Miele W3033 Washer / T8003 Dryer

[lavamat_jon]

Congrats on the 3033... tis basically the American version of the UK model W2652 I own. 70*C is still a very reasonable temp, I wouldn't worry too much about it as you will very rarely need above 60 degrees/140*F anyway.

nclh77... in terms of water soaking through the clothes, that is actually why the drum tumbles in such a way. It will start off slowly to allow water to be plunged and squeezed through the load, speeds up to the distribution tumble to agitate and force water and detergent through the fibres, slows down again to squeeze and plunge the load, and then reverses. Although this action only takes place for the first part of the wash cycle - the last portion of the cycle, at least on the EU machines, is standard 55rpm tumbling backwards and forwards, with a couple seconds pause in between. You are right though in that this action is what causes a lot more sudsing; in fact I've found you don't need that much detergent compared to other frontloaders thanks to the distributing portion of the tumbles.

Jon =)

 

[nclh77]

lavamat_jon, interesting choices the manufacturers are making. My LG never spins the cloths like the Miele. It will spin maybe three times in one direction rather slowly, then pause for a while to let the water flow thru the cloths, then spin the other direction a few times, then pause. It does this for the entire wash cycle. I had a Siemens in Germany which would fill to 1/3 of the window and spin constantly with no pause. I think because of the amount of water in it, I never had any sudsing issue with it. May be tough to empirically say which method actually cleans the best.

 

[appnut]

NCLH77, welcome from another Texan.

 

[favorit]

hi nclh77,

I guess your Siemens was a very old machine that uses high levels even in the regular cycle and you were in a place with very hard water.

High water level matched with a intensive tumbling cadence is usually a sudsdmaker with medium hard water and really a disaster with soft water. Delicate (hi level) cycles have slow motion not only to be gentle but also to control suds

Here we've some places having very soft water. I remember several years ago there was no chance to avoid oversudsing with those high water level machines in those places

Still have one of these old water hogs in the garage (it's a Zerowatt) These machines aren't able to wash properly unless they are really full loaded. partial loads tend to roll rather than tumbling. This is the reason for vintage mieles used Hi levels in every part of the cycle except in the main wash. the low level enhances the tumbling action and controls suds. Too much suds reduces cleaning performance in normal cycles as it has a cushioning effect (gentler wash action with rolling and no tumbling)

 

[bernina]

what a great machine

hi, Andrew, Congratulations on your new 3033!

You said" after the initial sanitize cycle the machine requires to remove it's spin lock, I decided to do a huge load of towels to help clean out the drum further. Not sure how sudsy it would get, I just used the manufacturer recommendation on the Tide TotalCare to line 2 for a large load. I did sudslock, but line 1 would probably have been about right for the load size.

Do you mind telling me, what this "spin lock" is?

and how did you know you had "suds lock" and what did you do to fix it?

I'm a lurker in this forum... am in the market for a 3033, too. And have been researching as much as I can.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate you sharing your updates! Thanks!

 

[favorit]

spin "lock"

Hi Bernina,

since miele washers have the ball valve between tub an drain pump, their manuals recommend to run a 140°F cotton empty cycle not only to clean the tub from cutting oils but also as a sort of initial set-up for sensors. They say the machine can spin just after this "welcome" cycle is done.

Indeed I believe this has more to do with the initial activation the "eco ball-valve" . The drain pump moves water to the drain hose and to a small tank behind the detergent drawer. When the pump stops the water in the tank goes back to te pump towards the tub. This way the ball in the valve starts floating and shuts the valve : no water goes back to the tub and -more important- on the next fill the incoming water will fill just the tub and not the drain pump. Detergent and conditioners aren't wasted in the pump and the very only water in the tub is heated.
When the pump engages the ball is no more pushed by the tank pressure so the tub is drained.

The small tank had been emptied before shipping the machine to the US. They just slightly opened athe coin trap (that can be also used as a emergency drain in case of long time power failure). For the same reason after cleaning the coin trap is better to pour half a gallon of clean water inside the drum

Somewhere I have a drawing of this valve. I'll post it as soon as I'll find it

 

[nclh77]

The Siemens machine was about an 89 model and we lived in a small town outside of Bremerhaven called Imsum. Not sure what the water hardness was. I really liked the machine and when I came back to the USA I felt like I had gone back in time with the lack of front loaders in this country. I vowed to get one and am just about as happy as a pig in slop with the variety available now in this country. Just too bad it takes us so long to catch up. I think I was labeled a "communist" once for stating that maybe a front loader may be a good idea in the US.

 

[vacfanatic]

Spin Lock Description

Hi Bernina,

Here is the description of the spin lock per the service manual for the W 3033.

 

[favorit]

eco-valve

here it is . Indeed this a drawing of a Lavamat AEG, anyway I'm aware also Miele, Whirlpool/Bauknecht and B.S.H use the same principle.

The tank for the valve is on the left, here the drawer is still on the right ("old fashion" side).

@ NCLH77 : now I get why there Elux and GE sell somewhat cherry red frontloaders *LOL*

 

[vacfanatic]

Brushless Motor

Apparently, in spite of what the Miele brochure indicates on the W 3033, 3035 models, they must be brushless according to this data in the service manual. The service manual has no reference to carbon brushes, either. Also, the motor sounds somewhat "dc brushless" when it rotates, not quite like my LG's, but you can tell it's a different kind of motor than your average brushed motor. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[vacfanatic]

Foam Sensing

Quite intelligent, if you ask me! Of course it is, for $2000... ;-)

 

[favorit]

shocked !

