2015 Speed Queen Washer Model AWNE82SP113TW01

[mrboilwash]

We`ll never know for sure what led to this kind of build up.
Apart form constant cold water washing which most likely seems to be the culprit it could have been the result of home made "detergent" made from borax and soap flakes or even from constant underdosing of a good detergent in warmer water by misjudging the soil level or for fear of some suds in the last rinse.

As to why those CNN "experts" recommend cold water washing for sheets and the difference of laundry recommendations in different countries I think there is a lot of political propaganda involved which is not always as obvious to the public as it should be.

All governments have environmental and energy departments and then there`s all this lobbying from all kinds of groups like clothes retailers, detergent industry, textile industry, appliance manufacturers and so on.
Anyone of them wants something from the government and in turn has to give something.
For instance in parts of Europe we`ve had what is called a "voluntary agreement" of the detergent industry to go without phosphates in laundry detergents even though the use was not outlawed yet.
I think care labels and laundry recommendations have gone a similar path.

 

[combo52]

Mold and Gunk In A Fairly New Top Load Washer

Yes we will never know precisely what led to this mess, as service techs we see it fairly often and often in otherwise immaculate very nice expensive homes.

 

It seems that the customer is almost always using Free&Clear type detergents because they always say that their husbands etc  are allergic to the perfumes in laundry products, we always laugh about that because the washer is full of mold which is much more likely to cause allergic reactions than a little perfume.

 

On this particular SQ washer the water supply might have been part of the problem, to have mold in the fill flume might indicate that it was on well water or a home system where they were removing the chlorine, we have customers that have such systems and we have done service calls where they have heavy accumulations of mold clogging the dispenser drawers on there machines etc.

 

I am glad you got this machine Louis I think you will enjoy it, yes us appliance guys go a little overboard cleaning things up.

 

Other than cleaning up under the tub cover and the top of the outer tub etc this washer would have cleaned itself up fairly quickly with proper use, we see. machines this bad all the time.

 

For the record it did not need a new pump or belt at this age, yes the belt showed some wear but it is not a Tre on your car where it could fail on the highway and cause a real problem, the washer will not work any better with the new belt or water pump.

 

When installing a new pump the pump clips are sometimes hard to get on, if you slightly straighten them and put a lint bit of lubricant on the tabs they will go on easily, I would not sand down a new water pump. [ and always wear gloves to protect your hands and get a tetanus shot every 5 years ]

 

Let us know how you like the washer, if it was my laundry room I would keep the Kenmore you have it is a better performer other than the SQs slightly faster spin.

 

John L.

 

[blockeight88]

I own a TC5000WN. How does the machine “self clean” itself?

 

[littlegreeny]

John, how do free and clear detergents muck up a machine? Besides green/bio-based detergents, free and clear detergents have the same ingredients as the scented ones.

 

[yogitunes]

I dont think it is meant as Free and Clear alone....but what you will find going into certain homes....F&C and machine set to COLD....and then you find a machine like this, you look around, and not hard to figure out where the problem has started...

as most people go for this thinking that it is Free and Clear of fragrance and dyes....and not exactly true, sometimes a certain dye is added to offset the color to make it more clear, and fragrance is added to cover up the true chemical smell of the raw mixture...otherwise it would smell more like petroleum...

they have people so brainwashed into using cold water for washing.....I was thankful with my first FLer, a chance to wash just about everything in hot/warm without killing half my water tank supply for one fill, AND a warm rinse......for real, how much hot water are you using for a FL machine, 2 or 3 gallons tops....an HE or FL machine is efficient on its own versus a TL.....

but we have seen the pros and cons of washing in Hot/Warm versus Cold only....

 

[good-shepherd]

Cold clean stupidity!!!

Exactly.

Do you bathe in cold water, wash dishes in cold water?

 

[good-shepherd]

love affair Americans have with chlorine bleach

Guilty as charged.

I love the smell of chlorine bleach. One cup and bath towels stay fresh for several wash cycles.

 

[mrboilwash]

Free and Clear

is marketed to a certain group of consumers who either have or just imagine to have a very sensitive skin or who are indeed badly allergic to some detergent scents.

