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Miele W1918
- Thread starter launderess
- Start date
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I love the 1600rpm spin, but I wish there was a way to modernize the cottons cycle and get some effective spinning between the wash and rinses. I wonder if Miele could do one of those computer updates? I programmed the extra rinse and higher water level on the cottons rapid wash program, but I am really glad that I went ahead and bought the W1986 which spins at 1000rpm after wash and the first two rinses, then 1200rpm after the last rinse on cottons. I use the cottons program with adjustments to wash temperature and final spin speed for almost everything I launder. I use the W1986 far more than the 1918, but usually give heavy stuff like towels a final spin in the 1918 for really fast drying.
This one is a bit different than mine, in that I can see that the "gray line" indicator for which cycles can use the Rapid Wash option goes all the way up to the highest Cotton temp. On mine, it only goes to the 140 setting. I bet that means that the highest temp on this machine is 190, whereas on mine is it 170 (or so the dial says. I secret think that mine does go up to 190 but whoever did the temp translation got the numbers wrong).
Tom (or anyone else who might know), what are the spin speeds between rinses? Mine spins after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and I guess that it gets up to 800 rpm's. I hate the little "tease" spin after the wash, but it is better than nothing.
Tom (or anyone else who might know), what are the spin speeds between rinses? Mine spins after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and I guess that it gets up to 800 rpm's. I hate the little "tease" spin after the wash, but it is better than nothing.
Peter, mine does that tease spin twice after the wash on cottons quick wash if there are no suds. There is no spin after the extra rinse which is placed in between the first and final rinse on the quick wash cottons cycle. It spends lots of time just sitting around with the pump running. I don't know how fast the little bursts of spin are, but the clothes are soggy after one of them if you check.
Mine can be set for a 190F quick wash.
Mine can be set for a 190F quick wash.
Peter,
I think your Miele spins at 900rpm between rinses.
Luigi
I think your Miele spins at 900rpm between rinses.
Luigi
Thanks for the info...
I have found that I can use the Rapid Wash button on all cycles, even tho' it is not indicated in gray on the cycle selector. For Cotton temps up to 120, the Rapid Wash is 32 mins. For 140, it is 37 minutes. I don't remember the times on the hotter cycles as I really don't use them.
I have thought about adding a rinse to the Rapid Wash selection, but then, in my own little warped mind, it is no longer Rapid and basically overkill for me for the types of loads for which I use that selection (small to tiny loads).
Is the purpose of the tease spin to get rid of suds? There are 5 of them after the Cotton wash, each getting progressively faster. I believe it also does tease spinning after the 1st rinse before it goes into the 900 rpm spin. Does it do this because it knows it couldn't possibly spin a load right after the wash and 1st rinse without suds locking?
I have found that I can use the Rapid Wash button on all cycles, even tho' it is not indicated in gray on the cycle selector. For Cotton temps up to 120, the Rapid Wash is 32 mins. For 140, it is 37 minutes. I don't remember the times on the hotter cycles as I really don't use them.
I have thought about adding a rinse to the Rapid Wash selection, but then, in my own little warped mind, it is no longer Rapid and basically overkill for me for the types of loads for which I use that selection (small to tiny loads).
Is the purpose of the tease spin to get rid of suds? There are 5 of them after the Cotton wash, each getting progressively faster. I believe it also does tease spinning after the 1st rinse before it goes into the 900 rpm spin. Does it do this because it knows it couldn't possibly spin a load right after the wash and 1st rinse without suds locking?
Well, the 1986 manages to do a full spin right after wash and it goes up to 1000rpm. The 1918 is nowhere near 900 at least on the short wash, just the brief bursts of speed.
My unit is a W770 which came before the W1918, basically the mechanical controls replaced by computer; and on the cottons cycle there are no spins between first two rinses. Then, one short spin after second rinse, full short spin after third rinse, graduated spin (series of short 30sec spins) after fourth rinse, then final spin.
