Speed Queen AWN412 vs AWN542

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

Help Support :

New TL SQs

The 2nd deep rinse is a very wasteful feature, few if any TL washers had this feature 50 yaers ago and the lack of it is one of many reasons the Carlas MT A106 lasted this long.

The speed switch can be a weak point on the AWN542s because the full sustained motor current travels through this Chinese made switch, we see these switches fail on SQ and WP DD washers as well, and depending on how it fails it can take an expensive motor along with it.

The overall performance advantages of new FL washers are well documented, so I will not attempt to address that at this time [ check out the thread, what do you like about your Hi Efficiency washer ].

To everyone, when I offer advice on appliance related issues I do so with experience learned from dozens if not hundreds of real customers that I have met face to face and discussed these issues with. A single persons experience holds little or no statistical significance and I do not to quote these limited experiences when writing about appliance issues.
 
"To everyone, when I offer advice on appliance related issues I do so with experience learned from dozens if not hundreds of real customers that I have met face to face and discussed these issues with. "

You're far from the only one. Especially here. You've contributed a lot of helpful and accurate advice, but on some issues (the efficacy of cold water rinsing, somehow magically knowing that an extra rinse cycle will always be wasteful etc), you've been flat out wrong. Nobody is right about everything, but when corrected you tend to become stubborn and make even sillier claims about your own positions.
 
Dear Combo 52...

Look, I do not want to start controversies or arguments, and if I reply is only because I consider you a good member and really I care about clearing things up with you, if it wasn't so I'd just ignore and abstain from replying further like I do with people I don't consider much in here, so please don't consider this as bitching or personal, I start with saying that of course everyone is free to share their opinions and findings and of course always trying to be helpful doing so, you found FL to be better and so you of course are going to suggest them, but I think it's wise trying not to talk as an absolute fact since, as we all know, not everyone is of this opinion and may strongly disagree, moreover suggesting to read a thread called....., "what do you like about your Hi Efficiency washer ]" you only give one part of the story...
I think it's normal that in a thread called "HE, ECO, Low water and Enerrgy let's hear your positive experiences" or " what you liike of your HE" you have people sharing their POSITIVE experiences and not ones having bad experiences to tell, since these threads calls out for people having good experiences, this does not mean that there are not many others that had negative experiences though!
Of course I don't talk based on my own experiences only either, but of the ones of many other people I had occasion to talk with directly or read their thoughts in various venues and occasions...
I think no-one can determine whatever has to be taken as an absolute inconceivable fact....
I cannot absolutely deny as you say that there are many people actually being happy with their FL, HE etc....but cannot deny the same way there're many others for which it's just the opposite....

[this post was last edited: 4/11/2014-03:01]
 
AWN412

Carly,

I have the Speed Queen AWN412 and love it! It's a no-frills machine that gets the job done without lid locks, dumbed-down water temperatures, and fill flow restrictors. While I considered the extra features of the AWN542, I assumed that this model simply fulfilled another price point for Alliance. I asked myself, "Would I really use these features? Is there more that could possibly go wrong down the road?" The lady who sold me my washer and dryer said most people consider the AWN412 over other models higher up in the line. That finalized my decision....

Rob
 
AWN412

It is still a 2 Speed Machine after all. You simply choose the speed with the cycle instead of an independent switch. Not a deal breaker either way.

Malcolm
 
Ditto what Malcom said.  The 412 is a two-speed, but the cycle selected dictates the speeds.  On the 452, you have more control over the speeds, that's all.

 

If it were up to me I'd find middle ground, wait for a 432 and keep using the 106 in the meantime. 
 
On my choice of the 542: The 412 is a 2-speed machine, but you can only get slow agitation on the Delicate cycle, which utilizes an intermittent agitation/soak protocol. The 542 is the only SQ in which you can opt for continuous slow agitation using either the Regular or Perm Press cycles. I use the slow agitation/fast spin speed on those cycles quite often.

This may not be an important feature to others, but it's one I appreciate having.[this post was last edited: 4/11/2014-16:54]
 
Slow Agitation / Fas Spin

using it right now for a load of knit pants and shirts. They come out perfect in my AWN542. Second rinse? I'd rather have the 2nd rinse switch be an extended spin switch. I do use a second rinse but I find myself forgetting to turn the switch off and getting it when I don't want it. :-) Also, there is a long delay (IMHO) between final spin and second rinse.

That news about the Fabric select switch is somewhat disturbing. I wonder what causes the switch to fail. Switching it while the motor is running? If that's the case I'll turn off the machine before turning the fabric selector. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Arcing

I suppose changing the speed switch while the machine is operating could be the source of eventual contact failure. Better to be safe than sorry, I suppose.

In any case, someone coming from a Maytag A108 should be perfectly contented with an AWN412 machine.

Malcolm
 
Speed Selector Switch On SQ TL 542s

I did not say not to change speeds when the machine is running, and I dough that it will make much difference if you do, often when we have seen these switches fail the customer reports that they never change this switches setting at all. I suppose that if you sat there and flipped the switch from setting to setting constantly it might shorten its life, but even if it is never changed a lot of current is going through the contacts and terminals of this switch and it could fail anyway.
 
