New Speed Queen 7009 Front-Load Washer & Companion Dryer

[frigilux]

Although satisfied with my 2017 SQ 9-Series top-loading pair, I’ve always preferred front-loaders. Took the plunge this week and purchased the SQ 7009 washer and a companion dryer. I opted for the pedestals, which add 8-inches to the height. Much easier loading and unloading.

Unfortunately, I did not notice that the latest iteration washer was not paired with the 7004 dryer, which has steam options and the new pet/flea cycle. Would I have had my local dealer order the 7004 and waited? Probably not. I downloaded the user guides for the washer and what I assumed was the 7004 it was paired with. In other words, I inspected every inch of the washer’s control panel at the store and obviously didn’t even glance at the dryer’s control panel.

Have washed three loads— sheets/pillowcases (Whites cycle); a load of mixed colors (Perm Press cycle); and a maximum capacity load of bath, kitchen & personal whites (Whites cycle + Stain Boost option + 2 extra rinses.) I dosed the detergents pretty heavily—liquid Tide Ultimate Stain Release for the Stain Boost and powdered Tide Ultra Oxi for the main wash. The manual states to use powdered detergent for the main wash when choosing the Prewash or Stain Boost options. Apparently liquid detergent in the main compartment will dispense with the prewash/stain boost detergent.

Results were excellent with all three loads. Various stains were vanquished save for a slightly noticeable mustard stain that stubbornly remained on a dish towel.

Next time, I might try the Sanitize With Oxi cycle (60 minute wash tumble) with a Soak option to see how that handles stain removal.

Apologies for the “from the side”photo, but the laundry space is so tight I had to stand off to the side to snap the pic.

I’m so glad to have a front-loading washer again! My checkbook is still in shock, though.

 

[repairguy]

Congrats!!

 

[ryner1988]

Eugene,

Congratulations on your new washer! I have read your posts off and on and figured you'd be pleased to be back in the front loading world again. I assume the top loading pair was still working well, and if so, did you sell it? I imagine that would have offset the cost of this new pair some.

I've been a top load user all my life, but will likely get a front loading washer when my old Whirlpool direct drive dies. Modern top loaders suffer from a performance standpoint due to current energy and water regulations, so an FL makes sense for a new machine. I'm really interested in the LG turbo wash series, but I can't justify buying something new until my DD completely gives up the ghost.

I hope you enjoy many years with your SQ FL, I know I would if I could afford one.

Ryne

 

[peteski50]

Speed Queen!

Eugene best of luck with this new set!

 

[foraloysius]

Congratulations Eugene. It’s always nice to get a new toy ;-)

Happy washing!

 

[mark_wpduet]

Well you're FINALLY back to a front loader. Yes... with the washer/dryer/pedestals I'm sure you're checkbook is suffering (LOL). I'm not going to lie.. I've eyed these even though they don't have a heater. Sometimes I wonder if I even need one. My water heater is in the laundry room... but it's only at 120

Good luck with those but I doubt you'll need it. They are SQ's

 

[frigilux]

The 9-Series set was re-homed, which is what I usually do. I’d rather gift a set to someone who needs it rather than get a paltry amount in trade from the dealer.

Forgot to mention that the suds removal protocol for this machine is excellent. I really overdosed the load of whites last night and happened to be in the laundry room when the S r code flashed. It ran water into the outer tub for a few minutes, then went into the ramped spin for the first rinse. Suds were gone! Did a much better job than my Frigidaires and even the 2015 Maytag.

Will be fun to try out the various cycles and options over the next couple of weeks.

 

[helicaldrive]

Congratulations

Love my SQ FL. It has never failed to get out a stain.

If you want your white wash cycle to be super hot and stay that way, all you have to do is select a pre-wash. The laundry will of course cool down the first hot fill a bit, but the second will be hot and stay hot. The pre-wash is much much faster than the delay a heater entails.

 

[helicaldrive]

Chlorine bleach timing

Oh, something you need to know!

My SQ FL is 6 or 7 years old by now, so yours might be different. But mine puts Clorox in for the pre-wash, which of course is the wrong time because the chlorine defeats the detergent enzymes.

SO I wait until the pre-wash is filled, and then I put the Clorox in the drawer, and that way it goes into the main wash.

FWIW.

