Happy 18th B Day to my Whirlpool Duet

[qsd-dan]

Did I mention that the hoses on the back say (replace every 5 years) and they are the original hoses

 

I've noticed that the further back in time one goes, the better quality hoses were made. I replaced all of the hoses on the washer/tempering valve configuration because the original 35-40 year old hoses started to concern me. 3 years later, I swap in the 906 washer to play around with and find a bubble in both of the hot water hoses. Swapped in the old hoses again and 7 years later, zero problems. I knew there was a logical reason I kept all of the hoses I acquired from all of the vintage Maytag washers that passed through my hands but some of these are 50+ years in age.

 

Anybody know of an outfit that would custom make hoses/connections that meet or exceed the original ones sold with Maytag washers in the 70's-80's? Are the hoses sold with Maytag washers in the 90's the same quality?

 

[cfz2882]

my HE3 Kenmore version is about to turn 22

 

[ozzie908]

Any idea how old this is ?

 

[mark_wpduet]

He3.... 22? Damn

That would be one of the first ones Whirlpool started making like in the early 2000s for Kenmore.. Maybe mine will continue trucking along more years HOPEFULLY

HOSES:

I didn't know they started making hoses less durable...I did remember seeing a video of a flood of a house where the washer hoses exploded and as soon as I saw that, regardless whether or not the hoses were old or new, I'm turning that S**t off when done using it just to be safe. It made me paranoid as hell and something I would have never even thought about.

 

[logixx]

ozzie908

Look at the serial number. First two digits are factory (Schorndorf, Germany), then xx year and finally xx week.

 

[mark_wpduet]

@ Combo

I forgot to mention your post about the tangling... That's absolutely something my Duet will do... especially with jeans or anything pants..I've gotten so USED to it...I remember at first I was like WTH??? But it's no big deal to me now... I just pull out the big clump and separate them and throw in dryer. It doesn't always happen.. It's random and only seems to be pants that do it. In fact, it happened today on a load of jeans I did.

 

[windrivers]

Reply 19 "I've noticed that the further back in time one goes, the better quality hoses were made."

But the quality of assembly is better today, and they're lighter weight, and use less resources! I would never use hoses over two-thousand-thirty years old. (Reply 17)

 

[panasonicvac]

I forgot to add here

My aunt has had this Maytag branded set for over 10 years now and they both still work just fine. The only issue however is that the detergent drawer handle on the washer broke off but it doesn't affect anything, it may have been broken before she moved into her new house a couple years ago.

My uncle, my aunt's brother, had a Kenmore Elite version before. A little bit older than my aunt's Maytag. Unfortunately the washer broke after a short while he's ever owned it. And from what I was told, he had trouble with Sears of getting it fixed so he replaced the washer with a Samsung front loader that he still has today. Thankfully he also still has the Kenmore Elite dryer that matched with the washer since it still works. I wish my uncle still had the Kenmore washer, I thought it was a cool looking machine.

 

[DADoES]

 
Reply #26 Pic #2, is that dryer sourced from Whirlpool?  What's the manufacturing code?

 

[panasonicvac]

It is a Whirlpool made dryer. Basically a Duet but under the Sears brand.

 

[bradfordwhite]

#12

That's perfect. They all should have some type access door.

The new WP front loaders with the DRAWER directly attached to the washer, allows one easy access to the filter I've noticed.

 

[mark_wpduet]

If you were to take a time machine back to 2005 and get on the internet and go to a laundry forum like this one, people would be complaining about the modern appliances being JUNK and you would be lucky to get 5 years out of them. LOL

I remember a lady talking about looking at the Duets (in 2005) at Lowes or Home Depot and the handle was broken and said it felt really cheap.. She was not impressed with them at all (LOL)

 

[windrivers]

Yet we are impressed enough with a 2005 washer lasting 18 years to make an entire thread out of it. That in itself would seem to say something.

 

[mattl]

My original Duet is about the same age, no issues.  I bought it used in '10, had a lot of animal hair in it.  Gave it a good cleaning and it's been cleaning well since. It's German made if I recall.

My second Duet is on the disabled list with the bearings going bad for the second time, plus it has a bad sensor and I keep getting a Suds error.  Will dig into fixes, new replacement is $$$, there are some used ones on ebay for a more affordable price. I have a third Duet that needs bearings too, but only have hookups for 3 machines, my little used  Kenmore electronic version c.'95 has that spot.

 

Funny it's only me, but I really miss being able to load up 2 machines and get my laundry done quickly.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Cool. I've never been to a home that had multiple washers/dryers...it would be really cool do get laundry done that fast...

 

[duetdaddy]

Used Duets still going strong

For a whopping 100 dollars, I bought a Duet Washer/Dryer with pedestals in 2020. They were 15 years old. I changed out a rusty hinge, cleaned out the muck in the drain, vacuumed the lint trap on the dryer and that's it. They run like new, to today.

Amazing how well these were made.