The (unsexy) Washer/ Drier Thread . . .

[IRQVET]

Okay I'll admit this is not the sexiest tool topic, but considering some of these reside in our garages, I figured I'd start this thread. Not sure if this is going to start a worthwhile conversation, or be more of a public service announcement sort of thread; but here we go . . .


So I HATE the disposable nature of common washer/ driers. No matter what brand you buy, no matter what bells and whistles it has, no matter what you spend, none of these turds seem to last very long.

Backstory Behind this Thread:

Back in 2008, I spent a ton of money (as a new and inexperienced home owner) on a pair of LG front loading washer and drier. At the time I think I paid $1,600-$1,800 a piece for them. (I know, I said I was inexperienced; maybe dumb is a better way to explain it)

Moving forward they both crapped out after 5-7 years. I called a repairman to come out and I found the conversation very interesting. Essentually I asked the reairman what HE used at home. I figured if he does this all day for a living, he'd know what was good and what to stay away from. His response shocked me, "Anything analog and inexpensive."

His justification was that nobody is building appliances to last anymore. The $300 bare bones unit and the $3,000 unit are built with like parts, and none of them are built to last more than 7 years on average. All you get for the extra money was some bells and whistles but eventually they will break all the same.

I have found those words to prove themselves true 14 years later, as I have gone through one washer/ drier after another. One of the last sets I purchased, A G.E. burnt up after 13 months. (13 Motherf*#@ing MONTHS)

So I have decided I'm not going to do it anymore. On my next purchase, either I was going to purchase a purely "commerical" machine or find an antique washer/drier and pay to have them restored. Suprisingly enough, this is actually becoming quite popular with people like me who are fed up with the disposable nature of todays appliances.

I know this is a video that is kinda an odd ball thing I normally wouldn't watch, but he did an excellent job describing the different between new and old washers, the soap they use, and why the new ones just don't last. It's one of those weird video's that turned out to be kinda a gem IMHO.

Although I didn't go this route, I did decide to go the commerical route. I went with a set of low tech/ top loaders (with agitator) from Speed Queen a few years ago. And I have to admit the build quality and performance is night and day. They look antiqated and a bit old school, but they are perfroming well. Only time will tell if they last like I hope they do, but if you've been in this same boat I'd like to hear what you have to say.

 

[GrantCee]

Speed Queen. Buy once, cry once. They are most assuredly not made from the same crappy parts as other machines.

 

[CoogarXR]

I have an old mechanical dryer from the 80s. It's still plugging along. I can't remember the brand, maybe whirlpool. I don't use it a whole lot though, only for whites. Colors, shirts, jeans, etc all get dried on the drying rack.

I have a front loader GE washer from 2005-ish. Never had a problem with it. It's still got a mechanical knob too. It's getting a little rusty around the bottom, hopefully it lasts a while longer.

 

[merkyworks]

Still using front loader Whirlpool washer/dryer ( 1st gen H.E. Models?) purchased in late 90’s

Couple years ago washer needed new part, Repair man was called and remember him saying “these have high quality German parts and last forever, not like newer ones that have cheap Asian parts”.

 

[Gunfixr]

Yeah, we played the fancy game, once........
Since then it's been cheap dial knob units. Some have lasted longer than the fancy one we started with

 

[Davegvg]

Miele - buy once cry once.

 

[txvwnut]

Ima GE guy since there’s a mom and pop appliance store at the end of my street and that’s what they sell. Before I went GE I had Norge, the washer lasted about ten years or so and I repaired/rebuilt the dryer until parts became NLA. There was some Whirlpool washer years and those were short lived and a GE washer came and when the Norge dryer died a GE replaced it.

When I replace an appliance I always cut the body up as they are made with some good sheetmetal then scrap the rest.

 

[belvedere]

Last time I bought a part for our dryer, I was talking to the lady at the local independent appliance repair business, and she said basically the same thing: appliances are getting more disposable all the time. She said to stay away from GE, LG, and Samsung appliances. She also said that those sold at an appliance store are better than those from the big box stores.

 

[Fly YX]

Another vote for Speed Queen. My mom and dad gave me their old set from the 80s had them till 07 when I moved. Got a Bosch Next 800 was a pos then got a LG had a lot of electrical problems. Got a new Speed Queen set and have not had any problems yet.

