Coal fired clothed dryer?

Or at least those that have seen enough of it to 'see' it aren't around anymore to tell us about it !!

Greg

I just got a phone call from "Bounce". They said they can't find scientific evidence that the fumes would be a physical threat, but they did say it is an irritant and should be vented to the outside. So, do so at your own risk. If you find you have a scratchy throat or itchy eyes you'll know what's causing it. Of course if you vent inside and your dog grows a second tail you might want to discontinue the practice.

We don't add fabric softener to clothes destined for the clothes dryer anyway. The heat & tumbling action makes them soft enough. Only time we use it is if we are going to hang the clothes/towels up. ( I hang up everything....Winter in the basement in front of the coal stove & summer on our "Solar Clothes Dryer.")

Based on the reports I'd read I did not buy a Maytag front loader washer, which I was planning to do. I went with the Kenmore. I think it's about 5 years old now, I have not had any problems with it and would recommend it. It's actually made be Frigidaire.

Well, I guess I spoke too soon, today the Kenmore started making a horrific sound on the final extract when it hit high speed. From some investigating online and checking it over I suspect one of the "spider" arms that holds the drum may have fractured. It looks like the bearing is ok, there's no resistance felt or noise from that area. This pisses me off. I would think that a drum full of wet laundry needs to have support at both ends, even if it's only a set of rollers in the front.

When my mom moved recently the new place had a washer and dryer, I saved her old washer "just in case". It's now filling in for the Kenmore for a while. I dislike top-loaders.

http://applianceguru.com/forum2/834-7.html

The lack of front bearings is why I bought a Staber. I don't see how a consumer grade front loader with only single bearing can have a reasonable service life. Getting clothes in a Staber is from the top, via a door in the drum side. You don't have to bend over like in most front loaders.

The manual states there is a "limited" lifetime warranty on the stainless steel "wash basket". According to the parts diagram the shaft and arms are part of the basket, but labor costs aren't covered. As soon as I get it apart and if I find one or more of the arms are fractured I will look into this warranty.

Question for ya John: My wife & I have been looking at the new front loaders but why does a wash cycle take so much longer in a front loader? (we can get a large load washed in about 15 minutes with our old top loader)


PS- Personally I never had much luck with Sears Kenmore appliances

Most of the front loaders use a water tank. The tank is used to get the water to the proper temperature prior to filling the wash wheel, this is one reason they do a much better job washing clothes. The additional time is just waiting for the water to reach its desired temps.

coaledsweat wrote:Most of the front loaders use a water tank. The tank is used to get the water to the proper temperature prior to filling the wash wheel, this is one reason they do a much better job washing clothes. The additional time is just waiting for the water to reach its desired temps.

So the wash cycle must cost more money if the machine is actually heating the water too? (would seem to negate any savings from a shorter dryer cycle)

No idea on the question, Dev. I do know that front loaders use a tumble action to wash the clothes, a lot more gentle on the laundry. They also use a lot less water. The average top loader beats the hell out of the laundry, I remember the old Frigidaire washers that used an up and down agitator instead of back and forth.

Kenmore large appliances are made by several manufacturers, they usually have a low priced line and a high end line. The Kenmore top loader that came with this house was terrible, had 2 solenoids on a shaft that moved them back and forth constantly. I repaired it so many times, the last time it quit it went out the door.

Years ago my parents bought only Frigidaire appliances, they were high quality. The problem is that if a manufacturer builds a unit that never wears out...when will the customer replace it? There are a few brands I favor such as Friedrich for air conditioners, Frigidaire, the high end Kenmore models. I have a mid 1980's KitchenAid dishwasher which is top notch.

A front loader is the way to go, as Yanche suggests-look into the Stabler.

Also, Ian is right on the wash tank. My Kenmore has a sensor for controlling the wash temp when using the warm wash setting but no way to heat the water in the machine once it's in there.

Some large large commercial units use steam injection to heat up the load, hmmm-coal fired boiler and steam injection into the washer...sounds like a plan.

I suppose I could install one of these in the new barn:

I see no reason why my wife can't do the laundry the old fashioned way, seems OK to me.

Devil5052 wrote:

coaledsweat wrote:Most of the front loaders use a water tank. The tank is used to get the water to the proper temperature prior to filling the wash wheel, this is one reason they do a much better job washing clothes. The additional time is just waiting for the water to reach its desired temps.

So the wash cycle must cost more money if the machine is actually heating the water too? (would seem to negate any savings from a shorter dryer cycle)

I don't think the machine is doing anything with the water when you are using the cold temperature setting, it's based on what setting you choose(water, soil). The whole reasoning of it taking longer is by using less water, it has to tumble the clothes more in a back and forth motion to get all of the clothes cleaned. The machine stops and reveres itself a lot which adds to the efficiency of the washer. Our new Samsung is estimated at using $17 a year to operate based on 8 loads a week at a price of 10.65kWh while using 162 kWh a year. Of course we wouldn't be using half that so really it should only be costing us around $8.50 a year plus water to wash our clothes at home and it uses 65% less water.

I wouldn't buy anything at Sears based on all the trouble they have been having on the news about them not following through with fixing people's appliances under warranty. Like I told the wife "what good does it do us to save money on a product that doesn't work" I'd rather pay a little extra at Home Depot or Lowes and know they are coming to fix it if something goes wrong then to save a little money up front and have a huge headache to deal with later on down the road.

The front loaders use less water, soap and electric power so they are much cheaper to operate. A full drum of water takes a lot more power than a 15-20% fill. The post above is correct, a top loader will beat your clothes to death (and the washer), a front loader is much easier on the clothes and cleans better. The key is the mechanical action of the clothes striking the drum at the waterline (just like grandma on the rocks). A toploader can't do that, it has to beat the dirt out of clothes. The water temerature is a critical component to a good wash, extreme changes in temps between fills can cause shock wrinkles. The only way to remove them is go back to the temp it was shocked at and reduce the temp by a smaller margin, typically 20* and no more than 30*.

Adam, is that a 900# Milnor?

Adam, is that a 900# Milnor?

Actually I posted the photo. I don't know the model, I found it on the Milnor website.

Years ago we had a Frigidaire top loader, it met it's demise because the vigorous up and down motion of the agitator eventually wore out the shaft and bushings that moved the agitator, the parts alone cost almost as much as a new machine.

Time/Temperature/Chemicals/Mechanical Action---the formula for proper washing.

Here's my formula, by bigger than needed durable clothes. Place in washer, add detergent, turn on only hot (have all the free hot water I want) and let er do its thing. Only thing I sperate is whites and that's because I use bleach on them...

Richard S. wrote:Only thing I sperate is whites and that's because I use bleach on them...

Will you marry me Richard? (I promise not to talk politics!)