On PP cycle there are three rinses, with no spins between, and only a final series of graduated spins. Delicates and Woolens have shorten graduated spins (2 and 1 bursts repectively).
Think early Miele units were designed to avoid suds locking at all costs, hence no spins between early rinses on cottons. PP was designed for no wrinkling, thus again no spins at all between any of the rinses. It should be noted the W770 uses quite allot of water (which we LOVE) for rinsing. Large loads of heavy items like thick towels become so heavy with water on the cotton cycle after three deep rinses with limited spinning, one worries about the tub scraping bottom of floor.
Rinsing is a process of dilution, and these older units seemed to do just that. Dilute much of the soap/detergent out of the load. On the up side, unit has never suds locked in the time I've had it. With heavy loads of towels and or too much sudsing the spin will slow down due to high foaming at the third spin, but by the time the final series of spins start, everything is fine.
Without a computer brain, my unit deals with unbalaced loads by simply "breaking apart" large loads with the series of graudated spins before the final high speed spin. To date not one load has been unbalanced by the final spin, even when interim spins produced the odd "knock".
While the 1918 and above series of machines are great, do love my mechanical timer unit because can create "custom" cycles, rather than rely on pre-set ones. Yesterday did a load of wool blankets using the "Woolens" cycle, which will stop at the final rinse and wait unless "Short Spin" is chosen. Let the cycle stop as indicated, then turned the machine off, set cycle program dial to "Cottons" and turned the machine back on. This allowed for final high speed spin instead of the short 30 second 900rpm spin of the "Woolens" cycle. Contrary to popular belief, woolens can and should be spun at fast rpms. It does not harm the fibers, and items emerge almost dry from the washer. My sweaters only require one hour or less of flat drying using this method, versus the hours it takes when they are almost dripping wet from most machine "Woolens" cycles. The wool blankets, which were very thick and heavy were put across lines to dry, and were done within a few hours.
Sudsman
Am rooting for you! Is this unit going to the "shop" or for home use? How are you going to get it down to Texas? You'll need the shipping braces, but if the seller does not have them, call Miele, they sell the kit.
L.
On PP cycle there are three rinses, with no spins between, and only a final series of graduated spins. Delicates and Woolens have shorten graduated spins (2 and 1 bursts repectively).
Think early Miele units were designed to avoid suds locking at all costs, hence no spins between early rinses on cottons. PP was designed for no wrinkling, thus again no spins at all between any of the rinses. It should be noted the W770 uses quite allot of water (which we LOVE) for rinsing. Large loads of heavy items like thick towels become so heavy with water on the cotton cycle after three deep rinses with limited spinning, one worries about the tub scraping bottom of floor.
Rinsing is a process of dilution, and these older units seemed to do just that. Dilute much of the soap/detergent out of the load. On the up side, unit has never suds locked in the time I've had it. With heavy loads of towels and or too much sudsing the spin will slow down due to high foaming at the third spin, but by the time the final series of spins start, everything is fine.
Without a computer brain, my unit deals with unbalaced loads by simply "breaking apart" large loads with the series of graudated spins before the final high speed spin. To date not one load has been unbalanced by the final spin, even when interim spins produced the odd "knock".
While the 1918 and above series of machines are great, do love my mechanical timer unit because can create "custom" cycles, rather than rely on pre-set ones. Yesterday did a load of wool blankets using the "Woolens" cycle, which will stop at the final rinse and wait unless "Short Spin" is chosen. Let the cycle stop as indicated, then turned the machine off, set cycle program dial to "Cottons" and turned the machine back on. This allowed for final high speed spin instead of the short 30 second 900rpm spin of the "Woolens" cycle. Contrary to popular belief, woolens can and should be spun at fast rpms. It does not harm the fibers, and items emerge almost dry from the washer. My sweaters only require one hour or less of flat drying using this method, versus the hours it takes when they are almost dripping wet from most machine "Woolens" cycles. The wool blankets, which were very thick and heavy were put across lines to dry, and were done within a few hours.
