Installed: Maytag 8100 Washer & Dryer

[appnut]

My allergen default is 1:42 and that's heavy soil.  Light soil drops it to 1:34.  Steam for stains raises default to 2:05.  Sanitize on the following cycles yield: Allergen 2:25, Heavy Duty 2:20 and Whitest Whites 2:43.  Adding Steam for Stains raises all those to 2:43,  2:25, and 2:56 respectively.  I will tell you with a very heavy load of towels on Allergen, I've seen the machine add up to 28 minutes to the wash time to make sure it has plenty of time to head to its target temps.   Alex, mine is a WFW97HEXW0.  The fill flue is about at the 10 O'clock location inside the machine.  Tis is a rubber nozzle type of things on the gasket (with a hole) at about 11:00 o'clock.  I'm assuming that's for steam.  I've never used the cartridge so I don't know if that's what that's really for.  Yikes Eugene.  If my mother was there she'd say, that's what you get for opening the machine during its cycle.  You're supposed to leave it alone lol. 

 

[henene4]

Google said something about detergent dispensing system fault, unable to reach desired dispensing motor position. Wasn't able to find anything particular, though. Article was about a WP model.

I had my fair share of annoyment with WP build EU electronic controls in the last few days. Most were the glitch type of event.
Hoping it was just a glitch with yours as well.

 

[appnut]

That would make sense given the washer dispenses bleach in the first rinse and the mechanism rotates around to spray water into the bleach reservoir.  And if the machine was stopped while it was attempting to execute that action, .....

 

[frigilux]

The Drain & Spin and Rinse & Spin worked normally. There's a load of short sleeve shirts and summer shorts (my around-the-house clothes) in there now. Normal cycle; Medium Soil; Warm water; Steam For Stains option increased cycle time from 43 minutes to 1 hour + 19 minutes. We'll see if any steam appears.

 

[washerdude]

AH! the error code

I've had this happen to my Whirlpool Duet WFW72 as well. I find if you leave the door open too long, it will think there is an overflow condition happening and it will flash that error code and go into drain. On mine it shows up as F8 E3 and makes an annoying beep and the door trys to lock if until it's closed. Nothing to worry about, Just turn the machine off, and restart.

 

[frigilux]

STEAM FOR STAINS: Am I blind to steam? I saw nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. The machine did exactly what Bob said his does---drain; short spin; unseen water is heard entering machine; 15 minutes of four tub rotations followed by a pregnant pause. Steam! Where you at?!

At least the Frigidaire tumbled clothes through hot(ish) water and whatever detergent was left in the clothes from the wash tumble.

Bob, do actually see steam in your machine? Some drops of water accumulated on the window, but I saw no steam.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: I used the Steam option on the Frigidaire frequently because the longest wash tumble available (without stepping up to heated water with Allergy option or Sanitize cycle) was 22 minutes. The extra 20 minutes of tumble in the 1st rinse was great for loads that needed the extra time but not boosted water temps. Steam For Stains on the Maytag added about 15 minutes to the wash tumble and, as with the Frigidaire, that's probably what enhances cleaning. The Maytag has enough cycle flexibility (especially the Normal cycle, where selecting Extra Heavy soil gives you about 40 minutes of wash time) that Steam For Stains probably isn't necessary. At least I don't see the point in having a spun-out load tumble in a great quantity of nothing for 15 minutes.

washerdude: I did have the door open for awhile, so that must be what triggered the codes. Fortunately it reset without a problem. Thanks for the info.[this post was last edited: 9/13/2015-18:22]

 

[frigilux]

COLD WASH CYCLE: Picked up a small jug of Tide Coldwater Clean HE Turbo yesterday to test the Maytag's dedicated cold cycle. Light Soil = 1 hr + 30 min; Medium = 1 hr + 34 min; Extra Heavy = 1 hr + 39 min.

