Front Load Washing Machines

[W2R]

It isn't in the garage. It is in the utility room and if the door from the den to the utility room is open it is fully visible from the den. But -- we mostly keep the door closed so the only people who would see it is us or anyone walking from the den through the utility room to the garage (fairly rare for it to be anyone other than us). And, I don't hate the white. I like the black stainless better but the white is fine. I would certainly rather have the white than buy a model I didn't want as much.

Just an aside: When we were looking at the house it appeared that there was no door between the den and the utility room, just a framed opening without a door. I told DH we should get a door put on so that we didn't have to stare at the utility room any time we are in the den (which is the main living area we will use more than the formal living room).

So, I go to look at the framed opening and realize that there is a pocket door! Someone had painted over the edge of the pocket door so you couldn't easily pull it out (obviously the prior owners didn't really use it). I was eventually able to grasp it and pull it out and now we use the pocket door all the time.

What a cool discovery!!! I love pocket doors. And oh, ooops. I misunderstood about where it is. But still, as you pointed out, people are not likely to see it all the time in the utility room.

 

[googily]

I just replaced a 23-year-old GE stacked single-unit washer/dryer combo, which was chosen I'm sure because for many years it was the only w/d set that would fit in a small closet in a historic rowhouse. Whenever it would be serviced (which wasn't often), the repairman would tell us to hold onto it for as long as possible, because it was made right before the quality dropped considerably.

But, like someone mentioned up-thread, if it got off-balance, the loud bangs were something to behold. At least in a small closet it couldn't "walk" far.

But I finally found a stacked front-loader set that can fit, also a GE, and it was delivered last week. Now I just need the dryer vent to be cleaned out (duh, didn't get that done beforehand).

I'm interested in what someone said upthread about converting to a side vent--this new set is about two inches too deep with the way the vent hose on the back is configured. Would love to have it moved to the side.

But at least now I'm learning all sorts of reasons why front-loaders are The Worst. But I'll just hang with these for now.

 

[REWahoo]

It finally hit me. I was buying the same unit that REWahoo recently bought except I was buying in graphite steel and he bought in white.

I think you'll find the white both cleans your clothes and smells better than the graphite steel.

 

[aja8888]

I'm surprised Sears is still in business. With their deteriorating product lines and closing of B & M stores (Sears Hardware closed by us), it's no wonder they have delivery issues. They also closed their mall presence here in the growing Woodlands area.

We bought our Maytag commercial W & D units from Home Depot a couple of years ago and had them in a few days and installed correctly with no issues.

 

[Katsmeow]

I'm surprised Sears is still in business. With their deteriorating product lines and closing of B & M stores (Sears Hardware closed by us), it's no wonder they have delivery issues. They also closed their mall presence here in the growing Woodlands area.

We bought our Maytag commercial W & D units from Home Depot a couple of years ago and had them in a few days and installed correctly with no issues.

In fairness to Sears, this was not a Sears delivery issue. It was an LG supply issue. That is, LG found that the washer was damaged (since it took 3 tries to get my undamaged refrigerator I can believe this) and cancelled the delivery (a good thing). Sears says that LG says that the order can't be completely filled until mid-August.

FWIW, the exact same model/color is also unavailable from Costco and Best Buy so I do think it is an LG issue. (Home Depot says it is available but I have no faith in Home Depot for appliances and I know LG stuff comes from its own warehouse not an HD warehouse). Anyway, I ended up ordering from Best Buy so we'll see if it gets here in a timely way.

 

[meierlde]

I'm surprised Sears is still in business. With their deteriorating product lines and closing of B & M stores (Sears Hardware closed by us), it's no wonder they have delivery issues. They also closed their mall presence here in the growing Woodlands area.

We bought our Maytag commercial W & D units from Home Depot a couple of years ago and had them in a few days and installed correctly with no issues.

Note that the sears Hometown Stores are a different organization than the big city retail stores. Shopping
"Owned and operated by a member of your community, Sears Hometown Stores have been serving customers for over 24 years. As licensees of the Sears brand, these independent business owners, control their own destiny and will be here for years to come. They are here to bring you great prices on the quality appliances, tools and lawn & garden equipment you are looking for, without sacrificing the knowledge and expertise you are familiar with from smaller businesses. Shopping at a Sears Hometown Stores Franchise means supporting your local community members, who are here to bring you nothing short of the best." Hometown stores tend to in towns that are to small to get a full scale sears store. The sell tools as well as appliances and lawn equipment, no clothes or the like. The do sell other brands of tools than Craftsman such as DeWalt etc Also multiple brands of Appliances.