 

[qqzj]

I have a pair of Maytag, having small issues once in a while. But there are a lot of repair video on YouTube and parts are cheap. So I am surprisingly satisfied. Both are still going strong after 15 years. So I am going to buy Maytag again if necessary. Maytag is owned by Whirlpool. So that is okay too.

Some people on YouTube are truly smart. My dryer main control board failed. Replacement was $250. But I followed a YouTuber and fixed the old one with a new relay. Now it's better than new because I used a high quality relay.

 

[MushCreek]

We bought a Speed Queen about 5 years ago. Supposedly they aren't as good now, but who knows? I do know the SQ weighs about twice what my old top loader did. It does a great job, and hopefully will outlast us. I always buy basic appliances. We bought all of our kitchen appliances about 8 years ago, and so far, so good. All are base level units. The Samsung range started acting up, but all it was was a little corrosion on the wimpy ribbon cable for the board. Our dryer is quite old, but keeps on working. It's a base model, and I have done some minor repairs, but dryers are easy to fix, at least for the old school ones. Our much-vaunted Bosch DW has never worked right, but we got tired of calling the guy out, and came up with a work-around. It washes great, and is super quiet, but the soap dispenser NEVER works right. It doesn't open unless everything is just right, including the time of day, barometric pressure, and phase of the moon. It washes like crazy even when the soap door doesn't open, though. Now we just toss the soap in the bottom.

 

[Tools4Me]

I use a Speed Queen now as well. It's a top loader. Be careful though, their modern top loader washers don't do as good of a job of getting clothes clean, because they use the same wash basin as their front loaders. They just bolt a center agitator to the front loader basin and orient it vertical instead of using a unique top loader basin with an agitator that's mounted on a center axle that moves independently of the basin to better agitate the clothes in the water like the older mdoels from 10 years or so ago.

Before the Speed Queen I had a Miele. It was the worst purchase I ever made. Right when it became old enough to start needing a part or two, Miele pulled out of the US washing machine market and parts/service became almost non-existent. You have to call and have an authorized Miele repairman come out and sell you the parts and install them for you if you need to get one fixed. There were no authorized repairmen anywhere near where I live, so that was basically a non-solution to any problem. I was able to keep the thing running for 10 years total by creatively repairing things myself, but by the time it was replaced the washer was leaking slightly out the back seal, setting off the water alarm regularly, making the clothes smell musty no matter how many times we ran the bleach and sterilization cycle, it would randomly stop and give off an oversudsing alarm multiple times per month when there was almost no visible suds in the viewing window, and the automatic door latch stopped working so the manual emergency mechanical bypass had to be used to get the clothes out after each load. Those were only the problems I couldn't find a DIY fix for. Getting rid of that thing was one of the happiest days of my life.

 

[lardy1]

On a similar note.....we took delivery of a new Frigidaire refrigerator this week. I had to reverse the door swing on it. I couldn't believe what a ************* it is compared to the one it replaced which was purchased in 1999.

 

[BoostedOne]

I bought a Whirlpool front loader about 15 years ago to replace an OOOOOOLD(1970s GE that had toggle switches). Bought it scratch and dent for 700. I replaced it about 3 years ago due to a part going bad that was going to cost a couple hundred bucks. Replaced it with a current model Whirlpool, another scratch n dent or close out for where a $1500 machine was marked down to $700..Gave the old one away to someone. New one seemed as solidly built as my last one.
That said, friends/family of mine that have bought the asian ones that have flooded the market havent had near as good of luck. They seem to get a few years out of them until one of the 1000 parts fail, and its a $500 part.

One reason I dont have a problem with a 10-15 year life span on a 700 dollar appliance that gets used several times a week, is the modern HE units do such a better job. I couldn't believe how quiet and smooth that Whirlpool ran. And i was amazed at how the clothes were only slightly damp at the end of the cycle. Every washing machine I ever used up to that point and every analog machine I have used since then, my jeans come out wet and take twice as long to dry. You couldn't get me to go back to an old analog top loader.

