Front Load Washing Machines

[Katsmeow]

I am interested if anyone has had particularly good/bad experiences recently with any of the following front load washer brands: LG, Kenmore, Samsung.

Also if have any feedback on various models.

We have had a matching Kenmore Elite Front Load washing machine and dryer for 12 years. We recently moved after our machines were in storage for about 3 1/2 months. We used the washing machine a couple of times without issue, but this last time it began making a strange noise and water leaked out of the door.

It had been working fine. I did notice today that for the first time ever it had a mildew smell probably from being in storage.

Given the useful life of a washing machine this fits within the category of not worth it to me to pay someone to repair it.

If this was a few years younger I wouldn't replace the dryer, but the dryer is also 12 years old. The utility room is adjacent to our family room and is in the walkway to the garage so it is more visible than many washing machine/dryers. So, I probably will get a dryer that is reasonably similar in appearance.

We have had a good experience with our Kenmore Elite washer/dryer so could get another one. We almost bought an LG back when we got the Kenmore. DH likes the "look" of the LG. We just recently bought an LG refrigerator (from Home Depot) and it took 3 tries before they finally delivered one that was undamaged. So that is a black mark on LG. That said -- LG was very good in responding to my complaints and I did have to have a service call which went really well.

The other brand that looked interesting was Samsung. I have no experience with Samsung for washer/dryer.

We will probably be buying from Sears although not necessarily.

I am torn on whether to get the pedestals. Right now, they would be nice since we are storage challenged in our utility room and I like the added height. On the other hand, we may revamp our utility room in which case we might end up with either more storage space or putting a counter over the washer/dryer so the pedestals would be useless. Pedestals are usually about $250 or so apiece.

 

[gerntz]

We've had a set of LG FLers for 4 year w/o issue.

 

[REWahoo]

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.

 

[Zona]

We have a Samsung set and have been happy with them. In order to avoid any mildew smell, I leave the washer door wide open after every use so that the drum and seals can dry out. I also leave the detergent tray partly open so it dries between uses.

One regret is that we did not buy the pedestals. I strongly dislike having to bend down so low to move the laundry between the two. Right now it's just a minor nuisance, but as I get older I could see it becoming more annoying. When these appliances wear out (but hopefully not for many years), I will insist on either the pedestals or building a DIY stand for them.

 

[Katsmeow]

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.

Which model did you buy?

 

[travelover]

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

Yea, huge rip off. I've seen these at Habitat ReStore for ten bucks, but I don't know if they are standardized in anyway.

 

[Ally]

We bought a front loader Kenmore and it broke after 3 years. It would cost as much to fix it as it cost and it cleaned terribly. We went back to an old fashioned top loader and love it. Our clothes are clean again. I think Speed Queen is the best, but we bought a Hotpoint on a clearance sale for $299. We’ve been very pleased. We’ve had it 6 years.

 

[Newventurer]

Have owned Samsung pair, with pedestals (they were free with purchase at Best Buy), for 10 years. Bought the 5 year warranty, never needed it. 2 weeks ago for no apparent reason the machine stopped draining the water after the wash. I looked up the problem online found the fix was a drain pump, ordered it on Amazon, it was delivered in one day, put it in over a 3 hour period, works great. $40. These have survived 3 teenagers doing their laundry in them so we are quite happy they still work.

 

[braumeister]

Our front loading Kenmore Elite washer is 22 years old and still working well.
The matching dryer was a different story. After three repairs, each one more expensive than the last, I had enough and replaced it with an LG about six years ago.

 

[REWahoo]

Which model did you buy?

We bought washer Model #: WM4370HWA and dryer Model #: DLEX4370W

 

[deadhorse]

Had a Bosch, nothing but trouble, went back to old school washer, Speed Queen

 

[DFDubb]

There is nothing old school about modern top loading washers. They're every bit as efficient as front loading, but clean much better and don't have the mildew on the seal problem. I'm a big dude so I hate squatting for a front loading, even with a pedestal. That said, modern top loading washers are very big and it's hard for my wife to reach small articles at the very bottom. Front loading is a failed gimmick IMO.

 

[ncbill]

There is nothing old school about modern top loading washers. They're every bit as efficient as front loading, but clean much better and don't have the mildew on the seal problem. I'm a big dude so I hate squatting for a front loading, even with a pedestal. That said, modern top loading washers are very big and it's hard for my wife to reach small articles at the very bottom. Front loading is a failed gimmick IMO.

Yep, why I picked a LG top-loading HE washer in 2010 which is still going strong.

