Front Load Washer

[dfeck]

Our dryer just bit the dust. It's been slowly fading for a few months but finally has no heat. I checked the vents/etc and don't see anything obvious. Could be minor but then again could be major. The washer has had some issues the past year. Both are about 6-7 years old and I'm afraid if I call a repair man it might cost 2-300 hundred to fix. I've been thinking about buying a front load washer and dryer to replace the older washer and dryer to a few reasons. First, we have a well and septic and feel I'll save the water consumption along with being less taxing to our septic system. Second, I don't think spending the money to fix the washer and dryer is money well spent. They say washer/dryers last 12-14 years. So, can anyone give me recommendations of a GOOD front loader under 1K? I have NO clue what options are important and which ones are "fluff".

Thanks,
Doug

 

[jbos333]

Well I don't know about the dryer, but I recently (<1 yr.) found myself in a similar situation and did lots of research on front load WASHERS and wound up buying a Maytag front load washer. I don't know the model # offhand but I can say it was a higher-end one with the largest capacity (will do a King size comforter). It is a "made in germany" one while some of the lower end Maytags were different and "made in china" I think.

I believe the washer ran me around $800-900.

And, I have a Maytag dryer (gas) that's been with me for about 10 years now and Knock on Wood it's never given me trouble.

The washer is awesome in that the clothes come out so dry that it seems to take about 1/2 the normal time to dry them.

 

[Travelover]

I have a Sears Kenmore He2 (made by Whirlpool) that I paid about $600 for. I'm totally happy with it so far (2 years). I have simple needs, so I got the basic machine. As you mentioned it really spins out the clothes so drying is much faster and it uses a lot less water than the old one.

I did not buy the pedestal as it seems over priced and I find that I can just roll the clothes into a basket and scoot it over to the dryer, which is at the same height.

You might find a really good deal on craigslist for both a washer and dryer if you are in a metro area and don't have your heart set on a "matched" set. In my area there are lots of appliances less than a year old on the market as people move on for various reasons. The Sears outlet also has scratch and dent specials regularly, but compare to a sale price.

Be sure to get a good surge suppressor to plug your new washer into. They have control chips that are ridiculously priced. The Costco near me has a nice two pack for $16 that includes an outlet mounted one and a corded one.

 

[tanglefoot]

So, JB, how is that front-load washer working out? Does it do a good job with less water? I have heard that some of the front-load don't get clothes as clean as the old top-loaders.
Butch

 

[jbos333]

I believe it washes the clothes quite well, but I wouldn't throw, say, a muddy pair of jeans in it like I might have done with the top load washer. It definitely doesn't give the clothes the beating that a top load agitator type washer does.

 

[charlz]

One thing to be aware of with the front loader washers is they are designed to go on a cement pad, not framed flooring. They spin quite fast and can cause a lot of vibration. My wife purchased a LG front load washer/dryer set. We have framed construction and I can feel it vibrating in my computer mouse upstairs when it is on spin.

As for cleaning, the 'sanitary' mode took stains out of my work jeans that had been there through many top loader cycles.

 

[tanglefoot]

Good to know. Thanks.
Butch

 

[Scooby074]

+1 on the vibration.
Dad has a Miele washer. It has a wicked fast spin (something like 2500-3000 RPM). It would shake the china in the cupboard. I had to go and reenforce the floor and screw it down tight. Also put jack posts under the washer to the slab below. It helped alot.

As far as quality goes i have no hesitation recomending a Miele. In fact once my old maytag dies i plan on getting one. Only issue is the price is more than your 1k limit. They definitely use less water and soap. THeyre also much easier on the fabric. My clothes feel much cleaner than when they come from a top load too.

Whatever model you buy, ensure that it is absolutely level and plumb when you set it up. This will help greatly with the vibration issues.

 

[RonMar]

+2 on the vibration, so a good solid floor is needed. The vibration on a springy floor can be extreme. The high speed spin does cut the drying time down significantly. We got one this last fall. I measured the water output of the old one and the new one. The frontload uses about 1/3 the water as teh old topload. Septic was also one of our deciding factors as I have had trouble in the past with extra family at home, and the extra water from the wash stirring up the material in the septic tank and clogging the outlet filter screen on the tank.

Some complain of an odor from the washer, because they never fully drain. I have read, and firmly believe that this is because of using excessive detergent. The excess detergent builds a film on the inside of the tank and this gives a place for mold to grow causing the smell. I did some tests with ours when we first got it and they require only a fraction of the ammount of laundry detergent you are used to using. The test was to run a normal load with soap. When it finishes, restart the machine with extra water, but do not add any more soap. If you are using too much soap, you will see soap bubbles in the second wash. That is the excess soap from the first wash that wasn't rinsed away... Even the ammount on the HE detergent measuring cups is excessive in my opinion. The reccomendation I read about was about 1/2 OZ for a typical load. In my 6 months of use, and some tests, I find this to be about right. The cloths wash great, and I have detected NO odor from the washer.

