HE Top Loaders with Recirculating Pump

[joeypete]

Hey guys…my utility company literally doubled their rates so I'm looking at some ways to lower my electric bill. One idea was looking into buying an HE washing machine. I don't like front load machines so I'm looking at top loaders.

My question is what top loaders have a recirculating pump that sprays the wash solution over the clothes during agitation/fill? I know F&P of course, and they are probably the best…I know the new Cabrio (or at least the higher models) have it as well. Which Kenmore's have that feature? Other brands?

I'm looking for this feature because it seems to add a good degree of cleaning ability to the machine. Maybe it's mental, but I like it! haha

Thanks in advance!

 

[henene4]

Pretty much all TOL producer come to my mind.
LG added TurboWash on their TLs which AFAIK uses a simmilar system as the FLs. Kenmore sells them as AccelaWash.
Samsung offers AquaJet, which is basicly just a recirculation system.
Whirlpool uses them on the TOL Cabrios as well as the old TOL Maytags.
GE discontinued their HE TLs, which had a recirculation in the TOL models as well. They are on sale at some places now.
And, of course, F&P. There is not a lot to say about that.
Things that might interest you as well are heaters. All of the mentioned above have models with heater except for F&P. Therefor, F&P offers the choice between HE and not HE on most cycles. But to be honest, not only that that might be contra-productive to your needs, most of the washers offer you cycles that use significant amounts of water as well.
I would tend more towards TOL with a HE TL anyway as bells and whistles are not always needed, but with this pretty picky wash system, they will come handy for someone who comes from a regular machine, of course, only if you use them.
The models I would recomend would be:

1. LG:
- The model with rear controls, TurboWash and heater:
http://www.lg.com/us/washers/lg-WT5680HVA-top-load-washer
-Simmilar model with front controls, TW and heater:
http://www.lg.com/us/washers/lg-WT1801HVA-top-load-washer
-That mmodel, just a bit bigger, comes as Kenmore as well:
http://www.kenmore.com/kenmore-elit...p-02631462000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

2. Whirlpool:
-If you like the new Cabrio more (just check the thread about that out, there are some videos of it, to):
http://www.whirlpool.com/laundry-1/laundry-2/washers-3/-[WTW8500DW]-1022423/WTW850
-If you like the old more:
http://www.whirlpool.com/laundry-1/laundry-2/washers-3/-[WTW8900BC]-1021773/WTW8900BC/

3. F&P (they just know HE washing):
https://www.fisherpaykel.com/us/laundry/washing-machines/washing-machine/WL4227P1/

GE may be problematic because of its unknown futur, Samsung is just something I wouldn't recomend.
On the topic of FLs: I respect you don't like them, however, they are known for their better cleaning results, easier handling and overall greater flexibility in laundry care. I would highly recomend them, but if you don't want one, you can go OK with a TL as well. Its just a bit more of a transition.
Hope I could help.
Henrik

 

[brucelucenta]

You really should at least check into some front loaders too. They really do a better job of cleaning with a minimum of wear on your clothes and virtually no lint at all.

 

[appnut]

I wouldn't rule out an LG front loader. They seem to be the most straight forward and no-nonsense machines. I think HE Top Loaders are too harsh on clothing. It reminds me of trying to wash a bunch of pancakes. All that weight pushing down in to a little bit of water.

 

[logixx]

HE top loaders only save a reasonable amount water if you only use the spray rinse function. And even then, a front loaders uses less water.

 

LG top loaders don't recirculate the water but use WaveForce motion to spin the tub and throw water over the clothes -  if the water level and laundry load is just right. Users here and on GardenWeb have stated that they hardly ever saw WaveForce.

 

Samsung's top loaders seem to use the spray quite a bit as well as the, now discontinuted, GE top loaders.

 

Whirlpool's new top loaders... well, see for yourself in the other thread. They recirculate during the wash but not during the rinse, which only soaks the bottom of the load (there's a video of that on YouTube).

 

Kenmore top loaders are either by LG or Whirlpool: if you look into the drum, you can clearly see who made it.

 

Fisher & Paykel is the only brand that seems to have decent rollover and spray rinses.

 

[mrb627]

Current machine?

What are you washing with now?
Have you tried switching to a low temp detergent like Tide Coldwater?
What are your expectations of a new machine?

Malcolm

 

[henene4]

@logixx

Are you sure the TurboWash on the TLs is only a rebaged WaveForce system? What I understand from their videos on it the system works simmilar no matter if TL or FL...
Look, this video shows 2 nozzels on each side of opening, one right above the MistShower, the one at the exact opposite.

 

[henene4]

Sorry for the grammar mistakes and there is only one nozzle. The other one was just a reflection...

 

[yogitunes]

not exactly available as new....but I still lay claim to the Calypso for washing efficient, and EFFECTIVE!.......and yet gentle enough to wash a paper towel without shedding it to bits...

a Calypso has a continuous water fall at all times, not all of them do this...

only enough water to saturate, and allow for the recirculating waterfall.....roughly about 3 gallons....

kudos to DADoES for the video....

