Buying Washer/Dryer set - helpful hints?

Our repairman just came last week and told us that the only decent machines left are Speed Queens for washers and dryers. I don't know if it's true, but that's what he advised since we may be looking soon.
 
Who knows the CORRECT answer?

All washer discussions degenerate into 7 completely predictable responses.
Front loader sucks.
Front loader great.
Top loader traditional sucks.
Top loader traditional great.
Top loader HE sucks.
Top loader HE great.
Speed Queen!
 
Amethyst said:
Dryer too?
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I would. Matched set of commercial grade units. You pay more but get the best.

But it's a personal choice and some folks go for style and gadget features, kind of like car buying.

We have had some older Whirlpool units that lasted many years, but today's big box store units are not that well designed and lack in reliability.
 
OK, great input on which washers and dryers have served people well, or not so well! Truth to tell, I never even heard of Speed Queen before. We always bought Kenmore. I'm willing to try something different, though.

Now, about installation...
What kinds of add-ons should we expect to buy? Stainless hose? Installation "kits" of some type, that aren't included in the price?
And, how should we prepare for the awful moment when the in-a-hurry, barely-or-non-English-speaking installers arrive?
What have others done?
 
Amethyst said:
Now, about installation...
What kinds of add-ons should we expect to buy? Stainless hose? Installation "kits" of some type, that aren't included in the price?
And, how should we prepare for the awful moment when the in-a-hurry, barely-or-non-English-speaking installers arrive?
What have others done?
Click to expand...

I don't know for sure, but I think Speed Queen has been around since roughly 20 minutes after Creation. At least that was the brand in almost every laundromat and apartment I've ever seen.

As far as installation goes, I have always done that myself. For the washer, hook up the two water lines (you will have to get them at the hardware store) put the drain line (should come with the washer) in your drain pipe, plug it in and you're done.

For the dryer, if electric hook up the vent to exhaust the heated/moist air, plug it in and go. For gas, you'll need to buy the gas line to the dryer and some jurisdictions require a plumber to hook up the gas line or you can do that yourself. If you're not sure how, pay the plumber, you DO NOT want to risk a gas leak. For liability reasons the installers will not touch a gas line.

For the vent line to outside, if this is a replacement dryer you probably can use your old one, if a new install you'll need to get that too at the hardware store.
 
Amethyst said:
OK, great input on which washers and dryers have served people well, or not so well! Truth to tell, I never even heard of Speed Queen before. We always bought Kenmore. I'm willing to try something different, though.

Now, about installation...
What kinds of add-ons should we expect to buy? Stainless hose? Installation "kits" of some type, that aren't included in the price?
And, how should we prepare for the awful moment when the in-a-hurry, barely-or-non-English-speaking installers arrive?
What have others done?
Click to expand...

Kenmore was (is?) sold by Sears and is a Whirlpool product. Not any more though as Sears broke off from Whirlpool recently.

As far as what have others done? I just order the units and anything else needed for the installation such as new water hoses, etc. Can your spouse help you with this task? This is not something unusual for appliance retailers and they can walk you through the process. Hook up is a ten minute job, if they take their time.

Good luck!:)
 
By installation, I mean the whole business of getting the machines into the house, through the hallway/kitchen to the laundry, establishing it is the right machine and isn't scratched up, dealing with the delivery service and so on. We had a lot of issues when we bought our dishwasher. When unpacked, it had a big scratch on the door, but instead of taking it away, they just left it there in the middle of our kitchen floor until a replacement delivery could be scheduled. It hulked there in the middle of the floor for over a week. The delivery service was contracted separately from the appliance sale, and the woman at the delivery service was a rude horror. The delivery guys were sort of "Oh well, what can you do." We did not know what to do. I want to avoid this kind of situation if I can.
 
Amethyst said:
By installation, I mean the whole business of getting the machines into the house, through the hallway/kitchen to the laundry, establishing it is the right machine and isn't scratched up, dealing with the delivery service and so on. We had a lot of issues when we bought our dishwasher. When unpacked, it had a big scratch on the door, but instead of taking it away, they just left it there in the middle of our kitchen floor until a replacement delivery could be scheduled. It hulked there in the middle of the floor for over a week. The delivery service was contracted separately from the appliance sale, and the woman at the delivery service was a rude horror. The delivery guys were sort of "Oh well, what can you do." We did not know what to do. I want to avoid this kind of situation if I can.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone here can help you avoiding those kind of issues.
 
Amethyst said:
And, how should we prepare for the awful moment when the in-a-hurry, barely-or-non-English-speaking installers arrive?
What have others done?
Click to expand...


I have installation advice - inspect your new washer and dryer in the truck before they unhook and remove your old ones.