 

[Travelover]

...........<snip>........Some complain of an odor from the washer, because they never fully drain. I have read, and firmly believe that this is because of using excessive detergent. ......<snip>......

Agree, use minimal detergent - less than the manufacturer's recommendation. I also leave the washer door and soap dispenser open so they can air out. No smell in 2 years.

 

[arrow]

Agree, use minimal detergent - less than the manufacturer's recommendation. I also leave the washer door and soap dispenser open so they can air out. No smell in 2 years.

I use about a teaspoon full of liquid detergent and good advice about leaving the door open betweemn washes. This thing is great for septic systems, well water or dry wells.

 

[mjarrels]

What do sunroofs/moonroofs, sky lites and front load washers all have in common? They all leak... it's just a matter of how long it takes!

mark

 

[Bird]

We bought small Maytag front loader washer and dryer and the 3 year extended warranty. The washer died shortly after the 3 year warranty expired and it would have cost more to replace the circuit board than I paid for the machine initially. The Sears service technician said he tells everyone that if you buy one of any brand with a digital display, you need to keep up the extended warranty or have a pocketful of money.

And yes, you need to use less detergent, and it should be one of the brands labelled with and "h" and "e" for high efficiency machines. We went back to a top loader but still use the high efficiency Tide.

 

[Travelover]

............. it would have cost more to replace the circuit board than I paid for the machine initially. The Sears service technician said he tells everyone that if you buy one of any brand with a digital display, you need to keep up the extended warranty or have a pocketful of money................................

In this day and age, everything with a circuit board needs a good surge suppressor at the outlet. The manufacturers are charging hundreds of dollars for a few cents worth of circuit board because it is proprietary and they can get away with it.

 

[Bird]

Yep, that little Maytag washer cost $664.99 plus tax in 2005 and last year they wanted $724.70 to replace the circuit board.

 

[Travelover]

Yep, that little Maytag washer cost $664.99 plus tax in 2005 and last year they wanted $724.70 to replace the circuit board.

That is criminal. You can buy a decent new computer for half that.

 

[alchemysa]

On 'hard-rubbish day' over here I always see heaps of dryers thrown out. I often ponder what minor fault has caused this, but people seem happy to rush out and buy a new one instead of making any attempt to repair them. There's not much inside any dryer that I've taken apart. Usually just a motor, a belt, and a heater. (They are much simpler than washing machines). So if you have no heat it could just be a burnt out element. (That was the recent problem with ours). They are pretty inexpensive and easy to replace if you have the time and some basic know-how.

 

[Bird]

On 'hard-rubbish day' over here I always see heaps of dryers thrown out. I often ponder what minor fault has caused this, but people seem happy to rush out and buy a new one instead of making any attempt to repair them. There's not much inside any dryer that I've taken apart. Usually just a motor, a belt, and a heater. (They are much simpler than washing machines). So if you have no heat it could just be a burnt out element. (That was the recent problem with ours). They are pretty inexpensive and easy to replace if you have the time and some basic know-how.

It's been a few years, but I've replaced some heating elements. The whirlpool products had a very simple one to remove the old element from the back with just a few screws, but on the GE/Hotpoint models, you had to take the top off and remove the drum to get to the heating element. And then why did the heating element burn out or melt down? You quite possibly need to replace a thermostat. Or was it because the timer was bad and never cut off? Sometimes they're simple and sometimes they're not.

I agree that they're simpler than washing machines, but the last washing machine I worked on just had a leaking pump that I had to replace and it was quite simple.

 

[boatyard]

We purchased a Bosch front loading washer and dryer in March. It is great. Very efficient! A little bit of soap, 1/3 the amount of water and it sips electricity.
It uses longer cycles and an onboard heater to make the soap do it's magic at low temps and then the water is heated through a series of cycles. Well they made it sound great in the manual. Bottom line? It works great and the washer cost about $900.

 

[charlz]

On 'hard-rubbish day' over here I always see heaps of dryers thrown out.

Well, naturally, my wife had to replace the set.... can't have a drier that doesn't match the washer The washer was toast, had been leaking fluid from the drive unit for 2 years and finally died (I got her to wait that long ) Rather than let them pack off the perfectly good drier I sold it on craigslist to a young couple looking for cheap appliances. I hate throwing out things I know are good or that I can fix.