 

[pjigar]

The most common problem with front loading machines is mold growth. There is always some water standing in the washer which creates a humid environment ideal for mold growth. You can leave the door open when not in use (somewhat effective). Or you can install a small PC fan in the back grill of the washer and keep the door closed. The fan will keep throwing the moisture out of the drum and mold won't grow. Our first front loading washer developed stinky mold in 3 years. My second front loading washer with a fan hack is going mold free for 6 years and counting.

PS: You can use a cheap 5V USB charger to power the fan. Be sure to check the air direction after the install. You want to pull air OUT of the washer, not the other way around.

 

[meierlde]

There is nothing old school about modern top loading washers. They're every bit as efficient as front loading, but clean much better and don't have the mildew on the seal problem. I'm a big dude so I hate squatting for a front loading, even with a pedestal. That said, modern top loading washers are very big and it's hard for my wife to reach small articles at the very bottom. Front loading is a failed gimmick IMO.

Look at amazon on elsewhere for an extension grabber. (Might also find one at a store that sells scooters to less mobile folks). Essentially it is a 3 foot rod with a pair of tongs with suction cups on the end that a trigger at the other end close up. Also useful if something falls where it is hard to reach.

 

[DFDubb]

The most common problem with front loading machines is mold growth. There is always some water standing in the washer which creates a humid environment ideal for mold growth. You can leave the door open when not in use (somewhat effective). Or you can install a small PC fan in the back grill of the washer and keep the door closed. The fan will keep throwing the moisture out of the drum and mold won't grow. Our first front loading washer developed stinky mold in 3 years. My second front loading washer with a fan hack is going mold free for 6 years and counting.

PS: You can use a cheap 5V USB charger to power the fan. Be sure to check the air direction after the install. You want to pull air OUT of the washer, not the other way around.

LOL who wants to deal with that? What benefit do you get out of the front loading washer to justify buying a second one knowing you will have to do something like this? I'm genuinely curious. All it took for me to avoid buying one when I needed to replace ours was a 30 second google search on the subject.

 

[pjigar]

Larger capacity and nostalgia of washing like I used to wash my clothes by hand growing up: tossing and beating on the floor.

 

[skipro33]

I have front load LG washer and dryer. It's seen it's fair share of use with me, wife and several bouts of extended guests. The washer had a problem about 2 years ago. The basket is mounted on a 3 finger flange that is attached to the motor. The fingers broke off. Taking it apart to see what the problem was, I discovered the arms are made of cast aluminum and that the bolts were stainless as well the tub. The dissimilar metals caused severe corrosion on the arms and they crumbled away. Also the arms have webs in the casting for strength. They caught a lot of soap and the soap ate away at the metal as well. (there is an inner basket and an outer basket. The outer contains the water, the inner has all the holes in it so water can agitate around )
I researched and it's a common problem. An on-line vendor had the parts and a video on how to repair the washer. Cost me under $100 and maybe 6 hours or so of labor.

I really hate to throw out such a massive machine to land fill or recycle. Just this one mechanical part and it's obvious that it is designed to fail after maybe 8 to 10 years of use, really should be criminal. If the part had been made of a composite, or had non-conductive spacers, it would not have disintegrated as it did.

Also, the gasket that seals the tub to the door doesn't drain properly and will start to smell within a few weeks of use. I replaced mine when I fixed the drum and it stunk pretty quickly. We leave the washer door open when not in use and no smell, but leave it closed for a few days and all the clothes will smell after washing! Heck, just leave a load in over night and we had to rewash them due to the smell. I think this is a problem with all front loading machines though.
I replaced the main spindle bearing while in there too. An inexpensive part that could fail, although mine looked fine. The work involved is not for a layman. I rebuild a lot of mechanical stuff and this was pretty convoluted to take apart and worse to reassemble. There are several large springs to preload, shock absorbers, tensioners, electrical harness plugs and sockets, etc. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say the job was a 6 or 7. If you enjoy figuring out how stuff works and have the patience to put them back together like a jigsaw puzzle, you'll enjoy repairing one of these machines. I figured I saved maybe a $1,000 and being retired, that's like paying myself.

I want to add; the machine was purchased in 2005. Repaired in 2016 and should be good to last another 7 or 8 years. While apart, it was obvious the rest of the washer was well constructed and there was no wear or tear on anything other than that 3 finger arm attachment. It was so obvious that the part was designed to fail. If not for that, they would run pretty much forever and no one would ever buy another washer. Ha!


