Miele W1/T1 stack finally built!

[iej]

It took a while, but I finally assembled my Miele W1 and T1 stack and it's up and running!

WKH120 8KG 1600RPM Twin-Dos washing machine.
TKG840WP - Heatpump Dryer

The kit was actually pretty easy to assemble and a lot more solid than it looked when it was put together and the machines are extremely impressive. So far I can't fault them.

The dryer is permanently plumbed out, sharing the washing machine's stand pipe.

Washer:

The machine seems to use very copious amounts of recirculation and quite decent water levels on wash and rinse. The programme times are also excellent. I can get a full Cottons cycle with deep rinses done in 59 minutes.

Programme options seem very good and it's highly customisable via menus and options.

The machine's also extremely quiet. You'd hardly know it was on, even the full 1600 spin is barely audible.

Stability:

It's also super stable and seems capable of balancing a load without endlessly faffing about.
It just flips them into balance and goes and I suspect the sheer weight of the machine also helps. It comes in at a whopping 100KG (220lbs) and the dryer is 62KG (137 lbs) meaning the full stack is 162kg or 357lbs !! It's certainly not going to go walk about and it's installed on a tiled concrete floor,.

The dosing system gives you the option of either using Miele's pre-filled cartridges which are basically their own TOL detergent in slot one and peroxide bleach in slot 2. It adds the bleach as needed

The Ultraphase 1 detergent contains a lot of enzymes : Protease, Amylase, Lipase, Cellulase, Mannanase and Pektinase.

Alternatively, you can use your own choice of liquid detergent and softener with the refillable cartridges that also come with the machine.

Or, just use the normal drawer dispenser with whatever detergent you like.

The machine came with a 12 month supply of Miele Ultraphase Twin-Dos detergents, so I should have plenty to keep me going.

When you're starting the wash you press "DOS" and the machine gives you options for soil level and colour/whites and doses / adds prewash accordingly.

So far I've only tried a couple of cotton washes and a wool wash and the results have been really good.

==

The dryer is surprisingly fast. I was expecting the heat pump to take a lot longer than a Miele vented dryer, based on my experience of a Bosch heat pump dryer from a few years ago. However, the Miele T1 seem a lot more capable and really dried clothes very gently in in reasonable time.

Fragrance Flacons : As an alternative to dryer sheets, Miele has a liquid fragrance dispenser. It's a nice idea, if you like strong fragrances. The machine came with one flacon of Aqua scent and while it smells nice, I found it a bit clawing and way too strong. I don't think I'll be using that feature unless I can find a less pungent aroma.

The build quality is really very good too. Everything is extremely solid and robust even down to little details like the access bay doors for the filters and dosing system are built with clips that are more like something you'd get in the automotive industry.

Overall, it's a really nice setup![this post was last edited: 3/7/2017-12:26]

 

[paulc]

Congratulations

On your new set. I bought the WKB120 in January and love it. I didn't want the dosing system although I can see the benefits for some people.

I did have a W1613 which lasted for seven years. After that I had a Zanussi Lindo ( ridiculously long wash times, quite noisy) and then at 12kg Beko. The Beko was good but it wasn't a Miele. After visiting a friend who had the almost TOL 9kg W1 I decided to buy my W1. I went for the WKB120 for its simplicity, it has all the cycles I need, I use them all. Other models have lots of cycles I wouldn't use. I would've quite liked a powerwash 2.0 cycle but it wasn't a deal breaker, I also got a ten year parts and labour warranty.

Your set look super together, I hope you'll be as happy with them as I am with my machine.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Nice machines, in both scenarios.

Am I correct in saying that the Twin-Dos system can be set up to accept the following?

Ariel liquid + Ace oxygen bleach
or
Persil liquid + Vanish oxygen bleach
or
Surf liquid + Comfort fabric conditioner
or
Daz liquid + Lenor fabric conditioner.

 

[iej]

I think so.

Or liquid & softener.

It's actually very flexible. You can programme doses in ml.

