Maytag A806 very hard on clothing

[brucelucenta]

Actually, if a washer has NEVER had anything but REGULAR soap and bleach designed for washing machines put in it and nothing else, the porcelain tub should still shine like a mirror. I have seen tubs that people have used their own concoctions of vinegar, baking soda, ect...and the tubs have completely lost the shine and some have actually had the porcelain eaten away down to the bare metal. The tubs were like sand paper inside and would ruin clothes.

 

[bajaespuma]

Now that I've read this thread and reflected on it, to the best of my recollection, I never saw any clothing damage when we had GE machines; the edges of the Activators in our machines were very rounded and there weren't any extra "ears", fins or other protrusions to catch clothes. Also, the Bakelite was very hard and wore down very slowly. Another possible factor is that, if you've ever watched an early FF with the spiral activator do its thing, the first, hard stroke is a very short back stroke that pulls the load downward. The majority of the force is from the "body" of the activator; not so much from the three fins on the bottom.

 

When I first owned a Maytag, it was an orbital model with the newer version white poly agitator with lots of ridges, four little auxiliary "ears" attached to the post and sharp corners on the bottoms of the "Power Fins". After a little while I noticed holes in sheets and shirts that seemed to increase in number over a long period of time. I changed the agitator to the earlier blue Power Fin version without any ridges or protrusion which improved turnover and seemed to decrease the incidence of damage, but I noticed that the soft polypropylene nicked very easily and left sharp small tears and edges that could catch fabric. One of the things I love about the LG front loader is how gentle it is on almost every material that goes into it. Doesn't generate a lot of lint either; I imagine that was one of the general flaws of any machine with an agitator that oscillated back and forth.

 

[hippiedoll]

thank you.....

Beekeyknee/brian:
For the advice about the vinegar.
And yes, I am very greatful for Roger; for being so kind & for living close by & for always being willing to come over & share in my enthusiasm & help me.
And I am also very greatful for all of you members here & this OUTTA SIGHT group!

Tomturbomatic:
For chiming in to let me know not to soak but to just wipe with vinegar & rinse immediately. I will be sure to do that.

brucelucenta:
For chiming in to give your insight about other washer tubs that you have seen where others have used their own concoctions other than laundry detergent & regular clothes bleach.
I'm afraid I'm guilty of washing a couple of my own concocted vinegar, baking soda, bleach, and laundry detergent loads in some of my past maytag washers.
/
But NOW, I no better!!

Thank you guys for sharing your insights & experiences.

)

 

[beekeyknee]

Well, you guys. I've never known vinegar to harm porcelain...but if you say so. What about Lemishine? Or is that too strong? I would have told her to wash clothes in softer water to see if the dullness disappears, but most people don't have a way to change the softness of their water. She could buy a water softener but those are pretty expensive. I think they're worth it but some people don't want to spend the money. She could buy a 50lb bag of STPP and wash in that for a year and see what happens. Looks like it's around $100.00 now. Personally, I'd go for the water softener. Salt is a lot cheaper than STPP. I would imagine the water's probably pretty hard in Tucson.

And by the way, porcelain tubs will loose their shine over time from rubbing, especially from metal zippers not being zipped and metal buttons, among other things.

Oh, I forgot. Remember all the posts about old Maytag washers with the bakelite agitators rubbing off the porcelain around the bottom of the tubs from the vigorous action from the fins that didn't flex on those old agitators. It was just wear and tear over the years.[this post was last edited: 3/30/2015-03:29]

 

[behzad]

This is just my idea,

First I'm so sorry to hear such a bad news, but it totally depends on so many factors.
you can check the whole basket and agitator carefully, just gently rub a piece of towel or woolen cloth and check it for something like chipped or cracked edges of agitators's vanes or alike, do the same for the basket, if the washer has cloth guard-ring on the top of the basket check it too, double check every thing like Miele experts!
just one more, take more care to which garments you'r washing with your shirts. it seems to be such an odd and unusual thing, but I think the hard metal object such as jean's zipper or piece of metal which attached to garments could be the source of trouble!

run it again and again to find the problem.
BJ

 

[tomturbomatic]

vinegar and porcelain

An acid on glass will definitely have the potential to injure it. I remember the use and care manual for GE ranges used to warn users to line the broiler pan with foil before marinating or cooking anything with an acidic marinade or sauce.

 

[beekeyknee]

All of those poor canning jars my Mother used to can pickles and tomatoes in are all but recognizable now. But maybe that's a different kind of glass. I don't know.

 

[kb0nes]

Hmm not sure about the concern with acids and glass. Seems to me that with the exception of Hydroflouric acid, glass is pretty impervious. The concentrated Acetic and Hydroflouric acids I have purchased came in glass bottles. I never had any of my glass labware get etched either and that is at elevated temperatures too. Yes it was Borosilicate glass but I don't believe the addition of the boric oxide greatly alters the chemical resistance of soda lime glass. Of course porcelain may not be pure glass so perhaps there is some damage caused by long term exposure. Still low concentrations of vinegar for relatively short duration seems unlikely to cause damage.

I do know that Hydroflouric will harm porcelain in a HURRY. I learned this the hard way when I spilled a little rust remover on our old Whirlpool range top. In the second before I wiped it up I destroyed the gloss...

