As the (so far) very pleased new owner of a Whirlpool Duet HT washer (and matching dryer), how long has the Duet HT been in production? I did as much research as I could (including on the cost of key replacement parts such as the circuit boards), but I didn't turn up any information on how long they've been out. Note that I downloaded a repair manual published in '02, the most recent one available.
Duet track record?
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mayken4now
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We have the same version in the Kenmo. Ours are 3.5 years old, and we are satisified. No issues to speak of.
Steve
Steve
The Kenmore HE3 was introduced and first seen on the floor of Sears in August, 2001 and was examined at the Maul of America by members of Applianceville who did not have to leave early on Sunday, August 19th.
We had WP service training on the Duet that fall. John, Jeff, Jason and I teamed up to dismantle and reassemble one machine. It was like kindergarten with a nice carpeted floor to play on. We bought 3 of the 5 trainer machines that sure had not been put back together very well by our fellow WP service techs.
We had WP service training on the Duet that fall. John, Jeff, Jason and I teamed up to dismantle and reassemble one machine. It was like kindergarten with a nice carpeted floor to play on. We bought 3 of the 5 trainer machines that sure had not been put back together very well by our fellow WP service techs.
Flawless in everyway.
I had my Whirlpool duet for three years and it ran flawlessly for me that entire time. I only traded it because of space issues for a Bosch Axxis pair. The whirlpool always cleaned everything to perfection and was quiet and well built. I did buy the extended five year warranty through Best Buy but never had to use it.
John
I had my Whirlpool duet for three years and it ran flawlessly for me that entire time. I only traded it because of space issues for a Bosch Axxis pair. The whirlpool always cleaned everything to perfection and was quiet and well built. I did buy the extended five year warranty through Best Buy but never had to use it.
John
I've had a Whirlpool Duet set since early 2003 and they have been over all pretty good machines. The only bad thing is that the washer has been repaired twice and the dryer is about to be. The pump on the washer went and then later the control panel circuit board but it has worked wonderfully ever since! The dryer is in need of a new circuit board as well though. It beeps constantly while running but randomly, almost like it's twitching while it's running. The control panel lights show no signs of any error it's trying to tell me about so I am pretty sure the circuit board just needs replacement.
Twitching dryer -
That's funny, Jamie! I've not seen one of these boards before, I wonder how the signal is connected - perhaps you could pull the plug on it.
I have had my Duet washer & gas dryer for 2 years now and love them. Never a service problem, no complaints other than I discovered the other day that the dryer door isn't sealing as tight as I think it should and needs to be realigned. I reversed the door when I stacked them in the corner of the laundry room so I probably made the alignment problem myself.
That's funny, Jamie! I've not seen one of these boards before, I wonder how the signal is connected - perhaps you could pull the plug on it.
I have had my Duet washer & gas dryer for 2 years now and love them. Never a service problem, no complaints other than I discovered the other day that the dryer door isn't sealing as tight as I think it should and needs to be realigned. I reversed the door when I stacked them in the corner of the laundry room so I probably made the alignment problem myself.
knitwits1975
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OK, I really want to know now, I understand the Duet is a good machine. In late 2001, when the machines first were introduced, They got a "best design" award from Popular Mechanics. That says a lot. My questions are; I've seen videos of them washing, but only small loads, How well do they handle bigger loads? Also would like to know, How well does the matching dryer perform? I'm asking because I'm thinking of trading up. I am building a workshop and would like to use my current washer in there.
Large Loads no problem!
I used to wash about 12 white bath towels, 6 hand towels, 5 wash cloths(estimate on the wash cloths) and the white bathroom rug that was in my upstairs bathroom not to mention my whity tigties and undershirts and socks and they all came clean. The washer would be packed full when you loaded it but as soon as it started washing and everything got wet no problem it all sloshed around and washed wonderfully. I washed big pillows, bed spreads, rugs, curtains and basically anything bulky and it all came clean. It took stains out of cloths that I thought were ruined and basically washed everything to perfection everytime. I bought the top of the line model for the higher spin speed and the sanitary cycle which I rarly used because it took so long. However, the the higher spin speed was very much worth the extra money. My old Maytag Halo of heat dryer at most had to work about 20 minutes to dry the load of whites I mentioned above. Pretty impressive!
I used to wash about 12 white bath towels, 6 hand towels, 5 wash cloths(estimate on the wash cloths) and the white bathroom rug that was in my upstairs bathroom not to mention my whity tigties and undershirts and socks and they all came clean. The washer would be packed full when you loaded it but as soon as it started washing and everything got wet no problem it all sloshed around and washed wonderfully. I washed big pillows, bed spreads, rugs, curtains and basically anything bulky and it all came clean. It took stains out of cloths that I thought were ruined and basically washed everything to perfection everytime. I bought the top of the line model for the higher spin speed and the sanitary cycle which I rarly used because it took so long. However, the the higher spin speed was very much worth the extra money. My old Maytag Halo of heat dryer at most had to work about 20 minutes to dry the load of whites I mentioned above. Pretty impressive!
Here's what Consumer Reports has to say about the FL'ers they tested recently. The scoring dots, from left to right, are for Washing Performance, Energy Efficiency, Water Efficiency, Capacity, Gentleness and Noise. The number is the minutes for a 'normal' cycle.
And here's the blurb on the TOL Duet:
And last, but not least, is the reliability rating chart for washers. You'll notice that the Whirlpool FL'ers do very well for themselves.