Machine sprays concentrated detergent solution on the load, but just enough to wet it. Then it tumbles for 15 minutes. At that point the remainder of the water is added and the cycle continues. Cool! It's this machine's version of the Magic Minute.

Finally: Someone either upthread here or over at the 'Maytag 8100 or Samsung 6300' thread asked if the PowerWash Spray worked when using the single dose liquid dispensing cup. I said I assumed it did, but had assumed and been wrong in the past. Chalk another one up to Column B! Water enters through the regular fill flume when using the single dose cup. The rinses still get the PowerWash Spray treatment.

Well, kids, that just about covers everything. I expected excellent cleaning, but I'm especially impressed with the rinsing. The deep rinse, in hindsight, provides the same water level as did my '96 and '02 FrigiLux washers. That's extravagantly lavish by today's standards. Thanks, everyone, for helping me make the right choice. The Maytags are wonderful.

[this post was last edited: 9/13/2015-19:07]

 

[logixx]

That's what I thought as well: with the door open, the water level increased beyond the Door Can Be Opened point but unable to lock the door, the washer gave an error code.

Bob, the three "attachments" to the gasket should be
- Direct Inject: where water via the drawer enters; has been available on the non-Sport Duets since day one
- PowerSpray: where the water & liquid detergent mix is sprayed onto the clothes from the cartridge
- LED tub light

The thing at 12 o'clock keeps clothes out of the gasket during the spin.

Interestingly, the Duet below does have the cartridge, but lacks the blue nozzle cover the other few Precision Dispense models have.

 

[appnut]

Eugene, I've never seen steam in it with that option, as is stated in the user manual.  but I can hear it hiss quite a bit.  And I know it gets extremely hot in there as I can feel the heat generating from the vent at the upper back left of my machine.  And my first rinse is essentially warm due to the residual heat of the load when on Sanitize temps.  Eugene, I've noticed marked difference in cleaning when using sanitize and steam for stains.  As asked, I wonder if it goes through a steam routine on the actual Sanitize cycle.  Personally, there's not all that much spun out of the clothes before it begins steaming.  I've listened to the water coming out of the drain when it begins that very slow spin. 

 

[logixx]

Unseen water

I might have found something. Looking through the parts manual of the 8100, it seems there is an inlet on the Fan Fresh vent channel that leads to the bottom of the tub, where the heater is. There's also a fill hose (on another page of the parts list) that seems to attach to the vent channel.

Fan Fresh Vent is no. 5

 

[frigilux]

I don't think it steams during the Sanitize cycle. There's a 'Steaming' light on the control panel. It lit up when I selected the option in the Normal cycle; it didn't light up during the Sanitize cycle.

I'm going to wash a load of kitchen/personal whites in about 20 minutes. I'll use the Sanitize cycle and choose the Steam For Stains option and see if it behaves differently.

I'll locate the vent and see if steam is escaping. Didn't hear any hissing, but the dryer and a dehumidifer were running nearby. I should have hit Pause, opened the door and felt the clothes to see if they were hot. I used warm water for the Normal cycle described above.

It probably was getting pretty warm inside; the door glass was really sweating. Once it sprayed cold water on the load at the end of the steaming, the glass wasn't sweating, anymore.

 

[frigilux]

Alex-- Thanks for the parts diagram. After careful inspection, I have determined the following:

#29 is the top of a plastic Coke bottle shoved into the basket of a hot air balloon (#27) turned on its side.

#19 is the upholstery brush that's been missing from my vacuum since 2009.

#28 is the unidentified bone the dog dug up from the back yard.

Gee, this is fun! Who knew becoming a parts expert would be so easy?

 

[frigilux]

Steam: I am beginning to accept the concept that steam may be present even though it is unseen--- you know, like farts or the Holy Ghost.

 

[logixx]

Am boarding a plane to Minnesota right now... Open Prairie, here I come!

