Frigidaire Immersion Care 4044M: CR Test Results

[frigilux]

The aggressiveness of the agitation is the same for Normal and Heavy Duty. In fact, it's the ratio of load weight/mass-to-water that changes the agitation. Another mystery yet to be solved is why Consumer Reports says the Normal cycle is 110 minutes in length. Even at the highest soil level (called Stain Treat) it's only about 90 minutes long on my washer. There's no pre-spin balancing protocol, either.

 

[frigilux]

After seeing the terrible results from John's (combo52) test load of very dirty towels, I was curious to find out if a longer cycle would produce better results. I spent the past two days wiping grime onto 48 bar mops (about 12" x 15" each) and two standard-size bath towels. Each towel was dampened, then wiped along door sills; on the siding of my house; on the kitchen and bathroom floors; around window and door frames; atop shelves in the garage; on outside windows; on the window well covers outside the house; on the vinyl A/C cover; over the outdoor patio table; and finally over three folding tables stored in the garage.

Not all the towels were as grimy as the ones shown, but all were soiled. Both the bath towels were quite heavily-soiled, as I knew from John's test that those would be the most challenging for the washer to clean. It was definitely a full-capacity load.

I used a full scoop of powdered Tide With Bleach HE; the Normal Cycle at the highest soil level (called Stain Treat) which clocked in at 89 minutes; the hot water setting (which, you know by now, is actually only lukewarm); the max water level (which, as John pointed out, is about 2/3 full); the standard 4 spray rinses; and an extra deep rinse, as the wash water was black as the ace of spades.[this post was last edited: 3/3/2013-17:08]

 

[frigilux]

The results were great! Every single towel was completely cleaned---and yes, I inspected each one. Here's a photo of one of the bath towels. I'm not sure if it's the same one from the "dirty" photo, but both were equally clean, so I guess it doesn't matter.

I'm with John on this: His version of the washer is absolutely unacceptable. Crippled with cool water temps and a weak agitation system, there's no way the Immersion Care can clean a heavily-soiled load without the option to add time to the wash cycle (soil level settings). Had I let the machine default to the standard 58-minute cycle, the results would have been similar to John's test load.

 

[frigilux]

Here is the pile of 48 bar mops, ready for the dryer. Note: You'll see a yellowish stain along the edge of one of the oldest bar mops, just left of center (with a different blue stripe). That stain has been set in for ages.

 

[frigilux]

Alexander: The "spins" during agitation only take place if the washer fills to the minimum water level. They do a great job of forcing sudsy water through the fabrics, and they also help to redistribute the load so different items get the scrubbing benefit of the impeller. Oh, and they're great fun to watch, too. <p>

All: Please don't get the idea I'm trying to sell the Immersion Care as a great washer. For reasons listed by both John and me (including slow spin; weak agitation; modest capacity; inconsistent cleaning results; cold-to-lukewarm water; etc.) I'd recommend looking elsewhere for a daily driver. Instead of stepping up to the plate with an impressive new top-loader, Frigidaire/Electrolux coughed up another bottom-feeder. <p>

You can get excellent results, but only under ideal conditions, and only with the TOL model, which allows you to manually select the water level and lengthen the wash time with a soil-level selector.  The dismal results John got with his challenging loads are all the proof anyone should need that unless you want an Immersion Care for some special reason (as with my decision to buy one),  there are far stronger contenders in the field.  Personally, if I had to have only one washer, it would be a front-loader with an internal heater---no contest.

[this post was last edited: 3/4/2013-14:00]

 

[mickeyd]

Serendipty, telepathy, blah blah blah, me, whatever, and LOL

On the way to sleep last night, I was thinking about you and the grand Immerser, and how you would develop another signature test to balance the dismal performance of John's BOL model. While doing so, and after having carefully studied the Immerser at the local retailer, Robert's Apex Bouncing Basket came to mind. Frigidaire may not be aware of this machine. Its operation and design are so similar to the Immersion that my persistent brain kept looping around the evident problems. Maybe Eugene could contact Frigidaire and ask them to step up the speed, increase the hot water temperature, and whatever else needs to be done to re-engineer what you would now call a "top-feeder." Certainly, this can't be out of the realm of possibility.

