Kenmore Triple Action agitator or Dual Action?

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" Amana is Kenmore....or actually Whirlpool.....this is not your normal DirectDrive machine....this is a reversing motor to agitate machine....can give variable strokes for each load based on the amount of force against the motor....a small load would not get vigorous wash action that a full load would.....there are pros and cons.... "

Re. reversing motor machine
Are you refering to the modded MayTag I linked to?

Can you give me the name of the YT videos you linked to or the name of the uploader?
My firewall blocks the video.

Thanks

PS
Isn't the SpeedQueen machine similar to Amana of the 90s?
 
Hey the dual-action video is actually mine! 
smiley-laughing.gif
 I may or may not be wearing the red 2(x)ist's at this moment.

 

pumice - I'll try to answer some of your questions with what knowledge I have on the subjects. In response to your question about Amana and Kenmore: Whirlpool over the years has acquired many brand names. KitchenAid, Maytag, Amana, Estate, Roper, Magic Chef, Jenn-Aire; these are all appliances that are Whirlpool machines down to the core, and simply have a different label on the front, with subtle differences in cosmetics and features. They do not own Sears Kenmore, but are contracted by them to make some of their appliances. The majority of dishwashers and laundry machines are WP built, while recently there are a number of washers and dryers that are built by LG.

 

Regarding the Whirlpool/Kenmore/Amana top-load washers, they are all mechanically identical, and differ only by their aesthetics and a few features. The Amana-branded models are BOL in that they feature the smaller straight-vane agitator and black speckled basket, and have few, if any, adjustable options, such as whether you can use a deep rinse or if the machine will only spray rinse. The WP and KM machines are more similar, and are the high-end of this platform, with the white porcelain basket and full sized dual action agitator, and also give you more water level and temp options, as well as more cycles, and the ability to choose a traditional deep rinse. 

 

The washer shown in the second video that yogi posted is my WP, a WTW4800 (XQ2 I think? It's too cold to get up and look right now lol), and the video before that is agitatorjamie's, which I believe if not mistaken is the same exact model, but he replaced the dual-action with the straight vane. Myself, I love the dual.

 

While these washers look very similar at first glance to the previous generation DirectDrives, their drive systems are very different. There is no transmission, but rather a more simple gear box that mainly converts the torque from the drive pulley to power the agitator, and what drives that is a belt-connected motor that actually reverses back and forth to cause oscillation, which is why you hear the whrrrrm-whrrrm-whrrrm-whrrrm sound in the videos. From close observation, it seems that the motor tries to keep the agitation arc at around 180-200 degrees no matter the size of the load, and like yogi said, with lighter loads the motor doesn't need to provide as much torque as would be needed for a heavy load. When time to spin, an actuator switches the "splutch" to lock the tub and agitator gears together, and the motor simply spins them on their way.

 

Your choice between the Kenmore and Whirlpool models would not be bad either way, as like I said, they're identical. If the triple-action feature is appealing to you, that would be the choice I'd make. In my opinion it seems more of a gimmick, and the KM auger is smaller than WP's, as well as the spiral vanes on the WP being more broad. My specific advice, however: MAKE SURE that the machine you choose has a specific water level selector on the panel, as well as options for the rinses, which will either be labeled as things such as "One rinse w/ fabric softener" or "Deep Rinse", or like mine, "Fabric Softener On". The machines with "auto sensing" and no level selector are anything but effective, and most users complain of torn or stretched clothing because all too often the machines will use water that doesn't even cover the lower agitator vanes for a heavy load. Regarding the rinses, you'll want the model that gives you the above options and to always use the fab. softener option, even if you don't use softener at all, to get a traditional rinse that fills to the level selected.
 
Thanks for explaining Murando531

So can I get a true HOT wash from either the Whirlpool or Kenmore?
I am planning on connecting the hot water mains hose to the COLD water inlet in the machine and running a COLD wash. Reason is so I can get a HOT rinse also.

I could just connect the cold water mains hose to the HOT water inlet of machine if it needs water coming in from both inlets to function.

I am confused a bit by the earlier replies on whether or not there is a thermostatic cutoff that will prevent a true HOT wash and a HOT Rinse.
 
I have another question.

