Samsung Washer Explosion Repairs

[washerdude]

Came across the repairs they were making on the Samsung washers. All I can say, is how cheap and lazy it is (Not surprised considering it's Samsung)Please bare with me as I go off on with a little rant.

Basically all that's being done to "fix" this issue is a new cycle overlay sticker, and a new bracket for the top to avoid it flying off. All the overlay seems to do is just re-brand cycles, not even bother to give a software update to the machine, with obnoxious warning labels all over the washer now. So how in the *&#$ does this fix the issue? Even LG did a better job creating a solution (because it actually IS a solution) to this problem by adding chunkier suspension...not silly labels. That being said, I at least expected thicker more capable suspension rods, sure the top may not fly off now, but it looks as if this problem is still present in the machine which it clearly and obviously is and still can happen.

But hey, whatever works and is cheap right? And yeah I guess this solution will work...but not even updating the software? Not even adding better shock absorbers and suspension at least...?

 

[kb0nes]

They went the Ford route

Granted Ford had a LOT more units to recall. But they also had a couple dozen more deaths...

 

[logixx]

LG initially did the same: add warning stickers and reprogram the spin cycle to be super sensitive. There are actually a bunch of threads and YT videos of people who complain that their LG WaveForve no longer spins or takes twice as long due to continuous rebalancing.

Gotta love the new "Normal - NO BEDDING" cycle and the corresponding stickers. Maybe Samsung should have just used pictures on the cycle dial for all those illiterate people out there...

 

[lorainfurniture]

The only thing wrong with the machine is user error. You should not wash one waterproof item on a heavy duty cycle.

As long as you wash the appropriate items on the appropriate cycle the machine will not fail in any way. Quite frankly I don't even know why there is a recall on them.

I am, However, super happy about it. These machines have been pouring in my shop, literally like 50 or more so far. They all work perfectly, I install the stupid $10 kit and resell.

 

[laundromat]

I had an LG CW1101 and it NEVERhad any off balance issues. I would cram it full of things including two nine foot runners at a time. The buyer who uses it to sanitize the cheese cloth he uses to make goat cheese,still has it and loves it. He also has the red FL TROM pair loving them too.

 

[brucelucenta]

As far as I personally am concerned, top load HE washers of this type are garbage and not worth the powder it would take to blow them up. So why bother?

 

[mayken4now]

The dog in the barking during video #3 is disturbing!  The washer is a pile of junk in my opinion, just like Bruce said.

 

[panthera]

Sigh.

How long have we had automatic washers? How long has it been known that one item in a vertical axis tub, spinning at high speed, will cause an out-of-balance condition?

Right, we just found out about all of this in 2016.

Sheesh.

 

[mtn1584]

Next up.......................

SAMSUNG WILL ISSUE A RECALL ON ALL OF THEIR MOBILE PHONES! USERS ARE ASKED NOT TO USE THE PHONES UNTIL WARNING STICKERS ARE PLACED ON THEM INFORMING USERS OF A POSSIBLE EXPLOSION WHEN NOT USED PROPERLY.

USERS ARE ASKED NOT TO PLACE CELL PHONE IN POCKET
USERS ARE ASKED NOT TO PLACE CELL PHONE NEXT TO THEIR EAR, EYES OR FACE
USERS ARE ASKED TO PLACE CELL PHONE ON FIRE PROOF OBJECT (NOT PROVIDED)
USERS ARE ASKED TO DIAL NUMBER WHILE PHONE IS ON FIRE PROOF OBJECT THEN RUN LIKE HELL INTO THE NEXT ROOM.
USERS ARE REMINDED TO TAKE COVER IN THE EVENT OF AN EXPLOSION AND TO CALL 911 IN AN EMERGENCY.

THESE INSTRUCTIONS ALSO APPLY TO OUR WASHERS WHEN WASHING BEDDING ON THE WRONG CYCLE! EXCEPT THERE IS NO NEED TO PLACE THE WASHER ON A FIRE PROOF OBJECT.
THE WASHER WILL HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER INSIDE THE TUB TO EXTINGUISH THE EXPLOSION

THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING SAMSUNG CHINESE MADE PRODUCTS
WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SAFETY.

MIKE

 

[kb0nes]

Bear in mind when comparing the recall of the phone vs the washer.

There are MANY MANY more phones out in the wild.

The failure of the phone and it's potential for damage is FAR worse then the worst case scenario with the washer. It isn't a likely scenario that the exploding washer would cause a mid-air disaster for a jumbo jet for instance.

You can't compare the recall of the Note 7 vs the non-recall of the washers in any reasonable way.

Well other then they are both Samsung

 

[earthling177]

I'll be the stick in the mud and disagree with a bunch of people here.

But I have to point out how entirely ludicrous this situation is when you look from the point of view of engineering/engineers.

How stupid can a company *be* to release appliances like that? Even washers from the earliest automatic washer era were able to detect serious imbalances and stop. If they did *nothing* else, they should be able to just stop and wait for the user to fix the situation and restart the machine.

