Are You A Dial Pusher?

[mattywashboy]

Hi guys,
I was just wondering how many people actually push the dial of their washer in after every cycle. And who flicks the socket switch off? Its just a matter of habit that people develop. I know some of these new fangled machines switch off automatically (F&P, LG) but i have noticed that none of my family who own timer washers push the dial in after the wash. The people i know who have Boschs or Mieles don't turn the dials to the top OFF position, rather they just leave the cycle set with the time remaining showing and then just press start when they are ready to do another load. I for one ALWAYS push the dial in on the Hitachi and the Whirlpool as well as switch the power off. To not do so makes me feel uncomfortable and i have actually tested how long i can leave the dial pulled out (record was two hours, then on a trip down the hallway i just HAD to push it in). I'm just wondering who else pushes the dial in/turns selector to OFF etc.

Happy washings

Matt

 

[gadgetgary]

Power Off!

I have a switch at the power cord connected to the socket to turn the power off to my Maytag Neptune so that the light does not stay on, and, that allows me to leave the door ajar. Never had a mold issue with the machine and have owned my original Neptune since 1997.

 

[panthera]

we are not anal about it, no not at all

I have a master power off switch for the entire kitchen except the deep freeze and the refrigerator.
The main water valve for the entire flat gets turned off whenever I am gone for longer than a day.
Of course I turn these things off - not only are they a fire hazard, but here 10 watts there 10 watts...soon you are looking at a continuous loading of way over 100 watts just for "stand-by". Who would leave a 100 watt light bulb just burning? Noone, but the stand-by electricity use really creeps up on you.

 

[toggleswitch]

I do push the timer to *off* now that I cut off the water supply. I would hate to have the machine's solenoid (water) valves energized for long periods in error.

and I do leave the lids / doors open to prevent mold.

 

[veg-o-matic]

Why are you supposed to push the dial in? Never heard of this one before.

veg

 

[mixfinder]

Pusher

It never occured to me. I am the world's most trusting man, when it comes to appliances.

BUT, I am their master and they better know it.

They have arrived in heaven when they come home with me.

I treat them like gold, never over load or stress their little belts and gears, wipe and polish, lube and do the preventive maintenance and proudly display them.

But that appliance better damn well know it has it good here and do exactly what it was designed to do, be AUTOMATIC.

I am not gonna worry or babysit a bunch of what ifs. That is why I have insurance.

If it floods or burns, I'll use the settlement to buy better appliances.

Kelly

 

[hoovermatic]

Stand by

Stand by is such a wasteful 'feature'. I don't know about the US, but here in the UK they reckon that if everyone turned their TV off properly instead of leaving it on 'stand by', they could close down an entire power station!!

 

[launderess]

Always turn my Miele to "off" after wash day is done, mainly out of habit. It is also good in case one has wee ones in the household and or persons who are not totally educated on using the appliance.

L.

 

[jimmyb]

Not always

I do not always turn the dial to off on the SQ - usually because I forget but will probably now start doing it all the time. However I do always push it in on the Maytag A606 most off the time with the lid after the cycle is complete.

Jim

 

[irishwashguy]

I do toggle it

When I am done with my washing for the day, I always toggle of my Miele touchtronic. both the washer and the dryer, otherwise,with the door closed and the green light over the start will flash"Hey!!!!! Over here, you forgot something!!!!! Yes you!!!!!!! Push the start!!!!" It is just wise to turn the machine off if you are not using it. Most American machines do not have a start stop button, however, When I used my friends Whirlpool many years ago( in 1985) in order to turn the knob, you have to push it in. Most people I know do not do this, or even think about it. The position says off, even though if it were turned, would start the program. My two cents and a wooden nickel

 

[agiflow]

Sorry,...but all these machines go to off when finished..don't they?

What is the need to push the dial in?

 

[toggleswitch]

Sorry,...but all these machines go off when finished..don&#3

Once it has gone off, it's just a little thing you can do to keep it from starting again prematurely, before your yourself turn it on.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[irishwashguy]

Mine has a switch on/off

my machine will still be on until I turn it OFF. When I was a kid and facinated by my Grandma's old Kenmore, I reached up and turned the dial and it was filling with water. True, it was in the off position, it only took my litte hand and it was on-----my Grandma heard it and came in the room. " Just in time", she said while she got the load in her basket and put in on the dryer and began loading it in the washer. She was great!!! Just a thought

 

[agiflow]

Thank you Sir Steve ;-)

 

[jmirawm]

Set it and forget it !