I wish you'd treat the audience to picture of your machine all lit up. It's quite a looker, at least in the flesh.

This machine continues to be a source of fascination, and both your tests and John's and this whole thread are so satisfying. Thank You.

As just think, your Spring cleaning is now done ;~ D

 

[frigilux]

mickeyd-- I use the Immersion Care for most loads---it's so easy to load and unload---and it's still new enough that I'm having fun watching it. If I could change one thing, it would be the ability to get hot water! And you're right....my house has never been so well-dusted, LOL.

 

[mickeyd]

Serendipity, proofed

A q for you, Eu : Of the 89 minute cycle, how many minutes are devoted to "washink" ?

If you have a sink nearby and a fill hose, see what happens if you fill the machine manually with hot water without turning it on, to the high level, then fire her up, and see what happens. I'd love to know if you can fool the machine, or will she scream foul, promptly dump some the unwelcome intruder and refill with cold, and then glare at you,
all the lights flashing? ;'D

 

[frigilux]

The wash portion of the 89-minute cycle is about 60 minutes. The first 40 minutes are continuous agitation. The remaining time is a sequence of agitation and soak periods. The soaks are only a minute or two in length, so they're easy to miss if you're not paying attention. The Heavy Soil option is 71 minutes, and provides about 40 minutes of agitation with no soaks. Oddly, as I've pointed out elsewhere, the Heavy Duty cycle is much shorter than the Normal cycle.

Increasing spin speeds: I recall reading somewhere that machines with plastic tubs have a max spin speed of around 650 rpm before they start to deform/distort. Mine ramps up to 800 rpm for 90 seconds midway through the final spin, then slows back down to around 600 for the remainder.

Adding water: I've added up to 5 gallons of water (by bucket) and the machine doesn't seem to notice or mind. I don't think it's smart enough to know something's going on.

Water temp: Part of the problem is that the first few gallons of the fill are always done with tap cold water. If it fills only to the minimum level (which it often does in Auto mode) then even if the remainder of the fill is done with tap hot water, the overall result is cool (80-90 degrees) water. If you choose the Normal or Max water level, there's enough hot water added to bring the temp up to a whopping 115 degrees. This may improve by a few degrees in the summer, when my cold tap water isn't ice cold. More than any other factor, this one is the deal-breaker for me.

Having said all that, I wash most loads in it with great results. If I feel the need to use super-hot water on loads of bath towels or sheets, I throw them in the front-loader on the Sanitize cycle. All loads of kitchen whites go in the front-loader, as do comforters and blankets. I really notice the lengthening of drying time with loads of bath towels.

 

[mickeyd]

I feel the ground shifting inside, leading to the belief that a purchase is on the horizon. It's the innovations that have captivated me. I'm going to ask John--before he kicks his to the curb, LOL-- if he would cap off the hot inlet, and run the cold hose to a hot tap, and see if the machine will fill with hot water only.

OR ~ What happens if you add your gallons of hot water before powering up the machine?

Except for dark colors, I do not like starting anything in cold water. If I wait till August when our tap water is warm enough to shower in, I could deal with it, until I figure a way around it--and I will!!!

For what it's worth, I really like this washing machine.

I once heard, back in the day, that in Chinese laundries, they washed clothes for one hour. From personal experience, washing heavily soiled laundry on gentle speed* in conventional machines for an hour gets out any and all soil, and washing whites the same way using Tide with bleach keeps them blinding white. Perhaps an hour is the magic moment of total clean.

Impressed but honestly not surprised that your Immersion Frigi knocked out all that dirt, and I really got a kick out of the way you generated your test samples, even though, in the end, thanks to John, you and I may be the only two people in America who own an Immersion Care Washer.

* quick stroke at first

 

[frigilux]

Mickeyd, I think you'd have fun with an Immersion Care.  As with its low-rated agitator-based / indexing tub predecessor the Immersion Care can be fun to watch and play with---as long as you go into it knowing its limitations.  I'm sure there are ways around the hot water issue, but it's easier for me just to wash anything needing hot water in the front-loader.  In the end, both the older, indexing tub machines and the new Immersion Care are unique in their field; there are no others quite like them----for better or worse, LOL.