Don't ever run appliances while you're not home or asleep!

[mixedup]

Luckily I was home and had not gone to sleep yet! I started a load in my 12 year old whirlmore direct drive washer & went into the other room. About 30 min later I needed something from the garage & SURPRISE I step in a bunch of water! The washer was just filling continuously and running all over the laundry room floor, into the hallway & half bath & under the door to the garage. (Wood flooring in hallway & half bath, ACK) Stopped the washer, turned the timer to drain & proceeded to clean up the mess with the wet dry vac. I know I could probably replace the pressure switch, but the machine is 12 years old and this is the second time this year it's needed repair. I think Momma's gettin a new washer. There's some damage to the wood floor, not too bad though. We'll have to see how it is when it dries completely. The real reason I posted this though is to remind everyone never run appliances when you're leaving the house or asleep. I know it's common sense, but I admit I've done it in the past. Also 2 weeks ago my parents Asko dishwasher nearly caught on fire. Turns out there was a recall on the control board that they didn't know about. The repair person that came to replace it said he'd just replaced 30 of them in a nearby condo building and my parents was the first one he'd seen that had actually been charred! Luckily the were also at home when it started smoking!

Virginia

 

[selectomatic]

Good advice, Virginia.

I'm glad that my laundry room has a big drain in the middle of the floor, but unfortunately the slope of the floor is a bit off, so if the washer overflows there'll be water going where it shouldn't.

Water can do a lot of damage, but a fire can be devastating. I have been known to run my laundry or dishes and then dash off to work, but I wouldn't recommend it. Always better safe than sorry. Even if you're heavily insured, it's more grief than it's worth.

-kevin

 

[mayken4now]

Thanks for the advice. I am guilty more of the dishwasher than anyting. BTW, it is running right now and I am ready for bed. BAD ME

Steve

 

[dj-gabriele]

I always run the dishwasher and washing machine when i'm going out somewhere or when i'm ready for bed!
Oh well... if something happens my house is rented and the place is full insured plus it's only fist floor, so it isn't such an high jump if something really goes bad!

 

[sudsmaster]

There is a device you can buy that puts a moisture-sensor under the washer on the floor. It's connected to a control box that will shut off the water to the washer if any water leak is detected.

I think it's sold under the "Flood Check" brand name.

 

[lavamat78800]

My old AEG-diswasher (25 years-old) was flooding our cellar!
We had luck, 3 days ago it was in first floor and was put in the cellar because we got a new kitchen and didn´t want to do dishes by hand.
It still made a great mess!
My new machines have AquaStop and so I don´t have to fear anything.
I even run them when I leave my home or when I go to sleep.
Sometimes I do a delayed start, so the washer starts washing at 5.00 am.

 

[newwave1]

I try and do my laundry when im home because its my hobby lol. I like to watch some of the loads while im on the computer or cleaning the kitchen. Sometimes i use delayed start when doing a long wash so i can come home and it will be on. I've always been cautious of leaving appliances on while im out or asleep!

Darren

 

[mattywashboy]

i agree with darren, i love doing the washing so never leave the appliances on when i'm going out or going to bed (the whirlpool is so loud, it would keep me awake anyway). Sometimes i put the dishwasher on before bed but thats not as fun to watch hehe.
Matt

 

[lavamat78800]

Haha, I love watching my machine doing laundry too!
I´m always sitting for long time in front of them.
Are you only watching them or do you do something during watching?

 

[rp2813]

I feel more guilty about leaving the dryer going when I'm leaving the house than any other appliance. Too many stories of dryer fires but I think I maintain mine well enough not to have the vent get badly clogged.

2nd would be the dishwasher. Since it's in the house, that could make a mess. Still, I have great faith in my 17 year-old KA's performance and often start it before going to bed or leaving the house. Bad me too, Steve!

3rd is the washer. It's in the garage so water would flow out and down the driveway as there is a slight pitch to the garage floor.

Ralph

 

[funguy10]

So mixedup, What kind of new washer have you decided on?

 

[sudsmaster]

Possible appliance safety hints

- Use stainless braided washer hoses and change them every five to ten years

- Shut off water to washer when it's not in use

- Keep dryer vent ductwork clean and unobstructed

- Use metal, not plastic, dryer vent ductwork

- Buy quality appliances, not junk

 

[passatdoc]

delay start

I always used braided steel hoses. I am too lazy to shut off the water taps when the machines are not in use, but it is a good idea to do so. My machines are in the garage, which is six inches lower than the house floor. If there is an overflow, it simply flows away from the house (the garage slab is slanted slightly away from the house, per California building requirements) and out the garage door.