I'd really, really like to know the full detail on those reliability ratings. I have two F&P washers. One bought in 1999, the other in 2004. Neither has had any repairs or trouble.
Glenn-- remember that differences of less than 4 points are meaningless. For every 100 F & P washers in use, only 17 (roughly) have needed a repair call. That means 83 have been working perfectly. You probably have washers number 18 and 19, LOL!
The repair/reliability ratings are the least scientific aspect of CR's work. They rely on those of us who fill out the questionnaire every year.
The repair/reliability ratings are the least scientific aspect of CR's work. They rely on those of us who fill out the questionnaire every year.
Duet service training
To Jason, et al: What's involved in getting WP Duet service training so as to be "authorized" to service these machines? I already pretty much know how they work, and downloaded a 2002 service manual (the latest they have, I understand).
To Jason, et al: What's involved in getting WP Duet service training so as to be "authorized" to service these machines? I already pretty much know how they work, and downloaded a 2002 service manual (the latest they have, I understand).
You have to be a WP authorized service company to go to the service training. If you know someone who has a WP service business, maybe you can go to training with them. We used to go to Maytag training and sales meetings with the guys that John used to work with.
Frigilux, thank you for posting all of that CU stuff. I had not seen it.
There is one thing I have to say about the Duet and I do not believe they have changed it. When you wash a good size load and it drains from the wash or rinses, it will distribute the load and then start to spin. However, the amount of water that is thrown is not sucked through the pump portector and into the pump fast enough so the pressure switch trips and the tub stops spinning so that the water can drain out. Then it tries to start spinning again and half the time it does not balance as well as it did the first time so you lose time while the Duet dithers back and forth. There were problems with the first edition of the Duets not being able to balance a single fairly heavy item, so they changed some of the software to make it balance better. There is some discussion that the slanted tub made it tangle more which also complicates balancing. Jason bought the Duet sport machines. The washer does not have a slanted tub AND, he managed to adjust the water level so it fills higher. He has always been a WP belt drive washer lover, but he says that the Duet Sport washes his clothes cleaner and brighter than anything he has used. The Duet Sport also has the new suspension system which was designed to better control vibration on second story floors.
There is one thing I have to say about the Duet and I do not believe they have changed it. When you wash a good size load and it drains from the wash or rinses, it will distribute the load and then start to spin. However, the amount of water that is thrown is not sucked through the pump portector and into the pump fast enough so the pressure switch trips and the tub stops spinning so that the water can drain out. Then it tries to start spinning again and half the time it does not balance as well as it did the first time so you lose time while the Duet dithers back and forth. There were problems with the first edition of the Duets not being able to balance a single fairly heavy item, so they changed some of the software to make it balance better. There is some discussion that the slanted tub made it tangle more which also complicates balancing. Jason bought the Duet sport machines. The washer does not have a slanted tub AND, he managed to adjust the water level so it fills higher. He has always been a WP belt drive washer lover, but he says that the Duet Sport washes his clothes cleaner and brighter than anything he has used. The Duet Sport also has the new suspension system which was designed to better control vibration on second story floors.
Duet tangling/balance
Thanks, Tom, for the information. It will take a bit of creativity to figure out how to get into the training! There's an appliance outfit I'm familiar with on Cape Cod (Hyannis) and one of their salesmen told me that they don't have enough technicians-If I can spend enough time up there, they'll probably help me. Regarding the Duet's slanted tub-so far I've not experienced any tangling of clothes whatsoever. You're right, though, about the matter of tripping the pressure switch-heavy, absorbent loads like towels tend to make the machine go through the balancing protocol for a longer time. If I have a complaint about the machine at all, it's that some loads do take a while to balance, which extends the cycle time. However, it's that feature which probably makes the Duet a better bet, out of all the full-size FL's, for upper story installations. (Mine's in the basement on a 12" high poured concrete slab).
Thanks, Tom, for the information. It will take a bit of creativity to figure out how to get into the training! There's an appliance outfit I'm familiar with on Cape Cod (Hyannis) and one of their salesmen told me that they don't have enough technicians-If I can spend enough time up there, they'll probably help me. Regarding the Duet's slanted tub-so far I've not experienced any tangling of clothes whatsoever. You're right, though, about the matter of tripping the pressure switch-heavy, absorbent loads like towels tend to make the machine go through the balancing protocol for a longer time. If I have a complaint about the machine at all, it's that some loads do take a while to balance, which extends the cycle time. However, it's that feature which probably makes the Duet a better bet, out of all the full-size FL's, for upper story installations. (Mine's in the basement on a 12" high poured concrete slab).
jbinflorida
Active member
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- Apr 16, 2006
- Messages
- 33
Hi Tumbler,
Sorry this is off topic but I just read your last post and I saw Cape Cod (Hyannis)! Thats my birthplace!! I live in Florida now but I was raised on the Cape.
That appliance store you mentioned, does it happen to be KAM Appliance Mart? My mom worked there in the early 90s after she retired from GE. Anyways its nice knowing someone who's familiar with my old stomping grounds. I haven't been up there in over 2 years.
Sorry this is off topic but I just read your last post and I saw Cape Cod (Hyannis)! Thats my birthplace!! I live in Florida now but I was raised on the Cape.
That appliance store you mentioned, does it happen to be KAM Appliance Mart? My mom worked there in the early 90s after she retired from GE. Anyways its nice knowing someone who's familiar with my old stomping grounds. I haven't been up there in over 2 years.
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