Washing Machine question for the handyman types...

[Ally]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I think the friendly guy who hauls away old washing machines actually sells them to handymen who repair them and resell them on Craigslist. .

They do. I tried to find an old style used one and they said they sell them as fast as they can repair one and get it ready for sale. I also offered for them to pick up my two year old front loader that we decided not to fix. No one would take it even for free. They all said they cost more to fix than to buy a new one.

[imoldernu]

re: recycling...
Four of our local resale shops, including Goodwill, joined together to publish a half page newspaper ad that said "we no longer accept Televisions, Computer Monitors (CRTs), and old computers... working or not".
... sorry for the thread drift... but it's beginning to look like appliances may soon follow the path of used oil, batteries, and tires... where disposal charges may be added at the point of sale. Imagine buying a Washer, for $500, and paying, up front, a $25 disposal fee.
They do it with houses (impact fee)...
If it happens, it will be called something like... "The Save Our Planet" tax... to help ya feel like you're doing your part.

Back to the thread... there's no such thing as recycled parts for appliances, the way the auto salvage yards operate, thus perfectly good major parts like motors, gear cases, timers etc... are available only from "new parts" suppliers. It's tough to make a living trying to be a supplier for older parts... For example, some washer timers, that used to sell for $25 are now two or three times that price... That goes for Refrigerators, Freezers, Air conditioners, Dishwashers etc... A simple basic basket for our 7 year old dishwasher is now $75.

Back in the 1940's our local dump (now called a landfill)... lasted the community of 3,000 residents for 20 years... In our current community, based on what the Waste Management truck picks up... our 350 homes would fill the same sized "dump" in about a year. No kidding... very little in "durable goods" ever made it to the dump at all in the "olden days".

Another interesting aside... In my years in the retail industry, basic designs of household appliances would be more or less constant, with many of the same parts, shared over multiple model years... Today, major changes are often made within a single model year.

[samclem]

More thread drift: Around here, metal put out by the street gets picked up by folks who recycle it. It sounds like a hard way to make a living after paying for gas, etc, but it apparently pays well enough. I've helped the guy get my appliance into his pickup, even gave him a few other scrap bits I had around and a few bucks for gas. Happy to see them do this, and they seem very conscientious about not leaving a mess at the trash cans.

It would sure seem like washing machine makers could capitalize on the common understanding that most present models are built with crummy components and will last only a few years. Build a good washer, advertise it's durable properties, show how it's easy to fix, promise a fixed price for replacement parts and that the major components won't be changed for 10 years and will be kept in stock, etc. I really think folks would pay for this--even a $200 extra margin for the manufacturer would be huge. There's a big "green" element, too: Lots of embodied energy in making a washer, and they take up lots of landfill space when thrown out.

(The Staber has some of these features. I'm a little miffed at mine right now--it was making noises like a bearing might go out, but it's behaving better now. I bought replacement bearing so I'm ready when it happens!)

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem (The Staber has some of these features. I'm a little miffed at mine right now--it was making noises like a bearing might go out, but it's behaving better now. I bought replacement bearing so I'm ready when it happens!)

I think high-end equipment has a "replacement part proximity sensor" feature that makes it behave better whenever you have parts on hand for what you thought was an impending breakdown.

[sailor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu Back to the thread... there's no such thing as recycled parts for appliances, the way the auto salvage yards operate, thus perfectly good major parts like motors, gear cases, timers etc... are available only from "new parts" suppliers.

Actually there is some recycling market for used parts - I bought a used control board for our dryer on eBay.

[Dawg52]

Problem solved. New machine will be delivered by Lowes tomorrow morning. Guess I will have to cut back on med's for a couple of days to offset the cost.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawg52 Problem solved. New machine will be delivered by Lowes tomorrow morning.

Super!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawg52 Guess I will have to cut back on med's for a couple of days to offset the cost.

Without the aggravation of a malfunctioning washing machine, you may not need them so much anyway.

[Sue J]

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Originally Posted by Dawg52 Problem solved. New machine will be delivered by Lowes tomorrow morning. Guess I will have to cut back on med's for a couple of days to offset the cost.

What kind did you decide on?

My 1991 Maytag top loader is still working well. I'd love to get one that uses less water, don't know if I'll get a front loader or a top loader. I've read mixed reviews on both types.

Don't have to think about it for now as the old one keeps working and I'll be paying huge costs for health insurance starting in 2013. I rather get a new washing machine!

[Dawg52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue J What kind did you decide on?

I went with the below. Made by Whirlpool and it's basically the same model as my last one. Cost $350 plus tax, delivered to my house. Just a basic machine, but all a single guy needs. If I can get 10 years out of it like my last one, I will be happy.

