e-residential-agitator-washer.mvwp575gw.html?

Maytag Commercial grade 575. The problem with those HE washers is they don’t use water. They just sort of “spritz” your clothes and toss them around. Like a salad. You need to use water to wash clothing. The HE washers also take forever per cycle. It used to be such an ordeal to wash a load.

The Maytag cycles are 30-40 min and everything comes out CLEAN. Stains are removed. Clothes are clean and spun out impressively dry. It is an old school washer and it gets result. It also has an excellent warranty (5yrs). It is the best washing machine Maytag sells by far. I have “sold” multiple machines by this point by showing it to friends, relatives, and even my friend’s GC who installed it for her. It is a GREAT machine and worth every penny.

You have to be careful with Speed Queen because they briefly changed their trademark agitation mechanism to some vibration nonsense a few years back, so if you go with them, make sure you get the “old school” agitator model. Also my Maytag warranty was better last I checked. IIRC Speed Queen charges extra for 5yr warranty. 

And because no one asked here is a video of the Maytag in action. I find this strangely relaxing?

Sorry, not sure why my links are not working. YT ID is tpsrrjSXw5o (search and you’ll find it on YT)

Here’s a review of the washer dryer combo  (YT ID: ZWk65pQsQJI )

I have the dryer also. It’s fine, nothing to write home about like the washer though.

 

[waho6o9]

Whirlpool or Maytag has served us well.  I've used the same brands from a second hand store with good results. 

Lowe's delivers and disposes of the machines.  Our latest gizmo was a LG refrigerator that didn't work correctly so I went back to Lowes and bought a Maytag and it's been great.  If the washer or dryer goes out I'd probably go to Lowes.  Good service

Good luck on your purchase. 

 

[batmanimal]

If you can find a local retailer that services their own machines, I would go that route. I got the best prices from a local appliance store, and they service everything they sell, so if something goes wrong you know who to call (it also means they are incentivized to sell appliances that have fewer problems)

Good to know that Lowes stands behind their sales though.

I usually try my local shop first, and if they don’t sell it, I look at Costco since they add a year to the warranty for most major appliances.

 

[vkumar]

About 3 years ago I had to replace a front load Samsung due to the drum not spinning.  Turns out even though it had a 10 year powertrain warranty, a service call would cost over $ 250 + any parts such as electronics not covered by powertrain warranty. At this point I decided to cut my losses and go with a speedqueen. I was careful to buy a model with an old fashioned agitator, about 3 years ago it was TC 5000WN. Another model I was considering at that time was the Maytag commercial MVWP575GW.
Both are top load models.
I and my family are super thrilled with the Speedqueen. Wash cycle on perma press is about 20 minutes flat.

 

[kevinculle]

We bought a set of Electrolux front loaders about 3 years ago and they have worked well so far.  They replaced a set of the Maytag Neptunes which we had for 25 years.  The Neptunes had a deserved reputation for poor reliability and I probably did 3 repairs to the washer over that time...the dryer was trouble free.  When we bought the Electrolux I looked hard at Speed Queen but was put off by the price (2x the Electrolux) given that its reliability ratings were not significantly different from Electrolux, LG, and Samsung.

 

[peter halle]

Personally I have switched over to LG appliances over the past few years.  Washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers.  We have been extremely happy.  I will differ than most I suspect and will NEVER buy an appliance without an extended warranty.  With all the electronics on board, the high spin rates of drums and their counter weights, etc. the repair costs can get stupid quickly and spending in advance and getting that pain over and done with is worth it to me.

I have been lucky to use both Lowes and more-so Costco for delivery, install, and haul away.

Peter

 

[afish]

I also agree with LG. We bought the largest top of line front load LG washer and dryer several years ago and we use it A LOT. its been a work horse for us with no issues.

 

[Packard]

I had a GE washing machine and it failed after 6 years.  I called in the GE service (which I think was actually LG) and the mechanic said it did not pay to repair it. 

I was amazed.  My parents' washing machine lasted 25 or more years. 

The mechanic said that 6 - 7 years was about average. 

With that in mind, I bought the cheapest one I could find about 6 years ago (about $500.00).  It is still working.  But if they are designed to fail in 6 years, then cheap makes sense. 

 

[bertv]

I feel sorry for you Americans — top loaders are the worst. Over here in Europe they are almost obsolete. Reminds me of a Steve Jobs  anecdote: apparently he did not own a washing machine for years (and no furniture also…) - sending out laundry. He made an extensive study - or probably had an assistant do that - with the outcome that he had shipped over from Germany a Miele.
Well, Miele is really the best. My mom (now 89), after being married to my Dad in 1955 had to do laundry for a family of what became six persons with a top loader like machine that used hot water that had to be prepared on a separate burner, until the mid sixties when they bought a Miele for the equivalent of a month’s wages of my Dad (who was carpenter). Used that for over thirty years. Quality!

 

[Michael Kellough]

Still using a Whirlpool washer and gas dryer bought in 1982, but there's only two of us so these machines get much less use than most.