If I come home late, too late to wash and dry a load, I will set up a load to run an hour before my wake-up time, using the delay start feature. I suppose there is a risk should a valve stick and the machine (a Frigidaire 2140 front loader) overflow, but as described above, the water would simply flow out and under the garage door. Everything in my garage is stored on steel racks, and nothing that could be damaged by standing water sits directly on the floor.

 

[newwave1]

Im very much in control of when and how i do my laundry, an example yesterday i afternoon i loaded my machine ready with towels to put on when i came home, i went to see my brother who's just had knee surgery, i came home to see my towels slowly tumbling on a wool cycle!! Arrrgh! My g.f put the machine on, i've not told her how to use our new machine yet, as she doesnt need to!?! I h8 the idea of someone muscleing in on my hobby! lol.

Darren

 

[mixedup]

Yeah I think I'm going to look into that flood check shut off thing. For those of you that insist on running these machines at night or while away saying your fully insured, yes chances are nothing will ever happen. But if it ever does even if you're renting & fully insured & all that, everyone still has some possessions that are irreplaceable. Photographs, cherished family items, pets that may perish in a house fire. I'm not suggesting that anyone should live in constant fear that an appliance will malfunction and flood or catch fire, but I am not going to tempt fate anymore by running the machines while I'm away. I got lucky & noticed the flooding fairly soon after it started & the damage to the wood floor is very minimal. It would've been so much worse had I not stopped it before the water spread further. Of course we're insured, but here in FL the insurance companies drop you as soon as you make a claim & then there are no companies that will insure you. You're then stuck with Citizen's insurance (the state's insurance program for homeowners that can't get coverage anywhere else) which averages 3 times the cost.

Funguy, I ordered the Oasis with agitator set, to be delivered Saturday. And no, I probably will never make a video of it running )

Virginia

 

[funguy10]

Glass Lid? I have the Oasis washer with agitator but no glass lid.

 

[DADoES]

So ... who all shuts off their refrigerators and freezers when leaving the house?

For that matter, it'd be wise to shut off the water at the main for the entire house ... but who'd think to do that? I've never (yet) had an appliance malfunction, but a few years ago at the previous house, I was in the bathroom, just about to head out, when the fill tube INSIDE the toilet tank split. Water sprayed full-force in the tank, spewing out the lid. If it had happened 3 minutes later .......

 

[funguy10]

It was also probably a simple fix for the old washer too. There is a part inside the control panel of Direct-Drive Whirlpool Top-Loaders called the fill tube. It has a tendency to split open at the end of it. This tube senses when the water level has reached your setting and turns on the motor and timer to begin agitation. If the tube has a slpit end, it cannot sense at all and never tells the washer to begin agitation. The result: Flood!

On the other hand, the new washer you have ordered is the Best conventional Top-Loading washer Sears has. It is pretty quiet and has worry-free operation. It does a good job of cleaning laundry for our family. The machine does not use a fill tube. Instead, the agitator pulses once in a while during fill to see if the basket is disengaged from the clutch. For the basket to disengage, The machine fills up from the outer tub. The basket of the machine is light enough to float and will float once enough water has filled into the basket. How much water it takes depends on how much laundry is in the basket and how much it wheighs. Once the basket floats and the agitator senses it, the machine moves on to agitation. When the machine drains, the basket sinks, it re-engages onto the clutch to allow it to spin. When the basket floats and rises, you may be able to hear the machine make a quiet thunk sound when this happens if things are quiet enough. I should also tell you that this machine will make sounds different then a conventional Top-Loader during operation because it has no transmission. Instead it uses a brushless DC motor and coil system which is borrowed from Fisher & Paykel.

 

[mixedup]

Yeah of course there are appliances you can't turn off when you leave. AC, fridge, husband refuses to turn the computers off. As a matter of fact if we're leaving town I actually do shut off the water to the whole house.

Yeah I know the old washer could've been fixed. I could've even done it myself, I'm fairly handy for a girl ) But it's 12 years old, I never liked it that much anyway, and this is the second time it's broken this year. (Last time was the drive coupler)

The agitator model is not available with the glass lid.
I have read everything about this new washer I could find, so I'm aware of the different sounds it makes & such I've actually been researching washers off & on for the last couple of years thinking I'd replace the old one eventually. Didn't think it would be right now though. What I really wanted was a front loader. None of the larger front loaders will fit in my laundry room. I considered the oasis without agitator but I'm not totally convinced on the performance. Of the reviews I read half say they love it, half say it's terrible. I know Jason L has one & loves it though. Also I couldn't justify the extra cost when we don't know if we'll stay in this house more than a couple more years. Anyway after running away from the most annoying sales woman at Sears yesterday I ordered the new set online this morning to be delivered Sat. I'll let you know how I like it.

Virginia