I always just let the dial rest, where it has stopped. Then the next washday, I push it in and turn it around to start of cycle. Pull it out and forget about the dial until the next washday. SET IT AND FORGET IT <p> My house was flooded once, about fifteen years ago. I awoke one morning, Running to answer my wake up call, and realized that I had splashed all the way down the hall in ankle deep water. The hot water hose had failed during the night. I told the person on the phone that I would be late to work, If I got there at all. I was sick. Called dad, asked him to bring the wet vac. NO insurance people available at 4 am. I was standing in the water in the dining room and was feeling just sick & overwhelmed. Then, here comes a laundry basket floating toward me from the kitchen. Well that got me tickled and I started laughing. THEN it came to me, What a glorious thing........That awful dark brown carpet was going to have to be replaced ! I ended up with new carpet throughout. I paid the difference and replaced the linoleum with tile throughout. And had some painting done also. <p> Remember to always look on the bright side. AND have replacement cost insurance ! I now turn the valves off whenever I go out of town. And maybe I should even when I am in town. I certainly did not know the house was filling up while I was sleeping. Tom

 

[appnut]

I"m with Joe!! It stops where it stops and that's it. I don't use my 2nd rinse. On the rare occassion I use my normal (cotton/sturdy cycle), the LKK stops at the point of the start of the 2nd rinse. I'm not gonna bother with it. For some strange, stupid reason my mother started doing these antics after I left home. Push or pull the knob to the "off" status. would frustrate the hell out of me when I'd go to start washing and the damn thing was (not as g*d intended it to be in rest mode) in that state and I almost broke a timer knob ones pulling it almost off when the stuip thing was already pulled out. And to take this further, one thing my mom did that drove me insane was she had to set the controls back to a default mode when either she or I would have done the last load that differed from these default settings. Do you realize how boring a washer obsessed young male found it to be that everytime I would walk in the house, past the washer, the controls would be in this uniform, blah state. Thus hyielding knob handles in the usual directions on the Kenmore 800; the same cycle button pushed on the Norge15 as well as high water level; the toggle switches in std. arrangement and cycle knob set at the end of the normal cycle on the GE; and buttons and cycle knob set in a std. set of selections & normal cycle end on the Maytag. And she did the same damn thing with both Waste Kings; the Kenmore Roto-Racks. Even on the GSD1200, after a R&H or china/crystal cycle, the envergy save wash cycle button was pushed in. So you ask, why do I like just leaving the controls set as they werre with the last load done? The next time the machine is used, I can reflect back on what the last load was. The ONLY scenario I would habitually push in the knob after the wash cycle is if I had a Maytag with the pilot lite over the dial. The irony of all of this is ... the only thing that varies at the end of a wash endeavor with my Lady Shredmore is the water level. The water temp is usually warm/cold since I only do whites about every 3 weeks and it's the first load. Everything ends up iwth a normal spin so the timer is always at the end of the cotton/sturdy cycle.

when I saw this post, to me a dial pusher is one who repeats, adds, reduces a phase of the wash cycle--in pst years meeeting at conventions, that's what we were referring to when we'd say we were a dial pusher cuz you can't do that with modern electronic washer (except for the F&P).

 

[sudsmaster]

I also put my Neptune 7500 pair on a switched outlet. Not to avoid mold (I always keep the door closed and have never had a mold issue with this washer), but to avoid the 10 watts each appliance uses when in standby mode. And also to avoid damage from the occasional power outtage or even more rare lightning strike.

One of these days I might install a TOGGLE SWITCH on both washer and dryer so that each can be completely powered down seperately without needing to devote an outlet to a switch.

 

[veg-o-matic]

Okay, now I get it.

Electronic controls = Standby unless turned off.

Mechanical controls = Off means Off.

My Frigidaire has mechanical controls, so I don't have to worry about it.

What a relief!

veg

 

[frigilux]

I don't push the dial in, but I do shut off the water faucets, even if I'm going to do another load later in the day. I would freak out if an inlet hose failed and flooded the first floor. There is a floor drain in my laundry room, but they generally can't keep up with the volume produced by a wide-open faucet.

In fact, I shut off the water main if I leave for more than a day. Insurance is so finicky when it comes to water damage.