Some clarification on a prior comment

""The spray rinse is sort of moot when you have a deep rinse in most any TL machine."

Guys this amounts to outright disinformation. If this or any feature is "just plain wasteful" it would not survive over a half century. "

Let me explain. Spray rinse ONLY occurs after the 1st drain and during 1st spin. It sprays for 30 seconds.

Then the washer fills for the 1st rinse. Then it spin drains. At no other point does the spray rinse kick in. Not even if you use the 2nd rinse option.

Not sure where you're coming from, but I hardly consider that statement to be misinformation. As Yogitunes pointed out, back in the day of high sudsing detergents, yes, it would matter. But not now with the HE approved liquids and low suds powders such as Sears.
 
Washman, compare odors from two loads of laundry washed with LCB, one with a spray rinse and one without, and you'll understand why they're important. The simple reason is because no actual rinsing takes place during a deep rinse agitation. None. Residual detergent/bleach/etc is simply redistributed from clothes to the water. So the more of this residual that can be removed prior to the deep rinse, the better.
 
I never and say never use LCB, but as for bleach and detergent I can fully see how it can be useful to a better deeper rinse, moreover it is not even matter of high or low sudsing detergent for me, I can tell you from an european point of view that really spray rinse makes a substantial difference with any detergent!
Even by using european (automatic low sudsing) detergents you get froth! and especially in low water settings,, and believe it or not in the filter flo I also get suds locks in large loads of towels and so on that spray rinse immediately dissolve, but it is not even a matter of froth, spray rinse really gives a first rinsing to clothes in order to be perfectly rinsed in the deep rinse, while playing with my machines I used to try to skip the spray rinse going directly to final spin and run the rinse, and could clearly see that water in the deep rinse was not as clear as if spray rinse was used, so had to repeat a second rinse....also, I could even experience that there was still so much detergent behind in the first rinse that additioned to the softener resulted in muck and scum....something that never happens when spray rinse is used as it take off a great part of detergent and makes a second rinse not needed most of the time for me...
Even by using low sudsing detergents I see the spray rinse a very good feature that gives a substantial improvement to the rinsing, would never want a machine without it![this post was last edited: 4/13/2014-07:03]
 
Fred....

your filterflo should offer both a regular cycle, and an extra cleaning regular with double rinse...

oddly enough I have one that offers both, extra cleaning with double rinse, and a regular cyle, with an optional switch for an extra rinse too...don't understand why both?

the only advantage to the extra cleaning cycle, double rinses, AND double spin sprays...according to the book, you are supposed to double the amount of detergent as well for great stain removal....
 
You're right Yogi, but thought the extra cleaning wash time was longer than the regular?
If you watch, the distance from heavy to normal soil checks in the extra cleaning chart is greater than the one of the regular... Always thought it to be longer even though I've never timed it...but it was the most logical explanation, even because as you said there are models with a 2nd rinse switch for regular cycles also...

I usually manually skip the second rinse in the extra cleaning cycle....... Even though sometimes I decide to run a second rinse, especially when I use grated soap flakes or when I try detergents that result to be crappy ( badly formulated) and of which I need to put really great quantities....also, they often are crappy because are all about soda and fillers, pretty difficult to rinse....
Anyways..
I think putting a switch to select 1 or two rinses and giving one chart with different wash times/soil levels is smarter than this...

[this post was last edited: 4/13/2014-10:20]
 
thats the only bad thing when they cram so many cycles into one timer....for some it seems like overkill....

they could get away with a Regular, with option for second rinse, a Short cycle, and an Automatic Soak....with seperate speed selections, water temps and levels....that alone still would make these machines with endless combinations and variations...from Gentle to Perm Press, and MiniQuick to boot

and yet with something like the Hotpoints with only two cycles, it seems to wash forever...
 
Spray Rinse

I think a spray rinse *can* make a huge difference in the rinse performance of a toploader.
Anyone in doubt of its effectiveness just wash a large load in really hot water, then stop the washer after the first spin with the spray rinse and check how much the clothes have cooled down.
If the water of the spray would only bounce off the clothes instead of going through them, there wouldn`t be much cooling effect.

However personally I don`t like modern HE toploaders which only rely on spray rinses. I would be in constant fear of missing spots.

Also I never understood why Whirlpool switched to a spray rinse after the deep rinse instead of before. Thought detergent and fabric softener don`t mix well.[this post was last edited: 4/16/2014-12:41]
 
spray rinse

mrboilwash,
I never understood why they switched to the spray rinse after the deep rinse either.

But I agree about having a spray rinse. I notice that in my speedqueen the deep rinse water is always cleaner than it was in a machine that didn't have the spray rinse.
 

Similar threads

M
The Speed Queen TC5
Replies
2
Views
294
panasonicvac
panasonicvac
M
Speed Queen Washing Machine - Export Model Differences
Replies
8
Views
617
MickGearz
M
E
Speed Queen Washer AWN412
Replies
3
Views
174
Chetlaham
Chetlaham
W
Speed Queen TR washers
3 4 5
Replies
80
Views
2K
agiflow
A
pierreandreply4
i wonder how a maytag washer made by speed queen would look like
Replies
2
Views
111
johnb300m
johnb300m

Latest posts

Back
Top