I think this group of consumers is more prone to disrespect (cut down) the recommended dose than others.
A little bit of residual suds in the last rinse which is absolutely normal when washing a porous material like cotton with man made surfactants is not what this group of consumers wants to see.

So John`s remark makes perfect sense to me, there`s more laundry sins out there that lead to a nasty washer than just cold water washing alone.

 

[foraloysius]

There seem to be some misconceptions about allergies etc. in this thread. There is no such thing as an allergy for scents because there are no allergens involved. In case of an oversensitivity for scents, the problems is that certain scents irritate the receptors in the nose and in the lungs too much. Especially triggering the receptors in the lungs can lead to asthma attacks if you have non-allergic asthma. BTW It's not that long ago that it was discovered that you don't only smell with your nose, but also with your lungs.

If you respond to allergens, for instance mould, dust, pet skin cells etc. you can have allergic asthma. That's a different thing. People with allergic asthma get their asthma attacks from allergens, but not per se from scents. That can only happen when you have both forms of asthma. I'm "lucky" to have hit both jackpots. So I know something about this.

Misconception #1 is that mould would always cause a more serious reaction than scents. That's not necessarily true.

Misconception #2 is that people who buy Free & Clear products don't use enough detergent because of allergens/sensitivities. We buy that stuff so we can use enough. And most people with allergens or sensitivities don't use fabric softener because we know that's a much bigger problem than detergent.

Besides that, when I was diagnosed with asthma, I was also taught how to wash (if possible always at 60C or 140F, use enough detergent and enough rinses, about dedicated detergents etc.) and dry (no indoors line drying unless you ventilate enough which was about the same as outside line drying) etc. I don't know how it is in the USA, but in the Netherlands people with allergies and asthma get educated about how important it is to handle laundry well in order to keep allergies in control.

Dr Louis has spoken. lol. End of rant!

 

[mrboilwash]

Louis how do you explain that EU regulations requires labeling of certain scent allergens like citral, linalool, limonene, Butylphenyl methylpropional (lilial) and so on if they exceed a certain amount in a product, if there is no such thing as an allergy to scents?

With all due respect I think you`re confusing your oversensivity of the respiratory system or systemic oversensivities like scent triggered headaches with an allergic reaction of the skin which is a different kind of thing.
AFAIK any of the above mentioned can cause severe contact allergies on the skin if somebody is allergic to.

 

[foraloysius]

Sounds to me that the EU lawmakers are a bit confused. I'll link a Wikipedia article about allergens.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergen

Interesting especially is the definition of antigen:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigen

Most allergens are actually protein based you could say.

In practice you could simplify it by saying that when you go away from something you are sensitive for, the reaction disappears rather fast. With an allergy the reaction can continue longer.

 

[mrboilwash]

The EU still defines the stuff as allergenic substances even if they might be considered just sensitizing substances on closer inspection.

Didn`t mean to gerneralize or hurt your or anyone`s feelings when I said that the consumer group who prefers F&C detergents also seems more prone to underdose than others.

You have to consider that not everybody has the same access to a first class health system as you have in the Netherlands where doctors get paid for and take the time to explain the importance of proper washing habits to allergy sufferers or other oversensitive patients.
Others, even well educated folks might just think less is better and end up with a washer like this Speed Queen which by judging the look of the outside doesn`t appear to have come from an otherwise run down household at all.[this post was last edited: 9/17/2021-05:30]

https://www.ecomundo.eu/en/blog/cosmetics-allergens-europe-compliance

 

[foraloysius]

Now back to the Speed Queen, sorry for going off topic Louis.

 

[DADoES]

 
Someone on another discussion board years ago said their SQ dealer advised to use 1 to 2 teaspoons in a frontloader for the largest loads and that absolutely no suds should be seen.  TLs weren't the topic so dosage wasn't mentioned for them but likly the same no-suds parameter would be the target.

