New Washer Installed: Speed Queen AWN542

[washman]

Combo52

I am confused about your statement in part ".....I like my brothers and many others do not want one of these current machines, they are too crude and wasteful to use unless you can a least figure out a way to reuse the wash water a few times."

If you are referring to the current SQ top loader, what exactly is crude and wasteful?

 

[frigilux]

John-- Thanks for the clarification about the device on the end of the drain hose. I thought the geyser coming from the other standpipe was caused by the SQ's standpipe being air or water-tight.

I sprayed the tub with Goo-Gone, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrubbed it out with bar mops. That seems to have taken care of the polishing compound issue.

Now I have to figure out what, if anything, can be done about the water backing up out of the standpipe. I suppose I should hope it's a partial blockage that can be snaked out by the plumber. If not, the only solution I've been able to come up with is to get a laundry tub for the washer to drain into. The laundry tub would then have to be hard-plumbed into the system. Seems like a lot of fuss over a top-loader that will not be the daily driver.

Have to say I do like the SQ. It has all the familiarities of top-loaders produced before my hairline began to recede. It definitely uses a lot of water, particularly hot water. I washed three loads of whites last night (one of them being a rewash of the first load) and my water heater was in continuous fire-up mode trying to keep up. It doesn't extract as much water from a load, which means more time in the dryer.

The rational side of me realizes that a load can be washed in hot water in the front-loader using half the water the SQ does, with equally good results. And it spins faster to reduce drying time for loads of towels, kitchen & personal whites, and bed linens. I can add the (faux) steam option to provide an extended hot 1st rinse and a warm final rinse using a fraction of the hot water needed by the SQ for a hot wash/cold rinse (albeit with double the cycle time).

I'm used to the Frigidaire taking 38-50 minutes for a normal load, 60 minutes with steam option, 72 minutes with allergy option (wash temp boost to 131 degrees) and 1 hour 36 minutes for a profile wash using the Sanitize cycle (gradual wash temp boost to 150 degrees). The longer cycle times don't bother me. A cycle time of 40 minutes (10 minutes longer than SQ) is made up by time saved in the dryer. A very large load that would have to be split into 2 loads for the SQ would probably come out in favor of the front-loader, as well, considering there would have to be two wash and two dry cycles with the top-loader. In all other scenarios, the SQ definitely wins in the time-saving department.

I'm going to run a few side-by-side comparison loads with the front-loader. The front-loader will probably take the checkered flag on a number of points, but I don't want to assume too much.

Were I to have only one washer--and if it had to be a top-loader-- SQ would be the machine of choice.

Now, if I can just keep it from flooding my laundry room, LOL![this post was last edited: 10/10/2013-12:27]

 

[jeffg]

I think I'm in the minority view on the issue of TL vs. FL. IMO the bottom line is that a lot of water is required to wash and rinse clothes properly, and without exception, every time we've run into friends or family with foul smelling towels or sheets etc, they've had FLs not TLs.

We were once researching dust mites and came across a comparison of surface scans between clothing washed in TLs vs. FLs, and especially on (but not limited to) thicker fabrics like cotton pants or wool blankets etc, it's not even close. TLs get clothes orders of magnitude cleaner than FLs. Most of this is due to the extended/fully submersed wash and deep rinse -- through an agitator. You can't duplicate this action with tumbling no matter how many minutes you wait.

Another bottom line imo is that SQ's slower spin speeds are much preferable to faster ones, for a number of valid reasons.. vibration and noise, wear and tear on fabrics etc. I can honestly say we use the slower spin speed as much or more than the faster 710rpm, and if we had a machine with a faster spin speed I doubt we'd use it much or at all. The difference in drying time isn't enough to justify the end result of clothing that looks like collapsed rags.

 

[washman]

Not quite JeffG

I'm there too. Which is why I bought a SQ TL machine.

Since its MY money for both the machine and MY water bill, I, not the DOE, determines how much water gets used.

I live alone and time is important, I don't have hours to waste doing a task that should be relatively quick to complete. Now ironing is another issue altogether!

 

[jeffg]

"Now ironing is another issue altogether!"

I've found many more fans of slower washer spin speeds among ironers.

 

[mrb627]

Standpipe Issue

Go to Home Depot and buy a sewer line cleanout product in the plumbing department. You pour this product into the standpipe and let it set for 12 hours or so, then flush with hot water for several minutes. Any lint buildup or whatnot will be eaten and moved on its way.

Malcolm

 

[yogitunes]

somewhere along the drain line is a small jagged edge, which probably caught a small thread, and started building up from there....thats all it takes....it can happen with any pipe, I find it more with a plastic pipe, from not properly filing the ends before glueing....

problem is locating exactly where this clog is at....if you have the knowledge, you could save a lot of money doing it yourself.....wether you or a plumber...consider maybe adding a cleanout for future snake use!

