First FL: advice needed

[washabear]

I’m thinking about buying a Frigidaire 2940 front loader and am wondering if that would be a sound decision. This would be my first front loader, so I thought that the Frigidaire might be worth a try because it seems like a good value for the price. I also like the Maytag Epic, but it’s considerably more expensive than the Frigidaire, and I don’t know whether I would want to spend the extra money for something I’m not familiar with.

I have read pros and cons about this machine before, but fresh perspectives are always good, so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[neptunebob]

How much do you have to wash? If you have a large family or king size bedding I would go with the Epic to keep you out of creepy coin laundries for the large items. If it is just you and you don't have excessive size bedding, the Frigidaire should be fine. The only exception would be if you were a very dirty greasy mechanic in Alaska, in which case I would recommend one of the expensive European washers like the Miele or Asko that have an internal heater to remove heavy soil. I wonder why the European machines are so good, is it because they don't like to shower?

 

[decodriveboy]

Get it

I have the 2140 and love it. It's definitely big enough for comforters. And the price is right. However--I only loved it after rigging the pressure switch so it uses more water.

I would get this one over the 2940 actually, because I dont like the auto-temp feature on that one. It dumbs-down the hot water setting to warm.

 

[launderess]

Don't Like To Shower!

Just where to you get that flannel?

Europeans shower/bathe just as much as Americans, just happens many do not belive in the Amercian habits of running into the shower/bath every two minutes because they happen to break into a sweat, or more likely moved from one building (home to office and back), to another.

Europeans are also vastly more comfortable with the human body and all of it's various functions. Unlike Amercians who believe in "killing" every single "germ" around (or at least trying), and or preventing certian functions by dousing themselves with chemicals (anti-perspirants), people just accept things for what they are.

Amercians spend vast sums on cleanliness/anti-odour products and yet still have the lowest number of persons who routinely wash their hands after using the loo per population of industrial countries. Go figure.

L.

 

[panthera]

stereotypes

I think we all carry around images of people, places and things based on "outdated" or ancedotal information. I associate the United States with free democratic elections, a tri-part government based on checks and balances, due process, habeus corpus, pacta servanta sunt, et al, et cetra.

Actually, we Europeans do bathe, thank you very much. Why, just the other month I remember thinking it might be about time to take the hogswill out of the tub and fire up the old copper for me semi-annual bath. Of course, I did grow up in the 'States, so I might be a tad bit extreme on cleanliness...

It is not just European washing machines that get clothes cleaner than modern American TLs. It is because of the same reason that the American Bendix front loaders got clothes cleaner than Tls of their era: FLs are gentle enough in their mechanical action and use little enough water in washing that both long cycles and a slow rise in temperature are possible. It is this combination which makes efficient detergent formulas possible. First the enzymes are active, then the bleaches...
You just can't heat the amounts of water TLs take efficiently (especially not when you only have 120v @ 20 amps...) and if you could, well, agitation over such a long period would be rough on your clothes.

I like the Frigemores; they hold normal loads. Another stereotype; just cause the drum is smaller does not mean they don't wash lots of laundry. That whopping big agitator takes up lots of space! After seven years of very satisfying use, my mom still underloads her Fl by about 1/3...you pack those clothes in until you either have 15 lbs. or a "handbreite" to the top of the drum. Sorry, hand's width.

But really big stuff - king size comforters - no, I don't think you would be happy with the results. So there you go. If you really only need to wash such gigantic stuff occasionally, then a proven machine whose very few weaknesses are well known and fixable or preventable is always the better choice.
Devil you know...I'm going to be very sceptical of Maytag for a while. Too many Amanananantags in my recent past, thank you.

Either way, be sure to only use HD detergent, never ever close the door completely (you have to air the machine out or you WILL have mold) and at least once every six weeks or so either run a truly hot water program with citric acid or white vinegar.

 

[washabear]

Thanks for the replies. My wash loads are not particularly large, and I don’t have extra-large bedding items, so I think the capacity would be fine. Question about the auto temp: the literature for the 2940 says the hot setting is manual. Has this changed? On the machines I looked at in the stores, only the cold and warm settings were marked auto.