Shop Roper 3.4 cu ft Top-Load Washer (White) at Lowes.com

[Lakedog]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawg52 I went with the below. Made by Whirlpool and it's basically the same model as my last one. Cost $350 plus tax, delivered to my house. Just a basic machine, but all a single guy needs. If I can get 10 years out of it like my last one, I will be happy. Shop Roper 3.4 cu ft Top-Load Washer (White) at Lowes.com

I replaced a Maytag with a similar (same?) Roper model a few years ago and have had no issues at all.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawg52 I went with the below. Made by Whirlpool and it's basically the same model as my last one. Cost $350 plus tax, delivered to my house. Just a basic machine, but all a single guy needs. If I can get 10 years out of it like my last one, I will be happy. Shop Roper 3.4 cu ft Top-Load Washer (White) at Lowes.com

Super! At that price, it's sure not going to break the bank. That sounds like a great choice, especially since it was made by Whirlpool. If/when my washer ever dies, I'd be looking for something like that, too, the simpler the better. I don't need a lot of cycles and so on.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue J What kind did you decide on? My 1991 Maytag top loader is still working well. I'd love to get one that uses less water, don't know if I'll get a front loader or a top loader. I've read mixed reviews on both types.

I had an old Maytag Washer that lasted forever but my newer Maytag appliances have all needed repairs.The Maytag repair guy isn't lonely anymore . He is at my house .

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg I had an old Maytag Washer that lasted forever but my newer Maytag appliances have all needed repairs.The Maytag repair guy isn't lonely anymore . He is at my house .

This is what I fear. Cars keep getting more reliable, but that doesn't seem to be the case with appliances, at least not from the anecdotal evidence.

-ERD50

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 This is what I fear. Cars keep getting more reliable, but that doesn't seem to be the case with appliances, at least not from the anecdotal evidence. -ERD50

I agree... I think they have cut corners.... BIG corners... to try and make more profit...

I have one of those new front loader washers... and hear that they only last 4 to 7 years... for $1,000 plus

My old machine was 25 years old and working.... it broke down and my wife immediately jumped on buying a new one... now I wait for the breakdown....

[Dawg52]

When the delivery man brought in my new machine, the first thing he said "these new machines are much lighter than the older ones". Of course that's a good thing for him, but I'm thinking.....so the new cases are lighter which will allow the machine to vibrate more which will in turn put more stress on some of the parts like the lid switch. But when running, I will admit it does seem quieter and doesn't vibrate as bad as my old one.

Seems like a nice machine with all the features you need. But if the parts are truly not as well made as the older ones, I might be doing this again soon. I sure don't expect 15+ years as some have experienced, but I won't be happy if it bombs on 4-5 years.

[tryan]

Yeah we had a front loader that died (bearings went) in 5 years and required $900 worth of repairs.

Yeah we went back to a upright ($600 new). I figure anything past 5 years is a bargin.

Meanwhile the 20 plus yo upright we have at the lake keeps chugging along ... no problem. Matching Dryer did die a few years ago (only because parts were not available!)

FWIW I've found the first thing to go is the timer (knob used to set the cycle). I'll replace this first using the part number from the old one ... after that it gets hairy.

[Mulligan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tryan Yeah we had a front loader that died (bearings went) in 5 years and required $900 worth of repairs. Yeah we went back to a upright ($600 new). I figure anything past 5 years is a bargin. Meanwhile the 20 plus yo upright we have at the lake keeps chugging along ... no problem. Matching Dryer did die a few years ago (only because parts were not available!) FWIW I've found the first thing to go is the timer (knob used to set the cycle). I'll replace this first using the part number from the old one ... after that it gets hairy.

Wow, the higher end washer and dryers are expensive to buy and fix! Being a single guy, I hate spending money on those things, I buy the cheapest models I can find. Both my approx. $200 a piece washer and dryer no name set bought over 10 years ago still going strong. Come to think of it, about every appliance I bought is cheap. Spent $900 combined for new fridge, stove, and dishwasher, almost 10 years ago, and they have had no problems either. I did, however, learn a lesson about buying cheap couches and mattresses. Never again!

[Ally]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tryan Yeah we had a front loader that died (bearings went) in 5 years and required $900 worth of repairs. Yeah we went back to a upright ($600 new). I figure anything past 5 years is a bargin. .

I just had our bearings on our two yr old front loader go out. It costs more to repair than a new one. The repairman called the new front loaders "disposable", because any repair costs more than a new machine. The parts are all enclosed in a big unit, so you can't just replace a bearing. You can't purchase just a bearing. I bought an old style top loader a week ago!

[meierlde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ally I just had our bearings on our two yr old front loader go out. It costs more to repair than a new one. The repairman called the new front loaders "disposable", because any repair costs more than a new machine. The parts are all enclosed in a big unit, so you can't just replace a bearing. You can't purchase just a bearing. I bought an old style top loader a week ago!

Given that front loaders are ingeneral more expensive, and can also cause greater damage if the seal around the door fails, it seems to me that unless on does a lot of laundry, the water savings is less than the added costs. Of course the best way to save is to do cold water wash only.

Note that GE made a big change 10 years ago where the water is pumped out by a separate pump not connected to the main motor. The tub does not start spinning until the loose water is all pumped out. It takes a lot less energy and the pump works at 100% efficiency during the entire pump out rather than running slower while the mass of the water is pumped out.

[Ally]

Do you mean GE top loaders? We bought a GE top loader because they are now made in the US, have good ratings and we have had good luck with other GE appliances. We've had terrible luck with Kenmore appliances.

Already, our whites are so much brighter in this traditional machine.