 

[skipro33]

I mentioned my LG front loader had the cast aluminum arms that connect the tub to the motor rot out. Here's a link to a youtube video that shows how to take apart and repair. At minute 13 is a very good shot of a good tub and spindle arm assembly next to the rotted one. I didn't replace the whole stainless steel tub, just the arm/spindle assembly. The tub cleaned up to look like new. I replaced the bearing and the main door seal while in there. I also replaced the o-ring gasket that seals the two outer tub halves that surround the inner stainless steel tub. Took about 2 hours maybe? All that gunk on the bad unit is soap and corrosion aluminum. The dissimilar metals had electrolysis action that caused the corrosion. All three of my arms snapped off. I suppose the broke one at a time and things got worse and worse. The machine did protect itself by not spinning out of control and throwing a code for an out-of-balance load. The website that put up the video sold me all the parts for around $100 or so. Maybe $150. I don't really remember. I do know the washer otherwise is quality built and worth the cost to repair, new ones costing a small fortune these days. Youtube videos hosted by parts supply businesses have saved me lots of money and, like this video, is so well produced, just about anyone familiar with hand tools can do the job.

 

[Hermit]

Note that the sears Hometown Stores are a different organization than the big city retail stores. Shopping
"Owned and operated by a member of your community, Sears Hometown Stores have been serving customers for over 24 years. As licensees of the Sears brand, these independent business owners, control their own destiny and will be here for years to come. They are here to bring you great prices on the quality appliances, tools and lawn & garden equipment you are looking for, without sacrificing the knowledge and expertise you are familiar with from smaller businesses. Shopping at a Sears Hometown Stores Franchise means supporting your local community members, who are here to bring you nothing short of the best." Hometown stores tend to in towns that are to small to get a full scale sears store. The sell tools as well as appliances and lawn equipment, no clothes or the like. The do sell other brands of tools than Craftsman such as DeWalt etc Also multiple brands of Appliances.

Sears does not own Craftsman anymore. I think Black and Decker does. I saw Craftsman tool sets for sale in Lowes (or Home Depot) the other day.

 

[meierlde]

Sears does not own Craftsman anymore. I think Black and Decker does. I saw Craftsman tool sets for sale in Lowes (or Home Depot) the other day.

But the hometown stores still sell them since they are not part of big sears.
So craftsman is available at many places. If you live in a large city the hometown stores are not an issue, as they were originally set up where Sears corporate did not think it could make any money by running a store. The point is that the hometown stores sell a number of brands of appliances, as well as tools and lawn equipment.

 

[samclem]

The dissimilar metals had electrolysis action that caused the corrosion. All three of my arms snapped off.

The replacement arms in the video look like they are aluminum, too. Was there now any sort of plastic gasket or something else to keep the aluminum of the arms away from the steel of the drum and the bearings? It would be a shame to have this same problem again down the road. I wonder why they didn't stamp those arms out of SS, seems like it would have been no costlier than the forged AL parts and definitely would have held up better. I'm sure they had their reasons.

 

[aja8888]

But the hometown stores still sell them since they are not part of big sears.
So craftsman is available at many places. If you live in a large city the hometown stores are not an issue, as they were originally set up where Sears corporate did not think it could make any money by running a store. The point is that the hometown stores sell a number of brands of appliances, as well as tools and lawn equipment.

Craftsman tools are all made in China now and are very poor quality. I still have my Craftsman socket and open end wrench set from the 1970's and those tools are very stout. A few years ago, I was given a new 1/2 Craftsman ratchet to replace one I had that was lost. It didn't work out of the box and the Sears hardware store I brought it back to said they have a 5 gallon pail full of returned bad ones. Not the same Sears or Craftsman these days.

 

[skipro33]

The replacement arms in the video look like they are aluminum, too. Was there now any sort of plastic gasket or something else to keep the aluminum of the arms away from the steel of the drum and the bearings? It would be a shame to have this same problem again down the road. I wonder why they didn't stamp those arms out of SS, seems like it would have been no costlier than the forged AL parts and definitely would have held up better. I'm sure they had their reasons.

