New Whirlpool FL Washers Use MORE Water

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support AutomaticWasher.org:

joe_in_philly

joe_in_philly

Well-known member
Bronze Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
628
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Comparing similar models, the new models appear to use more water and energy based on Energy Star website information. Although Whirlpool's FL washer's performance is rated fairly highly rated by consumer reports, perhaps Whirlpool realized that they needed to use more water and possibly higher temps to increase performance. I think that is a good thing. Hopefully they didn't decrease the top final spin speed, which is 1400RPM in the current model.

The WFW94HEA* model is the current model, and the WFW95HED* model will be coming out soon.

Some Observations:
1) The Modified Energy Factor (MEF). The higher the value, the more efficient the washer. The new model has a lower MEF.

2) The Water Factor (WF). The lower the value, the more water efficient the washer. The new model has a higher WF.

3) The Annual Water Used is 4582.87 for the old model, and 5280.24 for the new model.

[this post was last edited: 4/2/2014-16:21]

joe_in_philly++4-2-2014-12-01-35.jpg
 
I noticed the same thing in the Consumer Reports ratings. The very similar Whirlpool-made Maytags are rated as Excellent in water efficiency, while the upper-end Whirlpools are rated Very Good, leading one to assume they use a bit more water than the Maytags.

I prefer the Whirlpool 98 model to the top-of-the-line Maytag 8000 due to added flexibility in using the Extra Hot water setting in several cycles. You don't have to choose the Sanitize cycle, which is really, really long on the PoolTags.
 
This would be great news if a manufacturer finally realized that their units are not using enough water. The new model looks to have a slightly larger volume, so I wonder if the extra water will amount to better rinses. I guess it would if it wasn't filled to capacity but if the machine matches the water to the load size...I donno.

Hey I like knobs so no problem for me.

Will be great to see videos of these new machines.
 
So glad you posted this

What a relief! My Duet from 2005 is 9 years old this month. I've been DREADING the thought of buying a new front load washer over the years because each year, the water usage got lower and lower.......and now, that seems not to be the case
 
The earlier WP made Duet's and HE3t's

must be pretty good machines. I've heard of several people mention theirs is approaching 11 years old. I think they were made in Germany, at least mine was.
 
Great information Joe! Thanks!
My original Kenmore Elite is almost 12 years old. W/D set. They are still working as the day they were new. I have never had an issue with the dryer except for the usual cleaning to keep it "lint-free". The washer had to have a new front seal done and it was easily done by me. (and it was my fault for the damage) It also needed a new drain pump that was so easy to fix. Everything else is original. Fantastic cleaning and I never do small loads.
Glad you posted this about the new machines.
Brent
 
I think the WFW 9750 was one of the last Germany-made units under the Whirlpool brand. Guess that would be the HE5t under the Kenmore name. Not sure about Maytag. The Sport models were made in Mexico.

I think the earlier models were more fun in some ways. After the interim spin, I have seen the new models come to a full stop before filling. Mine still keeps the drum at distribution speed for some time while filling and some even earlier models distributed until they stopped filling.
 
My HE3t has a flow meter, so it measure how much water is used for the wash part of the cycle, and then does a calculation adding a certain amount extra for the rinse. So it doesn't need to measure the water level when filling for the rinses. If I divert a little water out of the drawer during the wash fill into a bucket, the rinses will fill to a much deeper level than are normal.

The newer WP FL washers, at least the models without the automatic detergent dispensers, do not have a flow meter. It is my guess that they need to be able to measure the water in the drum during the rinse fill, so they don't spin while filling. Many years ago when the duet first came out, I remember viewing a video of a whirlpool rep talking about a whirlpool patent for FL washers that involved the spin-fill - saying that it pulled more of the detergent solution out of the load for better rinsing. I believe the newer WP washer have longer spins after the wash than the older ones, increasing rinsing effectiveness. When the first FL came out in the US, low sudsing detergent wasn't as ubiquitous, so WP washers were designed with a brief spin after the wash, possibly to avoid stirring up too much suds. Ironically, the spin-fill seems to create suds, especially with loads like towels, although they quickly subside once the rinse begins.
 
