Pics Of New Frigidaire TL'er At Work: The First Load

[wiskybill]

Hi Eugene,
I was at my parents house yesterday and mom was doing laundry. Her Frigidaire TL is about 10 yrs old now and still no repairs. Not quite as deluxe as yours but the tub and agitator look the same. Hers does fill to the top row of holes in the tub. She also has a Frigidaire dryer about 6 yrs old,looks as if it could be the same model as yours, with no issues either.
I did notice how quiet hers was, with almost a soothing sound as it agitated, not like the DD WP/KM. The drain pump was almost silent as well.
Hope yours serve you well!
Bill

 

[cvillewasherbo]

Hi Frig--I looked again today and the water level on the large setting fills up to the 3rd row of holes, leaving two below the tub ring. Mine does not have the corkscrew agitator as yours does. It is, however, a bigger straight vane than the BOL model we saw at Lowes. I actually haven't had any loads that I could use the lower water levels so don't know about them. I believe that all in all I prefer my new machine to the 15 year old WP that I left in my condo. My new F'daire is quieter and has a slower stroke. I still like straight vane slower stroke machines.
Courtney--C'villewasherboi

 

[frigilux]

Courtney-- I agree; It's refreshing to see a new machine that doesn't agitate at 160 opm.

Bill-- Someone was asking if there was a separate, smaller pump motor and I didn't know the answer because I haven't opened the machine up at all. I guess that answers the question! I didn't mean to imply the machine was really loud; it isn't. It's just that my FL'er is so quiet by comparison---until the spin cycle, of course.

 

[toggleswitch]

It was De-rigeur to have one motor only for the longest time. In the beginning of automatics, it was beleived that the more motors, the more chances for mechanical failure.

Of course,today motor failures is not a huge quality /reliability issue. Having two motors makes for mechanical simplification /stream-lining. Spin drains are not in vogue in that they serve to add more and unnecessary stress to the spin motor, more than anything else.

Apparently the concept of the benefit it would provide, to wash-action and laundry results, is secondary. Methinks a neutral drain allows for a motor of smaller hors-power (capacity/strength).

When I advanced the timer manually of my new GE T/L washer such that it was still draining as it began to spin, the motor promptly shut down and went on strike (thermal overload protection). I was a bit disappointed.

 

[frigilux]

Togs--- I thought the motor in my TL would be smaller, but it's 3/4 horsepower! Don't you love having a mechanical timer on your machine? Working in analog is veddy, veddy old school, but I love the ease with which you can repeat, jump, skip and hop all over the place during a cycle. With two washers, I'm hoping I can make both of them last into Vintagehood. "Gee, Daddy, did all washers look like a bar of soap back at the turn of the century?" "No, son, just mine."

 

[toggleswitch]

I like the mechanical timer on your T/L-er.

I believe the timer on the front-loading frigidiare you have (I have the same one)is a hybrid digital/computerized & mechanical. Didn't someone say it counts the revolutions of the drum before it advances?

 

[frigilux]

Wow, I had no idea about the timer on the FL. That's interesting. Apparantly it's on full-mechanical operation during spins, because it will advance as scheduled on the rare occcasion the load won't balance enough to spin.

 

[frigilux]

BTW, I pulled the machine away from the wall (no mean feat, as all three machines have to be moved due to the fact all the hoses are stretched to the max), opened the console and found the water pressure dome thingy. There is no screw to adjust, damn it.

There is, however, some plastic doohicky with a blob of red paint on it. It looks like it might be the adjuster (it goes into the pressure dome further as you set the water level knob higher). It appears to take some odd little allen wrench to turn it. And I have no teeny allen wrenches. SO, I put it all back and decided to leave it alone for now.

 

[alr2903]

Frigilux

When the spin motor stops, there is a continued, maybe 20 seconds of pump motor noise on mine, Still new and under warranty so i will leave well enough alone. I feel certain the pump has its own motor. When i first used it kinda reminded me of that old SQ solenoid quality about it coasting to a stop but the pump noise continuing. I think I will defer from tampering with the fill level, I do the reset thing too and add a little extra water when necessary. alr2903

 

[frigilux]

I was going to pull the front off, but there are a couple of pieces of what appears to be shipping tape along the side edges of the front panel. I'm wondering if this is to alert a service person if someone has tampered with the machine while the warranty is still in play. Decided I'd best leave it alone for now. The washer seems to work perfectly, but I'd hate to jeopardize my warranty just yet. Or maybe the tape was just there for shipping and my dealer/installer just forgot to remove it.

I'll have to listen for the pump motor. It does sound a little different when changing from agitation to spin. I haven't noticed the 20 seconds of a pump motor at the completion of the cycle, but I haven't been listening for it, either.

Glad you like your Frigidaire, too. They're really not a bad machine at all, just plain.

 

[frigilux]

Just saw my Frigidaire dealer and he said there's no way to adjust the water level higher on my new machine. Apparantly the pressure domes are pre-set and that's, that. Damn it. Oh, well; worse things happen at sea, as my Dad used to say...

 

[launderess]

Guess word is getting back to appliance makers that people are "hacking" their washers to add more water, which defeats the government's purposes in terms of water usage; so they are installing systems that cannot be adjusted.

L

 

[frigilux]

You're probably right, Launderess. I keep reminding myself that it's only 2" of water---nothing to grind one's teeth over.

Besides, I may still figure out a way to fool it. There are little gear teeth connected with holding the pressure thingy in place for whatever water level is chosen. If I can jam it a bit and make it skip a few teeth over, it will fill with more water. I just don't want to break the plastic doohickey with the little plastic gear teeth on it.

Please excuse my Luddite terminology. Having never seen a service manual, I don't know the proper names for all the parts.

 

[westytoploader]

Congratulations Eugene...great matching row of, ummm, "FrigiLuxes"! I've always wanted to see how one of these agitators would work with an indexing tub. Very neat!

I get that same problem sometimes in the Studio with the "standpipe foam"; probably has to do with the detergent-laden water crashing at the bottom of the pipe and, of course, sudsing in the process! Annoying to say the least!

And those damn non-adjustable pressure switches...can't believe they're putting them in TLs as well! It's nice having a Reset option (and for those Kenmo' people without that setting at the end of the dial, just hold the dial between the level indicators to fill higher), but I definitely understand the convenience of a preset higher level!

--Austin

 

[frigilux]

Thanks, Austin. My final plan of attack is to see if my dealer can order an older-style, adjustable pressure switch. He confirmed (as did Bill, above) that slightly older versions of this washer filled to the top row of holes.