New Washer/Drier?

 
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Devil505
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Post by Devil505 » Mon. Dec. 08, 2008 1:41 pm

scarecrow wrote:from a professional stand point front load washers are NOT worth the money. I own a appliance repair buisness.
You just saved me allot of money....Thanks!! :cheers:

One more question from a pro:

My wife hates ironing. Is there anything to this low wrinkle drier hype that actually has a water line connection for providing steam mist....Do they really make shirts come out wrinkle free?

 
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Post by scarecrow » Mon. Dec. 08, 2008 2:01 pm

as long as you take them out as soon as it shuts off...but 220 volts and water are not a good combo...LG makes 1 but LG does not have a good track record. if you do look into buying 1 I would first look around to find out if anyone works on em besides factory service. factory service is expensive and you will wait...plus another thing about the front loaders I did not mention about the mildew as long as you leave the door open you will be ok like others said to do. and once you close that door and start your wash there is no stopping it to throw in a shirt you forgot about..

 
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Post by Devil505 » Mon. Dec. 08, 2008 2:14 pm

scarecrow wrote:once you close that door and start your wash there is no stopping it to throw in a shirt you forgot about..
Thanks for the tip!

What do you think of this pair:

Washer:
**Broken Link(s) Removed**
Dryer:
**Broken Link(s) Removed**

 
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Post by scarecrow » Mon. Dec. 08, 2008 2:51 pm

if you wanna compare em my number 1 sellers are whirlpool washer wtw5600sq and whirlpool dryer wed5600sq. you may not find em on whirlpools web site but just google those model numbers and you will find a ton of info. places like lowes and home depot have have models just for them thats how they say you wont find it cheaper because it does not exist anywhere else.


 
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Post by coaledsweat » Mon. Dec. 08, 2008 3:19 pm

Devil505 wrote:
scarecrow wrote:from a professional stand point front load washers are NOT worth the money. I own a appliance repair buisness.
You just saved me allot of money....Thanks!! :cheers:
Don't bet on it.

 
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Post by SMITTY » Wed. Dec. 10, 2008 12:32 am

Forgot to mention in my previous post that I never once in 5 years left the door open. I always keep it shut. No smell or mold issues -- & I have the stuff growing on my windows, walls & cellar floor!

 
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Post by tvb » Thu. Dec. 11, 2008 6:33 pm

Devil,

If you pay for water and sewer usage, you will save significant amounts in those areas with a front loader. They use substantially less water than top loaders.

 
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Post by av8r » Thu. Dec. 11, 2008 6:47 pm

Devil505 wrote:Looking at replacing our old washer & drier & was thinking of a front loader but read reviews about water staying in the tub & mildew smell unless you keep the door open...Anyone have any recommendations as to type (Front or top loading) & specific models? (like to keep it under $1200.00/pair)
I did this a few years ago with just the washer. The new dryers don't do anything any better than the old ones so we kept the 12 yr old unit and it's still working just fine. After exhaustive research I bought the Sears HP2 which is made by Whirlpool. It was about $700, had a basket that was in between the biggest and smallest (very little difference between the sizes contrary to what they indicate) and very simple controls. Has a dial and a few membrane buttons. I didn't want extra crap that was going to break like water heaters and a million cycles we're never going to use. It's worked wonderfully in the 3 years that we've owned it. I use about 2 tablespoons of detergent for a big (stuffed full) and one for a smaller load. I buy the sears detergent in the extra-ginourmous container for $12 (I think) and it lasts for nearly a year. Clothes are cleaner that they have ever been, cycle times are good (we use the express cycle) and the biggie is it doesn't beat the crap out of your clothing like a center agitator machine does. Clothes come out much less wet than a standard machine so the dryer works a lot less and uses a lot less gas (my bills have dropped by 30%)

You do need to leave the door and detergent drawer open when it's not in use if you run loads infrequently as the drum area is sealed when the door is closed. Ours is running at least once a day so it's no issue. Ours has a maintenance cycle where you put bleach in the detergent cup and push a series of buttons and it will clean itself. I do that about twice a year. It's incredibly quiet, water efficient and cool to watch. The spinning issue is a non-issue if you simply plumb and level the machine. Mine will spin stuffed with 15 towels and make very little noise even if not perfectly balanced.

