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High Efficiency Washers and Dryers

Started by Roxie, June 30, 2016, 10:39:29 AM

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Roxie

For the first time in over twenty years, I'm looking into a new clothes washer and dryer pair.  The Maytag washer that I purchased back then is still working and doing a good job, but we are going to relocate the plumbing and electric for new units in a closet in one of the spare bedrooms.  My 20+ Maytag has never had a single repair, so I am leaving it in the basement.  Size of the new units isn't a big concern because the closet is five feet wide, and I don't care whether the closet door would close. 

What is confounding me, is this high efficiency verbiage.  My old washer didn't have any electronics, just dials and switches.  I know it's old fashioned, but I think simple can be better.  Based on what I've been researching, it sounds to me that high efficiency must only apply to using less water.  For example, my old washer took 30 minutes start to finish on an extra large load.  A normal load in HE washers shows 70 to 80 minutes to complete.  My water is free, my electric is not, so where is the saving on HE, or am I misunderstanding something? 

I've pretty much ruled out the washer front loaders because I've read numerous reviews of how the machine can lock and fail to release your laundry, and also the danger of leaking around the door seal. 

Does anyone have any input into these new washers?  I'm mainly interested in Maytag, Whirlpool or LG, based solely on consumer reviews.  I also eliminated the washer dryer combined into one unit based on horror stories.   :D

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PC-Urban-Sawyer

Roxie!

Don't buy one of those "new" high efficiency washers. They all are lousy when it comes to doing a good job and most wind up stinking because of mildew.

Instead, spend the money and get a SpeedQueen top loader with standard (non electronic) controls. They are made in the USA and will last as long as your old washer (or longer).  The brand name should sound familiar, their commercial models are the top selling units for use in laudromats. They also make matching driers and the quality of both units is excellent.

We're about ready to get rid of our Whirlpool units and buy a SpeedQueen.

Herb

Roxie

I've heard good things about Speed Queen, so I will look into that.  Made in America is a must for me.   :)
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Roxie

Oh wow!  The very appliance store that I wanted to purchase from, carries Speed Queen.  Not a fan of big box stores! 

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OneWithWood

We replaced our old washer last year with a Whirlpool Cabrio high efficiency unit.  It is such an improvement over the old one I would never go back.  As a bonus we can wash quilts and comforters that normally require a front loading machine.  It does take longer to do a load but we were always waiting for the dryer.  Now the cycles are more in sync.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

21incher

We bought one of those LG top load HE washers about 3 1/2 years ago and would not reccomend one. It has a load sense system that controlls the amount of water used according to the weight of the laundry put into it. Well it gets stuck in the cycles and will go through a auto ballance cycle several times wasting a partial tub of water each time. Then it often gets a out of ballance signal during the spin cycle which is extremely high speed and when you reset it it starts rinsing all over. A simple 1 hour wash cycle can take 3 hours and waste 50 gallons of extra water. It started acting up after the warranty ran out so we are stuck with a $900.00 peice of junk. On the up side I think the motor has a 10 year warranty and they can reprogram it over the phone. :)
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

LeeB

We've bought two of the front load HE LG's and have been very happy with them. They have done well for us. No complaints. Our daughter has the first set. We gave it to her when we bought new. Actually the second set is a kenmore but it's made by LG.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

gspren

   I'm not sure about washers & dryers, but most new appliances like dish washers, refrigerators and such are not made to last 20 years anymore, 6-10 years is the new norm. >:(
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

WV Sawmiller

Roxie,

   First, I can't believe a woman has extra unused space in her closet. We have a walk-in closet off the mater bedroom with about 12' of wall space along one side and the end and about 3' on the other side which is mine and my wife still comes in frequently and asks "Are you sure you need all that space?". She has already taken over the other 2 upstairs closets since the kids left home. I gather you are just replacing the units to move the laundry chores upstairs instead of in the basement.

   Avoid the combo units like the plague. I have never had a good experience with one. Not familiar with the new HE machines but the old machines were pretty straight forward to repair and common parts like mixing valves, switches, etc. could be found on line and shipped quickly and cheaply. I agree with the sticking with made in USA if such still exists.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Roxie

Quote from: OneWithWood on June 30, 2016, 12:23:36 PM
  It does take longer to do a load but we were always waiting for the dryer.  Now the cycles are more in sync.

So, I wasn't misunderstanding that the efficient part refers only to water usage, but the electric usage would be more than double my current washer.   :P

21incher, those are the horror stories I was reading.   :o

gspren, the top loading Speed Queen does advertise itself as a "20" year machine if under 8 loads per week.  It has a 5 year warranty and 15 on the transmission.  They are made in Wisconsin. 