From what I now understand, the part is called the 'spider' and is made of ZINC. Zinc is used as a sacrificial anode on boat motors, designed to be the part that corrodes away due to the electrolysis of dissimilar metals so the rest of the boat's motor doesn't corrode.

In other words, this is designed to fail. Built in obsolescence. From what I've read, just about every front loader has the same design.
I coated my replacement part with spray-on Plasti-Coat. Not sure it'll help, but even if it does fail again, I know it's repairable. (If I can still get parts that is.)

 

[frank2009]

Had a Kenmore front loader that broke shortly after the warranty period. It couldn't be repaired. Guess what brand I wouldn't consider.

 

[Janet H]

I'm interested in what someone said upthread about converting to a side vent--this new set is about two inches too deep with the way the vent hose on the back is configured. Would love to have it moved to the side.

But at least now I'm learning all sorts of reasons why front-loaders are The Worst. But I'll just hang with these for now.

That was me. There are a number of dryers that can be reconfigured to vent to the side, top, bottom or rear. Rear is usually the default. Typically to change you need a little kit of some sort and a few hand tools (or installer could do this, I guess). Do a little googling - you will find videos, models, etc.

I noted a number of comments about foul smelling front load washers.... I haven't found this to be true. After a load, I leave the door open overnight, then latch it in the partial latch position - it's not tightly sealed. After a year of use I have had no issues.

Soap trays in front loaders are pet peeve however... I hate them and find them messy and inconvenient. We've started using soap pods, tossed right in with the load with a good result. Yes... I know it's not thrifty but I like the result.

 

[Jamie1101]

Old School Speed Queen for me

It's a long story but when my 2nd hand Whirlpool washer bought in 1983 finally died in 2014 I replaced it with an old school Speed Queen. When I say old school I mean it does not have the computers/touch pad controls. It has the turn mechanical timer. I am very pleased with the model I have which is the commercial model AWN412SP111TW01.

Watch this CBC show if you want to get depressed over modern appliances.

I cook on a 1926 Tappan Range. I would not trade for any modern stove of any make...

 

[Telly]

Had a Kenmore front loader that broke shortly after the warranty period. It couldn't be repaired. Guess what brand I wouldn't consider.

No. It doesn't work that way. Sears does NOT manufacture anything! They are a marketer and seller. All their products are made by actual manufacturers.

Years ago, all Kenmore (Sears) washers and dryers were made under contract by Whirlpool. Design modifications would be made for the Sears units, to make the Sears products look different than the Whirlpools. Like different looking control panels, different labeling, minor product "enhancements", some panels shaped differently, colors, features like how many cycles, etc. etc.

But in more recent times, Sears now has many different manufacturers making their washers and dryers.

If you still have the model number of your deceased Kenmore, you could look at the first 3 digits (before the decimal point) of the model number. Then look up a website that has the Sears model code to mfg. lists for each product area to determine WHAT mfg. actually made your Kenmore. THEN you could choose to avoid that mfg. selling under their own name. Without doing this, you have no way of avoiding them, because you don't know who "they" are.

 

[pdxgal]

I bought a used Fridgidaire front loader W/D combo about 8 years ago for $350 (LBYM!), and they're still going strong. I suspect the washer doesn't clean clothes quite as well as some models (it's very basic), but my stuff isn't very dirty, so seems OK. I LOVE them and am never going back, for these reasons:

1) Stackable! Saves floor space, and having the dryer on top means no bending.
2) Clothes emerge from the dryer so wrung out they dry quickly on a drying rack. Only use the dryer for sheets and towels, which saves $ and is more eco-friendly.
3) Saves vertical space when not stacked, as they can fit under a counter or shelving.

If you want pedestals, there are great DIY project plans at Ana-White.com (I have no affiliation whatsoever BTW).

I've had good luck buying used appliances. Just like when buying a car, they depreciate quickly so why pay for that? You just need to do the math and make sure the price reflects the expected remaining life. Our local Habitat Restore once had a load of used refrigerators doinated from an apartment complex. They were at the end of their useful life (16 years), yet the ReStore was asking $200 each. I pointed out that given the useful life they should be GIVING them away. The manager appreciated my feedback, said she'd wondered why they weren't selling! OTOH I bought my Whirlpool fridge 16 years ago from my neighbor for $100. It's now 24 years old and hinting it may die soon, but it's been great.

