How to survive a WP DD ("Shredmore")

[lordkenmore]

As I recounted not too long ago, my landlady recently had her old Whirlpool DD washer moved to my laundry room. Overall, it has been working acceptably. However, I am leery of the possibility of clothing damage.

So far there have been no huge problems. But I have noticed what might be accelerated wear on a couple of things. Then, again, it may be other factors (e.g. imagination, something at the point of showing that wear anyway, etc). But it has me analyzing the WP DD usage to ensure that problems--if any--get stopped.

I've done research here, of course. Tips I've seen:

-Don't overload. (I never do on any machine, but this is worth keeping in mind.)

-Don't use too low a water level. This might have stung me on the items mentioned above. I'm now wondering: is it safe to use medium level for very small loads? Or should I plan to never use less than full water level on this machine, even if for some loads it may waste water?

-Use a short wash time. I am thinking of experimenting with this, particularly since it appears I'll be able to consistently line dry. (No risk of dryer-set stains...) However, I am wondering what wash times others use? My laundry is mostly easy loads--mostly freshening. I seldom have to deal with horror loads.

-A final question is more for future reference. I note some people like the DD machines that have some provision for setting speeds independently of the timer, and use a slow agitate/fast spin combination. This does not apply to a BOL machine like the one I'm using (one speed here), but I am wondering if that combination does a good job of basic washing, while being reasonably gentle on clothes. Thinking long term to a time when I might have my own washer, a DD is appealing for ease in servicing, parts support, but less than appealing given the possibility of clothes damage.

As always, thanks for any ideas/advice!

 

[appnut]

I used knit/delicate (8 minutes of gentle) on my Lady Shredmore for shirts, slacks, golf shirts and similar things.  In fact I used that cycle more than 80% of the time for this very reason.  For towels I used normal agitation cycle but only for 6 minutes.  If needed, I'd stop the load and let it soak for a while.  I found it a shame to have that huge tub and have to use so much water for loads that were less than 75% full.  Remember, using gentle, to leave plenty of water--hence 75% at most.  And for regular loads, I think it was horrible to have to use so much water and not be able to fill the machine with laundry like in the good ol' days with a Kenmore 800 with super rotoswirl or Dual Action Agitator on a belt drive Kenmore.  I hate waste.   And my garments aren't wearing out nearly as fast with a front loader. 

 

[DADoES]

 
Referencing the grandmother's 1984 2-speed Design 2000 with non-auger agitator (smaller capacity) and my 1992 3-speed KitchenAid with dual-action agitator ... I always matched the water level to the load, and loaded them up pretty well.  Never had any obvious damage over the course of many years.  The KA's action profile would be different than your BOL machine, however.

 

[appnut]

Regular DDs agitate at 180 strokes per minute.  I believe Glenn's KA had a regular agitation speed of 120 strokes per minute and a much different agitator design.  Makes a big difference. My Lady Shredmore has been sitting in my garage for 9 years waiting for Glenn to collect it when he is able to. 

 

[yogitunes]

I never had an issue with a directdrive when it came to clothing damage, and I use a KA agitator with the larger base, at high speed agitation, normally meant for medium or slow speed....

for your one speed machine....if it makes you feel better, medium to large water levels will work well......small would work great if you wanted something really scrubbed......

a regular 12 minute wash has been best for most loads, I am game for shorter wash times if needed or concern for clothing damage....I would just throw a manual soak in there allowing time for the detergent to work on stains......

experiment with different loads and water levels to see what works best for your type of daily loads you would wash.....not everyone is going to have the same results....

I do like the separate speed control, mainly for the endless variations of cycles.....but it has become the nature of the Normal cycle to have a slow agitation and high speed spin.....but depending on your load, sometimes slow is too slow to rollover a load......again, depends on what your washing....

your mileage may vary......

good luck, and keep us posted....

 

[lordkenmore]

>And for regular loads, I think it was horrible to have to use so much water and not be able to fill the machine with laundry like in the good ol' days with a Kenmore 800 with super rotoswirl or Dual Action Agitator on a belt drive Kenmore. I hate waste.

I hate waste too. Unfortunately, it appears that at least for some, waste could be a DD fact of life. The only question is: what gets wasted? Water and detergent? Or clothes?

And don't get me started on the days of the belt drive WP. I don't want to depress myself. There was one here when I first lived here, and I was able to use it for about six months. It was better than any machine that has been thrown into this laundry room since in terms of its ability to clean clothes, and I noticed nothing that suggested accelerated wear vs. other top load machines.

 

[whirlcool]

I think the key to clothing damage with the WP DD machines is how the machine is loaded. Overloading seems to be the culprit when it comes to clothing damage. Our WP DD machine is 23 years old. The only damage we have ever seen was the edge trim on some towels we bought in 1979 and use weekly is becoming frayed a little bit. But we run those at a full load. Nothing else has ever been damaged.

I have also noted that if the water level is set too high while doing sheets, you'll have tangling of the sheets when you remove them from the machine. And I do mean serious tangling.

We are happy with our DD machine as we like fast turnover during the washing process.