LeeB and OneWithWood, your experiences are repeated over and over again on the consumer reviews.  I just can't justify using more than twice the cycle time, and twice the electricity for those high efficiency machines. 

WV Sawmiller.... :D :D  Yes, since the boys left, I have two empty closets in their rooms. 
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WH_Conley

We have the Whirlpool Duet. They will do a bigger load of clothes. I have watched the repairman enough that I have got pretty decent at working on the washer. We do a lot of laundry, so maybe it is not so bad. The worse problem we had to find was a tiny water leak in one of the lines. The repairman was here 3 times replacing parts (under warranty). The leak was so small it would not run out in the floor or anyplace else that could be seen. It was enough to knock it out of commission. We had to replace the pump. Could find no signs of foreign objects in it. All in all I am not crazy about them.
Bill

KirkD

HE also refers to detergent also you will see the he symbol on the box. We have always used Tide with Bleach and the Tide with bleach HE is junk. We got a new Kenmore top load HE (LG) about 3years ago it has worked very well but we went back to regular Tide and had to figure out how much to use in it.
Wood-mizer LT40HD-G24 Year 1989

21incher

They are not horror stories, they are how our machine works. There is also a cleaner that you have to use in the machine and you have to run a full cycle every so often to keep them from getting a nasty smell.  I think our old GE that we replaced was a much better machine that never gave us any problems. :)
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

Ljohnsaw

We bought a Kenmore set (made by Whirlpool) in 2003.  Yes, it would get molding smelling.  If we did a load and forgot about it overnight, we had to re-wash.  Well, about a year ago, it starting clunking a bit.  Did some research and sounding like the main bearing going out, so I ordered one online ($17).  When I opened up the machine, it turned out the "spider" had fallen apart.  It is a three-spoke thing coming off the main shaft that connects to the back of the drum.  A heavy aluminum thing but it appeared to have rotted out - i.e. "rust".  Could not find that part so I scrapped it.  Actually, I sold working parts on eBay and recovered about $150!

So after research, I decided on a Samsung.  It was "only" $600 compared to the Kenmore which was $1,200 back then.  This new machine is MUCH quieter but still runs a long time.  The HE is both less water and less soap.  Don't need to buy the HE detergent, just use less normal soap.  Only about 2 ounces.  The new unit has a "sanitize" setting to make sure you don't get mold smells.  All I do is keep the door open and no problems.  Oh, and one other HE feature - because it spins so fast, it leaves you with much drier cloths so they spend less time in the dryer.  YMMV - I can dry 8-10 pairs of jeans on medium heat in 60-65 minutes.  A load of cotton (whites) in 45 minutes on medium.

Couple weeks ago, I get a class action lawsuit regarding my old machine.  Seems people spent lots of money trying to get their machines "repaired" because of the smell.  Nothing wrong, just a bad design.  Because I didn't waste my money, I don't get the $200 to $500 award, just $50 ::)  Or, I could get a 20% discount coupon on a new one - ah, no!

John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

drobertson

we got the whirlpool combo units front load, much faster and to this point no issues for the last two years,
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

loghorse

bought the wife a speed queen top load 4 months ago.just asked her what complaints she had and said none .it would be the 3.4 cu ft one.the thing  i noticed was how much faster a load gets done compared to her maytag neptune.and guess what it has an agitator in it,some top loads do not.it is made in usa with american made parts.

Gary_C

Our last (there will be no more for us) Maytag gave up last winter and after doing a lot of research including consumer reports we got a Samsung HE front load with matching dryer. I was not big on the Samsung brand but got a very good deal on a slightly used pair of machines. I had to talk real hard on the HE front load because my wife was addicted to heavy duty large capacity top agitator machines because of washing chore clothes for so many years on the farm. What finally convinced her was because my jeans get pretty dirty and she would tell me to put on a clean pair even when they were straight out of the wash. She doesn't say that anymore.

Now she is telling people how great is that HE front load machine and they are rated the best for cleaning heavily soiled clothes. It even plays music when the cycle is done.  :D    I doubt she will ever want to go back to a top agitator unless it is a Speed Queen which is a top rated machine, and most expensive.

The HE comes from less water including to the septic tank, less hot water, faster spin in the washer that removes more water from the clothes and better washing performance. Ours even has a steam cycle that she has not used yet. No, they will not last 20 years, eight to twelve is more likely.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

dgdrls

We purchased Electrolux (Manufatured in the States) front loader HE with dryer pair.
H.E. is great especially if your on a septic.   

Very happy with the machine, it has maintenance steps you need to do, we do them
and good to go,  no leaks, no stink.

D


Roxie

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on June 30, 2016, 05:11:44 PM
I gather you are just replacing the units to move the laundry chores upstairs instead of in the basement.


