Sticker shock on washer and dryer

[Western]

The top loader we bought, Fisher& Paykel, is supposed to be one of the best water use/conservation units, it doesn't fill "to the top" like the older top loaders.

[My442]

Fisher and Paykel appliances are the WORST.

I bought a washer and dryer, and they both were totally unrelaible.

Parts are hard to get, and 2 appliance repair shops could not fix them.

I complained so much that the company took them both back, and gave me a 100% refund after 2 years.

STAY AWAY FROM FISHER & PAYKEL!!!!!!!

[woodchuckie]

I frequent an appliance repair site and due to the number of complaints with front loaders because of smelly clothes I will not have one. The thing about the electronics is correct. There is so much more you can't fix yourself. I've had my whirlpool stacked washer and dryer for 10 years or more and it's pretty much just mechanical controls. I had to clean the contacts on the timer once and replace a drain hose.

Here's what is recommended for a front load washer. I don't know if it helps or not.
Front loaders are known for building up mold and the smell.
caused by using liquid detergent which is made from animal fat. Use powder. And use the minimum amount.
caused by using fabric softener. Dilute it 50/50 with water.
caused by the water remaining in the tub between washes. Leave the door open to allow it to dry. .
Pull the rubber door seal back and clean the mold off .

[ToadHill]

You nhow the add about the Maytag repairman never getting any work, well its not true in my house. We bought a front loader Maytag about 1.5 years ago and had to have a repairman out after about 6 months. We paid a good buck for the washer and the repair bill was over $180. Just last weekend the Da++ thing stopped working again, just like the last time right in the middle of a cycle.

Guess what you can't open the door in the middle of a cycle. Haven't called the repair man yet, I spent almost an hour before finally getting the door open. I moved the washer out of the way and hooked up an old top loader we had from the farm.

I'll use that a while before I call the repairman, when it goes I'll have them out and maybe only have to pay for one service call.

[Travelover]

We bought a Sears front loader (made by Whirlpool). Loved it for the first two years, now it is displaying an error signal which, if the service manual is correct, means it has a circuit board failure. It still works if you reset it and do a second rinse to finish the job, but what a PITA. I still have not fully diagnosed it, but SWMBO will surely light a fire under me if I don't do it soon.

[Scooby074]

Originally Posted by woodchuckie

Here's what is recommended for a front load washer. I don't know if it helps or not.
Front loaders are known for building up mold and the smell.
caused by using liquid detergent which is made from animal fat. Use powder. And use the minimum amount.
caused by using fabric softener. Dilute it 50/50 with water.
caused by the water remaining in the tub between washes. Leave the door open to allow it to dry. .
Pull the rubber door seal back and clean the mold off .

I agree with all that. Good points.
Except that in my experience with Miele Front loads there is no mold or smell issues. The drum is stainless and the lip seal around the door is sloped to dry out. The door on the washer is always closed when not in use. The washer and dryer is in the kitchen, so it needs to be closed for appearance and safey as theyre are little kids around.

I would not use fabric softener.

The Miele detergent is powdered. it only requires about 50ml per load. I think that the detergent is a major part of the reason that dads had so much luck with his. Its more money (about $46 for 55 loads) but its worth it.

The thing about the european models, such as Bosch or Miele, is that they have the experience. While front loads are relatively new to popularity here, they've been the dominant style in europe for years. This gives the european models a leg up over the NA manufacturers.

[westcliffe01]

I second the recomendations on european front loaders. I have had 2 Bosch front loaders, the second only since the laundry closet in the "new" house is too small for the original full size unit.

They use less water, heat the water to get clothes super clean, dry the clothes so well that running them in the tumble dryer takes less than half the time it takes to wash in the washer.

I use the concentrated liquid detergent and have had none of the problems listed. They dose the detergent, softener and bleach from the drawer provided, and the drawer can be removed and cleaned (mainly from deposits from the thick gooey softener). So far, over 5 years on the bosch washer with not a single problem whatsoever.

Top loader are designed to be cheap to build and utterly simple to be reliable for people who make money renting their washing machines to you. They are terrible at actually washing and drying clothes, and do cause a lot of damage. I can't say anything good about any top loader I have used or owned and I will never own another. Good tip not to buy the first front loader built by a company that built top loaders in the past. Steep learning curve making that transition and 25 years ago front loaders had tons of issues.

[JJT]

We've been very happy with our fisher and paykel washer and dryer. Both are 5+ years old, do 2 - 3 loads / day and we've never had an issue. Last I knew GE made their dryers. With the washer you get front loader water efficiency without the front loader issues, (platform needed, door seal issues). There is no transmission, or belt, it's a direct drive variable speed motor. The spin speed is 1200rpms, this gets a lot more water out of the clothes, speeding dry time.

[LBrown59]

Originally Posted by ToadHill

You nhow the add about the Maytag repairman never getting any work, well its not true in my house. We bought a front loader Maytag about 1.5 years ago and had to have a repairman out after about 6 months. We paid a good buck for the washer and the repair bill was over $180. Just last weekend the Da++ thing stopped working again, just like the last time right in the middle of a cycle.

Guess what you can't open the door in the middle of a cycle. Haven't called the repair man yet, I spent almost an hour before finally getting the door open. I moved the washer out of the way and hooked up an old top loader we had from the farm.

I'll use that a while before I call the repairman, when it goes I'll have them out and maybe only have to pay for one service call.

Why are you having to pay repair bills?Where's the warranty?

[Western]

Originally Posted by JJT

We've been very happy with our fisher and paykel washer and dryer. Both are 5+ years old, do 2 - 3 loads / day and we've never had an issue. Last I knew GE made their dryers. With the washer you get front loader water efficiency without the front loader issues, (platform needed, door seal issues). There is no transmission, or belt, it's a direct drive variable speed motor. The spin speed is 1200rpms, this gets a lot more water out of the clothes, speeding dry time.

Ditto... The dry cycle is almost as fast as the wash.