 

[joeypete]

Wow you guys are awesome!!! So much great information, thank you so much.

I currently have a 2014 GE HydroWave (BOL with plastic tub). It works great and I'm very happy with it, but it does use a fair amount of water. I was considering switching to only warm and cold washes, that might help. Water consumption isn't a huge concern because my water is included in my condo fee. But of course being an owner, I want to try and keep usage down so our fee doesn't go up!

I've used a couple different front loaders. A beautiful LG set for 2 years. I just found it rather boring...being an agitation watcher from childhood lol. So some of my decision has a bit of fun factor involved.

I REALLY like the F&P machines as they seem to have the impeller wash system down pat. I've eatched many videos and was amazed at how well the clothes get moved around. The warranty is good too.

I might keep an eye out for that TOL GE model to get price reduced. It seems to do a good job as well with the Waterfall system. Does anyone have one of those??

 

[henene4]

Just a thought...

Is your dryer gas or electric? I mean, drying uses a sufficent bit if energy with an electric dryer.

 

[logixx]

@ henene

Yes, WaveForce is part of the TurboWash option. If TurboWash is selected, the washer will always do WaveForce (unless the water level is too high/low) and the rinse is changed to spray rinse.

 

[joeypete]

I have electric in my condo, no gas available

My HydroWave does a good job of spinning and it isn't even anywhere near the speed of some of the HE models. So might help to shorten dry times.

 

[mrb627]

Well

It would take several years to recoupe the cost of replacing your current machine. Unless you have another reason for replacing it, you might want to look elsewhere for energy savings...

Perhaps a spin dryer?

Malcolm

 

[ea56]

Joeypete, I have essentially the same GE washer that you do, mine has the 3.9 cu tub. I live in Calif. and we are currently in the middle of the worst drought since 1976-77. I too have been feeling guilty about how much water my GE uses, but I really like this machine and its performance. I can't justify getting rid of a perfectly good appliance. I've owned a Cabrio, and hated it! I looked at the BOL LG front loader, as it or the Speed Queen front loader are the only front loaders that are shallow enough in depth to fit in my laundry closet. I didn't like the LG, controls are too much for me, I like simple. The Speed Queen is too expensive for me right now, I'm retired. So, Thurs. this week when I did the laundry I thought, why not try not using the Power Rinse option? I washed all the loads w/out the Power Rinse, and to my surprise they all came out just as clean as with the Power Rinse, the cycles were about 5 mins quicker and believe it or not all the loads dried quicker too, even though the spin cycle seems a little shorter. I left the lid open with a magnet, to over ride the lid switch, to observe how much water was used for the rinse. It appeared that on the small load the water level was almost the same as with the Power Rinse, on the larger loads it looked like there was at least 5 gals or more, less water than with PW option. After the wash cycle is over the tub drains completely, then it partially fills with rinse water and agitates for about 3 mins, then drains and spins. I use Arm and Hammer liquid, and it doesn't suds a lot so the rinse was complete. I also washed a load of king size sheets today with the same great results. Instead of using liquid fab softener I used dryer fab soft sheets. I think that the final spin may be a little faster w/out the PW option, hence the shorted dry times. I observed that the clothes were noticiably drier at the end of the spin than with PW option, go figure. Anyway, at least I'm saving at least at little water. You may want to give it a try. I'm going to be doing this for the duration of our drought, and maybe even after the drought is over.[this post was last edited: 4/11/2015-20:52]

 

[joeypete]

Ya my current set is on a few months old so I know I would take a big hit on it. I guess a lot of it too is because I had to buy a set rather quickly, I didn't get a whole lot of time to research heavily the features that I wanted. I wasn't planning on having to buy a W/D when I bought my condo so I tried to keep everything on the cheap. I ended up getting a huge bonus at work last month and was able to pay off my purchases a heck of a lot faster than I thought so I have a bit of buyers remorse now for not buying something more of what I wanted to use in the long run.

Thanks for the tips ea56! I don't use the regular rinse very often myself but I will try it out! The nice thing about the Hydrowave is you can almost use it like an HE machine because of the way it washes. You don't need a huge tub of water for the clothes to turn over like in an older design machine. Actually I use most of the time, the minimum level..just to the top of the load (like it says in the manual actually). So yeah, I'm probably not using as much water or energy as I think. It's just hard to ignore the EnergyGuide which says it uses double the energy that say the F&P washers do….

 

[joeypete]

All in one?

LG WM3997HWA 4.3 cu.ft. Ultra Large Capacity Front Load Washer / Dryer Combo

Has anyone used one of these W/D combos? I would def consider this considering it is great for small spaces (I have a laundry closet and would free up half the space for storage), it's ventless (mine vents into a wall duct and Home Depot refused to set my dryer up), it uses a standard 110V outlet and uses very little energy. It has all the current LG features too like TurboWash, ColdWash, etc.

Opinions?

 

[logixx]

That washer/dryer uses water during the entire drying cycle.

 

[joeypete]

Thanks logixx! That's how it dries with only the 110V? I pay a flat rate for my water so not terrible concerned about that…I assume it's cold water?