I can remember a commercial that Whirlpool had talking about "Catalyst Cleaning". It would of course show the Whirlpool Catalyst toploader spinning with the soap mixture then fresh water entering, but it also showed the Duet Spinning while fresh water entered into the drum.
 
My Lavamat

Will do spin fills on rinses using the famous "jet spray" as well. Yes, it does whip up quite a bit of froth. Sometimes you think the water will be clear but soon as enough is in the tub that the load becomes saturated, out comes the suds if detergent residue is present.
 
Joe - in - Philly

I can't remember if it was you or someone else, but on my Duet, I can hit a certain sequence and get a real clean washer cycle. I posted this a few years ago, but it wasn't working on some other people's machines.....So either my machine has old or new software.....

It's been a while since I've used it on mine, but I think it's :

Rinse/Spin Warm/Cold/ Low Spin speed/ Cycle signal softer, and press extra rinse three times.
 
Thanks. I tried again now, and still haven't been able to get it to work. I even tried adjusting the settings up and down a position since my HE3t has extra settings (like extra slow spin/tap cold), thinking maybe it is a positional thing. I think my washer is the first version of this line.
 
Yes

For example, mine doesn't have prewash......so on the machines with prewash or autosoak, I think those buttons are used in the sequence.......but since you tried that, it must be a software thing......Mine was built in Germany in Oct 2004.

Too bad, because it's an AWESOME Cycle. The only thing I don't like about it is it doesn't use very hot water. More warm water and a lot of it and the motions are crazy and fast with water going everywhere. It would be better if the water got hot. The drum is barely warm when it's over.
 
hidden clean washer cycle

I've got the KitchenAid version of the Duet and have tried every combination of buttons I can think of but can't get any clean washer cycle to activate. It was made in Germany in 2006.
 
Hey Mark, thanks for the link. I reread the old thread and tried all the suggested sequences, plus a bunch of variations of them, but came up empty. Since most of the parts in the KitchenAid are the same as those in your Duet, and they were probably both built in the same factory in Germany around the same time, it's weird that the hidden cycle is on some machines but not others. I can understand why it wouldn't show up on a Kenmore branded version, but Whirlpool and KitchenAid are brandmates and it seems like they'd share programming or something. But no, apparently not.
 
I know

strange indeed.

But I can say this..........

I really could do without that cycle, even though it's fun to have. The only time I use it is if I've washed something like the cat blankets or something the cat has slept on......and the machine will have hair in it.....it flushes all the hair out.......but it still doesn't clean down in the door seal as good as it should, I think because the temp of the water never gets above warm. It needs to be HOT HOT HOT, then it would do much better. (at least on mine)...I still get coffee maker hot water and a clean rag with rubber gloves to clean the inside of the door seal every so often.....doesn't take much time.
 
Logixxx

Do the door seals in the Euro machines still need to be cleaned? I can imagine that they would, even though they use more water. I notice the area that needs to be cleaned is from the 4 o'clock to the 8 o'clock positions (for me very occasionally) and I'm sure more often for those with bad laundry habits.
 
I don't think I'd really need to clean the door boot unless I oversuds the machine, while washing something in there that sheds a lot of lint. Once the suds are gone, lint will still stick to the door boot (yes, four and eight o' clock) and needs to be wiped off. I still do, however, wipe everything with a small towel just to keep the washer in immaculate condition and to avoid these pesky water spots that we get here from the well water.

 

Oh, and about my comment on the universal lack of cleaning cycles: that was just referring to our "Duets" - other washers have them now. Generally, Euro machines also use little water - it's the extra cycles that will get the water level up like this rinse on Delicates:

logixx++4-7-2014-19-52-32.jpg
 

Similar threads

W
Whirlpool Washer Rant!
3 4 5
Replies
132
Views
7K
DADoES
DADoES
W
Whirlpool VMW’s with load size selectors: What do you think of them
Replies
2
Views
174
user 12105
U
M
Almost brand new Whirlpool washer with bad control board
Replies
29
Views
3K
gelaundry4ever
G
W
My brother’s Whirlpool washer is bouncing AGAIN!
Replies
0
Views
160
whirlpool862
W
Unimatic1140
An Interesting Test with a New Meter
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
maytag85
maytag85

Latest posts

Back
Top