Samsung 220 volt-Vented Combo Has Been Delivered - First Impressions

[Marky_Mark]

Hope you're enjoying your new machine, Robert! As much as we all love vintage washers, it's nice to have one modern FL on hand to accommodate the big and awkward stuff. And if it also happens to be a combo, well then even better!

Have you had a chance to use your new power meter to see what the Samsung draws when it's heating the water and when drying? I wonder if it has one drying element that it cycles on/off or if it has two elements.

How does the dryer's airflow out of the vent compare to your other dryers?
Can you notice much of a difference in the drying function, such as time taken, the general look, feel and smell of the clothes, etc.?
Would also be interesting to know the tumbling profile during drying.

Looking forward to seeing your updates and reviews of this machine over the coming days/months.
Mark

 

[Unimatic1140]

Hope you're enjoying your new machine, Robert! As much as we all love vintage washers, it's nice to have one modern FL on hand to accommodate the big and awkward stuff. And if it also happens to be a combo, well then even better!

Have you had a chance to use your new power meter to see what the Samsung draws when it's heating the water and when drying? I wonder if it has one drying element that it cycles on/off or if it has two elements.

How does the dryer's airflow out of the vent compare to your other dryers?
Can you notice much of a difference in the drying function, such as time taken, the general look, feel and smell of the clothes, etc.?
Would also be interesting to know the tumbling profile during drying.

Looking forward to seeing your updates and reviews of this machine over the coming days/months.
Mark

Thanks Mark. My meter only works as a one wire pass through meaning you place one of the two leads (hot or neutral) through the block to get the readings. The combo is 220 volt and has a three wire system obviously. I don't think there is a way to measure 220 volt using this meter on a three wire system at least in the US. I do know from the specs that the water heater is 120 volt.

The drying time and air flow seem to match a standard electric dryer. It's the fastest drying combo I've ever seen, that's for sure. The look and feel of clothing seems to be very acceptable as I use fabric softener in colors and white tee-shirts so they are soft and comfortable to wear.

Now for towels it's a different story. The machine has trouble drying towels unless I select "low" dosage of softener. I dislike adding softener to towels but If I don't add a bit of softener the towels never peel off the sides of the drum and do not dry, this has happened more than once. I never use softener in towels because washing them in Unimatic and drying them in a gas dryer produces extremely soft and absorbent towels. The results out of the combo are similar to when the rare times I have washed towels in the LG, the result is a bit scratchy and not soft towels which I do not like. They are scratchy even after adding the "low" softener amount in the Samsung. I don't really know the reasons for this although if I would guess I would say there could be multiple reasons for this:

#1 Poor rinsing compared to an overflow rinse top load which leaves the water nearly clear by the time it goes into final spin?
#2 High temperature washing may have something to do with this?
#3 High detergent concentration does something to the fabrics?

Out of sheer curiosity I asked ChatGPT AI: "Washing big towels in 1958 solid-tub top loading Frigidaire washer vs a 2025 Samsung or LG washer front loader the towels are much softer after drying in the 1958 top loading machine vs a 2025 front loading washer. Why do you think that could be?"

AI response (doesn't mean AI is right but it is interesting in what it came up with):

• Water volume and rinse quality – The 1958 Frigidaire used a very high water level and overflow deep rinses. That removed nearly all traces of detergent and minerals. Modern front-loaders use much less water, so even small detergent or mineral residues remain on fibers, making towels feel stiffer once dry.
• Mechanical action differences – The solid-tub Frigidaire used strong “Jet-Action” agitation, which physically flexed and separated the towel loops in a water-rich environment. Front-loaders rely on tumbling, which compresses fabrics together during the wash, resulting in less fiber loft and a denser texture after drying.
• Water temperature and mineral interaction – The older machine likely used cooler hot wash water directly from the household hot water supply. Modern washers can heat wash water hotter but limit rinse temperatures (often cool to very cold), which can leave hardness minerals on fibers that make them rougher.
• Detergent formulation vs. water use – High-efficiency detergents are designed for low-water environments but can still leave surfactant residues when towels are highly absorbent. The older washer’s high rinse volume simply carried everything away.

I will be no longer washing towels in the combo after these tests, even my boyfriend who has no idea how I washed them asked me why the towels feel like sandpaper compared to normal lol.

 

[appnut]

Does it use 220 or 120 volts to heat water during the wash cycle

 

[Unimatic1140]

Does it use 220 or 120 volts to heat water during the wash cycle

It uses 120 Bob, I wish the water heater in the machine was 220 but I assume they used the same heater from their 120v heat-pump Combo to keep it simple.

 

[Marky_Mark]

I hate overly scratchy towels too. I don't want to dry myself with sandpaper!

