Bought One: Frigidaire Immersion Care TL'er

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How is the lid latch attached to the lid?.....normally a few screws and that would come off....place that in the slot with a piece of duct tape....problem solved!....too easy of a simple solution for many machines....

a lot of these newer machines have to physically see/know that the lid opened between each load to reset......
 
I'll check that out. See, this is what I mean: I would have never thought of trying that, Martin. Even if it doesn't work in the end, that's an example of coming up with a couple of different solutions to try that evades me when connected with anything even remotely mechanical in nature. My brain just freezes. Ironically, both my father and stepfather were fearless with mechanical things. Neither of them would hesitate tearing a washer apart and putting it back together. Just taking the front panel off would be a big issue for me.

Gansky-- We'll see how well it rinses out bleach when I run a big load of whites this weekend. The manual says to add a Freshwater Rinse, which I'll do. I was immediately impressed with the fill flume. The water hits the clothes perfectly, with great coverage.[this post was last edited: 1/9/2013-13:26]
 
Congrats on the new purchase, there just may be proof in the pudding here. Real happy for you.
I'm nervous to see how our new LG will hold up.
 
Martin, your idea worked. I removed two screws holding the latch thingy to the lid, put it into the slot of the locking mechanism and we were in business! You have to hold it down in the slot until the lock engages; from that point it holds itself in place for the remainder of the cycle. Since I can see the machine in action through the glass, I'll just remove it again when it's time to make a video.

Malcolm, I think your idea will work well, too. I put two flashligts face down on the glass and it lights the interior well enough to make a video.

Randy-- CR's reliability data shows LG washers (both top- and front-loading) are currently the most reliable brand. That's not a guarantee, of course, but it bodes well. And LG washers are highly-rated, too.

Thanks for your input and well-wishes, everyone! I hope to make a video sometime this weekend.
 
Way To Go

I am having dishwasher challenges and I am tempted to pick one of the better performing Electrolux/Frigidaire machines.  Even though I know better Frigidaire is ingrained in my soul as a very good thing.
 
I washed a medium-sized load of very stained kitchen whites (filled out to full-load status with two dozen clean bar mops) with commendable results despite an unwelcome surprise. Using a nearly full scoop (as directed) of powdered Tide w/Bleach HE and 1/2-cup chlorine bleach, I chose the Whites cycle, hot water, an extra spray rinse, auto water level, and the Stain Treat option, which the manual says adds a mid-agitation soak. Then, SURPRISE!, the washer filled with (temp-controlled) cold water and continued on its merry way. I was not happy, but decided to just let the machine do its thing. 

 

At cycle's end, I pulled everything out for inspection.  To my utter astonishment, all stains were removed save for a big mustard stain on a chef's apron and some telltale gray on a bar mop that I'd used underfoot to clean an area of the kitchen floor.  In cold water. With a (relatively short by today's standards) 63-minute cycle.  Bleach was rinsed out very well with the five spray rinses.

 

The Frigidaire front-loader, using the profile-wash Sanitize cycle would have tackled the couple of stains that remained (with an hour-and-45-minute cycle), but the results far exceeded my expectations.  I'd also thrown in a couple of very worn white wash rags that I use in the laundry room to see if they would be shredded by the impeller.  There were definitely more (and longer) strings pulled along the frayed edges which wouldn't have happened with the front-loader, but they emerged intact with no additional holes.  And clean.

 

Granted, the machine is operating under ideal circumstances; with softened water and an excellent detergent.  And frankly, had there been no LCB used, I'm sure more stains would have remained unconquered.

 

IT'S DIFFERENT NOW: I decided it's ridiculous to continue using the terms 'turnover' and 'rollover' with the Immersion Care (and probably other impeller-based machines) because those terms no longer apply.

 

Turnover/rollover is a rhythmic, orderly process in which a traditionally-agitated load moves in graceful unison.  Each brand of our beloved vintage machines has its own version of the dance: Think of the balletic lift-and-dip movement of a ramped GE or Westy; the grab-and-submerge of a Kenmore's Roto-Swirl; a 1959 Maytag's "slow-and-steady" with its zen-like calm surface water; the pulsing, staccato movements created by Frigidaire's Jet-Action agitation.  We recognize those distinctive rollover patterns, and have--quite correctly with those washers--linked rollover with cleaning ability.

 

To watch the Immersion Care during agitation is frustrating and unsettling.  Turnover, as we know it, does not exist.  Instead, items shift position in a slow, unpredictable, very undemocratic, and quite honestly, visually repulsive manner.  It's like watching a film frame-by-frame.  "Why does item A get to disappear and reappear five times when item B hasn't moved in five minutes?" "Oh my God, isn't the mound of items that formed ages ago ever going to pull itself apart?"

 

This frustration only increases when the load emerges clean because it shouldn't.  None of the visual or aural cues we're used to occurred, and there just wasn't enough damn water in this film.  And instead of being happy with these unexpected results, I'm kind of pissed-off because it feels like the bad guy won.

 

Next test: An even crazier load of kitchen whites this weekend, with photos and, hopefully, video.  Then a good old dirt-'n'-grime load.  It can't possibly handle that well.  Right?

 

 

[this post was last edited: 1/10/2013-09:39]
 
Kitchen whites...the next washing saga

Can't wait to see the results of "crazy load of kitchen whites".
A video would be cool.

I hear/feel your plight regarding clothes turn over and water level and the out come is clean clothes...it sounds like craziness to me too!
 
Frigilux

I am really loving this thread. When I first saw this new Frigidaire T/L I was instantly hooked. I have had a fascination with Frigidaire T/L since 1994 when one of our department stores had one model for sale. I really wanted one but my partner at the time refused as he was wary of T/L and had never seen one before!I have avidly followed threads on the Skinny Mini also.