I had one major hairball clog once, about a foot long...once you get past the God Almighty swearing....you soon have cleanouts all over the pipe line...

good luck and keep us posted

 

[frigilux]

JeffG-- I use a very slow spin speed (I think it's around 400 rpm) for dress shirts, etc., that I don't want to iron. On the other hand, I use 1300 rpm for towels, sheets, kitchen whites, etc. Makes for a brief stay in the dryer. I think tumbling in the heat of a dryer is harder on fabrics than a brief, super-fast spin. I used to iron every dress shirt when I was younger....now I only iron a shirt the first time I wash it to get rid of those stubborn manufacturing wrinkles. If you're careful about spin speeds, not overcrowding the dryer ---and in my case, adding steam to the dry cycle--shirts emerge ready-to-wear without ironing.

Having said that, no shirt looks as crisp as when it's been sprayed with a bit of starched and carefully ironed. But after a couple of hours on the job, it's hard to tell the difference between a shirt that's been starched and ironed, and one that has simply had careful handling in the laundering process. So I quit starching and ironing, LOL!

I've never understood the issue with stinky towels, etc., and front-loaders. I've washed in a front-loader since 1988 and have never, ever had a problem---even with the new ultra-low water use Frigidaire.
Nor have I ever had a mold/mildew issue inside a front-loader. I use liquid chlorine bleach in several loads a week. That may make a difference. I also get clothes out of the washer and into the dryer (or onto the clothesline) soon after a cycle ends. I know some people who put a load in before they leave for work and take it out when they get home from work. That's another nice thing about electronic controls on front-loaders. You can set the machine to run a cycle at 5:00 p.m. and the load finishes up just about the time you get home.

Malcolm & Martin-- I'll give the sewer line clean-out a try. But my gut tells me the problem is due to the 1-1/2" plumbing. On the other hand, I haven't had the sewer line snaked out since 2002 (shortly after moving in), so there may be some blockages. [this post was last edited: 10/10/2013-14:09]

 

[retropia]

Congrats on the new machine! I've also noticed the longer drying times it takes for laundry washed in a top-loader. If a top-loader were to be my only washing machine, I think I would setup a clothesline in the backyard for sunshine-assisted drying.

 

[washer111]

SpeedQueen TL vs FL

At least until they move to the electronic control on these machines - I will consider the TL models to be far superior to the FL machines. These machines, (like the 100% Bells and Whistles FL machines), you can select Fabric, Wash Time, Temperature and so forth.
On the newer models, this is not so. You can choose "Regular," "Delicates/Bulky" and one other cycle, whose name evades me. No, not everyone uses all the cycles on any modern machine, but its still nice to have them!

As for the grease-compound issue, I'm glad you managed to get rid of it quickly Eugene, now if you can just fix the draining issues :-D

 

[yogitunes]

not sure how your drains are hooked up, or others things attached to that line....

but I have done this in two ways....shoved the drain hose down the pipe, and tape/sealed it in place, and did a spindrain to try and force that clog on thru...

and used a wet/dry vacuum in the opposite direction to suck the clog out...(which also works great on kitchen and bathtub drains)

if it was a total blocked clog, compressed air works wonders

most times this worked, and a few times it did not.....worth a try..

 

[washdaddy]

It sounds like a blockage down in the drain line since the FL's standpipe becomes old faithful when the TL starts to drain yet you run the FL without any problems If the immersion care you replaced was HE the difference in the amount of water could be your issue. The blockage is far enough down the pipe to allow the HE's no problems but drain a standard TL and it becomes the issue.
IMO either a good snaking or chemical clean out should fix your problem. Like Yogi mentioned, all it takes is a small spur down the line to snag a piece of floating lint and the blockage starts.

Good luck

 

[washman]

I can agree on the drainage force

When I screw up and use too much detergent, I can get foam to really rise out of the utility wash tub drain hole that the drain pipe is connected to. The GE had nothing on this machine as far as pump out goes.

Also does SQ name their trannny like they did in the pic I posted? Seems the 210 degree arc has been around since day 1 with their designs.

 

[mayfan69]

SQ Transmission

The transmission you've shown in the picture was designed for not only Speed Queen, but used on Australian Fluid Drive Simpson's, plus some other brands as well.

I'm pretty sure the trannys in current SQs dont even have a name...certainly not 'arq u natic' as they once were.

Cheers
Leon

 

[washman]

I figured as much

Just curious if it has a name?

The since retired GE profile I had call their tranny "Steel Drive". Kind of ironic whan the inner and outer tubs were both plastic.