Sudsman
Am rooting for you! Is this unit going to the "shop" or for home use? How are you going to get it down to Texas? You'll need the shipping braces, but if the seller does not have them, call Miele, they sell the kit.
L.
askomiele
Well-known member
I don't know but I thought that the doors where wider on the mieles than normal before they started to introduce the 30cm wide doors. Am I correct? Srry but I don't know how much that is in inch.
My 2004 Miele does 1000rpm spins after the wash and every rinse. However instead of "bursting" before the wash spin, it will sit there alternating the pump on and off for 2 or 3 minutes. This I believe is to allow the load and suds to settle and I have to say it exceeds quite well as I don't get a sudslock on the wash spin at all, unless I've used P&G tablets which seems to sudslock every machine imaginable. The AEG in contrast, will distribute for the spin as soon as all the water has drained and it will spin up but cause a sudslock - and spend about 5 or 10 minutes in sudslock routine trying to handle with the suds. So whilst the AEG does shift into spin quicker, the 3 minutes of no drum action and the drain alternating on and off on the Miele seems to be a good preventative to suds lock and doesn't waste as much time despite not spinning straight away. The suds locking on the AEG is also another reason why I use Sensitive apart from for the high rinses - Sensitive on the AEG doesn't spin the laundry until after rinse 2 so eliminates suds locking problems.
Mum's seems to be slightly different to mine... hers doesn't do the "settling" period before the wash spin and with larger loads almost always whips up suds when the spin ramps up, so always has to stop and restart again if you wash a 5 or 6kg load. But neither mum's or my own Miele do bursts before the cottons spins - they just go straight into a 4 minute 1000rpm spin after the mainwash or a 1.5 or 2 minute spin (I can't remember off by heart) between the rinses. However despite mum's Miele slowing down if it get's suds locked, as soon as the drum stops it always distributes straight away and is spinning again within literally 10 seconds, instead of going into a tumbling routine for about a minute or two between spins like my AEG does.
The Minimum Iron cycles and quick wash cycles on mine and mum's Miele's do quite good interim spins - good enough to extract a lot of suds and rinse water but not too intensive as to force creasing. Using my AEG again for comparison, it doesn't spin at all between rinses, and the Zanussi mum had briefly only spun before the final rinse on Synthetics, and on the AEG especially you often see a lot of suds even in the 4th Easy Iron or Delicates rinse. However the Miele will do 2 bursts after every drain - firstly a short (1 second) slow one, then a longer (5 second) faster one. The first burst always chucks a lot of water (and suds after the wash) down the window but the second burst gets the rest out and there aren't any suds being thrown down the window at all. This seems more effective to me than just draining between the rinses - the Bosch we used to have would also do slow 400rpm spins between rinses, and both the Miele and Bosch rinsed well without compromise in terms of creasing on Easy Care/Minimum Iron rinses - you didn't see suds in the last rinse in either the Bosch or Miele synthetic cycles (though the cottons cycles on the Bosch was a different story!).
In terms of the woollens spin, I agree with Launderess. Many older British washers used to give woollens a fast final spin - in fact often the wool cycle was placed after the 40*C Non Fast Coloureds wash on the timer within the cottons cycle. The spin on my Miele on woollens handwash is quite fast - 1200rpm, and will spin at 400rpm for about 2 minutes, then ramp up to 1200rpm for the last 2 so still gives a good thorough but gentle spin. And if one does want to slow spin a certain woollie then there's always the option of turning the spin down.
Anyway, that's enough of me ranting. Have a good day everyone!
Jon
Mum's seems to be slightly different to mine... hers doesn't do the "settling" period before the wash spin and with larger loads almost always whips up suds when the spin ramps up, so always has to stop and restart again if you wash a 5 or 6kg load. But neither mum's or my own Miele do bursts before the cottons spins - they just go straight into a 4 minute 1000rpm spin after the mainwash or a 1.5 or 2 minute spin (I can't remember off by heart) between the rinses. However despite mum's Miele slowing down if it get's suds locked, as soon as the drum stops it always distributes straight away and is spinning again within literally 10 seconds, instead of going into a tumbling routine for about a minute or two between spins like my AEG does.