Many of the brands out there have issues with the "spyder" that holds the drum cracking after 2-4 years. These are not built to last like the stuff we grew up with. 4-7 years is all of it. You'll find that the $700 machines, if carefully researched, will out perform the $2000 machines. Bells and whistles...don't need em.
Last edited by av8r on Thu. Dec. 11, 2008 6:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.


 
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Post by av8r » Thu. Dec. 11, 2008 6:54 pm

Devil505 wrote:
kootch88 wrote:We bought an LG front loading set 1 year ago and leave the washer door open for an hour or so and have no problems with mildew.
Thanks for the replies.........After doing some research online, it appears that this mildew smell problem is systemic to front loaders.....They are evidently prone to retaining water & require special procedures, like your keeping the door open, etc. I guess my attitude is that if we can land men on the Moon, we should be able to make front load washers that drain completely!
Our washer/drier is about 10 years old & still works, so.............I'm not going to go out & throw money away on more products designed by accountants rather than engineers!

Unless they solve the draining problem b4 we need to buy new equipment, I'll just go out buy the old, tried & true....top loaders.
This is much less of a problem than you think. You only need leave the door open a crack and if you use it often it's no issue at all. I'd NEVER go back to a top loader. They're dinosaurs.

 
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Post by av8r » Thu. Dec. 11, 2008 7:00 pm

Yanche wrote:I have a Staber brand front loader style washer. See:

http://www.staber.com/product/810024

It's a front loader style but you really don't load it from the front. The drum rotates on a horizontal axis with support bearings on both the from and back. I bought it because of that design feature. It's unlike all other front loaders which have a single rear support bearing. You load it from the top, through a door that's part of the drum. My wife and I both love it. It uses much less water than a conventional agitator washer. You must use HE detergent, bleach and fabric softener. I bought it at list price from a dealer. It was hard finding a dealer that had one in stock and I had a several hour drive to get there. Most buyers just have it factory direct shipped. It's pricey but it's well designed and can be repaired by homeowners. It uses a high torque DC motor that is controlled in speed and direction for the various wash cycles.
I like the tub support design. The "spyder" with a single bearing on the rear of the drum is not the best design. The price isn't out of line either. I'd buy one if I could find one to look at. I'll bet it would out last some more conventional front loaders.

 
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Post by av8r » Thu. Dec. 11, 2008 7:03 pm

cArNaGe wrote:My top loader washer took a poop this week. Made me think of this thread. We were at Sear today looking. The combo units that stacked were to high for my wife to reach the controls and when they were placed side by side they seemed very low. Unless you want to buy the $200 stand to put them on. I pulled my wife's cousin's washer out of my basement and hooked it up. (been storing it for him for a year now). It will do until we decide on what to buy.
I bought 4 concrete blocks to put mine on and it brought it up to perfect height for me and the wifey.

 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Sun. Dec. 21, 2008 11:40 am

Thumbs up to the Duet! 7 years no issues. You do need to level them and have a solid floor. I got the tricked out version with the Sanitary Cycle-super hot water! I do leave the washer door cracked, the Cape is damp and I did not want any trouble! You can stop the wash and add clothes in the first few minutes of the cycle, RTFM!
I use Charlies Soap http://www.charliesoap.com/ works wonders!
Put a damp wash cloth in the dryer with your wrinkled item, take a steamy shower and hang the item to be dewrinkled or get one of those hand held steamers.
I like the gas dryers better but you can vent the electrics into the house in the winter for humidity however you need a big room and a good screen!

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