 

[frigilux]

Helicaldrive- Thanks for the tips! Those are exactly the sorts of things I need to know. Never thought of choosing a hot prewash to keep the temp high throughout the main wash. Also didn't realize it dispenses bleach during the wash, rather than the 1st rinse, which is what my Frigidaires and Maytag front-loaders did.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

normal eco and heavy duty cycles

Have you tried the normal eco and heavy duty cycles? I'd stick to heavy duty for most loads except for whites which I wash on whites.

 

[helicaldrive]

Workaround

I suppose if you aren’t doing a prewash you could wait 5” or so after the wash cycle has begun and then add the Clorox by diluting it with water and pouring it in the detergent compartment of the drawer.

 

[frigilux]

Jerome- I'll definitely try the Normal/Eco cycle. The user guide says it uses less water, That might work well for very small loads that don't like to tumble correctly when there's more water in the tub. I don't often wash in cold water, but it would be fine for a small, lightly soiled load. The Heavy Duty cycle will get a lot of use. Going to wash a queen-sized comforter later today so will get to try the Bedding cycle, too.

Helicaldrive-- I like your original idea of just adding bleach to the dispenser once the prewash fill has been completed. I had to dilute and add bleach through the door back when I had a Gibson-branded White-Westinghouse era front-loader. In fact, a 2-qt. plastic pitcher actually came with the washer.

 

[launderess]

" Never thought of choosing a hot prewash to keep the temp high throughout the main wash"

I couldn't recommend it...

Hot water will set (or rather cook) protein secretions and marks into textiles making removal difficult or impossible. Cold to warm water (not above 100F) is for prewashing.

SQ washers at local launderette have short cold water flush cycle (about 2-4 minutes) before main wash. Since machines lack heaters "Hot" wash is what comes from pipes.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

heavy duty cycle

For the most part, the heavy duty will be for typical washing in cold or warm washing depending what I'm washing, whether it's darks or lights. The whites get hot on whites. That is if I were to obtain this machine.

 

[spiralator60]

Congratulations, Eugene!

 

[launderess]

Congrats on new appliances!

Enjoy them in best of health!

L.

 

[helicaldrive]

One other thing

About once per month you will want to pull the boot back and stick a Q-tip in those compartmentalized sections of the black rubber barrier. They collect hair and lint which would get nasty after awhile.

I don’t use a hot prewash if there are stains that would be set by hot water.

However I have discovered by accident that stains which get set by warm or hot water, such as tomato, will come out in a warm wash without any cold water pre-treatment if I put Persil on the stain and set the garment aside for 30 minutes or so to let the enzymes do their job. Then the stain comes out even if I accidentally forget and put the garment in a warm wash. Serves me well because I don’t do any cold loads.

 

[mark_wpduet]

am I understanding correctly based on what I read that this machine will dispense bleach in the main wash cycle if there is no prewash and in the prewash cycle if prewash is selected? Why??????

Also - what's up with the stainless drum in that it looks so different from the others? I know for a fact it's not because it's cheap....

 

[ea56]

Congratulations Eugene! I know you’ll get lots of enjoyment from this new set.

Eddie

 

[helicaldrive]

Yes Mark

It dispenses Clorox in the prewash or if none then in the main wash.

And yes the tub is stainless but it is not shiny chrome-like stainless. Instead it’s a very unusual earth tone shade, semi glossy. I dig it.

I also like the curved fins which pour a lot of water on top of the load when it tumbles. Maybe not as much as an LG turbo but still it’s a good feature.

 

[helicaldrive]

Oh, and I don’t know why

SQ designed it to dispense Clorox in the first wash fill. Mine is 6 or 7 years old and Eugeune’s brand new one might do it differently.

Their prior FL design, the Horizon, dispensed it in the first rinse.

In any event, presumably every brand of FL has its pros and cons and idiosyncrasies, and no brand is best. So, in this club what we all do is figure out what our machine does on each cycle, and then we figure out how to pick and adjust cycles to get it to do what we want/need it to do.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I thought that was common with all manufacturers that the bleach got dispensed in the first rinse... but now that I think about it... when we had a top load washer we put the bleach in with the wash on whites...When I got my FL washer years ago and it dispensed the bleach on its own...but it does it in the first rinse...I remember thinking... wow, I was doing it wrong all these years. I don't ever remember using the bleach dispensers in TL washers though...why? I don't know. We just didn't use them. Also, I remember using a cup of clorox...crazy how little I use now in comparison. Like a couple of tablespoons.