I continuously run across people, both so-called experts (including a servicer) and users, who tout as per this link as an example.

https://www.lifesavvy.com/6915/how-much-laundry-detergent-do-you-need-way-less-than-youre-using/

 

[yogitunes]

Louie....

dont know about the Listerine trick on a washing machine.....but it has worked wonders on the window air conditioners....mine now have the brightest fins and the freshest scent when running....

probably start another thread for this, but window A/C's seem to be building up mold inside lately, in thinking it is part of using so much Styrofoam inside versus metal? ... never had this in the older units...

 

[mtn1584]

A/C mold….

No matter how expensive the unit. Styrofoam is the main reasons A/C units get moldy. I used to wipe the inside of my units with bleach.
Mike

 

[good-shepherd]

window A/C's seem to be building up mold inside lately,

We had one of the wettest summers I can recall.

Lots of cloudy days and little wind in between the tropical storms, floods and tornados.

Raining right now as matter of fact..

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Oh thanks Martin. I will definitely try it on the air conditioners.

 

Forgot to mention, the drain hose was really bad in terms of mold. Not bits or pieces, but CHUNKS of black, tar like mold spilled out. It took many bleach/hot water soaks, and ammonia/hot water soaks to get most of it out. The hose is translucent, so you could see the areas where mold had accumulated. If I had known all the work that this would entail, I would had simply bought a new drain hose.

 

The Speed Queen is installed now, I'm going to run one final wash/rinse with Affresh. Then depending on the results, comes the maiden wash.

 

[Ultramatic]

Well, well.

 

 

It seems I ordered a bad pump. When the washer engages the pump lets out a high pitch whine like an unsatisfied bottom. It diminishes after awhile, and stops altogether once the washer goes into drain/spin. The cycle works normally.

 

The part I ordered was #201566P. The updated replacement pump model is #205217P. They look identical.

 

I knew something was off when it was impossible to engage the 2 rear mounting clips.  I ordered the updated pump now.

Oh yeah, the stink is GONE!

 

 

[this post was last edited: 9/18/2021-13:48]

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

There is talk Speed Queen plans on discontinuing their front load washers. If you go to their website, you will notice the animation ONLY features top loaders. Somethings afoot me thinks.

https://speedqueen.com/

 

[blockeight88]

Bad pump...

Louis, can you post a video on what the pump is doing? I am curious to the sound it makes. Thanks

Bad pump...

 

[yogitunes]

put a few drops of oil in the seal area of the pump....

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Of course, now the pump is not making any noise at all. I guess what ever was causing it settled into place. Nevertheless, when the new pump arrives I'll switch it out and keep it as a back-up.

 

Thanks for the tip Martin.

 

[mtn1584]

Speed Queen response

Louie.
Here is the response I got from SQ. No products are being discontinued…….
Mike

 

[combo52]

SQ TL Washer Pumps

Reply # 108, There is NO difference between the two PT #s you posted, both are completely interchangeable, it sounds like a tiny foreign particle was stuck in the impeller [ maybe from filing down the pump mountings ] which worked itself out and went down the drain, so there is probably no reason to buy yet another pump and throw more plastic into landfill.

 

John L.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Hi Mike,

Good to know they are not discontinuing the front loaders. Eventually that is what I would replace this Speed Queen with.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

John, you need to reread what I wrote. You're misconstruing my posts.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

The new pump arrived. Turns out the pump I had installed before was a COUNTERFEIT. Not a genuine Alliance part. No wonder it did not fit, nor performed well. Since it was purchased via Amazon, I'll be getting a full refund. I also alerted Amazon about this seller. Fake water pumps. How do you like them apples?

 

 

[launderess]

Problem isn't "free and clear" or even liquid detergents in general, but simply matter of constantly and repeatedly doing wash in lukewarm or cold water.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

The real deal:

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid=""> <script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</span>

 

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid="">Knock off on the left. Genuine on the right. </span>

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid=""> <script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>

 

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid="">No identifying marks:</span>

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid=""> <script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>

 

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid="">Not so with the Alliance part.</span>

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid=""> <script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>

 

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid="">Super easy to install. Clips just snapped into place.</span>

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid=""> <script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>

 

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid=""> <script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>

 

<span class="a-text-bold" data-testid="">Official "maiden" wash video coming up.</span>