 

[beemerphile]

I have a 16 year old front loading LG set that has had minimal problems. Each time, I found a video on Repair Clinic that described the steps to repair and I bought the parts either from them or locally. The last drier repair (it had stopped heating) turned out to be an over-temp safety that failed. I found the part locally for $7 vs. $25 online. I just hope the control boards never fry. I use a type 3 SPD on each circuit to help prevent it. One data point proves nothing, and I may have simply dodged a bullet. This is not an LG endorsement, but more of a "learn it and fix it yourself" suggestion. My GE Profile kitchen appliances in the current house are 23 years ago and all have had a few issues cheaply and easily fixed by the above strategy. Now they are old enough that the parts are coming up NLA and the resourcefulness part of the solution is in finding NOS parts in various places like fleabay and others. That challenge may exist with the antique route unless you are a blacksmith or a MacGyver.

I am building a new low energy house to grow old and die in. I needed a compact set for the RV I will live in during the build and I plan to move the compact set into the house when it finishes. I went with a Miele 24" set with a non-vented heat pump dryer. Dryer vents are the source of multiple evils in a tight house and the heat pump dryer works from a 15A 120V circuit instead of a 40A 240V circuit. Folks are free to posit that the machines are unrepairable or will not last, and they may be right. It remains to be seen. They don't have to last me 20 years. At my age and health I don't even buy green bananas. Most heat pump machines have a decent lifetime. I see the logic of the antique or low-end approach, but I refuse to continue to. use a high-wattage resistance heater and a fan to **** the conditioned air out of my living space.

 

[Bubba Fett]

We replaced ours with a Hot Point set a few years ago. They are a GE brand, basically stripped down models with no bells and whistles, which we never use anyway.

So far, I've had to fix a knob. The washer is already rusting and the dryer tends to collect lint around the door, but I knew these were not going to last. I felt there was no reason to spend more money on something that has more features, but will not last any longer.

These companies are using the same strategy that MTD used with lawn mowers: Make them cheap, and change parts just enough to make it a hassle to fix, so people will just buy a new one.

 

[vwpieces]

My choice is the best condition, large capacity, analog ones you can find on CL, Market place etc.
While both my washer and dryer have Maytag badges they are the Same Junk as ALL the rest of them. Parts I have purchased prove that.
My dryer was in excellent condition and was $10 4 prong cord $20 haha.
Washer was $30. Needed $30 in parts so far. Stainless hoses $25.
Yeah I paid more for the hook-ups than the W&D.
Been chugging along for 4yrs I have owned them and no idea on the actual build dates.
New front loading HE do not clean as well as the old style ones with the auger in the middle. Today top loaders don't even have the auger.

When I moved my realtor was dumbfounded at the appliances I got and the prices paid. Really got him when I re-pinned ALL the locks on the house myself. "That would have been a $600 locksmith bill." 6 doors and most have deadbolts that need a key inside too. $25 pin kit.

 

[thool]

Similar to the Fridge Thread, some people see the new **** appliances in the home improvement store and get swayed by looks and features. Our washer and dryer live in a room with the door closed, so looks do not matter. Also, we use maybe 2 or 3 features 99% of the time. They are a Maytag set, top load washer, that had a few issues under warranty and I have youtubed a few fixes (hinge springs, door latch, bearing).

I would not buy or inherit any front loader, LG, or Samsung.

 

[MushCreek]

Our Speed Queen top loader leaves clothes a lot dryer than our old machine. Maybe not as dry as a front loader, but pretty darn good. It's also really fast- the longest cycle is only 33 minutes. We tried a front loader (don't remember the brand) and the front seal failed rather spectacularly after only a couple years. They may use less water, but it looks like a hell of a lot when it instantly empties itself on the floor. I also didn't like that I couldn't soak really dirty clothes. I like to take my nastiest shop clothes, fill up the machine, then open the lid for an hour or so to soak before finishing the cycle.

 

[bassJAM]

When I bought my first house in 2011 I picked up a like new Whirlpool set from the 90's that some old guy had been storing inside his garage forever for his daughter. Once she got her own place she wanted front load so he sold them for $200 to me. Eventually the bearing when out on the drier, easy fix but by then I was married and my wife "HAD" to have a front loading stackable set so instead we bought some new purdy Maytags. They've been going 3 years now, hopefully they last but I'm not holding my breath. She did the same thing with a perfectly good Jenn aire oven and cooktop from the 80's, I had to rip them out and install new stuff because she didn't care for the old look. At least it was all paid for from her bonuses.

