Samsung spiders

[photopuppet]

I dismantled our 9 year old Samsung WF1802WFWS as the bearings were starting to get ropey and I wasn't sure what to expect with the drum spider condition as I had seen many photos of rotten ones and that the Samsung ones were fairly prone to this.
As you can see in the photo, I was completely blown away with the amazing condition of the spider looking like it had been fitted at the Samsung factory yesterday rather than 9 years ago! I think it has earned some nice new bearings.
Is there any secret to keeping it this way or anything special we did to stop it degrading?? (only thing done was monthly 75C drum clean with dishwasher tablet)

 

[combo52]

Congratulations on having your washer. Spyder remain in good condition and the machine is also clean obviously.

I don’t believe any washers Spider should ever corrode and break in the normal life of a machine. manufactures engineer these machines, to be durable and not have problems in the thousands of loads at these machines endured during testing.

As a service person I have seen hundreds of front load washers with broken spiders. It’s never been a surprise because the machines were always stinky and somewhat moldy. Obviously you know how to do laundry I’m sure your clothing is coming out clean and the machine is holding up well

I have never seen the need for even monthly cleaning of a washer. If you’re using it properly, the machine will stay clean and not corrode.

It would be interesting to know what water conditions your machine is subject to and what general methods you use for doing laundry.

John

 

[photopuppet]

Hi John,thanks for the reply,

I think the science is fascinating behind what conditions ultimately contribute to the degradation of the mechanical components in washers. It's a pity there doesn't seem to be more research or data behind it.

I've not really done anything I would have considered special with this Samsung - we live in an area with very hard water east of London UK and the only cycles that have ever really been used are the Cottons 40C and Daily Wash 40C. Consumables used are liquid non-bio detergent and then laundry sanitizer for rinse (no fabric conditioner ever).
Because of the hard water, I would normally run the Eco Drum Clean (75) with a dishwasher tablet and now and again with the lactic acid descaling liquid left over from use on the kettles.

One thing I was worried about - do you think the use of dishwasher tablets contributed to the oil seal and bearing blowing prematurely?

(I have just fitted new Dunlop 6205-2RS and 6206-2RS bearings with oil seal and a new tub seal, running very slick again! - I wish Samsung would mount the bearings in a rear frame so the entire thing didn't require dismantling!)

Cheers!
Nick

 

[me]

I've also seen lots of photos of disintegrating Samsung spiders when I was looking into UK sold machines that still have replaceable bearings.

I noticed that quite a lot of them showed drums and tubs coated in brown gunge, and some complaining that their machine stank, and I would think that gunge would keep the spider damp and subject to corrosion between washes.

I think it is due to washing at too low a temperature, resulting in bacteria and mould growing in residue left by some ingredients from the detergent and conditioner, plus grease and dirt deposits from the laundry. I'd guess another possibility for brown stains is some might have iron in their water that's precipitated out by their detergent.

Anyway, this class action against Whirlpool over bacteria and mould build up and smells in their machines was mentioned in another forum -

https://web.archive.org/web/2014032...09/Whirlpool-Certification-Denied-Reasons.pdf

"A very small number of these washers had aluminum crosspieces that exhibited biofilm-related intergranular corrosion."

It also mentions Whirlpool changing the alloy used for the spider to one containing less copper to prevent it. So maybe Samsung have used a similar alloy.

 

[mark_wpduet]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

every single solitary youtube video I've seen of the uploader taking apart their machine or someone else's machine complaining how horrible the machines are...in EVERY SINGLE CASE the outer drum, the boot, everything looks disgusting. And they add on top of that the reason these machines are disgusting is the fault of the fact that they don't use enough water. While I agree they could use a little more water... it's 100% the laundry habits of the user.. I'm convinced of that at this point. I wasn't sure years ago...but now I am.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

laundry habits

Most people are too stupid to be doing laundry. Look at their laundry habits. It really gets on my last nerves when they do that!