Thanks.

 

[golittlesport]

The auto temp control on the Frigidaire 2940 ONLY works on warm and cold temps...not on hot. Hot water wash is tap hot. I don't think any front loader dumbs down the hot temp...only agitator washers with auto temp do that. I have the 2940 and like it...both it and the 2140 are great value and performance for the $$$.

 

[passatdoc]

2140 vs 2940

Hi, I own the 2140. My understanding is that ATC on the 2140 regulates the warm and cold settings. If you select "hot", you get tank-temperature hot water without adjustment by the machine. On "warm" and "cold" it mixes both intakes. The latter is useful if you have very cold ground water (i.e. in winter), then it mixes in some hot water to make "cold" but not "ice cold" water!

Given that I'm in California, where the cold water isn't THAT cold, and my washer is adjacent to my water heater, ATC isn't really an issue.

The only other feature that the 2940 has over the 2140 is variable delay wash control. On the 2140, you can choose eight hour delay or no delay (it's either on or off). On the 2940, it's a variable 2-12 hour delay. I didn't see the point of delay wash at first, since my washer is in the garage and noise is not a factor. However, sometimes it's nice to set up a load to wash a load an hour before you return home or before you wake up. Particularly since clothes spun by this washer will often dry in 30-45 minutes. In some areas, electricity rates are lower in the middle of the night, so people can take advantage of off-peak pricing too.

I use delay wash several times a week and it would have been nice to have a variable delay. At the time I made my purchase, I did not think that the $70 price gap at that time justified the extra features, so I bought the 2140. In addition, I was buying a dryer and the 2940's matching dryer was more expensive than the windowless dryer that matches the 2140. So I was looking at a $150 price hike. I went with the 2140 and its windowless dryer (the styling of the control panel is identical, though only one machine has a window). Today, however, you can usually find both machines at the same price, and under today's pricing I would go for the 2940.

The machine has given excellent service for 15 months of ownership. It will accomodate king-sized comforters. The dryer is 5.7 cu ft, smaller than the largest dryers, but by sticking with 5.7 cu ft, they kept the footprint small enough to allow stacked configuration, which is what I did with my machines. This means I have to remove a king size comforter once to turn it inside out in the middle of drying. A minor inconvenience.

One caution with the 2140: there are no drain holes in the gasket crease at six o'clock, so be sure to wipe out any water (usually a few ounces) with a sock or towel at the end of each washday. And keep the door ajar, to avoid any mold build up (leaving the door ajar is a good idea with ANY front loader).

 

[passatdoc]

oops

I meant in the thread above that ATC regulates the warm and cold selections on the 2940, not the 2140. Only the 2940 has ATC.

 

[washabear]

Thanks for the additonal comments. I looked at both the 2940 and the 2140, and both had drain holes at the bottom of the gasket; although they were on the inner side wall, they were right at the bottom. Maybe this is something they have updated? In any event, I would be sure to wipe up excess water and leave the door ajar.

Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

 

[passatdoc]

I bought my 2140 in March 2006, so they may very well have revised the design, not that it's a major defect. Most of the online reviews I saw before I bought the machine (epinions.com etc.) had one only negative, and that was water collecting in the gasket. Even with the drain holes, some water may remain, so it's good practice to wipe the gasket dry. I just use a clean sock or hand towel and toss it in with the load to dry. Last year we had a very hot summer in California, and the temperature inside my garage regularly exceeded 90 F. No mold or odor issues whatsoever, thanks to keeping the gasket dry and the door left ajar.

Where I live, some retailers are selling 2140 and 2940 for roughly the same price. And the 6000 Affinity can sometimes be found for even slightly less. Evidently there was a problem with the control panel going out (now corrected) and it hurt the model's image, hence it now sometimes retails for LESS than the downscale 2140 and 2940. Other than a more attractive package, it doesn't really offer anything more than the 2940.