Everything I've ever bought Samsung has been complete crappola. Fridges, TV's, dishwasher, stove, microwave. Several friends and family same experiences. They are cheap though, when they go on sale at Home Depot. Their warranty is good. Make sure you register the product and call at the first sign of trouble. Our local repairman is good too. He knows I am handy and have troubleshot the problem. He'll heed my advice and bring the parts I know failed. Recently it was a propane gas stove that the regulator started leaking on. He had the part swapped out in about 20 minutes after confirming that it did leak. A gas leak is pretty serious, so I eventually will replace this stove and not trust another Samsung gas appliance again.
I've also experience with GE appliances. The GE Profile fridge has a circuit board that fails regularly. They are on their 6th generation of board and it still fails. Mine first failed at keeping the freezer at a constant temperature. The current generation of circuit board causes a squirt of water to spray into the ice bin AFTER the frozen ice has dumped. Turns the nice new ice into a frozen block! Way too many unnecessary things going on in today's fridges that fail all from a single circuit board. I've been lucky and gotten the service rep on the phone to mail me replacement boards each time, citing that the warranty is for 5 years and that the failed part, the circuit board, is not 5 years old even though the fridge is over 13 years old now. Worst I've had to pay is for shipping so far.

 

[Midpack]

We bought a front loader Kenmore and it broke after 3 years. It would cost as much to fix it as it cost and it cleaned terribly. We went back to an old fashioned top loader and love it. Our clothes are clean again. I think Speed Queen is the best, but we bought a Hotpoint on a clearance sale for $299. We’ve been very pleased. We’ve had it 6 years.

While Speed Queen has been the best for decades, their 2018 washer has been thoroughly panned by almost everyone. I was planning to buy a Speed Queen next, but not any more...

https://www.cnet.com/products/speed-queen-tr7-washing-machine/review/

I'm not sure where to start, so I'll just jump right in. Whatever you do, don't buy the $1,049 Speed Queen AWNE9RSN115TW01 top-load washing machine. Its outdated design, shocking inability to remove stains and small internal capacity make its inflated price all the more absurd.

 

[Dash man]

We just bought a stackable LG washer/dryer set for our FL condo. It’s running its third load right now. So far it is working fine and no dents or scratches. We bought from Lowe’s.
We had to run the dryer vent into a box with a filter since we couldn’t run a new vent. So far it’s not a problem. It just blends into the Florida humidity.

 

[Car-Guy]

The DW wanted a combo set of the front loading Samsung Flex washer and dryer. Caught the pair on sale at Lowes for about $2500 a year ago. They are big and heavy (size matters here too I guess) but she loves them. They also have a small washer on top for delicate things and a small dryer on top for light things too. So I guess you could say they are both front end and top end loaders. Although she uses the front end loader compartments 95% of the time. So far, problem free.


BTW, we also replaced our Kenmore(s) which were 10+ years old. Another note. if you buy these, have them delivered and setup. The dryer isn't that heavy but the washer is.

 

[skipro33]

LOL who wants to deal with that? What benefit do you get out of the front loading washer to justify buying a second one knowing you will have to do something like this? I'm genuinely curious. All it took for me to avoid buying one when I needed to replace ours was a 30 second google search on the subject.

y
The advantages of the front loading machine is the amount of water used per load. Here in California, that's a concern. Also, the spin cycle is like warp 6. The clothes come out almost dry enough to just hang up and ready to wear in minutes if you don't want to use a dryer. In fact, we rarely use our drier, just hang on a line. This has saved us a lot of money on energy costs.

 

[DFDubb]

y
The advantages of the front loading machine is the amount of water used per load. Here in California, that's a concern. Also, the spin cycle is like warp 6. The clothes come out almost dry enough to just hang up and ready to wear in minutes if you don't want to use a dryer. In fact, we rarely use our drier, just hang on a line. This has saved us a lot of money on energy costs.

That might be the case if compared to an old agitator style washer, but modern top load HE washers do the same and use a similar amount of water.

 

[Hermit]

LOL who wants to deal with that? What benefit do you get out of the front loading washer to justify buying a second one knowing you will have to do something like this? I'm genuinely curious. All it took for me to avoid buying one when I needed to replace ours was a 30 second google search on the subject.

My house is small and a main goal was to have everything needed for daily living on the main floor. The washer/dryer will go in an oversize closet in the living room and have to stack. I will see what I can find on the internet about the fan. I may want to do that because I could not close the closet door with the washer door open.

 

[skipro33]

Another advantage of a front loader is the near-zero overhead clearance. We use the top of the washer and drier and the space above it for storage, both short and long term.