Have you tried washing a load of towels in the Samsung and drying them in the dryer that you normally use for towels? Or using the Samsung to dry a load of towels washed in the Unimatic? That would be an interest test too. But make sure you only put the soft towels out for your boyfriend

Yes I would suspect that rougher towels from an FL could be to do with how a TL flexes the towels underwater while an FL compresses them. I once did some experiments with a certain type of cheesecloth, believe it or not LOL. I took some cheesecloth and cut holes in the middle and then included them with my normal laundry in various machine, very similar to how CR tests for gentleness. All machines cause some degree of damage to the fragile cheesecloth, allowing you to see differences. One other thing I noticed is that the cheesecloth from FL machines emerges very creased, while from TL machines it comes out much smoother (albeit more damaged from a TL if using a longer wash with fast agitation). The other points in your post, such as high temp, detergent concentration in an FL and longer wash times are also prime suspects. My mum, who died a year ago today, used to tell me that I was washing the life out of my clothes! She would happily rewear some things whereas I always liked to wash everything after wearing once.

I have no experience with a clamp meter, but I think you should be able to measure the consumption of the Samsung with it. This is how I think it would work, assuming all the machine's 120-Volt consumption goes through only one leg:
If you clamp the L2 wire, the meter will measure only the 240-Volt consumption, which would only be the drying heater. So it should show no consumption when washing.
If you clamp the L1 wire, it will measure both the 120-Volt consumption and also any 240-Volt consumption that there may be.
If you clamp the neutral, it will measure only the 120-Volt consumption.
The only thing to keep in mind is that it will correctly measure the current flow but it will have no idea whether this is 240V or 120V going through the conductor. So if you are clamping the L2 for the dryer heater, you'll need to double the readings it gives for power and energy if the meter thinks it's measuring 120 V.

What is the power rating of this machine? It is shown as 120/240 Volts, 24 Amps, there or thereabouts, like an electric dryer? Or is the drying heater smaller than a typical electric dryer?

Mark

 

[launderess]

Thanks Mark. My meter only works as a one wire pass through meaning you place one of the two leads (hot or neutral) through the block to get the readings. The combo is 220 volt and has a three wire system obviously. I don't think there is a way to measure 220 volt using this meter on a three wire system at least in the US. I do know from the specs that the water heater is 120 volt.

The drying time and air flow seem to match a standard electric dryer. It's the fastest drying combo I've ever seen, that's for sure. The look and feel of clothing seems to be very acceptable as I use fabric softener in colors and white tee-shirts so they are soft and comfortable to wear.

Now for towels it's a different story. The machine has trouble drying towels unless I select "low" dosage of softener. I dislike adding softener to towels but If I don't add a bit of softener the towels never peel off the sides of the drum and do not dry, this has happened more than once. I never use softener in towels because washing them in Unimatic and drying them in a gas dryer produces extremely soft and absorbent towels. The results out of the combo are similar to when the rare times I have washed towels in the LG, the result is a bit scratchy and not soft towels which I do not like. They are scratchy even after adding the "low" softener amount in the Samsung. I don't really know the reasons for this although if I would guess I would say there could be multiple reasons for this:

#1 Poor rinsing compared to an overflow rinse top load which leaves the water nearly clear by the time it goes into final spin?
#2 High temperature washing may have something to do with this?
#3 High detergent concentration does something to the fabrics?

Out of sheer curiosity I asked ChatGPT AI: "Washing big towels in 1958 solid-tub top loading Frigidaire washer vs a 2025 Samsung or LG washer front loader the towels are much softer after drying in the 1958 top loading machine vs a 2025 front loading washer. Why do you think that could be?"

AI response (doesn't mean AI is right but it is interesting in what it came up with):

• Water volume and rinse quality – The 1958 Frigidaire used a very high water level and overflow deep rinses. That removed nearly all traces of detergent and minerals. Modern front-loaders use much less water, so even small detergent or mineral residues remain on fibers, making towels feel stiffer once dry.
• Mechanical action differences – The solid-tub Frigidaire used strong “Jet-Action” agitation, which physically flexed and separated the towel loops in a water-rich environment. Front-loaders rely on tumbling, which compresses fabrics together during the wash, resulting in less fiber loft and a denser texture after drying.
• Water temperature and mineral interaction – The older machine likely used cooler hot wash water directly from the household hot water supply. Modern washers can heat wash water hotter but limit rinse temperatures (often cool to very cold), which can leave hardness minerals on fibers that make them rougher.
• Detergent formulation vs. water use – High-efficiency detergents are designed for low-water environments but can still leave surfactant residues when towels are highly absorbent. The older washer’s high rinse volume simply carried everything away.

I will be no longer washing towels in the combo after these tests, even my boyfriend who has no idea how I washed them asked me why the towels feel like sandpaper compared to normal lol.

