New SQ arrived - help changing to warm rinse?

[toomuchresearch]

Hey all, I have really appreciated the info on this site. I finally, after 4 full days of research chose the Speed Queen (542) TL and received it today; I like having control of the lid/water level/etc... However, I wanted to 'see' if the soap was rinsed out well after a wash. I rewashed the clothes without soap so I'd be able to have warm water from the wash cycle "rinse" them as a second rinse of sorts. I was definitely disappointed to see quite a bit of soap still in the machine. So I repeated this with a second load of clothes - same result. I am not using any more soap than I ever have, very small amount. Happens to be ALL soap for HE (funny how many suds I see) even though I know my machine isn't HE.

Can anyone please tell me either (1) how to funnel the hot/cold water hoses together or something to rig it so cold is really warm? or (2) if a particular soap is better for rinsing in cold [would have thought an HE soap would be since most HE machines are cold water rinse it seems]. thanks! i am sorry if this has been addressed before, I haven't been at this site long.

 

[frigilux]

First off, congratulations on your new purchase! While I'm a die-hard front-loading washer advocate, the Speed Queen top-loader is one of the very few on the market that resembles a traditional washer. They appear to be built like a tank and have a great warranty.

Some questions:

1) Did you ever perform a test the like one you described above using your previous washer? There might have been some suds left in those clothes, too. The Speed Queen has a respectable spin speed for a traditional top-loader, so I would think it would be good at getting rid of detergent residue.

 

2) Do you have soft water? I have mechanically-softened water, so it's super-soft.  Even if the chemical compounds of the detergent are rinsed away, there is usually a bit of suds remaining in the final rinse.

 

3) Any particular reason you're using an HE detergent in a non-HE machine?  HE detergents are formulated to work in small amounts of water. Your Speed Queen uses much more water in a single fill than an HE machine.  I'd switch to a standard detergent.

 

4) A very tiny dose of liquid fabric softener is usually enough to get rid of any trace of suds in the rinse.  I have a very low water-use front-loader, and a scant 1/4 teaspoon of Downy diluted and added to the dispenser is enough to do the trick.

 

I'll let others with more experience in the area of rigging washers advise you on how to get a warm rinse.  Enjoy your new washer, and let us know what you think of it after you've used it for awhile.

 

[mrb627]

Congrats!

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">Glad to hear that you took the plunge and got the Speed Queen.  They are fine machines.  I would suspect your water hardness isn't as extreme as you might think and a little less detergent might be in order.  What was your previous machine?  Didn't you say in another post that it was a Whirlpool sourced Maytag DD machine?</span>

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;"> </span>

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">Malcolm</span>

 

[mrb627]

Temperature Selector

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">I wonder what would be involved in getting the machine to obey the wash temperature selection during the rinse portion of any cycle.  Hmmm....</span>

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;"> </span>

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">Anybody have any insight?</span>

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;"> </span>

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">Malcolm</span>

 

[toomuchresearch]

Hey thank you both for quick replies! We don't have particularly hard or soft water, seems well balanced. To Frigilux: I'm glad you like your FL (1) Good point about whether I compared with my old machine - sometimes I would add an extra rinse and would see traces of soap, don't think ever this much soap remaining. (2) not soft water at all, not noticably hard (3) no good reason i was using HE, it was an accidental purchase a few months ago and thought it may not be a bad idea to use it as i thought it was suds-free and designed to be used in cold wash. I agree with you, I will use regular detergent in the next load.(4) Liquid Fabric Softener? I've always completely ignored fabric softeners as a possible gimic and just more chemicals, would never have thought that would help with soap rinsing, thanks! I will try it. I just read in the SQ manual that fabric softener isn't to come in contact with detergent suds as it can cause discoloration - interesting. To Malcolm: yes, my previous machine was a Maytag SAV(2455 I think). - Also, I thought I saw on some site (can't find it again, thought it was this one) about rigging some type of Y hose divider (I'm not mechanical) between the hot and cold outputs to make it warm all the time, have you seen anything like that? thanks!

 

[jeffg]

> I just read in the SQ manual that fabric softener isn't to come in contact with detergent suds as it can cause discoloration - interesting.

Yes. When you add liquid fabric softener to a wash cycle it causes the detergent (and all other dirt, crud etc) that was in suspension in the water to reattach to clothing. This is precisely why it eliminates suds. It should not normally be used in wash cycles except as a last resort for excess suds.

 

[frigilux]

Jeff is absolutely right: Don't add fabric softener to the wash portion of the cycle. Just in case there was any confusion, I meant you would add a tiny bit of diluted fabric softener to your fabric softener dispenser, not along with the detergent in the wash cycle.

 

[toomuchresearch]

thanks! no, i understood what you meant. I just think it is curious - if I'm trying to remove suds it is because i'm trying to remove the soap in reality. I would put the fabric softener into the dispenser, which would then release it into the rinse cycle as i understand it; but i notice soap suds in my rinse cycle (and when i rewash the clothes), therefore, if fabric softener enters the water at that point -during the rinse - I'm putting my clothing at risk of mixing with the detergent (right? or are the suds not considered detergent once they are in suds form?).