The Minimum Iron cycles and quick wash cycles on mine and mum's Miele's do quite good interim spins - good enough to extract a lot of suds and rinse water but not too intensive as to force creasing. Using my AEG again for comparison, it doesn't spin at all between rinses, and the Zanussi mum had briefly only spun before the final rinse on Synthetics, and on the AEG especially you often see a lot of suds even in the 4th Easy Iron or Delicates rinse. However the Miele will do 2 bursts after every drain - firstly a short (1 second) slow one, then a longer (5 second) faster one. The first burst always chucks a lot of water (and suds after the wash) down the window but the second burst gets the rest out and there aren't any suds being thrown down the window at all. This seems more effective to me than just draining between the rinses - the Bosch we used to have would also do slow 400rpm spins between rinses, and both the Miele and Bosch rinsed well without compromise in terms of creasing on Easy Care/Minimum Iron rinses - you didn't see suds in the last rinse in either the Bosch or Miele synthetic cycles (though the cottons cycles on the Bosch was a different story!).
In terms of the woollens spin, I agree with Launderess. Many older British washers used to give woollens a fast final spin - in fact often the wool cycle was placed after the 40*C Non Fast Coloureds wash on the timer within the cottons cycle. The spin on my Miele on woollens handwash is quite fast - 1200rpm, and will spin at 400rpm for about 2 minutes, then ramp up to 1200rpm for the last 2 so still gives a good thorough but gentle spin. And if one does want to slow spin a certain woollie then there's always the option of turning the spin down.
Anyway, that's enough of me ranting. Have a good day everyone!
Jon
Graduated spins
Forgot to add this in the last post...
The AEG and Miele graduated spins are actually quite similar. On Minimum Iron and Delicate cycles the Miele will do a short slow burst, a longer faster burst, and then 2 minutes at the designated spin speed for the cycle (900rpm for Minimum Iron (or 1200rpm on mums), 600rpm for Delicates). The AEG follows a similar style on Easy Iron and Delicates; however it will do a 400rpm 5 second spin, tumble, then a 5 second 800rpm spin, tumble, then a 1 minute 1200rpm spin. (Yes, 1200rpm even for Delicates!). Both the AEG and Miele leave the laundry crease free after these cycles, and often well spun too as excess water is allowed to drain between the bursts before the actual final spin.
On Cottons cycles, on the AEG there is a programmable function which allows you to turn "Variomatic" spinning on or off. I have it set to off, which gives you a set of 3 spins (an 800rpm burst, a 1 minute 800 spin, and then the 7 minute final spin which gradually profiles to 1600), which slow down to distribution between the spins - so the drum doesn't actually stop turning from when it starts to distribute for the 800rpm burst until it glides down at the end of 1600. The Variomatic option, instead of slowing down to distribution between the spins, lets the machine tumble between spins and thus takes a minute or two longer (I believe it also adds a 400rpm burst before the 800rpm burst). On the Miele, whether or not it does a graduated final spin on cottons depends on the size of the load. So with a small load it won't burst at all and launch straight into the final spin, with a medium load it will do one or two bursts, and with a heavy load of towels for example it will do three bursts before the final spin. Which is quite a good idea I think - as heavier loads do need the bursts I think to get rid of the excess water but smaller loads are just fine if the spin launches straight away.
Jon
Forgot to add this in the last post...
The AEG and Miele graduated spins are actually quite similar. On Minimum Iron and Delicate cycles the Miele will do a short slow burst, a longer faster burst, and then 2 minutes at the designated spin speed for the cycle (900rpm for Minimum Iron (or 1200rpm on mums), 600rpm for Delicates). The AEG follows a similar style on Easy Iron and Delicates; however it will do a 400rpm 5 second spin, tumble, then a 5 second 800rpm spin, tumble, then a 1 minute 1200rpm spin. (Yes, 1200rpm even for Delicates!). Both the AEG and Miele leave the laundry crease free after these cycles, and often well spun too as excess water is allowed to drain between the bursts before the actual final spin.
