Danby Opinions?

[stephenr0]

It seems to work...

I made the modification. From Jeff's clear descriptions, I have the same water level that he does when he pushes the water plus button. I couldn't use the gentle wash button because it is a simpler switch than what Jeff has. So I chose to buy a switch and mount it on the back of the machine. I found a switch that fit the left shipping rod hole. The way that I've wired it, up gives me more water and down gives me less. Seems logical. It would also be possible to simply wire it to always have the extra water on the cotton cycles and not bother with a switch. That would be a simple wiring change. Of course, you could drill a hole in the front of the machine and make the switch more accessible, if you want. I'm still in the middle of the first wash. I need to try it both ways some more to make sure that I don't smoke something. But I think I have it right. If you think that watching your Danby from the front with a flashlight is fun, you should try watching it with the top off. It's quite cute inside.

Steve

 

[washoholic]

That’s great, Steve! I know you’re happy. The switch is good to have when you wash towels, because on the higher water level; towels seem to have too many suds due to the showering effect the higher water level causes. Can you still use the gentle wash button?

Jeff

 

[stephenr0]

Yes, I didn't disturb the wiring of the gentle wash button. I'm not sure when I would ever use it, though. I see what you mean about the towels. My test load is a set of towels. This is a small load and I'm using an eighth cup (two tablespoons) of Ariel Baja Espuma with fairly hard water (but magnetized, which is another story). I suspect that it wouldn't suds as much with a full load to use up the detergent. Baja Espuma is a low suds detergent. I'll have to get more experience with it.

Steve

 

[mistervain]

STEVE I'm not electronics-knowledgeable at all but if you rigged it like that couldn't anyone? Meaning would all the Danbys have those same switches you played with.

 

[stephenr0]

Actually, I didn't do anything with the Danby's switches. What I did was to add a switch so I could switch between two water level sensors like Jeff can. All Danbys seem to have the same water level pressure switches, unless they change that at some point. All that is needed is to add a switch to take advantage of them. At least that is my current experience. The nice thing is that Danbys don't have an embedded computer in the traditional sense like the Askos and Mieles. If they did, it would be much harder to modify them. Danbys use a reasonably sophisticated timer to get everything done. You can think of it as a mechanical computer. There's a logic board, but I believe it handles the low level logic to do things like handle the back and forth motion of the drum. This is just a guess. This was all facilitated by the fact that Jeff has a wiring diagram of the old machine. The old and new diagrams are identical except for the change that they made to get rid of the water plus button and make it a gentle wash button.

Steve

 

[stephenr0]

Jeff,

I have a question about your experience with your machine. The manual for your machine (from the Danby web site) says that the water plus button only works for the A and B cycles. I doesn't mention the C or D cycles, but does say that you can't change the water level for the delicate and woolens cycle. It looks to me that my switch changes the water level for the C and D cycles as well. I haven't tried the permanent press cycles. Have you determined which cycles work with the water plus button?

Steve

 

[washoholic]

Steve,

The water plus button works anywhere on the dial during the wash portion of the cotton cycle between “B” and the cool down. I’ve tested it by pushing the button anywhere in that range and it will fill until the water plus level is reached. “A” (pre-wash) is always the same water level as the cotton cycle w/ the water plus button pushed and so are the rinses in the cotton cycle. The perm press cycle has a slightly higher water level. “K” which is the rinse in the perm press cycle before the only intermediate spin, has the highest water level of all which happens to be the same as the Wool cycle’s water level.

Jeff

 

[stephenr0]

Sounds good, thanks.

Steve

 

[mistervain]

Jeff I want your Danby! My condo doesn't have W/D hookups though....

 

[washoholic]

Patrick, to have a Danby you only need a drain and a cold water hook-up. The Danby works great as a cold fill only washer like the ones they have in Europe. The heater works great to heat the water. It’s actually made by Gorenje. Check out their web site. They are world wide and have a touch screen washer.

Jeff

http://www.gorenje.com/reddot

 

[washoholic]

Here's the English link.

http://www.gorenje.com/en/reddot

 

[mistervain]

Thanks for the info Jeff....I emailed Danby and they said I needed the hookups in my condo to use it....but if what u r saying is true how could I hook it up since I'd have to use the tub or kitchen faucet to fill and drain? Sorry for the seemingly dumb questions but I'm just seeing if there's a way I can do this.

