new FL pair in the works----what would you buy?

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passatdoc

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Aug 31, 2006
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Orange County, California
My neighbor is between jobs and his TL Kenmore is shredding the life out of his clothing. I am going to give him my Frigidaire FL pair (Model 2140) and buy a new pair for myself. Specs are as follows:

1. Must be stackable. I have a steel/concrete bollard embedded in my garage slab, required by county code, and the clowns who built the house placed it smack in the middle of the washer space. Even on a pedestal, the bollard blocks the door of a FL (house built 1988, when 99% of washers sold here were TL). I solved the problem by stacking a pair in the dryer space and placing a table for folding and baskets in the washer space

2. Budget $2500

3. Gas dryer

I am 5'11" and the current configuration of the stack---72" high---is perfect for me. Some of the taller machines, 40" high or so, would likely be a bit too high, in terms of the dryer drum being at a comfortable chest height for me.

I am leaning toward ELectrolux. My eight year old Frig 2140 has had zero service issues. In addition, while some machines have increased capacity by being taller, Electrolux is only about 38" high, a consideration since I have to stack. I am leery of the steam options, so I think I would go with the basic 55 model. I have some king size comforters that I now have to take to a laundromat once a year to wash in a triple load machine. I doubt that any home machine would have capacity to wash them, and in any event I wouldn't buy a huge machine to accomplish a once/year task, since most of the time I'm not washing huge loads. So the 4.2-4.4 ft capacity of the Electrolux seems about right for me.

Your suggestions?
 
I bought a Kenmore set made by LG that is huge capacity wise. The washer and dryer are indeed big enough to wash a king size comforter. I have a down filled one that I have washed and dried about three times now. I do have to dry it for an extended amount of time, but it does well.
 
I'd go with Electrolux too...

They still seem like the best option out there.
Even though (I'm sure) Speed Queen's are built even better, they don't have the capcity and correct me if I'm wrong an on board heater.

I really really don't like anything made by LG or Samsung in regards to appliances.

Best of luck with whatever you decide and keep us posted.
 
door reversal

Malcolm---I'd forgotten about that, my Frigidaires have the default door hinge placement, on the left side looking at the machines, but in retrospect having a dryer that hinges on the right would be nice. If the washer door can open 180 degrees or close to it, a right hinged washer door would be nice as well.

After I bought/positioned the current pair, I bought a laundry center (three sorting bags/hanging rod/upper shelf), which I placed to the left of the machines. In the corner is the water heater, to the left of the heater is the laundry center, to the right of the heater are the machines. So the laundry center and the machines are oriented at a 90 degree andle from each other.. When the dryer door is opened, it blocks access to the hanging rod until I close the door. Given that most of my work clothes are LL Bean 100% cotton wrinkle-free fabrics, I have to hang up the shirts and trousers straight from the dryer. Not having the dryer door block the hanging rod will be a nice plus (could have done it with present dryer but never bothered).

[note: nothing will be a perfect solution. The folding table (where I place folded towels/linens/t-shirts etc and load them into baskets) is on the right of the machines. So a right-hinged dryer door will free up access to the laundry center but partly block access to the folding table. For complete ease of use I'd need a door with hinge on the top!!]

Several of the reviewers at retailer websites, such as Best Buy, mention the reversible doors as a major reason they purchased Electrolux. Most of these were new owners for whom Electrolux solved their laundry area geometry issues, and I"d like to have heard more from long time owners re: durability. Some people at automaticwasher.org own them and most of the reports here have been positive. CR, which I take with a grain of salt, gives them good reviews, but keeps them off their "recommended" list due to noise issues (only "good", not very good or excellent. Since my machines are in the garage, noise is not an issue as it would be for someone with an indoor laundry area.

When the laundry center bags are stuffed full, they fill the present washer, so they serve as a unit of measurement: when the bag is full, it's time to run a load. I sort based on washing/drying needs: one for perm press (as above), one for sheets/towels, one for non-wrinkle-free cottons (jeans, t-shirts, etc.) and it works fine for me. A new FL with bigger capacity will upset this unit of measurement, but I can adapt. If the Electrolux can wash a king comforter, fine, but I don't need a 5.0+ cu ft machine---too big for my daily needs---just to wash two king comforters, which I do once a year at a laundromat (and which I'm willing to continue doing). I also have twin and full/queen comforters which wash nicely in the current (Frig 2140) washer, so I'm sure an ELectrolux would handle them just fine.

Electrolux machines are 38" high, which will result in a stack that is 6'4" rather than 6'0", which I can handle, but I wouldn't want to stack anything taller than that. At 5'11", I could easily reach the controls, but I don't want to strain to reach an item in the back of the dryer drum, or stretch to store something (dryer sheets, etc) on top of the dryer.

I don't know how much longer the Frig pair will last, but given my neighbor's need to watch expenses, even a few years are better than nothing. They have been meticulously maintained: descaled with citric acid once a quarter, door always left open when not in use, gasket crease always wiped dry, dispenser kept dry (I invert it over a small plastic pail after last load of the day). Never used bleach or fabric softener in it, though I have used OxyClean a few times. I know opinions vary as to which additives are bad for spiders, and I've read too many posts stating that regular bleach use is bad for spiders. I would like to have x-ray vision to see what kind of shape the spider is in, but it's gone 8 1/2 years without any service problems and works the same as it did new in 2008.
 