 

[mayfan69]

In Australian literature.....

For as long as that Speed Queen design has been on sale in Australia, from my recollection, it was only ever referred to as an 'All Metal Gearbox', but with no 'name' as such.

When Speed Queen was branded 'Kleenmaid' for many years here in Oz and sold through their own stores, they would have an open SQ tranny alongside a GE and the Orbital 'Dependable Drive' Maytag tranny to show the differences between them....the fact the GE and Maytag had plastic parts in them.

Cheers
Leon

 

[llmaytag]

SQ Top Loader & Front Loader

Wow, I've been away from the site for a while and it's interesting to read this thread. As I posted on a previous thread, I'm soon to be moving to a new home and intend to get a new SQ 432 or 542. What I may not have mentioned in that thread is that the new home already has an LG built Kenmore front load pair. My first thought was to simply replace the pair altogether with a new SQ pair...but now I'm thinking of getting the stacking option for the dryer, and putting a SQ 432 or 542 next to it. However, reading all this I'm concerned about the plumbing and perhaps it would be much easier to replace them altogether.

In my current home I have the 432 paired with a nearly 20 year old Maytag Dependable Care dryer, (gosh I wish the Maytag Dependable Care washers were still in production!). The distributor I purchased from did the installation and I noticed how far down the drain hose goes into the pipe, and like the Maytag before it, it pumps the water out of the tub really quickly. The new house I'm moving to is really old compared to where I am now...so I'm a bit concerned about draining on the SQ, especially since for this one I intend to do whatever I have to do to raise the water level and defeat the lid switch.

I'm curious...when I got my 432 new, ran a complete cycle at max water level (the unadjusted max) and a lot of soap, and I never noticed grease on any clothes I washed. I imagine that this "grease" issue is on any SQ top loader, not just the 542, right?

I did notice during the first few weeks a "metal" sort of scent when I'd use the machine, but it went away. When the machine was installed, the installers started a fill then advanced to spin and warned me of a "clicking" sound for the first spin which I think is from the belt which may develop an indentation from the drive pulley as it is stored, but smoothes out as it's used. I imagine the same clicking could occur with agitation or spin, whichever is first.

 

[rp2813]

Clicking Sound

You'll hear that same clicking sound when the belt starts going bad. 

 

Our Raytheon Amana had one of those fittings on the end of its drain hose.  It was a non-issue because it drained into a utility sink.  I prefer draining into a sink because it allows me to attach a mesh lint catcher to the end of the drain hose.  I replace it every month or two when it gets full.  It's a relief to know all of that lint isn't accumulating in the sewage line.

 

[frigilux]

John-- Polishing compound: Call Speed Queen's customer service about this non-issue and they tell you exactly what it is, their recommendation for getting rid of it, and how to remove it from items that have been stained. Sounds like a company dealing with an issue to me.

Having said that, this one gets filed under annoyance, not an "I'm writing my congressman" problem.

 

But this is why it does annoy me: Speed Queen is basically saying, "Hey, we want to you pay premium-level bucks for a washer that is virtually indistinguishable from one produced in 1970. Oh, and by the way, we expect you to scrub the greasy schmutz out of the tub because we decided that's not our job. Have a nice day!"

In spite of a well-documented preference for modern front-loaders, I'm glad the SQ is in the laundry room. It's a washer that behaves and operates exactly like vintage machine, right down to its mechanical timer. In twenty years I'll be in The Club!

[this post was last edited: 10/11/2013-07:04]

 

[combo52]

Non Issue, Polishing Compound ?

Hi Eugene, yes I have heard of this issue, however after selling over 150 of these washers I have yet to see one that required ANY cleaning or generated any complaints from a new customer, I installed 2 new AWN412s yesterday and noticed no problem with either.

 

The clicking noise that new SQ TL washers can make when put into the spin cycle has generated a lot of complaints also, but it also goes away as soon as the machine is run through a cycle and the belt gets warm and the flat spots in the belt go away.

 

I would not classify the SQ laundry appliances as premium priced appliances, we are selling the AWN412 for $739 including everything except any local tax. This is less than the average person spends on a new washer at Sears, Lows, Home Depot Etc.

SQs dryers are even less than that, where as most companies are now charging as much for the dryer the matches a particular washer as for the  washer itself. We are selling SQ electric dryers for as little as $569 including installation.

 

Even SQs FL washer is one of the bargains of all time in laundry appliances when you consider that it could last up to 50 years in normal home use. The FL SQs are the perfect machine for someone that likes fixing things, as even doing a bearing and seal change on one is easy, far easier in fact that doing a center seal or transmission on their TL washers.