Front loader spin protocol

[panthera]

Quite a few variables

Are involved in setting up a successful spin-dry.

Longevity of the washer.

Avoiding 'resonance' points.

Flooring.

Noise.

Wear and tear on the clothes.

Maximum water extraction.

Cost/Utility factors - heavy-duty suspension/bearings/various sensors/high-quality programming.

Time considerations.

 

Of all these, time considerations are the least expensive to 'sacrifice' in the interest of the other considerations. By giving the machine more time to set up a well-balanced spin, one can save the expense of higher-quality components/better programming (software set up for each individual machine's characteristics, for example).

 

We are asking a lot of these machines - and we don't want to pay what they would cost if they were set up to run a quick final spin.

 

 

 

 

[brucelucenta]

LG made

As I am sure everyone is aware, I have the Kenmore Elite version of LG front load washing machine. It does take it's time to balance the load when spinning, but always seems to be able to do it eventually. I have never really been in a big hurry when doing laundry anyway, so it has never bothered me. With all the options I pick to use, it usually takes well over 2 hours anyway, which doesn't bother me. I can see where it might be a problem if you had many loads and needed to do them quickly.

 

[mark_wpduet]

My Duet

same thing!! Final spin (doesn't always) but often takes a while to balance enough to fill it is safe to continue.

Regarding interim spins though - I've noticed the past few years that once in a while, my Duet doesn't reach normal interim spin speed, it's like it's a couple of hundred RPM's off. It's almost like it gave up trying to balance the load and just compromised with a slower interim spin. Weird.

 

[askolover]

My Asko is a little more persnickety than my Miele is.  The Miele does this gradual increase and allows the pump to catch up for a second before it ramps up another notch.  The Asko sometimes appears perfectly balanced to me but it "thinks" it isn't an will try to balance again...and at other times it looks to be very wonky but will go into full spin anyway...go figure!

 

[helicaldrive]

Not just yours

The new SQ FL has a 3-step spin protocol. First it starts to distribute spin slowly, then it slows down for a moment, then returns to the prior distribute speed, then it stops, then it starts up distribute spinning again, this time for a longer time. If it decides to take it, then the tub will sway back and forth and then up and down to set the balancing balls, and then it ramps up. When it ramps up for good, there is never the slightest cabinet vibration. But once in a great while with a heavy load it will walk when setting the balancing balls.

Getting to what bugs you, though, there are times when the first distribute is perfect yet it still goes through the routine I described and ends up with less than it had before. The second distribute is most always balled up and no good. And the third, well, sometimes it "has it" but this third distribute spin ends up being too long and a towel or sheet will ball up and spoil the balance that would have been achieved if it would have ramped up sooner. If that happens then it stops, tumbles clock and counter clockwise a few times, and repeats the same 3-step routine. If that doesn't work, then it stops and just rotates counterclockwise very slowly, then starts spinning clockwise with no further ado. I've never seen it have to do the counterclockwise routine more than twice. Usually it only has to resort to that when the load is too small, or there are some pants legs or sleeves slightly tangled.

It has never spent more than about 5 minutes with all that. Sometimes it never has to repeat the 3-step routine even once throughout the cycle. It has never timed out and skipped a rinse spin or given up on a final spin entirely.

That's the deal. Bottom line is that maybe they all do something like what annoys you. -- and at this point the only ones that simply snap into a spin first time every time would be the bolt down laundromat machines.

Perhaps the point of this 3-step routine is to switch the clothes around so the water is more evenly extracted from them before trying to spin in earnest.

 

[superocd]

While I otherwise love my front-load Kenmore (built by LG), the spin issue irritates me to no end. Very rarely do I have a load that is truly out of balance, however, the machine will ramp up and then stop or slow down all of the sudden, due to the slightest hint of vibration. Rinse and repeat (no pun intended) and then the computer seems to "give up" and spin.

This is why I don't like computers in appliances, but the only non-computerized front loader that I know of are the old Frigidaires from the mid-90s to early-2000s. I think the mechanical-control Speed Queen FLs may still be computerized.

There have been times that it has taken almost 30 minutes for the machine to spin. The machine is level and on a solid floor.

 

[earthling177]

Yeah, that has been my experience too. Older machines would be done in a flash.

Then I got my EU set, which does have a computer, and not only it gets done fast, but with excellent results. I think it uses fuzzy logic, not sure.

So, you will understand when I heard lots of people complaining about the new ones here, particularly the tons of time trying to balance. Then I got one. 30 minutes to balance the last spin is when we are lucky. It has spent over 45 minutes and finished the cycle with the laundry sopping wet -- translation: gave up spinning.

Ordinarily, I'd be like all the run-of-the-mill Americans and just say "frontloaders are all crap". Problem is that I've *used* the ones that are well engineered and well made. I expect more and better.

The American set that I don't like at all and my husband hates lost that company business and will continue to do so until I have evidence that they got much better and are not nickel-and-diming everything.

I will say this though -- my impression of them is not *worse* than it is because about 15 years ago a good sensor to use in this case (trip on unbalance) was expensive and the ones in a good price range were unreliable. Not anymore -- any cell phone is likely to have at least one accelerometer, and good smartphones have several such sensors (gyroscopes, accelerometers etc).

I will also add that salespeople may be trained to lie to prospect customers, and say whatever they want to or have to to sell the machine -- to me they just look sad and bad. My dad is a retired professor of mechanical engineering, I am a computer geek. I know more or less what parts cost and how much effort it is to program stuff. Also how much it costs to manufacture stuff. And even if we didn't, we can ask people here who work(ed) in the field.

Start designing and putting cheap sensors in your laundry machines now. You want to have those working pretty well before I buy my next set if you want me to be a client of your company.

As things stand right now, you are risking me not looking at anything American anymore. The Euro household appliances are about the same price, and sometimes even cheaper than the American stuff, they work far better.

It's also more than ludicrous when my EU washer can do *2* 5 kg loads in a shorter time than my American set can do one load. Particularly when the American one says the cycle length should be the same as the EU machine, but then there's the interminable balance the load for spins, which adds a ton of time to the cycle length.

Manufacturers: open you eyes, this *has* been costing you *clients*, which is more than you lose by putting a 20 buck sensor or two in a machine that has several hundred dollars in profit already.

Thank you.
   -- Paulo.