Ahh, I noticed a bout 3 minutes before the end of the video, I was watching a Frigidaire Affinity and not an Elux 60.   Some things my Duet does better and some things this machine does better. 
 
We got a new whirlpool duet, and we are really happy with it to be honest. Never expected it to be this good. You can't really see any water during the mainwash, exept during the deep rinse where it feels to the bottom edge of the door. Yet still everything comes out clean, better then our old top loader surpsingly. It did our king size comforter as well on the Heavy Duty cycle. However, on the U.S site it lists the washer at 4.2CF but on the CA site it is listed at 4.8CF.

Washer: http://www.whirlpool.com/-[WFW72HEDW]-1022121/WFW72HEDW/

Dryer: http://www.whirlpool.com/-[WGD71HEDW]-1022126/WGD71HEDW/
 
washerdude

I'm curious about the new Duet's, our 2006 Samsung (rebadged as Maytag) needs replacing and one thing that bothers me is the lack of water the newer machines use, and the dumbed down temperatures. How many rinses does your Duet do and are they all "deep water" rinses? and does the heavy duty cycle use non dumbed down temps?
These seemingly simple questions I have don't seem to be obtainable via searching online anywhere.
 
Our duet does 2 rinses default on ALL cycles. And yes it does dumb down the temp of the water on certain cycles such as normal and delicates (Makes sense for delicates).Cycles that are not dumbed down are the Heavy duty, Eco sanitize with Oxi and quick wash. Heres one thing that won't make sense, during the first rinse bleach is dispensed, not sure why. And during the first rinse it will fill a little more then the main wash, then it drains and this time when it fills you will see that water in the bottom of the boot rising. Once when we did a load towels it filled up with water touching the bottom of the door. It does only 1 deep rinse but if you select extra rinse, you get 2 deep rinses (1 cycle rinse and 1 extra rinse) with the same amount of water. I will try to get a picture of the deep rinse later on.
 
Does the Heavy Duty cycle's main wash use an adequate amount / more water then the normal wash as well? And what is the shortest cycle time in the Heavy Duty setting?
So far it sounds like the Duet will give me what I want, the only other thing I'd consider is a SQ top loader, I don't like that their front loader doesn't include a heater nor many customizable settings and is also bit out of my price range.
 
Yes it does use more water, I've noticed that sometimes during heavy loads it will almost fill 3 times throught the main wash on heavy duty. The lowest time would be 1h and 7mins on light soils.
 
Should also add, when we washed our king size comforter, we saw 0 water in it which was a little scary. But when we opened the door the entire comforter was soaking wet.
 
That's great. Thanks for answering my questions. I think I will like the Duet based on your observations. The only thing I will miss is the warm/warm cycle on our current machine. I don't understand why the Eco nazis had to do away with that on front loaders, our machine for instance only adds maybe a gallon or two of hot on the final rinse to raise the temp to 85! I can't possibly imagine a gallon of heated water being the end of the world...
 
ATC

And thus it seems those who conclude that ATC is only used on TL machines because they "waste too much water" are wrong. Its used in equally draconian quantities on the FL brethren...

Instead, we've got ourselves a race to the bottom, punishing users in terms of personal choice and select-ability for wash temperatures that barely meet their designators, if at all.
At least there are cycles that override this problem, and heaters to assist for a better washing environment
 
Maytag Maxima XL

I have had the duets twin the Maxima for almost a year now. Normal wash has the lowest water level (barely any), sanitize, allergen, and powerwash have the highest water level and the rest of the cycles split the difference. Mine has the steam/heater option, which actually works quite well. Using the steam for stains will cause the machine to do a steaming period at the end of the wash cycle, but it also will kick on the heater during the wash to maintain or boost the temp. Sanitize of course will get you 150-160 degree water and allergen will actually boost the temperature without having to use the steam option (you can only use hot or extra hot though). Default is two rinses, extra rinse is 3. It also employs a bleach rinse instead of dumping the bleach in the wash. Correct me if I'm wrong but this is so the bleach won't interfere with the detergent and to limit exposure to the harshness of the bleach. All in all a very capable machine as long as you know how to manipulate the settings. A unique feature to these is the fresh hold. It uses a small fan to circulate air through the drum after the load ends. I thought this was going to be frivolous when I got this washer, but it actually works really well. If you aren't around the unload the wash right away it will hold it up to twelve hours and everything will stay fresh. My only beef with the new duets and its various twins is that you can't easily access the pump trap. Older duets had a kick plate on the bottom that came off but now you have to take the top and front off to get to it. It's not terribly hard just obnoxious.

cam2s-2014111122220901010_1.jpg
 
John is right on..

A Speed Queen is , in my opinion, the ONLY choice, I have looked at them and talked to service men, it just all comes down to better quality.
 