 

[launderess]

Kitchen faucet connection is easy. You'll need a "quick Connect" faucet adaptor set(found in any hardware store), and perhaps a "Y" connector if the washer needs both hot and cold water lines connected. If the unit does not need both lines connected, cap off the hot water line and connect the one hose to the cold water line. Water temp is selected from the faucet, but the unit will sense wash water temps and "heat" where necessary.

If the washer requires both hot and cold water lines, hook up the quick connect adaptor and use the "y" connector to split the one hose off the faucet to two separate water lines, "hot" and "cold". Again water temp will be decided at the faucet and the washer will "heat" where needed. This means if you choose "hot" wash and the water is warm, the heater will kick in (certian cycles only). If you choose a warm wash and the water is too cool, the same.

These instructions are for kitchen faucets that are single, if you have two separate taps, you just need two quick connect adaptor kits (one for each tap and hose) and complete installation as usual.

Problem with using quick connect adaptors is you are tying up the kitchen sink until laundry is done. You may wish to look into having a plumber install connections under the sink off the existing pipes. This would allow you to do laundry while not tying up the kitchen taps.

Launderess

 

[mistervain]

THANK YOU Launderess! I'm going to look into this....and find me a Danby with the water level options!

 

[mistervain]

Jeff whats the exact model number of yours ? I don't want to get the version that doesn't have the water plus button.

 

[kenmore1978]

quick connect adapters

"Problem with using quick connect adaptors is you are tying up the kitchen sink until laundry is done. You may wish to look into having a plumber install connections under the sink off the existing pipes. This would allow you to do laundry while not tying up the kitchen taps."

Sometimes, though, those quick connect adapters will drip a little while under pressure, and while being disconnected. This wil drip water into your undersink cabinet, so be aware

 

[Designgeek]

Someone posted something about this in a "hacking your Danby" topic on THS (might have been you?). Well, *finally* a hackable modern washer! I despair of all the computer-controlled "idiot-proof" stuff that's also "genius-proof" and can't be modified. There is a magazine called "Make" that's geared toward people who like to hack everyday technology; they would probably publish an article on that if you wanted to write one. www.makezine.com

Re. sink hookups:

Check your manual and/or call Danby before trying the sink hookups for the FL; there may be an issue with regard to a need for a certain minimum water pressure.

The way to prevent a sink/faucet hose from dripping where it shouldn't, is simply to have it drop down a bit before it goes back up to exit the sink. Think of a "u" shape, where one end of the "u" is into the faucet, and the other end is curving up before exiting the sink.

The other thing is, I don't know that there are any FLs that are designed to be wheeled around on casters like portables; the spin cycle vibration would tend to make them scoot around on the floor. In fact, if you're using temporary connections, watch out for the scoot factor; you definitely don't want the washer to pull its water connections loose.

 

[stephenr0]

Mistervain, the on line manual at the Danby web site (which documents the old machine) is model DWM5500W. My printed manual which is for the new one is model DWM5500W-1. That may be the difference. Good luck finding the old one. If you can't, you can always hack it.

Steve

 

[mistervain]

Thanks designgeek for the info. STEVE I have called around and no luck finding the Danby with the water-plus button. The only thing feature a salesperson mentioned is the extra rinse button. So I'd have to buy it and hack the system but would definitely need some guidance from someone who's done it! Let me know what would be necessary (tools, procedure, etc.)

 

[washoholic]

The Danby does have a hot and cold hook-up, so you will need to split the one hose off the faucet to two separate water lines, "hot" and "cold" on the back of the machine, as Launderess mentioned above with a “Y” connector.

Designgeek brought up another interesting point. The machine should be placed near the sink in a permanent spot and leveled since you will not want to keep moving it.

The model number on mine is DWM5500W as mentioned by StephenRO. The new model has a “-1” after the model number. The easiest way to tell the difference in the models is to look at the buttons on the machine. The 3rd button from the top is either “water plus” or “gentle wash.”

As far as hacking it goes, Steve hacked his and it seemed to be very easy for him. Perhaps he will share with you how he did it. On the other hand, I have a friend that has the Danby w/ the “gentle wash” button and he likes his machine. The “water plus button” is a nice feature, but it’s not necessary for clean clothes.

Good Luck,
Jeff