On Cottons cycles, on the AEG there is a programmable function which allows you to turn "Variomatic" spinning on or off. I have it set to off, which gives you a set of 3 spins (an 800rpm burst, a 1 minute 800 spin, and then the 7 minute final spin which gradually profiles to 1600), which slow down to distribution between the spins - so the drum doesn't actually stop turning from when it starts to distribute for the 800rpm burst until it glides down at the end of 1600. The Variomatic option, instead of slowing down to distribution between the spins, lets the machine tumble between spins and thus takes a minute or two longer (I believe it also adds a 400rpm burst before the 800rpm burst). On the Miele, whether or not it does a graduated final spin on cottons depends on the size of the load. So with a small load it won't burst at all and launch straight into the final spin, with a medium load it will do one or two bursts, and with a heavy load of towels for example it will do three bursts before the final spin. Which is quite a good idea I think - as heavier loads do need the bursts I think to get rid of the excess water but smaller loads are just fine if the spin launches straight away.
Jon
Heavier Loads
Yes, Jon quite agree with you that short "bursts" help keep larger loads from not only whacking the machine to death, but remove enough water that the longer spins can do their job without having the machine slow down because too much water is entering the pump too fast. On some BOL machines that go right to spining, if the load is heavy with water, the darn thing slows down so long that the spin cycle is pretty much over before returning to proper speed, if ever. This results in poor extraction and very wet laundry.
Now a word about high speed spins:
Spinning is nothing more than compression, and despite what most belive is actually gentler to textiles than say wringing or hanging dripping wet laundry to dry. For all but the most fragile and or delicate textiles, 1000-1200 rpms speeds even if for only a short period of time will cause no damage.
Now then, for certian items, one actually prefers "drip drying" that results from no spinning between rinses and short burst spins as a final rinse. Fine percale linens and shirts for instance need much less ironing when spun this way, than after say full flow "Cottons" spin cycle on my Miele. From using my Hoover TT, am here to tell you, spin items too fast, too long and one had better plan on getting the iron out.
One thing have noticed, using fabric softener can mitigate the creasing from high speed spinning. For sateen sheets, never used FS before as am not a fan of the stuff. However a bit of Ecover FS added to the final rinse, and the sheets were much less creased when put onto the line, and even dried smoother. Am told by my French Hand Laundry, that using FS before ironing is an old trick for smooth items like sateens and such that one does not starch.
Yes, Jon quite agree with you that short "bursts" help keep larger loads from not only whacking the machine to death, but remove enough water that the longer spins can do their job without having the machine slow down because too much water is entering the pump too fast. On some BOL machines that go right to spining, if the load is heavy with water, the darn thing slows down so long that the spin cycle is pretty much over before returning to proper speed, if ever. This results in poor extraction and very wet laundry.
Now a word about high speed spins:
Spinning is nothing more than compression, and despite what most belive is actually gentler to textiles than say wringing or hanging dripping wet laundry to dry. For all but the most fragile and or delicate textiles, 1000-1200 rpms speeds even if for only a short period of time will cause no damage.
Now then, for certian items, one actually prefers "drip drying" that results from no spinning between rinses and short burst spins as a final rinse. Fine percale linens and shirts for instance need much less ironing when spun this way, than after say full flow "Cottons" spin cycle on my Miele. From using my Hoover TT, am here to tell you, spin items too fast, too long and one had better plan on getting the iron out.
One thing have noticed, using fabric softener can mitigate the creasing from high speed spinning. For sateen sheets, never used FS before as am not a fan of the stuff. However a bit of Ecover FS added to the final rinse, and the sheets were much less creased when put onto the line, and even dried smoother. Am told by my French Hand Laundry, that using FS before ironing is an old trick for smooth items like sateens and such that one does not starch.
