Speed queen FL mold & mildew smell

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

Help Support :

A

agitated

Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2017
Messages
13
Location
michigan
Hello All, found postings very informative. Had no idea laundry is so complicated.

Really torn between Speed Queen FL & TL.
I like the FL for water saving & non-agitator features--(like to be able to wash lots of down items & blankets-lots of allergies). But so pricey! and of course the fear the common FL MOLD issues.

Per SQ, their FL dont get mildew & funky smells if door left ajar after use, and that no "sanitary clean" or bleach cycles required.
Sounds too good to be true?
your experiences much appreciated please.
I dont want to end up w an expensive chunk of metal. Help!
 
Both machines are supposed to be very good and well built. I think it is just a matter of which type machine you prefer. I personally have switched to front loading machines because they are easier on the clothes and you have virtually NO linting or wear on your clothing. It also spins out the clothes better and takes less time to dry.[this post was last edited: 3/8/2017-05:03]
 
I came home from . . .

. . . the Beltsville, MD wash-in with a SQ front loader. I love it. It's quiet and washes great. When you choose HOT water, that's what you get. It spins out almost all of the water, and the clothes are practically dry when it's finished.

True, it's been only since last August, but I am impressed with the machine. I leave the door open (ajar) when not in use and have never had any mold smell.

I, too, was afraid of the price. But it's paid for now and I'm very happy with it.

Jerry Gay
 
I've had a Speed Queen (aka Huebsch) front loader since 2011.

I always make sure to leave the door ajar and the detergent drawer open after every load. I've never had a problem with mold or mildew, but then again, I live in a very dry climate, especially in winter.

The other trick I've found is to make sure that you occasionally ensure that you do hot water washes and keep fabric softener use to an absolute minimum.. and when you do use it, always use it with a warm water wash, never with a cold one.

My wife loves to do cold water washes, which makes the washer smell a little funky if she does a lot of them in a row. I think this is a side effect of HE style washing and is pretty much unavoidable with any FL machine. The solution to that is to pour about an 1/8th of a cup of bleach into the tub, then do a hot water wash without any clothing in the tub. That always fixes the smell.

Just for the record, when I did have a top loader, it also suffered from the same problem when it came to cold water washes, but it needed an entire cup of bleach to get rid of the smell.
 
Since we are on the subject, I also have a few questions about SQ front loaders. Does it also have a true hot fill on the Normal Eco cycle? And does it fill based on load size or is it a timed fill? There seems to be a lot of conflicting info on that.
 
Definitely go with front load.

I just happened to list my like new set for sale, and I'm not terribly far from you

www.automaticwasher.org

Available: Speed Queen front load washer/ gas dryer with pedestals

I've used them for roughly 6-8 months, both are in perfect mechanical condition. Minor scuff on washer. I bring home every brand that I sell at my store in order to do a real life test on their performance, reliability etc. normally I only keep them for about 30 days or so, but this set I...
www.automaticwasher.org www.automaticwasher.org
 
thank you all so much for your prompt input. so happy to find this forum!
SQ was so emphatic that their FL dont get this problem,.. always worry me when they say "never"

Have seen so few posts re SQ FL; horrid tale of one from this forum w leaks/low water- suffered 2 yrs to get SQ to exchange it to TL.
Countless happy TL owners. Versus little written about FL.
Store near me doesnt even have FL on floor.

DH balking at $ and WP Duet fiasco ( i didnt know cold wash was not good thing!) He's pushing for new HE TL, which all sound like junk & prob make me slave to 2-hr cycles while it tries to fix "load imbalance". Tho i know 2 families w Maytag Cenntenials who seem pleased.

Am still favoring SQ FL...
 
The only advantage a SQ FL machine may have over any other is that the outer tub is stainless instead of plastic like most every other machine out there. There 'might' be some advantage to stainless as far as having biological growth on the surface.

But in any case, if you use a good detergent in proper quantities, wash in hot water at least some of the time, use bleach once and again and leave the door open when not in use, any front load machine will stay odor free. If a front load washer gets smelly, the users habits caused it.