I think the stainless drum looks really nice. I wonder what made them design into the boot seal those little square tiny compartments? Seems like it would be better if it were more smooth...

This is about the size of my 2005 Duet. I think mine is like 3.8 cu ft.. Plenty big for laundry... but not quite big enough for a huge comforter.

Just think .. if someone gets one of these and they are in their 40s/50s.. it could potentially be the last washer you ever buy.

 

[frigilux]

I am not a happy camper—-and of course, it’s a problem with the dryer. The metal screen at the back of the drum used to be white, which would eventually turn black because of heat, I’m assuming. SQ’s solution to that problem was to put a black screen in. Unfortunately, when the heat is on, black paint is rubbing off onto items being dried.

You can see the results in photos #2 & 3 below. That’s a pair of dress shorts. I took only photos of the two areas in which the honeycomb pattern of the screen is visible, although it’s more apparent seeing the shorts directly, rather than in the photo.

There are another half-dozen streaks and honeycomb patterns on other areas of the item. The load of mixed colors filled only half the tub in the washer, so this isn’t being caused by overloading the dryer.

Seeing this, I checked items washed in other loads. Sure enough, there were black marks on a heavy white cotton pot holder and two white pillowcases. The honeycomb pattern was very apparent on them, but I’ve already thrown them in the washer with a maximum dose of Clorox liquid bleach to see if that gets the stains out. Nothing else I’ve tried—Amway Stain Spray (which normally gets almost anything out), GooGone, and Dawn dishwashing liquid—has even lightened the stains.

I rubbed the screen with a white cotton bar mop towel and nothing came off on it. I saturated an area of the towel with Lysol Kitchen cleaner spray and rubbed again. Nothing came off onto the towel. Obviously, the problem rears its—literally—ugly head when heat is applied during the drying cycle.

I haven’t even used the high heat setting yet! The load of mixed colors was dried on low heat and the load of whites on medium heat.
The washer, on the other hand is doing an excellent job. Very impressed with it.

Ideas, anyone? John (combo52) or others who deal with SQ’s: Have you seen this problem before?

UPDATE: I put the stained white items (along with a few other bleachable pieces) through a Quick Wash at the maximum soil level and hot water, along with 1/4 scoop of Amway SA8 powdered detergent. Just checked on them; bleach did not budge the stains a bit. The stains appear to be permanent.

 

[repairguy]

I would definitely contact the dealer about this issue.

 

[DADoES]

Seems items would reasonably have to stick to the grill for the grill pattern to transfer. Perhaps run the dryer empty to check if the grill finish gets sticky when heated. Temperature setting doesn’t have an effect on the grill. The element always operates at full output, unless SQ has dual elements of higher & lower wattage (or a variable gas burner) to reduce heat input at lower temp choices.

 

[ea56]

Eugene, I don’t blame you for being mad! If I spent over 4 G’s on a washer and dryer set and the dryer left permanent black paint stains on the very first loads i’d dried in it I’d want that devil machine out of my home and my money back in my bank acct.

But then I cool down and contact the dealer and request that the dryer screen be replaced with a WHITE or unpainted screen and reimbursement for the permanently damaged items. That I believe is a reasonable request.

I hope that you have good luck in getting this resolved. Hopefully John L. will be able to give you advice on how to get SQ to make this right for you. Being a dealer he should have the 411 you need.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 10/7/2023-12:27]

 

[stopmeister72]

stuck items

I have had an issue at school where the bolts on the screen are kinda rough and catch rags.  In particular, the sam's blue restaurant wash cloths that are part cotton and something synthetic.  Every load, there would be one or more that would come out melted.  Just about out of those now and just have cotton ones.

 

[ryner1988]

Wow, how unfortunate! Of course one always hears great things about SQ's washers, but their dryers not so much. It's one reason why if I ever had the funds to buy SQ I would probably only get the washer and pair it with something like a cheap 29-inch Whirlpool built dryer. I just couldn't make it make sense in my mind to spend so much on what is clearly a sub-par piece of equipment. I have no doubt SQ dryers are built well, but what good is that if a brand new one ruins clothes?

I hope you can get this figured out pronto!

Ryne

 

[helicaldrive]

Oh NO!

Hopefully that could be a quick one-minute fix! Just trade that screen out with a new old stock unpainted one.
Or, maybe your dealer could trade screens out with one of their older floor display models. Done!

Mine never discolored in 7 years. And it’s gas.

Hope the dealer gets you back in operation today!