Andrew, have never seen such a thing !

I guess Miele put such lock to avoid being sued by silly sales/repair people who don't know basics of safety rules.

After all, didn't a old lady sue Starbucks (and she DID win) cause she had her mouth scalded while drinking their coffee ??

 

[vacfanatic]

Miele W3033 Water Intake Diagram

Miele W3033 Water Intake Diagram

 

[vacfanatic]

Miele W3033 Water Drain Diagram

Miele W3033 Water Drain Diagram

 

[favorit]

mine has also a different "foam while heating" rou

the heater keeps going on till target temp, but the cadence gets different (longer pauses between reverse tumbles and slower tumbling speed) until foam is reduced, then the cadence goes back to normal.

Euro mieler owners, what about your machines ?

 

[bernina]

the Rosetta Stone!

Wow, you've got the 3033 Service Manual?

THANK YOU for sharing the diagrams and technical info.

ps Loved your "Welcome Home" sign! (Post# 407239-1/18/2010-19:38)

*Please* tell us you had that mounted on Sintra and stuck out on your front lawn.

 

[nmassman44]

I gotta ask...where did you get the manual??? Miele info is hard to get as far as a service manual. I would love to get my hands on one for my w4800 and my t9800 dryer.

 

[vacfanatic]

Service Manual

I got it from one of my buddies on www.fixitnow.com - they have a service repair manual forum you can ask for them if you need help fixing your appliance. Maybe give them a shout.

Andrew

 

[appnut]

Andrew, if you change the default settings of a program, will those same program change me "present" as the last time yo used the program or do you have to reset them all over again if you want to use the same modificaitons for that program vs. the default settings.

 

[vacfanatic]

Program Memory

Bob,

Yes it does store any settings you change after the program starts. I changed the cycle temperature on the Normal cycle to "No Heat", hit start, then immediately cancelled the program and shut off the washer. Turned it back on, selected Normal, and it remembers the "No Heat". If the power goes out during a cycle, when the power comes back, the washer powers on and resumes the cycle where it left off.

Andrew

 

[appnut]

Andrew THANKS!! Very impressive, particularly that the cycle picks back up where it left off after a power glitch or loss.

 

[bernina]

4840 and 3033 Normal cycle

hi, Andrew,

A lot of people seem to think that these new Mieles do not use the heater at all for the "normal" cycle. Could you clear this up for us? Does it or doesn't it?

Thanks!

 

[mysteryclock]

Forgot to ask...

...once you get the dryer in are you going to stack them, put them on pedestals or leave them as-is?

 

[vacfanatic]

Heater Use / Pedestals

The heater does work in normal mode, at least on mine. The only cycle that I questioned it operating was Delicates. With the very high water level, and cold water only fill, it was obviously not reaching '40' C. I emailed Miele and they advised that Delicates program is designed with no/heat and VERY low heat for the delicates. In spite of what the manual shows of 40C, it's actually a temp. Makes sense - we all know that US models cannot heat water as fast as european models due to the ~1000 watt heaters. I have confirmed in my other cycles that he machine does reach target temps though. (Unlike my LGs, which fail to reach target temperatures about 5 out of 10 washes). I've got an infrared thermometer to check door glass temp on the Miele.

I will probably order Pedestals for the Mieles, but that'll be after I finish the basement. I've still got to buy slate floor tile etc. Still have at least $1000 to go on the basement project!

Andrew

 

[gansky1]

Are you tired of it yet? I guess I could make room for it in the garage - wash rags in it or store a dishwasher on it. Hee hee.

Just beautiful, I love that fast spin!

 

[alr2903]

Wow, Very Nice, enjoy..alr2903

 

[bernina]

www.fixitnow.com

hi, Andrew,

Just wanted to say thanks very much for telling me about "fixitnow.com"

I asked, and they sent me a copy of the Miele 3033 102 page "Descriptive Technical Documentation" service manual.

===

Can I ask about your installation/setup?

Was your washer set up by delivery techs, or did you do it yourself?

Have you had to move the machine by yourself, or did delivery people place it? I ask because it's so heavy. Am wondering if you can offer any tips about moving it.

Thanks again!

 

[vacfanatic]

Very Heavy

I think it weighs close to 240lbs - definately NOT something you can move on your own. I had to help the delivery driver carry it off the truck into the garage, and then I was able to scoot it inside to warm up by placing an old rug over the door threashold. I had to get my friend to help me carry it downstairs though. I've got the dryer on the way soon, should ship next week sometime. The Washer has recessed carry handles on the bottom at the front, and the overhang at the back. I opted to hold on to the feet in front while my assistant took hold of the back by the carry handles when we moved it downstairs. These have solid cast iron cradles that stabilize the drum, which is why it's so heavy.

 

[mysteryclock]

Good grief!

240lb for that tiny thing? My Titanic-sized Bosch Nexxt 500 is approximately ~220lb, and it is much larger than the small Miele's I've seen.

That's build quality!

 

[lip2000]

Isn't the Nexxt mostly plastic(outside shell)?
I know the latest Korean units have a ton of plastic