 

[jonshonda]

Buy an extended warranty, which will ensure your appliances run perfectly for at least one day past the warranty date.

 

[Metallitubby]

Another vote for SpeedQueen "Classic" set.

 

[jsmeece]

I have Speed Queen also

 

[merkyworks]

What‘s everyone’s take/preference on front load Vs top load?

I’ve gone top, front, top, front and can defiantly say I like front loader better. The only downside for me the front door seal gets moldy and requires cleaning couple times a year.

 

[Metallitubby]

What‘s everyone’s take/preference on front load Vs top load?

I've never owned a front loader, but have heard some of the mold issues like you described. I am really indifferent to the type, just as long as it gets my clothes and rags clean.

 

[GrantCee]

What‘s everyone’s take/preference on front load Vs top load?
I’ve gone top, front, top, front and can defiantly say I like front loader better. The only downside for me the front door seal gets moldy and requires cleaning couple times a year.

Front load fan here. They use less water, less detergent, get clothes cleaner, don't leave nearly as much detergent residue, and aren't as rough on the fabric — so clothes last longer.

 

[vwpieces]

I like to take my nastiest shop clothes, fill up the machine, then open the lid for an hour or so to soak before finishing the cycle.

Same, I leave lid open during the heavy was cycle for my nasty shop clothes. When it completes I run it again and close the lid. 2X wash on same water and detergent but it works. Hot water too. No HE front loader could do that without 4X full wash cycles, think the digitals would get all confused if ya tried.

But yeah on the horror stories on the front loaders, and that is just from friends I know. One's daughter pinched something in the door ran the washer and made an awful mess, tearing up the seal. Then he b!tched about the $160 seal and how misreable it was to replace. He is a mechanic.
Another buddy with a Samsung, leaked from day one and after 5 service calls under warranty they said they cant fix it. What do you do there? matching stacked set, offered a new replacement that didn't match. Haha. He is funny about things like that and ended up buying another new set. New set is LG... He is now on the third electronics main board.

 

[dscheidt]

She also said that those sold at an appliance store are better than those from the big box stores.

Which is, as it usually is, nonsense. If the model number is the same, it's the same machine. The stuff in the sales flyer may be special low end stuff, but it's not special for the big box. the supply complexity is too hard for that, beyond the occaisional store exclusive finish. I say this as someone who buys applicances from an appliance store, because the pricing is better, and they know what they actually have in stock in their warehouse.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

Still using front loader Whirlpool washer/dryer ( 1st gen H.E. Models?) purchased in late 90’s

Couple years ago washer needed new part, Repair man was called and remember him saying “these have high quality German parts and last forever, not like newer ones that have cheap Asian parts”.

I have a German made Kenmore HE3 and the electronics are ****. So far, I've been able to keep it running by replacing certain capacitors and relays as needed. It helps that so many of these machines are being parted out now that there has been a good selection of rebuildable boards on ebay.

The mechanical parts aren't too bad, but I'd describe them as "adequate quality".

Lots, maybe most, of it's parts are made in the lower wage parts of the EU such as Croatia. Not that it makes any difference where the parts are made. The parts should be made to the manufacturer's specification and if the manufacturer (actually assembler) isn't doing proper QC then it's on the manufacturer, not the country of origin.

 

[Metallitubby]

Which is, as it usually is, nonsense. If the model number is the same, it's the same machine.

We (Honda) get the same thing. People think that Honda makes a special mower specifically for the Home Depots of the world.

 

[Mechanical Noise]

What‘s everyone’s take/preference on front load Vs top load?

I’ve gone top, front, top, front and can defiantly say I like front loader better. The only downside for me the front door seal gets moldy and requires cleaning couple times a year.

After having top loaders, I've actually come to prefer the front loader. It uses less water (not a huge deal here, but less is better than more), it doesn't wear out the clothes like a top loader and the high spin speed combined with tumbling gets the clothes much dryer after the wash.

 

[qqzj]

Front loader for sure. Main draw is gentle on clothes. My Maytag last 15 years already. Don't need it to go for another 15 years.

