Speed Queen Experts Needed

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

Help Support AutomaticWasher.org:

Alex:

Those are two neat rooms, I'll say. Pictures I've seen of other shared laundries are often much less neat -- I'm not referring to the how messy and/or clean the rooms are, it just looks like those two look like they were designed from the start to accommodate the users, instead of "oops, another tenant wants to use the common laundry, quick, add another hookup by Tuesday morning..."

In any case, not having used shared rooms like that before (without coin op, for example), I'm told that many shared laundry rooms in Europe have a way for the tenant to shut off the water and electricity from their apartments, or perhaps some other locked box in the laundry room itself. Is that true or even common, or do people have to deal with nasty folks abusing their equipment/supplies every once in a while?

Cheers,
   -- Paulo.

PS: I think I have not used Weißer Riese since the late 70's and I don't think it even had enzymes back then. Has it gotten better? At that point in time my German neighbors would prefer to import OMO and Persil, I think we had one neighbor that every once in a while would get Skip. The box certainly looks very attractive, do they still do the ads with say, a helicopter pulling a giant sheet from a swimming pool, like they did back then?

I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound "judgy", it's just that I'm thinking of a time when I was a kid and almost everybody I knew had kids too, because those were the people I was interacting with, and kids do make a mess and generate soiled/stained clothing -- I suppose for people with no children whose clothes are mostly clean would have no trouble with Weißer Riese, and the smell back then was certainly nice.
 
Paulo

I haven't been to too many shared laundry rooms, but the ones I've seen had at least on lock before them to stop everyone using the washer and dryer - the front door of the house. Some (at least one I have seen) have the laundry room door locked as well. This particular one also had locks one wall socket (probably installed by the tenant) so no one could use his electricity. Of course, using an extension cord, one could still have used his set.

The best advice I've read so far was to put a bike lock around the washer's door hinge to prevent it from being shut.

Weißer Riese is an okay detergent. Not as good as Persil, but the current Megaperls formula has six enzymes. Don't know the current ad for it. Ariel now has helicopters pulling giant sheets out of giant washers.
 
I can confirm

That the last generation of SQ FL machines dispenses at the start of the main wash. Otherwise, add bleach to the dispenser after the wash fill to get bleach in the first rinse.

Malcolm
 
Thanks, Malcolm. I'm ready to pull the trigger on appliance purchases and the front-load SQ's are suddenly back in play....if I can afford it. The closer I get to placing the order, the more I don't know that I want a top-loader as my daily driver. Or...I can get the top-loader now, live with it for a year and save up for the front-load washer. As John L. pointed out, the TOL dryer (rear control) matches perfectly with the rear control front-loader---meaning I could swap out the washer at a later date.

We'll see what happens in a few hours.[this post was last edited: 7/17/2017-14:31]
 
TOL dryer (rear control) matches perfectly with the rear control front-loader---meaning I could swap out the washer at a later date.


 

Perhaps it's best to not even worry about mismatched appliances given the setup you'll be living with. With mismatched appliances, one can potentially get exactly what one needs at the lowest possible price.
 
I'm a clean and organization freak

but mismatched washer and dryer would so NOT bother me. I mean, it's nice to have a matching set.....but I could get past it as long as they are both the same color.
 
The orders have been placed. I have until 10:00 this morning to swap out the top-loader for the front-loading SQ (rear control).

1. Washer: Speed Queen AWNE92SP113TWO1
2. Washer controls
3. Dryer: Speed Queen ADEE9RGS173TWO1
4. Dryer controls
5. Range: GE JB860DJWW
6. Dishwasher: Whirlpool WDP370PAHW
7. Dishwasher interior
8. Microwave: GE JES205DNWW
9. Exhaust Hood: GE JVX5300DJWW

frigilux-2017071804023909679_1.png

frigilux-2017071804023909679_2.png

frigilux-2017071804023909679_3.png

frigilux-2017071804023909679_4.png

frigilux-2017071804023909679_5.png

frigilux-2017071804023909679_6.png

frigilux-2017071804023909679_7.png

frigilux-2017071804023909679_8.png

frigilux-2017071804023909679_9.png
 
Nice looking appliances. The washer and dryer look like perfect matches to me. The dishwasher looks much like the one I have inside and it is a really good one. The range looks a a nice one too. The smooth top is wonderful for being quick to heat and cool and a breeze to clean up, even when something boils over. I use comet on mine and a razorblades, if something burns on. The only thing that hurts them is to boil over sugar, it pits the glass. The only thing I would change is to get a microwave vent a hood, it saves space in the kitchen and is quite functional too.
 
Thanks, guys!

I'm looking forward to trying a GE range. I never need more than four burners, but I use two ovens frequently. I prefer my current Frigidaire's two same-sized ovens, but the local dealer dropped Frigidaire and Samsung, so that's not an option. I don't want to bring the one from the house because I have a white kitchen now. I won't miss the upkeep of stainless steel.