 

[Sue J]

Watch this CBC show if you want to get depressed over modern appliances.

Thanks for posting the video. Yep, you got me, I'm officially depressed over modern appliances.

My 5 year old GE washer saga continues. It still washes just fine although the freight train noise from the bad bearing is a little scary. I expect it will fail completely at the least opportune time.

I've been shopping for a replacement. Costco has a sale until 7/11 so I went to check them out at my local Costco. There are a few to view but not a big selection and you can't buy one in the store, only online.

The advantage to Costco is they have a standard 2 yr warranty and if you use a Costco Citi credit card they add another 2 years to the warranty. Then their Square Trade 3 year additional warranty is only $80 for a total of 7 years.

So I applied for the Costco Citi card and got instant approval. Can I buy a washer now? NOPE. Have to have the card in hand to order online. 7 to 10 days to wait for the card. My sale price will change.

Oh, well. Something else will be on sale in the next go round.

In the meantime, I'm reading reviews and watching washer demo videos. There is a guy on YouTube who posts full cycle videos for specific machines. I guess there is a niche for everything!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXuTyi7vM7R0CCOGxqtYG6w/videos

 

[Walt34]

There is a guy on YouTube who posts full cycle videos for specific machines. I guess there is a niche for everything!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXuTyi7vM7R0CCOGxqtYG6w/videos

Now that's one for the "What did you do today?" thread.

 

[Lsbcal]

When I moved into my new-to-me dream home in 2015, I needed to buy a new washer and dryer set. After reading a billion internet threads about bad smells from frontloader washers, I chose a model of LG high capacity top-loader He washer that was highly rated by Consumer Reports.

It has been great and my clothes have never been cleaner. I really don't care about the low water usage, since I just pay the minimum amount for water ($2.xx/month). There is plenty of water in south Louisiana for the population living here. But, like front loader He washers, it doesn't use much water at all.

Also - - and this may not be important to anybody but me - - both the washer and dryer play soft, pretty little tunes when they are done, instead of the deafeningly loud, horrible BLATTT!!! by the buzzer that my previous (cheap, GE) dryer made. It could seriously be heard half a block away even though the dryer was inside, the volume was not adjustable, and it would nearly knock me off my chair. To me the pretty tunes are very important.

A day or two ago I thought it was broken, because the place where you put the liquid detergent was filling up with water that wouldn't drain. I went on YouTube and found a one minute video by LG that showed how to remove that part, wash it, and put it back, to fix the problem. Apparently I was supposed to do that once a month and for 35 months had not been doing it. When in doubt, read the freakin' manual.

My LG washer is pretty deep, but I am tall and can reach the bottom easily right now. As I age, I will probably choose to use my reacher/grabber to get that last sock out, just as I do with my matching high capacity LG dryer at present. I think it would be nifty to have a front loader at the same height as my wonderful laundry cart, but right now for me it is not worth risking the mold and smell issues that some front loaders apparently have (or had?).

We are now in the washer buying mode. Looking at LG's because they get the highest consumer report ratings. Right now Pacific Sales (somehow connected to Best Buy) has them on sale until July 11.

Regarding the drawback of difficulty for short people to get at the bottom of the drum, not all models are the same and there appears to be no spec for this. The LG WT7500CW was good for DW (she is 5 ft tall). But for a model that was similar on the outer dimensions and visually similar, the depth of the drum was too much for her to deal with. So it's a good idea to test that out at the store and not just compare LG models and specs on-line.

Besides Consumer Reports (from the library) a good resource might be the customer reviews at Pacific Sales. For the model we were looking at there were 393 reviews with a 4.7 star average rating. Here is a link for that:https://www.pacificsales.com/pdp/LG-5-2-Cu-Ft-12-Cycle-Super-Capacity-Top-Load-Washer-White/5195801

 

[gerntz]

Front loaders are expensive and they don't wash better than an old, top loader.
My wife's life is all about washing clothes, towels and linens. She was talking today how much she loves her Speed Queen washer/dryer.
And that comes from someone that washes all day, every day.

We had a Maytag Neptune front loader, and it was a piece of junk.