I would assume the big advantage of the Miele Ultraphase liquids is that they are designed to be pumped. I would worry some of the others might cake up.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Thanks. The Miele system does seem to very flexible, and Miele are to be commended for allowing general detergents to be used.

When I was researching machines on tinternet, I came across all sorts of horror stories, including the top-end Samsung with liquid dispenser. Apparently, that one was not compatible with modern thicker liquids. Customers complained that the system clogged.

How effective is the Miele Powerwash jet? I wanted a machine with a pumped jet system, having been quite happy with the Zanussi IZ model sometime previously, and the only ones I could find were: Miele, AEG, Panasonic and the new Ebac.

Miele, sadly, was far too expensive for me, as was the AEG top-end model. The Ebac ranges are only available in shops in the North of England.

So, I plumped for a Panasonic - the fourth machine I've owned that spins at 1600 rpm. This new machine also has an optical sensor to measure the turbidity of the wash and rinse water, much like certain Bosch dishwashers. The old Panasonic calculated the maximum wash time, and counted down. This new one, calculates maximum time, starts counting down, then adds more time!

Spinning is a very finicky business in the new machine - there's a lot to be said for the tilted drum approach.

 

[iej]

Yeah, to be fair they don't seem to be trying to absolutely lock you into the UltraPhase system, but it is pretty convenient and I guess I'll use it certainly until I run out of freebees.

Their detergent seems to be extremely concentrated, but it's a very free flowing liquid that was obviously formulated for dosing pumps. It's more like the consistency of a hand dishwashing (washing-up) liquid only a bit runnier. It seems to be completely free of any kind of gelling / thicken agents, which are definitely present in the major brands.

Some of the more recent detergents in Europe are very gel-like and gloopy as they're often designed to cling to clothes as pre-treatment products, so I'd say if I were using alternative detergents, I'd probably need to choose fairly carefully.

They actually have a dispenser cleaning cycle in the menu which washes out the TwinDos system. I haven't tried it as it says it's not necessary if you'r using the original Miele Ultraphase detergents, but they recommend that it's done occasionally with 3rd party detergents, if you change detergent (to avoid two formulations reacting) or if the machine hasn't use the system in more than 3 months.

The instructions are displayed on the machine itself, the manual doesn't seem to go into much detail other than show you how to activate the programme and then tells you to follow the instructions.

It seems to be pretty well designed though as a dosing system.

I just find it very handy for my setup as the machines are pretty much in a laundry closet and I didn't want to have to deal with detergent splashes and spills, which inevitably happen when you've a few family members involved.

I also like the fact that the products aren't being overdosed, as was happening here a lot. I have a few family members with very heavy hands when it comes to just sloshing in a good dollop of Persil or Ariel and not measuring anything. So, from an economic and environmental point of view it does make some sense.

I could see myself not really using the Fragrance Flacons though. However, it's just a matter of personal taste. I don't like over-fragranced laundry.

The Miele detergents are fairly mild smelling which suits me fine.

I find a lot of main stream detergents here way too scented in general.

I am really not too bothered with the 'cap dosing' system though. It seems over-kil and a bit gimmicky and a waste of plastic. [this post was last edited: 3/8/2017-09:30]

 

[rolls_rapide]

I know what you mean about thicker liquid detergent formulations. I have found that Ariel, and to a slightly lesser extent Persil, tend to cling to the dispenser drawer. They do not readily flush into the tub.

Some of the own brands are a bit better in that respect, Lidl's Formil and Aldi's Almat, and they do have a respectable amount of enzymes, although some of the perfumes are off-putting. I really do miss the fragrance of 1986 Ariel Liquid. It had a fresh, fruity smell.

 

[iej]

I would definitely suspect it's all about dual-purpose formulations that are intended to be used as pre-treat agents as well as in the wash.

They all encourage you to pour a blob on heavy stains, scrunch it in and then start the wash.

If you'd a really thin liquid, like the Miele UltraPhase, it would just end up all over your hands and the floor as it would just pass straight through the fabric.

The only thing that concerns me about those gloopy liquids is that if you ever got an eye splash they would be VERY hard to wash out!

 

[rolls_rapide]

Eye splash

I agree.