Bruce-- Glad you like your Whirlpool dishwasher. I had a Whirlpool portable for about a year back in 1987 or '88. It cleaned very well and I liked having the silverware basket in the door. Didn't like the tower in the center of the bottom rack. This one is very basic, but all I need are heavy, normal and light cycles. I love bells and whistles, but this unit looks like it will get the job done. I thought about an over-the-range microwave, but felt it cramped the vertical space above the pans on the burners. The microwave is going to sit on a rectangular work table along the south kitchen wall; the dishwasher will be parked next to that.

Bob-- You, mister "No dishwasher?! I couldn't survive!" get to shoulder some responsibility for the decision to shoehorn a portable dishwasher into the space where a normal person would put a small dining table, LOL. I was fine with having no dishwasher 'til I read your post a few times. Then I started thinking, "You know...he's right." The novelty of dishwashing wore off quickly. The issue wasn't so much the actual task of doing the dishes; I missed having somewhere to stash the dirty ones! I hate having dishes piled up in the sink, then facing them later; but washing up every single time I made lunch wasn't always feasible, either.

See? I confessed upthread that I don't deal with change well. I have, however, made a firm decision to go with the top-load washer. That---and downsizing to about one-third the square footage I'm accustomed to---is my concession to change, LOL.

[this post was last edited: 7/18/2017-12:30]
 
Congratulations Eugene! You will love that Whirlpool dishwasher I have the same model, but only as a built in and it is great. I only use the 1 hour cycle with the heated dry and it takes a total of 80 mins. flat to complete a load, 60 min to wash and 20 to dry, instead of the 2 1/2 hrs the last GE took, and that was without a heated dry.

Enjoy all your new toys!
Eddie
 
Hope you are happy with your appliances!

 

I think I'd have been tempted to move the house's stove, even if the colors didn't match. But then matching appliances is not a huge thing on my list. Like I indicated above, I don't care that much about matching brands/market position in the laundry room. I don't care that much about matching colors in the kitchen, at least as long as things don't look too horrible. Part of this, I guess, may be that most of the kitchens I've used have been mismatched, and so I've gotten used to it.

 

shoehorn a portable dishwasher into the space where a normal person would put a small dining table

 

That probably depends on the "normal person." I bet there are a lot of people in the "real world" who would vote for a dishwasher above a table.


 

Although, of course, this wouldn't be everyone. My grandmother would have been horrified with not having a kitchen table. She was solidly small town America, and she'd have been happy if she never used her good dining table for anything but show. I recall my mother commenting that she came to visit us once, and asked why we'd never gotten a nice kitchen table.

 

The novelty of dishwashing wore off quickly. The issue wasn't so much the actual task of doing the dishes; I missed having somewhere to stash the dirty ones! I hate having dishes piled up in the sink, then facing them later; but washing up every single time I made lunch wasn't always feasible, either.

 

Well, if stashing the dishes was the only concern, you could have probably found a way of doing that without spending $500! LOL I've heard all sorts of creative solutions involving piling in the oven (hint: remove the dishes before firing the oven up to bake a frozen pizza. LOL). Or one could have a dirty dish cabinet where the dishes get piled up. Hopefully the bugs feasting on the dried residue on plates won't wander to the clean dish cabinet. LOL


 

I think there is a lot to be said for having a dishwasher just to eliminate the drudgery of dishes. Although, as I think I commented before, I hate washing dishes...so that probably colors my view.

 

 
 
Yay Eugene.  You can add a 2nd & 3rd rinse (which are normal rinses) to the Normal Eco cycle.  So you/d get an energy efficient rinse and then deep rinses, from what I understand. 
 
Hey Eugene,
Just wanted to wish you the very best in your adjustment. As I've gotten older I've realized the want / need to size down a lot, I'm not caring to keep up with so much. The saying LESS IS MORE is holding so true these days.

Really like your choice of new appliances, esp. the range. Sure hope you will let us know how you well you like everything. I'll be checking in for sure. Be sure to get a cover for the washer/dryer, hopefully that will help keep any scratches from happening when you are not using them. I don't think you'll be disappointed in the Speed Queen. I love how fast I can wash a ton of clothes, and feel good they are rinsed well. In my situation I am good with hand washing dishes, as I previously mentioned sometime back, like that I can get them done and put away fairly quickly so for me a dishwasher is not a make or break. The Whirlpool looks to be a good choice in loading.
Hope your health improves and all.

Again, very nice choices.

Barry
 
Thanks for your good wishes, guys; I really appreciate them. So much has happened in the past couple of weeks! It's always exciting to get new appliances. I'll be able settle in and relax a bit once the whole process of moving (discarding; packing; transporting; unpacking; figuring out what goes where in the new place). Fortunately, I'll be able to take nearly a week off work (except for a couple of gigs) during the move.

Rolls rapide: Great video! Thanks for sharing it.