That's a whole lot of clothes. How many in household? Ten?

 

[gerntz]

Based on Consumer Reports ratings of performance and reliability, we bought an LG front-loading set a few months ago. They have performed well and DW loves them.

I passed on spending ~$500 for two pedestals and built my own sturdy platform for them.

You do need pedestal of some kind to stop from breaking your back and/or knees.

 

[googily]

That was me. There are a number of dryers that can be reconfigured to vent to the side, top, bottom or rear. Rear is usually the default. Typically to change you need a little kit of some sort and a few hand tools (or installer could do this, I guess). Do a little googling - you will find videos, models, etc.

I noted a number of comments about foul smelling front load washers.... I haven't found this to be true. After a load, I leave the door open overnight, then latch it in the partial latch position - it's not tightly sealed. After a year of use I have had no issues.

Soap trays in front loaders are pet peeve however... I hate them and find them messy and inconvenient. We've started using soap pods, tossed right in with the load with a good result. Yes... I know it's not thrifty but I like the result.

I had to have a guy come out and clean out the dryer vent before I could finally really use the new W/D, and I did see the hole cut for changing the vent to the side. But the duct cleaner said it still wouldn't help with space because there's an attached U joint that sticks out from the external vent anyway. Oh well.

I started right with the pods, and have learned to toss it all the way in the back before putting clothes in. And this thread taught me to leave the door open for a while to let it dry.

And it turns out that the new set does a *much* better job of giving me (relatively) unwrinkled clothes that have had most of the cat hair removed!

So, other than the closet door having to stay open, I'm happy. Until they break.

 

[Katsmeow]

Finally. New washer and dryer were delivered today and are happily working. One thing that was different. The dryer has a steam function and so has a water line going to it.

One nice thing I didn't expect is that they are much quieter than I expected.

You do need pedestal of some kind to stop from breaking your back and/or knees.

We bought the same model as REWahoo and decided to not get the pedestal. Doesn't seem to be an issue. For awhile we stacked our washer/dryer at our last house and the bottom was fine to use.

 

[Sue J]

Update to my washer saga. Quick recap - My 5 year old GE top loader has been sounding like a freight train on the spin cycle. Needed a new bearing, approx $380 - $400 not including labor. So I was shopping for a new machine.

In my last post I talked about how I got the Costco credit card but had to wait until I had it in hand to order a washer and that would be after their sale was over. I did an online chat with Costco Customer Service and asked about extending the sales price until I got my card. They offered to extend the sales price for 30 days and I gave them 3 item numbers because, darn it, I was still undecided! They put a note in my member file and told me to contact them after I ordered a washer and it shipped.

I decided on an LG top loader WT7200CW. It's one without an agitator and I bought it because I watched a couple of LG videos and liked how it worked. Also, I decided that bells and whistles are kind of fun and this one has wifi and you can monitor it on an app and it sends a notification when it's done. Plenty of options and extras and it is HUGE!

The regular Costco price was $750 but I got the sale price of $600. The discount and tax have already been refunded to my Costco Visa. Also, I just applied for a $100 rebate for HE washers from my local electric utility company.

Along with buying the washer from Costco I also bought the 3 year Square Trade warranty for $80. Costco has their own 2 year warranty on appliances then the Square Trade covers year 3, 4 and 5. Then the Costco Visa adds another 2 years after that. I never buy extended warranties but after throwing away a 5 year old washer and reading too many appliance reviews I thought this would be a good time to go for the extended warranty.

The washer was delivered yesterday and we did 3 loads and our son came over with all of his blankets and mattress pad. So we had a good time and we are getting to know all the options and gizmos. I got the app (LG SmartThinQ for iPhone works on my iPad mini) to work so we can watch the progress and get a notification when it's done. You can also operate this remotely but I can't imagine needing to do that. If I'm loading the washer and adding detergent I'll start it right away. There is a delay start if you want to load it for later.

Best features so far are that you can add extra water if you think you need it and it has a WINDOW!!. I always wanted a washer with a glass lid and this one is very large.

As for the delivery, it was on time and nicely done. We have a door from the garage that opens inward to the basement stairs. DH took the door off the hinges to allow for a wide delivery. The two guys had an easy time getting it down to the laundry room and they took away the old one. Costco includes this in the price.