Commercial/industrial laundries that wash in hot water at or over 140 degrees F do not rinse in cold water for most part for normal/cottons/linens. Rather it's temps between 100 F to bit higher. Final rinse after two or more may be "cold", but that is likely it.

Cold be it water or air has same affect on many things, it causes them to constrict or shrink. Cold water rinsing after a very hot wash can cause detergent, soap and mineral residues to become trapped in fibers. Modern detergents in theory are slightly better than soaps of old in that regard, but still.

Take wash that has been rinsed in cold water and either wash again in hot or very water and or do a boil wash. You'd be surprised at what leeches out of one's wash. Whole trend of laundry "stripping" that has taken over Instagram or whatever via influencers shows that clean laundry isn't what it appears to be.

 

[launderess]

Dilution Rinse as it was first named over here came into effect in the 70`s when new washable fabrics were introduced such as Programme 9 by the HLCC (Home Laundering Consultative Council) and ITCL (International Care Labelling Codes) Laundry Councils, the White Nylon Lab Coat type fabrics which needed to be washed at 95F 38C near boiling and drip dry, prior to that the Programme 1 Whites 95f for cottons / linens always pumped out the hot water , now if you did an interim spin after a boil wash on those fabrics the creases would be set for Life !!

The only good start to a school day was catching the school bus outside the local pub which in the upstairs low sill bay window had a Hotpoint 1504 top loader from the 70`s doing a bar & kitchen towels wash which pumped out the near boiling water into a cast metal hopper on the outside wall and then dropped 20ft into the open grid down below, wonderful aroma of traditional high lather Persil and wafting of steam everywhere with squeaky clean drains and pavement getting an overflow wash.

In later years it became standard for a Cool Down Dilution Rinse for safety reasons as well, anyone touching the washer door glass or sink could get a nasty burn and then also as plastic plumbing waste pipes were introduced over cast they could warp, expand & leak if not properly supported and sealed.

My vintage Miele has a whole other cycle for Permanent Press that does several fills/drains as dilution rinse before final wash ends. This means one can wash all sorts of synthetics in very warm (120F) or even hot water (140F) to get them really clean, but not worry about creases and such.

 

[Marky_Mark]

That's interesting, Launderess. I personally always select a cold rinse, and "cold" is never particularly cold in the desert.
When doing a hot wash in my Neptune FL with the "stain cycle" option selected, the first rinse is pure hot water. And if you're doing a warm wash, then the first rinse is warm. This is when set to Hot/Cold or Warm/Cold. So I guess Maytag thought it would produce a better result. Having said that, the bleach is added during the first rinse on my model, so perhaps they just wanted the bleach to be more active, rather than improving the rinse.

 

[launderess]

That's interesting, Laundress. I personally always select a cold rinse, and "cold" is never particularly cold in the desert.
When doing a hot wash in my Neptune FL with the "stain cycle" option selected, the first rinse is pure hot water. And if you're doing a warm wash, then the first rinse is warm. This is when set to Hot/Cold or Warm/Cold. So I guess Maytag thought it would produce a better result. Having said that, the bleach is added during the first rinse on my model, so perhaps they just wanted the bleach to be more active, rather than improving the rinse.

Wash cycle is for washing, bleach cycle for bleaching....

When using chlorine bleach commercial laundries long have used first rinse cycle or last wash of a few for that process.

Whitening, stain removal and sanitizing power of chlorine bleach is almost instantaneous. Any stains not removed in five minutes (shorter time period with hotter water) with proper amount of good chlorine bleach isn't going to be removed. Longer contact time just increases chances of textile damage.

In terms of sanitation chlorine bleach performs that function better once bulk of microorganisms have been removed by one or more wash cycles.

If people read containers of EPA approved disinfectants directions invariably are different for cleaning versus disinfecting.

For latter surfaces first are cleaned of gross filth, then a proper solution of disinfectant is applied and allowed to work for whatever time period. Merely applying disinfectant to dirty surfaces won't do much good as the filth has home court advantage as it were. In both instances one could deal with situation by vastly increasing amount of chemical used, but even then that may not work.

Other thing about chlorine bleach is if wash still reeks of the stuff, then it hasn't been rinsed clear of chlorine bleach and or substance has not be neutralized. This is one of causes for whites or any other laundry routinely subjected to chlorine bleaching turning yellow. Chlorine bleach residue when subjected to heat of tumble drying or ironing causes that sort of discoloration. This also leads to textile damage such as tender areas and holes.

Single rinse of most top loading automatic washers then and now likely does not remove all traces of chlorine bleach.

 

[logixx]

What is the power rating of this machine? It is shown asOr is the drying heater smaller than a typical electric dryer?

It's the typical element you'd find in a washer/dryer, similar to what's inside an oven.

 

[Marky_Mark]

Thanks, Logixx. Interesting to see the type of element used, which Ben says is 5 kW.