 

[engineer2]

We wore out our previous Electrolux in 7 years. It didn't owe us anything. With all girls, the washer/dryer were running constantly almost like a laundromat.

Our current LG has been trouble-free for 5 years. Bought it because at the time people said LG is reliable, which it has been.

 

[qqzj]

I think the brand to avoid is Samsung. It has got very bad rep for fridge, washer and dryer. LG is okay. My LG made Kenmore works fine

 

[IRQVET]

I've had front loaders, top loaders, and if I'm being 100% honest, I never noticed much of a difference perfromance wise. As long as the top loader has an agitator, your usually good to hook. Front loaders use less water, but I'm not super concerned as water where I'm as its dirt cheap. I recently filled a 16,000 gallon swiming pool and my water bill was only $30 more than normal that month. (I was shocked, I was dreading getting that months water bill as I had never filled a pool before)

I'm with Engineer2, with a house full of tiny terrorists waging Jihad, so my washer/ drier are usually rockin 24/7. The SpeedQueen Classics I bought I hope last, but time will tell. One thing I have noticed about them is how SMOOTH they run. Zero vibration whatsoever and they are extremely quite. Seems like they traded vanity for superior quality.

In the meantime I've started "collecting" vintage Whirlpools and I store them in my shed. I paid around $50 a piece for each of them, so it seemed like a cheap insurance policy or sorts.

Sorry about the mess, my laundry room usually looks like a bomb hit Walmart. And yes, I did shoe horn in a standing freezer in my laundry room. Comes in handy when I need to store massive quantities of frozen Go-gurts when negociating with tiny terriorists.

 

[vwpieces]

I wired in a second dryer at my buddys house. I lived in an apt, he live at his girlfriends house. His house was always empty unless one of us were there doing wash. 2 dryers cut the wash time almost in half.

That 16,000 gal of water would have added $240 on top of my monthly.

 

[FMB4]

Front loading washing machines seem to be known for having far more problems than top loaders. Meanwhile, we've been running a purchased new pair of Kenmore series 80 W/Ds since 1997. I've replaced the drier heating element and thermo once on the D, and the pump, timer, and tub stabilization springs once on the W. Ya, I know, I just jinxed myself.

 

[67carl]

We went an appliance store closeout as our range died, looking to see if we could get a deal on a non-electronic dual fuel range. Most are very expensive. While there, we noticed they had speed queen washers and dryers (we have a SQ dryer) and a display of SQ parts. I'm not familiar with the part names, but it was a spindle like thing that translates the motion of the motor to the agitater. The SQ looked like a billet aluminum piece, consisting of something like 4 separate parts, while the competition looked like pot metal and plastic with dozens of different parts. Kinda sums up SQ. I also noticed there were several other big brand name washer/driers that had no electronics. The sales guy told me they were going after the SQ business.

 

[vertguy]

After 2 front loader washing machines lasted 9 years combined, I bought a basic mechanical SQ top loader. I was told it was the last model year before some of the changes started (think it was in '16 or '17). It was refreshing to follow the selling store's advice to search on YT for the simple process of adjusting the max water level via an adjustment screw. I regretted not buying the matching dryer and when ours finally died a couple years later, I got lucky and one of the local appliance chains had a matching NOS SQ dryer in a warehouse. And since it was an old model, they gave me a nice discount

I already told my wife when time comes for us to down size and move, the SQ washer & dryer along with my 10 year old Weber Genesis will be coming with us.

 

[IRQVET]

After 2 front loader washing machines lasted 9 years combined, I bought a basic mechanical SQ top loader. I was told it was the last model year before some of the changes started (think it was in '16 or '17).

I think thats when my SQ's came out, the SQ "Classics" where they dialed back the tech and went back to basics. If memory serves me correctly they came in 3 trims:

TR3 series
TR5 series
TR7 series

(Sounds like BMW, rofl)

We shot for the one in the middle and went with the TR5 series, as the TR7 series had a huge digital control board. Which from what I heard after-the-fact, had problems with the motherboard, so hindsight 20/20 I'm glad we didn't go top of the line SQ.

I am suprised, and pretty releived that a bunch of tool guys who are sticklers for quality are also fans of Speed Queen. Maybe I did it right this time, lol.