Anyone familiar with the G.E. dual action Agitator washers? Like the one below?
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=GTWN4250DWS

Any idea on whether they provide true HOT wash?
Hows the turnover?
Quality of the GE vs. Kenmore/Whirpool

The GE is 3.9 cubic feet capacity and the Kenmore is 3.6 cubic feet. The extra capacity is attractive, because I presume the greater diameter of the drum allows for greater movement of the clothes?
 
well if you read the instructions, it says that it has PreciseTemp, which more or less means the temps are dubbed down....it may start out with HOT, and then swtich to WARM for the rest of the fill.....everyone has a gimmick...

one dual action is no better than any other....they all have a spiral that help push the clothes down....

and 3.0, 3.5, 3.9.....its not a big deal on tub size.....theres not a huge difference outside of one may handle an extra pair of socks more than the other...and you can't compare a TL capacity tub to a FL.....
 
there are only 2 ways to get a warm rinse

hello there is only 2 ways you can get a true warm rinse and its with the following

a) by using or buying a vintage waher 1950 to until they went with the lid lock models or

b) by using a old direct drive washer where you set the dial after the first spin to the main wash cycle to have it fill with warm water then you set the wash dial back to rinse for the rinse portion

pierreandreply4-2015030913161906824_1.jpg

pierreandreply4-2015030913161906824_2.jpg
 
I just got back from an Appliance store that had Whirlpool , GE, SpeedQueen Agitator washers.

The Whirtlpool (Model # WTW4800BQ) is dual action and looks attractive but for 1 problem: it has knobs but they are not mechanical knobs. The knobs don't rotate as the machine progresses along its wash cycle. Knob stays put and a light on the eletronic panel tells you what cycle the machine is in.

I like to have the option of putting the washer on HEAVY then as the knob rotates close to the Rinse part of the cycle, I like to turn the knob back to the start of the HEAVY cycle to get extra Heavy wash time without having to start the cycle all over again with a new fill of the rub.

With the Whirlpool I an start the machine on HEAVY wash but I would need to know beforehand when the cycle is about to end because the knob does not move. So assuming the HEAVY cycle has reached near its cycle end, I could hit the Pause button but how would I get the machine to retart the HEAVY wash cycle without finishing the whole cycle? If I STOP the cycle, it might RINSE the tub?

 
There are no top loading washers made by Whirlpool or any of its brands that still have a mechanical timer. They're all electronically controlled. The only GE model that still uses a mechanical dial would be the most BOL in their lineup, as well as the equivalent Hotpoint.

The belt-driven Whirlpools do have longer wash times than their DirectDrive predecessors. Last I timed them, the Heavy cycle was 22 minutes of agitation, and Normal/Regular was around 18 minutes. Typical machines before that would have 12-15 minutes of agitation. One thing that helped mine handle really dirty clothes was to pause the machine in the middle of the wash to let it soak; just so long as you don't open the lid after pressing pause, the washer will sit there for eternity waiting for the start button to be pressed. If you open the lid at any point while it's paused, it will automatically drain after 5 minutes as a safety feature, and you'll have to start the cycle over.

As far as getting hot washes, these models don't throw error codes if a water inlet is turned off, so I would simply kill the cold tap to get a true hot fill. In regards to hot rinsing, I'm not sure why you'd ever want to rinse in hot, as detergents are designed to rinse better in cool water, but if it is a feature you want to "add", that would involve setup of Y-valves. I don't think the machine will care if the water coming in is hot.
 
Murando351
Thanks for the info, you certainly answered some of my questions.

pierreandreply4
I can't get a used machine because I am very OCDish so it would feel icky to me.

Some more questions:

Does the Tub on the new Whirlpool/KenMore rotate clockwise/counter-clockwise during the wash cycle, like below machine does?



Can I retrofit a Mechanical Timer for the new Whirlpools/Kenmore?
Kenmore Model # 23102
http://www.sears.com/kenmore-3.6-cu-ft-top-load-washer-w/p-02623102000P

I talked to a Sales rep at a large Appliance store here and she said that if I turn off the machine while it is going through a Wash cycle or before it completes the whole cycle the machine will auto empty the Tub. Anyone here with an eletronic control Whirlpool/Kenmore , can you confirm this?
 
all I know is when it comes to the Cabrios.....if you hit the pause button, it just sits there, waiting to be restarted.....and when you do, it just picks up where it leaves off.....

same goes if you unplug it, no matter how long, once you plug it back in, it will continue from where it left off.....

but also, if you hit the OFF pad, and then try to restart a new cycle, you will throw it out of whack.....it will drain and spin, and then you have to let it sit for about 30 minutes before you can go again.....

in this one, you can't change settings mid cycle.....once you load and set it, you have to let it complete its task....there are some disadvantages to a electronic machine.....

but nothing says you can't adapt to one of these....selecting the 'heavy' cycle and soil level, plus add in a soak and extra rinse.....basically the machine will do everything that you would set out to do manually.....
 

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