Your machine looks great ( I prefer it to LG's waveforce ). I am so please you are getting great results and look forward to the videos.
 
This is so interesting I must say! Perhaps ketchup on white tees! I stain my white tanks with ketchup or popsicle stains tisk tisk on me. Frigidaire the quiet contender goes on.....
 
She Looks Nice But Is She Clean?

I'd like to see the clean items boiled and or washed in a front loader at temps >140 to see if any detergent and or soil residues remain.

Still, am that glad you've found yourself a new machine that works to your standards. Am also enjoying your running comments, keep them coming!

L.
 
So, tonight I decided to throw an old queen-sized comforter into the Immersion Care, mostly because I was curious about the Comforter cycle, and what it would do to help a top-loading impeller machine deal with something that front-loaders handle quite well.

The waterfall jets played a bigger role, especially during the fill and early in the wash cycle. You'll see them in a forthcoming video and understand why they never fail to elicit a chuckle. Anyway...I was going to play nice and choose the Fabric Softener option, which provides a deep rinse, but decided to leave the machine to its defaults, so we got the 4 spray rinses.

Agitation: Aggressive agitation the first few minutes, similar to the Normal cycle, with longer counterclockwise strokes. Then it slowed down to Delicate speed, but with very long strokes (several tub spins) in each direction, maximizing water movement. That makes sense, because there's no way on God's green Earth the gentle agitation is going to get that comforter to shift positions. And it didn't.

Again, from sheer curiosity, I switched to the Heavy Duty cycle to see if a more agressive agitation pattern would shift the thing. Nope. Back on the Comforter cycle, I let it play out. Good thing I'd loaded the more soiled end of the item at the bottom of the tub, because the top was never underwater during the cycle.

Following the final spin, I reached in to pull it out, only to find a thin layer of lint all over the part of the comforter that was never submerged. Yikes. Our first epic failure. Silver lining: The soiled end of the comforter (toward the bottom of the tub) was clean. And the unsightly veneer of lint was removed by the dryer.

To be fair, I've always thought comforters should be washed in a front-loader. Top-loaders of all kinds have a hard time with them. Furthermore, a reasonable person would have reached in and moved the comforter around a few times during the cycle and selected a deep rinse.

AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT: My enthusiasm concerning the Immersion Care should in no way lead you to believe I think it's the equal of my front-loader. After this weekend, I will never wash a load of kitchen whites in it again, as I miss the stain-banishing profile wash and grease-stripping 155-degree water made possible by the front-loader's internal heater. It's also gentler on fabrics, and dispenses chlorine bleach in the first rinse, making it possible for the detergent's enzymes to do their job first. The list could go on and on. Having said that, the Immersion Care has exceeded my expectations, and given the choice between bringing back the agitator-based 2006 Frigidaire top-loader or keeping the Immersion Care, I'd definitely keep the Immersion Care. No contest; it's the better washer.

Launderess: I'll throw the forthcoming load of kitchen whites into the front-loader after they come out of the Immersion Care to see if uber-hot water brings any residue out of the woodwork.

Rich: You are correct; the Stain Treat option overrode my request for hot water. In a smarter machine, that option would provide a cold pre-wash, followed by a warm or hot wash.

Kelly: I grew up with a severe case of Frigidaire envy, living in an all-Kenmore household. Having had two TOL Frigidaire dishwashers in the early-to-mid 2000's, I'd strongly suggest you choose another brand. They cleaned basic loads very well, but weren't up to the task of pots/pans. Recent CR tests put all models of the brand in the bottom half of the ratings.

Again, thanks for your comments, everyone! I'm having a lot of fun with this strange, new toy. Made pasta sauce for supper and encouraged guests to be ruthless with the tablecloth and napkins, LOL. Hoping to have video posted by Sunday night.

[this post was last edited: 1/10/2013-22:48]

frigilux++1-10-2013-22-22-31.jpg
 
Love, love, love the lights!

Aworg in arrears due to Bereavement, what a blast to find this classic, well-developed Frigilux Washcyclopedia.

How many here are secretly--OR NOT--coveting these New Age machines in the stores with an eye to maybe buying one?

When you wash something by hand--I know, I know, who'd believe we'd ever stoop to not using a machine--the rinse method is strikingly similar to the Frigidaire's: wet article under the faucet, squeeze; wet, squeeze, probably 3 or 4 times, if you stop to remember. And that really works amazingly on de-sudsing. Hmmmm. Interesting.

Think I'll sneak by Best Buy, Sears, & Lowes, pretending not to be too interested in the modern marvels.
 
Darryl: The machine drops to a slow, more even-stroked agitation. It continues to agitate that way during the drain. When it senses the tub is nearly emptied, it begins a slow counterclockwise rotation which steps up to about 120 rpm for about 3 minutes. The the rinses begin. It sprays fresh water onto the load (as the tub spins very slowly) for about 25 seconds, followed by a quick drain, then a brief spin of about 250 rpm. The process repeats three more times, before the final spin.

Mickeyd: The whole impeller thing really bugged me, so I finally just bought one to see what they're like in person. After being impressed with the first few loads, I'm finding more Achilles heels, unfortunately. I'm making a video of a load of dress shirts as I type and am finding the impeller has a hard time grabbing the lightweight, slippery fabric. It did a better job with heavier cotton fabrics.
 
The inside of yours looks so much like that of the 11 pound Haier, they could pass for brothers. I'll get a pic up when I can to stun you with the similarity. Who makes the new Frigidaires? And does your list as an 11 pounder?

Good luck with the load. Maybe for light, slippery loads, you need to Bob-load the machine, ;'D
 
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