Lord Kenmore: OK, it was 80% dish-stashing problem; 20% rather not do dishes by hand, LOL. I actually did think about alternative places to stash dirties 'ti they could be washed, but they all had deal-breaking drawbacks. A friend of mine has an odd habit: She puts dishes in the dishwasher throughout the day, then sometimes pulls them out and washes them by hand rather than using the machine. Upon asking the obvious question, she replied, "It takes just a few minutes to wash them by hand and put everything away. I don't have to wait 3 hours."

Barry: We are the same age and the urge to downsize/simplify has become very strong for me, as well. Another factor involves the house. It's still in great, sellable condition. Had I waited 5-7 years, it would have been worth less and been closer to needing a new driveway, windows, siding and major work on a retaining wall. The new buyer is a very wealthy local investor; he has the money to take care of such things. Health issues have made it increasingly difficult to keep up the house, yard and garden. The house is multi-level and you can't go anywhere inside it without dealing with stairs. A person reaches the age where that gets tedious, too.
[this post was last edited: 7/19/2017-04:57]
 
Eugene!!!

That must have all cost a fortune.....but I'm so glad you are NOT going without a dishwasher....They are almost essential after you've lived with one.
I remember back in summer 2014 when I got my Maytag. My WP had died. I was without a dishwasher for like a week and a half. I'm so spoiled with a dishwasher I was miserable without one.

That range reminds me a lot of my Whirlpool range that was new in 2004, aside from the double oven and extra burner.

I love the SQ's too.....I love that they are very durable and they do spin drains.
 
ONE LAST QUESTION FOR THOSE IN-THE-KNOW: I plan to use a soak period to boost cleaning on loads of very heavily stained kitchen whites. The machine has a soak cycle, but it spins that water out before proceeding to the selected full cycle. I'd rather not use the extra 20+ gallons of water. Had planned to select the Whites cycle, let it agitate for 2 minutes, press Pause to allow a 30-45 minute soak, then add chlorine bleach and allow the machine to complete the cycle.

However, the use and care guide states in no uncertain terms that manual soaking (pressing the pause button or opening the lid) should not be done. It advises to only use the Soak cycle.

Anyone know why manual soaking is verboten? Does the machine automatically spin drain and cancel the cycle after certain amount of idle/Pause time?
 
Manuel Soaking In A Top Load Washer

Hi Eugene, My guess is they do not want water sitting in the machine for long unregulated periods of time. Soaking for long periods of time in any washer ever made [ automatic or wringer type etc ] is going to hasten corrosion of metal parts, deterioration of water seals etc.

 

I think that SQ is worried about customers soaking over nite, soaking with bleach in the water or even with just water while away at work etc.

 

I have seen many washers damaged or destroyed over my career by customers that often soaked overnight etc.

 

If you lift the lid to allow a soak period it will never start and drain the water out, so you can soak if you want to.

 

John L.
 
John-- Thanks for the information. The biggest adjustment in using a SQ top-loader involves the amount of water--particularly hot water--the machine will use compared to a front-loader. I think employing a manual soak period will go far to remove stains in loads of kitchen whites without using an additional tub of water. I'm looking at a soak period of under an hour; certainly never overnight.

Pierre-- I prefer electronic to mechanical controls, so the only two machines I considered the electronic models.
 
Soaking...

Hi Eugene. I, too, like to soak whites a bit and then resume washing with some added bleach. This is what I do (I have the same model as you):

Select and begin cycle.
After a few minutes of agitation press 'pause', then 'cancel'.
After soaking for 30 minutes (or whatever time you like), press 'power' (as the panel will have timed out).
The previous cycle will now show in the panel. Press 'start'.
Since the tub is already full of water, the fill will be skipped and agitation will begin.

Good luck!

Brad
 
Additionally...

A pre-soak can be added to any cycle, including spin only. Or rinse and spin. So the flexibility is there.

Malcolm
 
Malcolm-- I'll do a manual soak simply to save 20+ gallons of water. The SQ cleans well, so a soak will only be needed on one load--the heavily stained kitchen whites.

Come to think of it, I don't recall the manual saying anything about how to load detergent for a Pre-Wash / Soak when it automatically goes into the selected full cycle. Diluted liquid detergent in the fabric softener dispenser? Double the amount of detergent in the soak and hope there's enough residual left for the main wash? Or maybe it doesn't automatically advance to the wash cycle, in which case one would add detergent when selecting the main cycle.

I'll have to read the manual a little more thoroughly to see if I missed something.

The Culligan man arrived this morning to install the tank that gets changed once a month. The washer, dishwasher and I are grateful for that! Every place I've lived since birth has had softened water.
 
Congratulations on moving to a new place and get new appliances. It sounds like everything is working out for you, and your new place has a nice arrangement.

I am curious about the Culligan tank that gets changed monthly.I have never heard of such a thing. Does it contain salt, a replaceable resin, or something else? All the water softeners I have used had a resin tank and a salt tank that was used for regeneration. We would fill the salt tank ourselves.
 
Back
Top