You know when your grand-kids get to acting up you can throw them in there too.
Posted on 01/29/2014 7:47:36 PM PST by servo1969
I'm planning on buying a new washer and dryer in the next few months and my wife has always wanted a front loading washer.
Everyone I talk to including my mother, my sister and my best friend's wife tells me whatever I do DO NOT get a front loading washing machine.
I have been told they get mildew-y, they leak, they tear up easily and that they just don't clean your clothes as well as a good top loader.
All my washers to date have been top loaders and, excluding a part here or there, have each lasted more than a decade. I have never paid to have a washer repaired because I do the work myself. This has made me pretty familiar with their inner workings but I've never owned a front loader and have no personal experience with them.
So, my question is to anyone who owns or has owned a front loading washer. Are they really as bad as people say? Because the impression I keep getting is that they start out fine but end up being way more trouble than they are worth.
My duet has a trap to keep the pump from ingesting materials. You need to clean that every once in a while. If it gets jammed up with junk and the tub is full there isn't really a good way to drain that tub.
Thanks. I noticed the same thing. Our kids have done their own laundry since they were very young... I couldn't believe the junk that had collected in that trap-- but good thing it did-- rather than ruin the impellers. Luckily it's not a big deal to clean it.
You know when your grand-kids get to acting up you can throw them in there too.
If you get one, take the time and effort to read and follow the operating, care and maintenance instructions. I know a lot of people think this is nerdy, and oversized egos resist the implication that they don’t inherently know everything already, but following the few critical tips that you wouldn’t get if you fail to do this makes all the difference.
“There are thousands of ways to do things the wrong way but only one or two ways to do it right.”
My wife loves hers. The darn thing gets clothes clean I’ll say that. You avoid mildew by leaving the door open.
Model is Kenmore HE5t.
The doors open in the direction you specify when you order them.
Our washer opens to the left. Out dryer opens to the right. To transfer the wash, we grab the laundry from the washer and put it into the dryer without even moving our feet.
We are happy with ours. Maker sure and order them so that the doors open outward. Also spend the money and get the pedestals. They raise the openings to a nice level for transfering laundry without back strain, and they provide a LOT of storage space.
Even the top loaders don't last that long any more. Read the reviews. it's hard to find a top loader that doesn't leak without spending as much as you would for a front loader.
BTW, for anybody who lives in the Phoenix area, go to Spencers. They’ll give you a good deal and won’t high pressure you.
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(I have no connection to Spencers, other than buying appliances from them over 30 years, after price checking every time.)
Have had a Kenmore(sears) since mid-1999, at that time they near top rated. Used at least three times a week, no repairs at all. The soap is more potent now—so use less.
We have had the Whirlpool Duet front loader for seven years now and have not had a single problem with it. Newer front loaders have fixed the smell issue by designing the gasket to drain away all standing water. When we move to Arizona later on this year we will buy another set of Whirlpool Duets.
The most important thing to get in a front load washer is a self heating washer for the sanitary cycle. Really really hot water will clean everything. Really well. In Europe I learned this, where chemicals and bleach are illegal. Not all loads need the sanitary cycle - use them for really dirty stuff or towels (bacteria) and cleaning cloths, sheets, etc.
Also, more water equals better cleaning, so press the extra water button with every load. Don’t fall prey to the save the water freaks.
Next, safety issue: if you have two tiny tots, keep your laundry room locked if you have a front loader. One tot could theoretically put another tot in the washer and turn it on and kill her. Only one tot, they are perfectly safe.
To prevent smells forever, always keep the washer door open. That’s why the previous paragraph is important. If you do get a slight mildew smell from leaving a load overnight in there or something, do a sanitary cycle (empty or with things that need it) with some bleach in there. Try to not let the door stay shut for very long.
We use ours a few times a day and between loads we keep it open and it doesn’t smell. We have had the occasional mildewed load and a hot bleach load will fix it. But people who keep the door shut always WILL get a mildewed machine that may be hard to ever get the stink out.
Rolling the cloth over and over in the drum really cleans it. That stupid “agitator” in the top loaders doesn’t do anything.
Bought 2006 model in 2007 from Sears. Fantastic machine. Just leave the door open between loads to let the tiny little pool of water in door catch evaporate. No mildew, no odor. These washers give your clothes a clean shower rather than washing them in their own dirt. Whites are whiter, jeans are softer and underwear is a dream :)
we have one. it leaked. i fixed it. now it works ok for the moment.
I just got done tearing mine apart down to the drum.
Found the mildew - it SEEMS like it is the door gasket, but the real mildew is in the hose leading from the pump out to the top of the back of the washer.
That thing was absolutely filled with rings of mildew.
After cleaning that and the pump basket (omg! How did a ball point pen get through there?), the smell went away.
I have seen a couple replies on this, but if his Washer and Dryer are opening against each other, they simply need to switch sides. He likely has the dryer on the left, opening to the right, and the washer on the right, opening to the left.
Just swap them. :)
I live in Italy where you can’t buy a top loader. I own a typical European “green” front loader. Bought a decent one; a Samsung. Compared to a US-style top-loader, it sucks. The only wash cycle that seems to get my clothes clean runs for 1 1/2 hours. Unlike a top loader, you can’t fit much in it. It has been reliable, though - no smells, no leaks. But I’d opt for a US-style top loader if I could get my hands on one.
Bought a front loader in 2009. It took an obama in 2011... top loader all the way in this house!
Yes. Avoid Bosch like the plague that it is.
we have both kinds - one at camp and a traditional at home - I love the front load because it spins incredibly fast saving fuel on the dryer side - I feel it doesn’t agitate as well since the water volume is not what youd expect - BUT - it get s everything clean...you just have to leave the doors slightly ajar when done or else it will get musty. I prefer it to the traditional
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