I've been threatening the move for years now,  but what really moved me to complete it this summer was a friend from high school that had a fall down her basement steps in early February.  She was in far better physical condition than I am, and has had nine surgeries and still is going to rehab to walk.   I have a congenital spine condition called scoliosis, and it (fortunately) didn't bother me much, until arthritis set in. 

I'm really excited to go to the appliance store and see what they have to offer, in top load with an agitator, because it seems to me technology has taken washing backward.  I can, and have left a load of clothes overnight, in my basement, and they were still sweet smelling in the morning.  The HE's getting them dryer so the dryer doesn't run as long seems like a trade off on energy usage.  It's still an hour (or more) to wash vs a half hour in the old style machine.  I can't imagine having to add a maintenance routine to my washing schedule.  I tell ya, that old Maytag totally spoiled me.   :)

Speaking of being spoiled, my dryer hasn't worked for four years, so I've been hanging wash on the line using solar power to dry, and I will most likely continue to do that, but once I make the improvement, I don't have to wait for a sunny day to finish the laundry. 

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WmFritz

We bought LG Tromm front loader washer and dryer 12-14 years ago, I believe. We hated the washer for the first year or so because of the mildew smell.  I would've given it away to one of our kids, but we couldn't decide what to replace it with. Eventually,  we learned to leave the door open between washes like John said. One problem lingered; even though the bath towels smelled fresh from the dryer, if I reused the same towel for the 2nd day, it would have a feint smell of mildew to it. We fixed that by running a load of whites in hot water and bleach first. Since we figured that out, we absolutely love this set.

Because these HE models use so little water, heavier soiled clothes require using cycles other then regular wash, at least with ours. I threw all my jeans in last night and because they've been looking a little dingy the last couple weeks, I ran them on the sanitary cycle. In that mode, the machine super heats the water and washes longer. The blue jeans come out looking good again.
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

Larry

We bought an average top loading Kenmore washer and dryer in 07 when we first moved to Arkansas.  When we moved into our new house in 11 Kathy bought the highest cost front loading Samsung washer and dryer. 

Neither brand gave us any trouble at all.  The Kenmore washer got whites whiter.  For that reason the Samsung washer gets a big thumbs down.

Kathy bought front loaders because of arthritis.  I built a custom pedestal for both.  The soap/bleach fill port is at the top of the washer.  Kathy is a bit height impaired and filling those ports is awkward for her with a new bottle.

When a manufacture builds a high efficiency product it shouldn't be at the expense of cleaning power.  I could tell about our super energy efficient fridge that runs defrost water on the floor because it keeps the electric using defrosters turned off.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Bandmill Bandit

have a kenmore front Load HE pair that we bought 5 years ago. The maytag pair purchased in 92 it replaced went to my daughters place.

The new kenmore HE pair sux! And here is how bad it sux.

Son put power meter between machine and the outlet and I put a 1/2 water meter on each inlet hose.

The old may tag set used 12 percent less power for the wash and dry cycles combined and 4 % less water to wash than the HE set. The loads were identical. 2 sets of queen sized bedding in each. Included everthing for the beds but the comforter. the He set ran a total of 12 minutes longer to do the same job an most of that was the washer time for the HE set.

High efficiency? May be a wash board, a tub and a clothes line would be HE in reality. 

Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

woodsteach

Get a HE machine only if : you really like to iron, your clothes will come out in a wadded up mess.  If you don't want clean clothes, how can they be clean if they are in a wadded up mess.  We hate ours and also plan on a speed queen, as my parents and brother both made the switch to speed queen. 

It is amazing that the big brands haven't caught on that you need the center agitator post thing to make the machine do its intended operation correctly.

The above is just my opinion with no science to back it up, just daily experience!

Paul
Brand X Swing Mill, JD 317 Skidloader, MS460 & 290, the best family a guy could ever dream of...all provided by God up above.  (with help from our banker ; ) )

John Mc

Have not had any problems with out front load HE washer (I forget the brand off the top of my head).

The single biggest problem I've seen with people not getting their clothes clean in a HE washer is over filling the washer. These washers do not fill up with water like the old top-loaders do. They wash by repeatedly dashing the cloths into the pool of water/detergent in the bottom of the tub. If you overfill with clothes, you don't get that splashing action. The clothes need to drop into the water, not just roll around with the tub. Fill the tub to a MAX of 2/3 full, loosely thrown in (do not pack them in up to the 2/3 mark). For tougher jobs, try a bit less than 2/3 full.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

Jamie_C

I have a top load HE washer and i find it almost useless if the clothes are actually dirty. They might be great for washing clothes used in an office environment but if they have actual dirt on them from a days work then you better hose them down completely with the garden hose before any attempt at washing them.

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