I call bullshit on the company because it's not like their washers have no sensors inside, they probably have more than enough sensors to at the very least say "Hey, I think we should halt all activity right now and wait for user input" *built-in*, just use it. It seems from the situations that the sensors have not been activated or mis-programmed.

Also, in case they don't have a crucial part to work as a sensor, the parts are available for very close to a dime a dozen, it's a shame that probably some engineer designed the machine with it and some stupid bean counter removed it later in the project.

And trust me, with the current prices one could put a laser, some mirrors and some laser readers there and have a very sophisticated "is this machine just a bit unbalanced or is it dangerous?" system for less than the cheapest CD-players they sell at CVS go for. If CVS or Target can get you an entire portable CD-player, with profit, for less than 20 bucks, the washers' manufacturers should be able to put something way less complicated inside the washer for less than $5, which means they are trying to save five bucks and then spending way more than that with litigation, fixes etc.

As for people who ask "why are they washing waterproof clothing in the heavy cycle?", well, how about because it may be heavily soiled? Isn't it stupid that we are over 50 years into the automatic washer era and now you have to put something that *is* heavy-duty construction, not delicate at all, in the "delicate" cycle, sometimes multiple times if it's very dirty, because some bozo who can't understand economics, business, computers *and* the market they are trying to sell for, to use the very same computers they already have inside the washer, or, if they want a much better machine, add $5 in parts and make the machine sense and behave sensibly in such a situation? It's *trivial* to get sensors and interrupts to tell the computer "stop spinning, give it 30 seconds to drain the water from the garment, try spinning again; if you can't after 3 tries, stop, wait for input" or even more complicated stuff, like perhaps fill a bit, agitate a few seconds, try again.

Just going "wheeee! 1,200 rpm for *everything* *all* the time!" and self-destructing is a sign that either you don't want clients or you don't want to be manufacturing *this* particular appliance. The technology is there to be used. Use it.

And, really, they advertise the appliances as if they were *completely* automatic, dispensers and all. Why not *make* it completely automatic? Why do we need people to stay around to pay attention to the spins and/or repeat cycles until the clothes get clean *unless* the *users* *want* to watch the washer for fun?

It's absurd to sell a washer for over a grand when they are worse than the BOL $250 Sears job we used to get.

Cheers,
-- Paulo.

 

[mtn1584]

Btw....

my post was a joke kbOnes!
Jeeze

 

[qualin]

I always thought that this problem could be avoided by placing G sensors on the tub so that if it does violently bang against the cabinet, a tub brake can bring the tub quickly and safely to a halt. Hopefully it can rebalance the load safely instead of spinsploding.

The labels are a step in the right direction to fix an existing problem, but it doesn't resolve the overall problem. These machines have a poorly designed suspension system, which can't compensate properly for items shifting in the tub at high spin speeds.

Heck, is it me, or shouldn't I be able to slam the tub against the cabinet with my hand when the machine is at rest with not a lot of force? I can't do that with other conventional top loaders. Can anyone with a Speed Queen Top loader do the same?

So, it all comes back to one question I posed on another post, If Frigidaire, when it was GM-Owned, could build washers that spun up to 1150 RPM and didn't spinsplode, why can't LG and Samsung? There wasn't any "waterproof" or "bedding" cycles on those old machines. Oh wait, yeah, different suspension systems.

I guess more to the point, I think this is a lame fix to the problem, but at least Samsung is doing something about the problem.

 

[brucelucenta]

Have enough intelligence not to buy a top load HE washer and you will NEVER have this problem to begin with.

 

[sbond22]

shouldn't I be able to slam the tub against the cabinet

FWIW I can push the tub of my SQ against the cabinet with one finger. It's also so smooth when running that I have to open the lid to tell whether it's agitating or spinning.

 

[imperial70]

What Sbond22 said. The SQ tub spins so smooth even with throw rug in it.It's the suspension. Why did manufacturers stop using the pedestal suspension. I hope when SQ introduces it's next gen machines they do not change that suspension. Every machine that had the pedestal suspension (Westinghouse, Whirlpool(DD), Maytag, ....) never had these spin problems.

 

[lorainfurniture]

Not really an apples to apples comparison. The speed queen tl spins at 710 rpm and the Samsung is like 1200. Generically speaking it spins almost twice as fast.

Let me preface by saying the Samsung is not a reliable washer even before This recall. They are right on par with the rest of manufacturers by being a 3-7 year throw away unit.

It is a GREAT performer however, it does an excellent job cleaning. I think it's a good looking unit, with a huge capacity.

 

[sbond22]

The speed queen tl spins at 710 rpm

I thought the clothes seemed rather damp after running a load while my wife was out of town. Nothing the Florida sun couldn't handle after a few hours though.

 

[washman]

Funny

how some 50's era Frig units spun at 1140 RPM and they never flew apart or did damage to a home.

It all comes down to design, metallurgy, and quality material.

Use the cheapest of the cheap, well we all know how that works out.

Perhaps instead of focusing on 34 cycles, sanitize cycles and other useless do-dads, they should go back to basic engineering 101 and build a better machine.

More the reason I like my crude, old fashioned SQ. Works as designed and is fixable and never needs "rebooted".