Frigidaire 60 models

I went ahead and ordered the Electrolux 60 pair. FYI there are (in my area) $360 in rebates available:

1. Gas company $75 rebate

2. Water district $85 rebate

3. NMG (National Marketing Group, a buying consortium of which my local retailer is a member): $200 rebate.

I believe #1 and #2 are paid by check. The NMG rebate comes as a prepaid VISA card. I already applied online for the water district rebate. The gas and NMG rebates require submission of receipts and, in the case of NMG, the serial numbers of the machines. Gas company also requires a copy of a gas bill. These two can be done by fax or snail mail. FYI the NMG rebate did not allow mix-and-matching, i.e. if you bought the 50 washer you had to buy the 50 dryer. You could not for example buy a 50 washer and a 60 dryer. You had to buy a pair of the same model level.

This brings the total cost of the pair, with tax, to about $1872. The 50 series, while lower priced, had a smaller NMG rebate ($50 or so), so that after rebates the price difference between the 50 and 60 models was about $70.

My neighbor's brother wants my neighbor's old GE gas dryer* (formerly mine; I handed it over to my neighbor---to replace an electric dryer that worked but was expensive to run) and will haul away the old Kenmore washer. The retailer's crew will remove my current washer/dryer and move it as far as the curb (but not over to the neighbor's home) and then install the new pair. The neighbor and his brother will then move the Frig set to his garage.

As a "welcome to FL washing" gift, I am giving him a box of HE powder detergent and a coffee measure, since from this point on he'll be using 15-30 ml or 1-2 tbsp of powder per load.

*I purchased it in 1997, never has had any servicing. In terms of features, though, it's pretty basic. No moisture sensor. There is a perm press cycle but I suspect it only runs on a timer. It never got perm press loads particularly dry and I think the timer was shutting it off while the load was still damp. My work wardrobe is nearly all 100% cotton with wrinkle-free finish (LL Bean) and the concept never really worked for me until I bought the present Frig dryer (2006) and for the first time used a dryer with a moisture sensor. Now everything comes out looking like I sent it to the cleaners.

The Frig set has had one service call, ever: I heard a thumping noise in the dryer, and inspected the belts to find they were ok. Cause: a button lodged between drum and interior. I always leave the washer door ajar, I descale quarterly with citric acid, and always dry out the dispenser and gasket crease at the end of the wash day.
 
one thing I noticed

The MSRP price gap between electric and gas Electrolux dryers has grown to $100. Historically it was always $30-40 more for gas vs electric, and in some models I noticed a price creep to $60, but this is the first time I"ve seen the price gap grow to $100. My guess is that customers in areas with natural gas service know that they will likely save a lot of money* using a gas money and will cough up $100 more in order to save in the long term.

*if local electricity is cheap, this may not hold true, but in SoCal it costs 2-4 times as much to dry electrically vs. with gas, unless you have solar panels of course ;)
 
Don't Be Afraid Of Not Seeing Water

In "Normal" wash cycles.

When first started using my OKO/AEG Lavamat was worried about what seemed a puny amount of water. However as stated up thread the water is there just inside the wash. The idea is more forcing highly concentrated detergent/water solution through laundry rather than tumbling it about in lots of water.
 
Glad to hear

The Duet's and Maxima's use decent amounts of water.

My 10 year old duet uses the exact same amount of water for washing and rinsing, and water does not touch the boot EVER unless you choose delicate, soak, or use the hidden clean washer cycle. It has been a GREAT washer and it's still going strong (KNOCK ON WOOD)
 
Its funny how the new duets use even more water for the deep rinse then the older ones. Always touches the boot for mine on deep rinse.
 
Here Is What We Have Been Waiting To See...

Here it is, the deeprinse! Actully Lied, it almost touches the bottom of the glass door.

washerdude++11-13-2014-18-26-5.jpg
 
Wow that's excellent! What cycle did you use for the load in the photo?
I realized something about the Duet and most new FL's out there is they won't fit in our washer closet! Our current FL is 30" deep and is almost too tight and the Duet is 33" when I checked the specs. Such a shame....or not, because a SQ (front or toploader) is only 28"! So it looks like SQ will get some more consideration.
 
Nice design,nice features,great capacity

I check weekly at Home Depot on sales. They have major reductions now going on. The two matching units I highly recommend are not only attractive but do lots of laundry and have been among the most popular models made by L.G.

I know there are some supposedly negative thoughts and stories here and out about how many people hate them only because they're not made in America. To them I say the facts. Most of the brands name tags with the model and serial numbers on them say "Assembled in America" what they can't and don't say is MADE in America. That's because even though they're assembled here, their parts are made overseas. China,Hong Kong,North Korea, Japan,Italy,Indonesia. So,I use my own judgement from mg own experiences and the LGs are by far my personal favorite. I can have anywhere from a 22minute to a 2hr30minute cycle. They're exrrely quiet,hold lots of laundry, spin extreamly fast and are nice to watch

The Home Depot has the huge 30" set on sale $999/washer,$1099 dryer but you say that's too big so these two:

WM4270HWA @$799
And
DLGX4271 @$899

Are IMHO are the best. I'd get them with the five year extended service contract because it's better to have and not need it then it is to need and not have it. Aloha!

Chuck
 

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