No problems with the dryer except the temperature control knob broke off decades ago. I used needle nosed pliers to set it on low heat and just leave it there.

I did have to get the washer's pump replaced about 15 years ago and no further problems except it's started leaking. The mechanics hang off the bottom of the tub instead of off the cabinet and the rubber grommets have deteriorated. The whole thing has to come apart to even think of replacing them and the replacements aren't available so I hoisted the thing up and put a big pan underneath and when needed just pump it with a little battery powered device.

I would have replaced it but I built an enclosure around the machines with a big countertop and the new style machines won't fit.
The Speed Queen and Maytag linked above look like possibilities.

The funny thing is that some things I wash seem to clog the gaps that usually leak. I washed a small runner rug with latex backing which created a lot of crumbly debris and the washer stopped leaking for a few weeks. Same thing happened after washing some cat bedding from to a cat with very fine fur. I know, it's no way to run a railroad...

 

[4nthony]

I like LG washer/dryers as well but have noticed two issues with them.

1. With front loaders, you need to leave the doors open after a load to let them air out. Water can collect at the bottom of the door seal and needs to be wiped clean from time to time to prevent stink and mold.

2. Water hammer. It's fairly common with LG washers, I believe caused by the type of valves they use.

In my previous house, my LG washer (purchased in 2019) caused crazy water hammer that I was only able to suppress using a combination of arrestors and limiting the flow of water at the spigot. During a later whole-house filter installation, I added a PRV to bring the city water pressure down from around 80 to 65 which also helped with the water hammer and didn't require fine-tuning the flow at the spigot.

 

[squall_line]

I like LG washer/dryers as well but have noticed two issues with them.

1. With front loaders, you need to leave the doors open after a load to let them air out. Water can collect at the bottom of the door seal and needs to be wiped clean from time to time to prevent stink and mold.

2. Water hammer. It's fairly common with LG washers, I believe caused by the type of valves they use.

In my previous house, my LG washer (purchased in 2019) caused crazy water hammer that I was only able to suppress using a combination of arrestors and limiting the flow of water at the spigot. During a later whole-house filter installation, I added a PRV to bring the city water pressure down from around 80 to 65 which also helped with the water hammer and didn't require fine-tuning the flow at the spigot.

re: #2, I thought it was just our pipes, since our house was built in 1961 and we bought our LG units when we moved in a couple of years ago.  I never bothered to research whether it was normal or not, but you definitely know when someone starts the washer.

LG also loves to include all sorts of happy-sounding chimes in all of their appliances.  Still not sure how I feel about it, but the combination of high and low notes means that I usually at least hear SOME part of the chime when either unit finishes.  I don't trust most IOT products as far as I can throw them, so I never bothered to hook the units up to WiFi for alerts.

We used the washer and dryer probably once or twice a week for the first 19 or 20 months we lived here.  Then our son was born and now we're doing laundry almost daily.  I never understood people who told me they did laundry daily with a baby, but now I certainly do...

 

[Packard]

My dishwasher (about 4 years old) is so quiet that the manufacturer felt it was necessary to have a red light glow onto the floor when it was on. 

You always knew when my old dishwasher was running--no red light glowing on the floor required. 

My current washing machine (top loader) does not have a central agitator so the clothes do not always distribute themselves evenly.

This is at its worst when washing sheets.  I've gotten in the habit of loading the sheets on the bottom and smaller pieces on top.  The smaller pieces tend to distribute better and I rarely have shutoffs anymore.

That causes the washing machine to vibrate and shut off.  I have to reach in and try to even things out when that happens and start the cycle again.  It does not offer the option of just the spin cycle, I have to run one of the washing cycles to get the spin.

 

[kevinculle]

Appliances are generally not difficult to do DIY repairs on, there are a number of good online parts stores that have videos to help diagnose failure modes and guide you step by step through repairs.  Most often nowadays it's identifying the failed circuit board and plugging in a replacement...you can often do the repair for less than the appliance repair guy charges to pull up in front of you house.  Water hammer problems can usually be addressed by fitting a water hammer arrestor chamber in the water line near the appliance, they make them with hose thread fittings for washing machines.

 

[xedos]

1. With front loaders, you need to leave the doors open after a load to let them air out. Water can collect at the bottom of the door seal and needs to be wiped clean from time to time to prevent stink and mold.

2. Water hammer. It's fairly common with LG washers, I believe caused by the type of valves they use.

In my previous house, my LG washer (purchased in 2019) caused crazy water hammer that I was only able to suppress using a combination of arrestors and limiting the flow of water at the spigot. During a later whole-house filter installation, I added a PRV to bring the city water pressure down from around 80 to 65 which also helped with the water hammer and didn't require fine-tuning the flow at the spigot.

No, it's not.  I have two LG sets in two different houses - neither has water hammer.  Neither does my Bosch set, or Samsung, or Miele at my parents place.  If you have water hammer - your plumber didn't do his job.    80 p.s.i. is pretty dang high.  That was a great place to start.