✈

 

[logixx]

From YouTube

NA-148XS1 Refresh cycle with steam
00:06 Load water for steam generator
04:22 Start Steam
20:06 Load water and cleaning steam generator

 

[frigilux]

Alex-- I don't know that any washers commonly found in the US have steam generators anymore. LG used to; does Miele? Question: Are Panasonic's major appliances considered rather high end? They seem to be of higher quality than, say, Samsung. Aside: I'm sorry, but The Open Prairie can only be accessed by covered wagon. Horses will be checked at the border for emissions.


Bob-- I happened to pop downstairs in the middle of the steaming period (Sanitize cycle). Glass was steamy and I could hear the sound you referenced. Same sound my Keurig makes when it's heating up.
No heat/steam coming out of the vent on the back of the machine. As Alex mentioned, it may be going out the same port used by the Fresh Hold option. At any rate, there is probably something going on in there after all. I was expecting the sort of steam that wafts up from a pasta pot. At any rate, every stain was vanquished by Sanitize + Steam. And no trace of LCB scent. Love it!

 

[mark_wpduet]

Eugene

Thank you for all of the great info. After buying my Duet in 2005, and the years progressed and me keeping up with different washer models, etc - it seems that EACH year the water levels got worse. Then TL washers were being phased out. I was so scared that by the time it was time for me to need a new FL washer, they would all be horrible water misers. I'm guessing your Maytag uses more water than my Duet from 2005 (LOL) at least in some cycles. I'm sure it uses more than your Frigidaire's

Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to use that auto dispense because I only use powder.

Don't panic just yet about those error codes. I once opened the door on my Duet (this was like 4 years ago) during a cycle and it threw an error. At that moment I thought, "Uh oh, here we go again." - but I haven't seen an error since. They must not like to be interrupted at all.

 

[henene4]

Panasonic

Well, price wise, they are on par with BSH or TOL AEG&#92E-Lux. They have had a pretty sturdy and nice door mechanism, the turn knob was a bit wobbly, the buttons felt really good, the drawer was a bit wonky however.

The NA148VG4 we had was quite an amazing washer. It washed and rinsed really awesome and fast. Spinning took ages because of its huge drum, the tangeling due to the paddle design and the rather soft suspension.

It only lasted 1 1/2 years and Panasonic service was a b*tch to work with. But I guess they are considered a brand along the lines of BSH and AEG, with the typical drawbacks and advantages.

 

[frigilux]

Mark-- Before deciding not to purchase from the Whirlpool/LG/GE/SQ dealer, I'd thought about the TOL Whirlpool with the nifty full-color screen. I'm a sucker for those. Think I used the Frigidaire's Prewash and Stain Treat options once or twice in five years, so they aren't missed. The Sanitize cycle did a perfect job on heavily-stained loads of kitchen whites; far better than using a Prewash + Stain Treat + Whitest Whites.

Used the dryer's Reduce Static option on curtains last night. The drum stops and you can watch a fine mist of water being sprayed into the hot air, turning to steam. Then it tumbles a few times and the process is repeated. It did that four or five times.

My expectations for the Steam setting on the washer were obviously incorrect. I was looking for a thick 'fog' of steam. The first time I used it (Normal cycle; warm water) on a load of short-sleeve shirts and summer shorts, I should have known something was going on in there because the inside of the door glass started to sweat and beads of moisture were sliding down it. Even the Panasonic (with steam generator) in Alex's video doesn't create a thick fog of steam.

It does use more water to rinse than the Frigidaire. Apparently companies have heeded user complaints about that. I like the automatic detergent dosing; it's probably a little stingier than I would be, but everything is coming out completely cleaned.

I'm not concerned about the E03/F08 error codes; the door must have been open too long. Several cycles have been run since then and everything's fine. I was more concerned about how to reset the machine, but that took care of itself.
[this post was last edited: 9/14/2015-06:24]

 

[logixx]

The Open Prairie can only be accessed by covered wagon

I know - I've seen all episodes of Little House On The Prairie.