Over in Europe the majority of washers are front load machines, the people over there don't seem to have funky smelling washers. Here in the US where people used their poor laundry habits left over from their top load machine in their new front loader, they ended up with smelly washer syndrome. Then instead of learning how to correct their error, they go and sue the manufacturers. Clearly the machine is the problem, "I know how to do laundry" lol
 
bottom line.....with ANY machine....

if there was an issue caused by the machine or its function, production would have stopped...

and ALL of the machines would have it....

there has to be something to the fact, some of us:

DON'T have a 'clean washer' cycle on our machines...nor a reason to use/need one

DON'T wash in cold water for every single load...

DON'T leave the door open...

DON'T leave the dispenser drawer open...

DON'T have to do any special wipe down or maintenance....

I never had to, and never will.....

in fact, any used machine we get in that is scummed up, mold/mildew issues, bad odors.....those issues clear up after several uses....and are never seen again....

it's as simple as that......
 
mold is caused by user error

I don't believe smelly front load washers are as common as one might think. And I also believe that any that are moldy are caused by user error -- cold water only washes, too much fabric softener and not letting the machine air out and dry after use.

I've had front loading washers since the year 2000 and never experienced mold or smells. I have many friends and family members who also have front load machines and never have a problem. In fact, I personally do not know anyone who has.

Some crafty lawyers got together a class action suit of people who did not follow the directions that came with their washers and sued a few manufacturers. That made the news and created the mold hysteria out there.
 
Front loaders are the way to go nowadays, before switching to a FL i owned a WP DD top load for 14 years. I was skeptical at first, but our new two year old FL cleans better than our old machine ever did.
 
Here's the other problem...

Whirlpool once designed a machine with an outer tub not only made out of plastic, but with lots of crevices and spots where gunk could accumulate. (Picture shown below.)

In almost every video I've seen where the tech is doing a bearing replacement, the back of these tubs are absolutely filthy with gunk and residue. This could be what causes the majority of moldy smells in these machines.

So, why all these crevices? They're there to give the plastic strength so it actually is firm enough to hold the form it needs to, because obviously using thicker plastic was too expensive, I'm guessing.

So yeah, SQ machines, having a stainless outer tub, don't need anything to give the steel more strength, so no crevices to trap gunk.

I'm not sure if newer Whirlpool machines now have a smooth rear now, but it would make sense that they learned from this engineering mistake.

 
the Frigmore my neighbor gave me a few years ago had that same tub back in it.  But hers wasn't gunked up...she must have used hot and warm washes frequently.  Stainless steel is one of the many reasons I own Asko and Miele machines, plus the fact that the massive behemoths we have now won't fit in my laundry closet.
 
Plastic Outer Tubs In FL Washers

Are all filled with ribs for the etra strengh needed for them to work.

 

The plastic outer tubs and the cheaper concrete ballast weights that most FL washers use limit their maximum life spans a lot, Speed Queens SS outer tubs and cast iron ballast weights allow their FL washers to last over 25,000 loads before they start to have serious fatigue issues.

 

We are about to change out two SQ stack washer-dryers at a famous hotel in Washington DC next week that are 5 and 6 six years old, and have been used about 20 times a day so each of them has washed and dried between 30,000 and 40,000 loads each, and after a little refreshing we will likley resell both pairs, neither washer has ever had new bearings, new motors or either the control or motor circuit boards replaced.

Both washers have had new inlet valves, new door boots, start switches and a few knobs replaced. The dryers have had a roller or two replaced, one motor and a temp switch and a timer and a few knobs between the two, not even a heating element in either because they are being operated on 208 volt power instead of 240 volts.

 

John L.

 

 
 

Similar threads

W
How Many Queen Sheet Sets Will the Speed Queen FL Hold?
Replies
3
Views
24
DADoES
DADoES
paulg
Speed Queen dryer advice.
Replies
6
Views
15
paulg
paulg
dylanmitchell
Speed Queen Confidence Plus Extended Warranty
Replies
6
Views
12
panthera
panthera
N
LG Front-Load Washer Rant
Replies
9
Views
10
turbowash
T
A
Modern washing machine energy usage claims: propoganda, or real?
2
Replies
34
Views
35
vacerator
V

Latest posts

Back
Top