Happy 20th Birthday to my Whirlpool Duet FL Washer

[niclonnic]

Congrats on the milestone!

It's hard for me to believe that an electronically-controlled FL washer has made it this long.

My grandparents had this washer, along with its matching dryer, at their old, 3-story house which was bought back in late 2005. This was the first time I ever saw a front-loading washer in person. As someone who was brought up exclusively around TL washers at the time, the FL was a brand-new concept I had never heard of before. It was mesmerizing to see the clothes tumble around in there.

When they sold the house at the end of 2020, the Whirlpool Duet set stayed; it appeared to still work perfectly after 15 years. I wonder if the new homeowners still have the set?

As a bonus, a YouTube channel has (re)uploaded parts of the instructional DVD that would've come with the washer. It feels comforting and nostalgic to watch, as it explains how to get started with both the washer and dryer. The DVD dates back to 2004.

 

[mark_wpduet]

The only thing I can think of that the board is still working is the surge protector. It could be luck... but it definitely hasn't hurt it all these yrs so any modern washer I have will be plugged into one...

YEARS ago, I learned this machine had a hidden clean washer cycle... you have to press a sequence of buttons to activate it and it works just like the built on more recent clean washer cycles...

At the time I made that post... a few ppl on here had a similar machine to mine but mine is MOL while there's was TOL with more features... They couldn't get the same sequence I was using to work on theirs... Well, yesterday I saw someone with a TOL model on youtube...and his worked...

and I checked because I have the sequence saved in case I ever need to use it... and his is exactly the same... So it's weird that some on here who had this exact model couldn't get theirs to work...

 

[DADoES]

 
The 2006 Duet pair are retired today from RJ's rental property.  The current tenant says the washer is leaking and she's "done" with them.  Both have been used-and-abused as renters do.  The washer is *gnasty*, she uses those froofy boutique liquid detergents and never runs the cleaning cycle per the instructions I provided.  RJ is no longer providing laundry machines (or apparently a refrigerator) there, gave her an allowance to buy her own machines and a refrigerator that she can take along if/when they leave.  She wants a unitary stacked set of some brand (probably LG).

The machines are in a corner of the kitchen beside the refrigerator.  The house was built in 1961, originally provided for only a washer.  The previous owners had a dryer in the one-car garage.

The dispenser drawer isn't missing, it was taken out during the removal.  I don't want them.  Aim to check for stray coinage in the dryer and the pump trap before they're disposed.  The washer bearings and drum replacement I did when they were put into service apparently is intact.  I'm curious to see the condition of spider but that'd be a huge disassembly effort.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I vaguely remember you doing that. I think I remember the pictures of where you had this tore down....but I can't remember the story behind it...something about you got it from a relative and tore it down, fixed some things and cleaned it....

It's so funny... of all of the people over the years who have had this duet... they've all been the TOL model.. I remember being on the Whirlpool website and trying to decide if I wanted the TOL model or the MOL model... the BOL model didn't have a heater... so that was out.. so I just went for MOL... and I've never seen anyone that ever had that MOL model... Most ppl just must have bought the TOL... which is basically the same with just some added cycles. The one thing I really wish mine had that the TOL had is prewash...but anything else I didn't really need. But if I ever want to prewash something I just use soak.

it's insane to me that this lasted with a renter who doesn't give a F. Because although these are well made for the most part, there are some things about it that feel cheap like the handle.. I remember when these were still for sale in Lowes you would often see the handle broken on the display model.

I wish there were some way to get mine to you when/if it does so you can tear it down and examine what the inside looks like. I'd be so curious to see if my laundry habits are as good as I think they are.

 

[mattl]

Mark,I could never get the cleaning cycle to work using your method. I have the exact machine in the link you posted,someday I'll try that method although it's been fine all these years without it.

 

[DADoES]

 
Matt, what is your full model number, including the engineering revision (last digit)?  The cleaning routine isn't on the original model revision.  It's referenced in the user guide for those that have it.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I hardly EVER use it... Maybe once every couple of years... and remember, I didn't even discover it until after I had been using my machine like 13 years or something (LOL)

I mean, it fills with lots of water and does the crazy rotations and water goes everywhere... but the water itself ISN'T even that hot. It's like luke warm... and I hate that it doesn't spin... It just drains... I feel like it leaves too water water in the system doing that...so after it's done I always do drain/spin.. then I just wipe everything down in the nooks and crannies.. I don't think it's nearly as fine tuned as some of the new clean washer cycles.

And I had to take a picture of the sequence to keep on my phone, otherwise I totally forget

 

[DADoES]

 
A few more retired Duet pics.

The pump trap reeks of sewage odor.  I'm surprised there's no debris or coinage.

 

[mark_wpduet]

My God DADOES... I can smell that toxic funk from here..

This machine was used by someone who didn't give a F.. CLEARLY

 

[me]

Good grief, they could be well on their way to culturing a new deadly germ warfare bacillus in there.

It's bonkers that someone would allow a machine to get in that state and still put their clothing in there without cleaning it up, it would come out so saturated with bacteria it might come out self aware ;O)