 

[floyde]

Using vinegar in the rinse cycle

Sometimes I use vinegar in the rinse cycle on whites. Will that harm the tub? What about Arm and Hammer Washing Powder?

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

I've been using an A107 for over 2 years now. Never an issue. Even lace curtains and table cloths have come out fine. LOVE my Maytag!

 

[beekeyknee]

You all keep talking about hydrofloric acid which are considered relatively weak acids. Hydrochloric acids, on the othe hand, are a different story (also known as muriatic acid). They are very strong and should be used in a ventilated area. They are good for cleaning mineral deposits and uric acid build-up off of old vitreous china toilet bowels and tanks and make them run like new again.

I only put the bowel and tank minus the metal parts on a piece of plywood for cleaning. The acid will eat through gravel, concrete and will kill grass. Use a toilet swab and gloves, hold your breath while applying and run away tell the fumes die down, then go back for more applications. After the parts have been cleaned, especially inside the rim and the trap, you can spray everything down with water. Anyone who's restored an old toilet already knows this.

I'd never use this type of acid on porcelain, a sink or tub. It will ruin it.

 

[tolivac]

Don't underestimate Hydrofluric acid!In concentrated form it is VERY dangerous.It can cause spontanoius reactions with any organic material-causing it to catch fire or explode!If you get burned by this stuff-it can burn flesh down to the bone in a hurry!Handle Hydrofluric acid CAREFULLY!!!!!The fumes are very dangerous,too-it can burn your lungs and sinuses in a hurry as well.BAD STUFF!!!!Remember it in chemstry class-of course in chemestry class these days bet students will have NO encounters with the main three acids and Hydrofluric acid.Main use was for etching glass-used to be used to etch the inside of light bulbs.

 

[kb0nes]

My apologies for continuing the off topic discussion.

Hydrochloric acid won't etch glass. It does indeed react vigorously with the calcium in concrete which is why it is a common etchant for concrete. Hydrochloric acid (and Hydrogen Chloride) are common ingredients in toilet bowl cleaners, The ZEP bowl cleaner lists concentration as 5-10% on the MSDS, so I think its safe on porcelain.

Rex is right about Hydrofluoric acid, it is wicked stuff. It is more poisonous and reacts with skin more aggressively when other acids. It is a bit odd because it doesn't attack steel and other metals as aggressively as other acids. It does attack oxides and silicates, which is why it dissolves glass.

Back somewhat on topic, I seriously doubt that pouring a cup of vinegar into a top load washer tub could ever cause harm to the porcelain, unless it was left there a long while. Belt buckles, zippers and clothing rivets are a different story!

 

[tolivac]

I am with KB0nes-Acetic acid is quite weak-I can't beleive it could attack porclean washer drums-unless it was left for a VERY long time-and it would have to be the concentrated Glacial stuff at that.The big three acids--Hydrochloric,Sulphuric,and nitric are rough on metals-but not glass and similar materials.But Hydrofluric is a different matter.In the class the stuff was handled in the fume hood!And we couldn't put it in the drains in the school-the chemlab drain pipes were GLASS!!!Had to be put in a poly bottle for special waste handling--this was high school???Oh yes-mix hydrochloric acid and nitric-you get Aqua-Regia-this stuff dissolves gold and platinum!With gold makes a pretty golden solution-used for gold plating and purifying gold.Guess,back to Maytags-the chem part was interesting!

 

[tomturbomatic]

I remember in chemistry class the teacher coated the bottom of a glass dish with wax and then wrote our school initials in it with a stylus. She put this over a container with hydrofluoric acid and left it overnight. The next morning, we had the initials etched into the glass.

Porcelains can be formulated in different ways. Some are more acid resistant that others. John has shown me washer tubs rusted out from soaking diapers overnight and that's just uric acid diluted in water. Don't let me stop anyone from using acid on porcelain. I was only trying to save the washer tub. I have seen machines junked with the little tell-tale orange crescents in the bottom of the tub holes that would leave rust spots on clothing. Often they resulted from people adding vinegar to the rinse and then not rinsing again.

 

[wayupnorth]

The well water at my house is extremely hard with lots of iron. Since moving in 20 years ago, I have put a little Iron Out with the fabric softner in the dispenser of my Maytag and never had a problem with any tub issues. I need to run some Iron Out thru my dishwasher again as I can see rust stains starting to form. Some idiot cleaning company used muratic acid on the showroom floor of the local Ford dealership that caused thousands in damages and the smell lingered for months.

 

[macboy91si]

Wearing down...

I've also noticed that the Maytag tubs seemed to be very susceptible to friction wear. I've picked up several that were very dull nearer the bottom of the tub, which to me would indicate more along the lines of abrasion than anything. Either way I can't imagine a dull porcelain inner-basket with water in it damaging clothes. I'm using an early 80's Kenmore BD portable with a 1.5cf tub. I overload it but no damage to anything in over 3 months of use, and that thing has a small diameter and tall FIXED agitator fins.

 

But then again, as a family, we've also never had a WP/KM DD (aka. ShredMore) do any damage to anything that wasn't already on it's way out. Depending on the clothes you buy, some just don't hold up regardless of the washer you use. I've had newer (less than a year old) pants that just sort of dry-rot/tear after a while, but the weakness was with the fabrics breakdown not the washer. My roommate had this happen with some of his vegan clothing at our old house where there were 4 washers hooked up.

 

We may never know...

 

Tim