FL Washer Bearings

[pulsator]

How exactly do FL washers protect their bearings? I've always been afraid to use higher water levels in a front loader because I'm afraid excessive use will give the bearings a shorter life. I know in TL washers, the bearings are usually kept in a pocket of air under the agitator, but I just don't get how an FL washer can keep it's bearings dry! Can someone explain this to me?

 

[gizmo]

Hi Jamie

Actually front loaders keep their bearings up above the water level, but most top loaders rely only on a seal to keep water out of the bearings. They all use a seal of course, top and front loaders, but in FLs the seal is above the normal water line. In most FLs even the high water level is well below the bearings and seal.

There are two main types of seal, one is a rubber disc which has special round "lips" which fit tightly around the spin shaft. The other type is in two halves, a ceramic disc which is glued to the bottom of the basket or inner drum, and a spring-loaded rubber boot with a special hard carbon face moulded into it(attaches to the outer tub), which is pressed by the spring against the ceramic. This type is called a carbon seal and counterface. I like the carbon seal and counterface, they would be much more expensive to make but are more durable. Both types of seal are used on both front and top loaders. Some models have used both - for example the Hoover Zodiac front loader originally used a seal and counterface, later versions were cheapened and used a simple seal, like an oil seal.

There is no air pocket under the agitator, the water gets right in there.

Oops I forgot the third type, which is the up-and-down Frigidaires, which use a bellows sealed top and bottom, a good method too.

And some top loaders use a tall spin tube which comes right up above water level, so a simple cheap seal is OK. An example of this type is belt drive Whirlpools.

Australian Hoover Autos, based on the US Blackstone design, use a seal and counterface below water level for the spin tube, and have a spin tube extension which comes up above water level with the agitator shaft running through it, it uses a simple seal at the top as it is above the water line. If the top seal fails and the water overfills, water runs down into the transmission.

I Hope this makes sense for you.

Chris.

 

[jwilson00]

hi gizmo,

do u also know if bearings in FL machines turn along with the drum, and why when u see bearing kits on ebay for instance is there like 2 or 3 bearings? i understand that if water gets into the bearings they start to rust or the oil or summit gets washed away, but how long does it take from the point that the water gets to them to the bearings collasping or making that rumbling sound? Also if the machine is out of balance on a spin can that lead to bearing failure even if the seal was still intact?

 

[pulsator]

I get that the water level in an FL washer is well below the bearings, but, doesn't it splash all over the bearings when the machine tumbles?

 

[2drumsallergy]

Front Loader Drum Bearings

Front loaders use two bearings a larger inner bearing and a smaller outer bearing, on some models both bearings are of equal size. Some washers use ball bearings while others use tapered roller bearings; in the UK older (Genuine) Hoover and Servis machines used tapered rollers and carbon seals.

The seal failing is almost always the cause of bearing failure in washers’ front or top loading. I prefer the carbon seal myself, as described above it uses two smooth carbon faces and is generally much more durable also it does not wear into the drum shaft. Using spin only cycles in a washer can damage any type of seal as the seal in most cases is running dry, I would always recommend using a rinse and spin cycle so the seal is wet before the spin cycle begins. Thankfully with the hand wash cycles on modern machines the spin only cycle is seldom needed. When a seal does start to fail there is usually a drain hole in the back plate or rear tub unit that allows the leakage to escape, however this usually gets clogged and ultimately the bearings are doomed.

David