How to winterize a front loader?

[retro-man]

I know this is early in the year but we are almost thru august already!!! I have some friends who are closing up their beach house and heading to florida for the winter soon. With many below freezing temps here in the northeast I know that there needs to be some prep done on their washer. This is a new set just purchased during the summer here. I know with top loaders you put antifreeze in the tub and just run it thru the final spin to get the water out and the antifreeze in the pump. My question is, do you do the same with a front loader? My concern is the seals on the doors. Will this harm them. Short of disconnecting the pump and draining the water out, I was wondering how other people have handled this. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks
Jon

 

[thomasortega]

Probably the best option is removing the drain filter or disconnect the pump hoses to remove the remaining water and also plug a hair dryer on the hose using some duct tape. let it run (cold air) for 5 minutes to blow the water and dry the hose.

(it will make a little mess on the floor, but a mop can help)

I believe antifreeze isn´t necessary. because if some water freeze, it will freeze IN the hose, not IN the pump.

other excellent option is stop using the washer 1 or 2 weeks before, remove the dispenser (and clean it) and let the door open.

If it´s a big front loader like Affinity or Duet, NEVER let the door wide open because the door is too heavy and it can make the locks loose the alignment.
put a piece of wood to keep a gap between the door and the washer and an elastic rope to keep it positioned properly. DON´T use adesives because they can damage the door painting.

 

[cycla-fabric]

Winterizing

If they have the instruction manual have them check that to see what they recommend, otherwise contact the manufacture of the machine.

Doug

 

[sudsmaster]

From what I've seen, adding automotive anti-freeze to the washer is what is usually recommended.

 

[sudsmaster]

PS-I'd probably add some to the last rinse - enough to make a 50% concentration - and then let the pump drain it normally. What would be left in the sump and pump would be sufficient to guard against freezing damage (to the limit of the ability of the concentration of antifreeze). The trick will be knowing just how much water a last rinse contains. But you could always run the last rinse drain hose into a bucket and measure that.

 

[laundromat]

If yours has the button catcher or lint filter on the bottom right or left of the front,place a thirsty towel down in front of it and unscrew the filter. The water will be absorbed by the towel.Leave that open and place the filter in the washtub.leave the washer door open and that will keep any type of weather from effecting it in any way.

 

[jbuscemi]

I have a White Westinghouse Spacemetes front loader which I have "put up" for the winter . I have it 20 years and it has survived Northern Vermont winters quite nicely. I run the machine through a short cycle to rinse it our THOUOUGHLY, Then I let the hose down on floor lever the last minute or two of the final spin to drain out a good bit of what water residue there might be in the pump. I then add ABOUT 2 cups of R.V. anti freeze fluid to the tub..and that is it. I use the R.V. because it does the trick nicely and will not mess up the septic system in the Spring when I drain it out. Of course , I disconnec the water intake hoses. letting them drain down at floor level .

 

[cleanteamofny]

Which antifreeze?

The correct antifreeze for washers is Marine Antifreeze.
This is noted in all old Kenmore user manuals!

Pah-Nol Non-Toxic Antifreeze

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[brisnat81]

The older Miele's stated that to winterise you turn off the taps and disconnect the inlet hose.

Should the pump freeze, just defrost it with some boiling water and let it thaw.

The new Australian manuals recognise that there are very few places where you can freeze a washing machine and as such makes no reference to winterising.

 

[sudsmaster]

I stand corrected. Standard automotive antifreeze, ethylene glycol, is toxic and should not be sent down the drain.

RV antifreeze presumably is the safer propylene glycol (a common food additive) which is ok to put down the drain.

 

[retro-man]

Thanks to all who responded. I have an RV dealer right up the street from me. I will go pick up a jug for her to use. Sounds like the right thing.
jbuscemi-thanks for the tip on the hoses I like that laying them down open on the floor. drains them out along with the solonoids.

 

[MrX]

I would suggest removing the fill hoses completely and draining them into a sink.
Then remove the filter and drain any water in the sump and leave it out for the winter. This removes any water from the machine, tipping the drain hose down to floor level may not do it completely.

All you'd have to do then is leave the door ajar and it should be fine. It will dry out.

Oh yeah, make sure that you remove any water from the dispenser drawer i.e. in the fabric softener section as it may freeze.

I would also suggest that you momentarily run the fill phase of each type of programme i.e. prewash, normal wash, rinse and softener dispensing rinse.
That should open the appropriate valves and let any water run out of the internal fill pipes.

I doubt you'd even need to put any antifreeze into the machine as it should be fully dry.

When you come back and want to use the machine again, reconnect everything and run a short rinse cycle with an empty machine before you do a wash. The sump will be empty and you would just flush detergent straight down the drain if you didn't do this.

If you have a condenser dryer, remove the heat exchanger module and leave the compartment open. This will remove any traces of moisture.