When I had mine installed they removed the old ones THEN told me that there was a dent (oops, we're so sorry) in the new washer. They presented me with a calling card with a number to call, right then and there, to get money off. if I didn't agree they said it would be at least a week to get a replacement.

It really ticked me off. I felt like I was over a barrel. The dent was on the side toward the back but still. It was so rehearsed it made me feel like they intentionally brought me a scratch and dent from the store.

I agreed to take money off and accept the washer and have never laid eyes on the dent because of where it's located but it left me feeling like they duped me.

So that's my advice - inspect your merchandise first.
 
Along with the many helpful posts, I received this PM from an easily-boggled member:

"For a systems engineer, you seem adverse [sic] to acquiring knowledge.
To not know who Speed Queen is boggles my mind.
To be paranoid about aspects that can be made easy by dealing with a "long time local retailer" boggles my mind."
 
tinlizzy said:
I have installation advice - inspect your new washer and dryer in the truck before they unhook and remove your old ones.
Click to expand...

It's worth a try.

tinlizzy said:
When I had mine installed they removed the old ones THEN told me that there was a dent (oops, we're so sorry) in the new washer. They presented me with a calling card with a number to call, right then and there, to get money off. if I didn't agree they said it would be at least a week to get a replacement.

It really ticked me off. I felt like I was over a barrel. The dent was on the side toward the back but still. It was so rehearsed it made me feel like they intentionally brought me a scratch and dent from the store.
Click to expand...

It does sound that way, doesn't it.
 
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I wouldn’t get a front load washer again. On ours, dimes and pennys drop down between the washer drum and gasket and somehow get lodged in the pump. I’ve had to take the washer apart several times to remove change. This never happened on our old top load washer.
 
Hmm...that shouldn't even be possible. But clearly it is.

Clearing all pockets before washing avoids problems...Mr. A. likes to stuff tissues in his pockets, and although it doesn't bother the washer, there's nothing like removing tiny scraps of shredded tissue from dried clothing, the dryer interior, and so on.

Ronstar said:
dimes and pennys drop down between the washer drum and gasket r.
Click to expand...
 
Amethyst said:
Hmm...that shouldn't even be possible. But clearly it is.

Clearing all pockets before washing avoids problems...Mr. A. likes to stuff tissues in his pockets, and although it doesn't bother the washer, there's nothing like removing tiny scraps of shredded tissue from dried clothing, the dryer interior, and so on.
Click to expand...


I’ve become a lot better at clearing my pockets since having to take the washer apart 4 or 5 times. It hasn’t happened in a while. I have Mr. A’s tissue problem sometimes also.
 
Amethyst said:
Along with the many helpful posts, I received this PM from an easily-boggled member:

"For a systems engineer, you seem adverse [sic] to acquiring knowledge.
To not know who Speed Queen is boggles my mind.
To be paranoid about aspects that can be made easy by dealing with a "long time local retailer" boggles my mind."
Click to expand...

Well at least they sent it as a PM....:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm: I've also found in my smaller size town that "long time local retailers" can be very expensive and complacent about customer service because they wave the "home town" store banner.
 
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I did some research a few months back when I thought I’d be buying a new washer, and concluded our next one would be a Speed Queen.

However, I was able to fix our 26 year old Whirlpool for less than $20 (agitator dogs). It failed a few years earlier and that fix cost less than $10 (agitator coupling). I am not knowledgeable about washers, I just searched online and found YouTube videos on how to replace the parts - easy peasy.

The applicance parts guy I talked to said if I took care of our old Whirlpool and didn’t overload it, it could last another 25 years...fingers crossed. The only new washer I found that was as well built as our old Whirlpool was the Speed Queen.

Best of luck...
 
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Amethyst said:
Along with the many helpful posts, I received this PM from an easily-boggled member:

"For a systems engineer, you seem adverse [sic] to acquiring knowledge.
To not know who Speed Queen is boggles my mind.
To be paranoid about aspects that can be made easy by dealing with a "long time local retailer" boggles my mind."
Click to expand...

I thought PM meant "Private Message" :confused:

No it was not me :flowers:
 
Sunset said:
I thought PM meant "Private Message" :confused:
Click to expand...
My grandpappy said
Never write anything about anyone unless you are willing to let everyone read everything you wrote.
Click to expand...
The only words we can control in life are those we refrain from speaking - or, in this case, writing.
 
Just think, your grandpappy lived before internet, Facebook and worst of all Twitter, he was a wise man..
 
Hey, if someone's gonna chide me for the sin of bogglery, I want to share, in case anyone else has ever committed the same sins. Our naughty behavior must be stopped!

ivinsfan said:
It is private no names used!
Click to expand...
 
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