Speed Queen FL on the fritz *again*

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works well but the dryer timer will sometimes activate or (b

Sounds like the electronic control is going out on the dryer.  We've seen MULTIPLE failures of these controls on the washers & dryers.  Buyer beware.
 
Price vs. Service

Have news for you, what is happening to OP is pretty much the norm these days for appliance service regardless of price points; high or low, it really doesn't matter.

Miele is a prime example of this, just ask anyone (including)myself about getting anything serviced from that lot.

Everything is the same; telephone call to say "what is wrong"; appointment to send someone to "diagnose" the issue. If part isn't on tech's truck or not in stock has to be ordered. There may be a second visit to do the repair if tech cannot do it (for a host of reasons) on first visit, and there you are.

Pointing out to Miele that you've paid $$$ for something that is supposed to last decades but has broken within less than a year won't get you far either. Whatever the German equal of "stuff happens" seems to fit the usual response. That and or "what did you do to the machine"? Because the machine "cannot be doing that", so the inference is you the user are to blame.

Of course when tech finally does show up (a week, two or more later) it turns out yes, the machine *is* doing what you said and that something is truly broken/wrong.
 
It is to laugh

What SQ says about their electronic controls: https://speedqueen.com/smart/2016-q3/electronic-vs-mechanical-controls.aspx

But seriously folks, having compared my fully computer controlled Lavamat to the "electronic/mechanical" older Miele, would take the former over latter any day of the week, at least for front loaders.

The Lavamat is able to full control drum motions in a way the Miele cannot. This results in far less banging, clanging and whatever due to unbalanced loads. In it's defence the Miele is built like a brick chicken house and designed to withstand a certain amount of "abuse". OTOH the Lavamat goes more towards avoiding the stress caused by unbalanced loads by trying to eliminate where possible.

Have watched the large new SQ washers at local laundryette, and they also cope much easier with unbalanced loads than the previous mechanical versions. IIRC one of the top complaints about the older domestic SQ models was that they vibrated excessively.
 
Just for clarity's sake, I was referring to the craigslist ad for the Catalyst machines.   I was just going over this thread again, and I realized the craigslist text wasn't on the thread, just on the ad.
 
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Laundress, like you said...the SQ in question is the "with knobs" version of the Fl machine. No touch screen and less wash options, but the same computer running the same mechanicals.
Runematic, yes I caught that too and have better options already teed up.
Even found a FL PANASONIC washer...'cept it was mislabeled and was actually a dryer. Straight from Taiwan, 120 volt.
 
If I had the room....

I'd certainly have an old orbital Maytag like MIL's and Mom's.  Both are still chugging along after 23-24 years. 

 

"Sadly that decisively kicks the SQ into the, 'fancy but unreliable' territory, like say a French or Italian sports car...if you know cars."

reminds me of an old joke....

"You know why Italians make such comfortable shoes?   Because their cars are always in the shop"

 

I don't want to jinx my computerized Miele w1986 but it is a phenomenal machine.  I didn't buy SQ because it doesn't have a heater and I like using 240V to power one.  But I would consider SQ.  I really hope they sort this out for you and that it goes many years without further problems.
 
I can tell you from experience those Maytag machines would probably be a good choice as back up. They are very much like the one's I had before I bought my front load set. They were bought new by my brother, were passed to my parents when he remarried and then passed to me when my parents went to a retirement home. None of us ever had a moments problem with them. I would never have gotten rid of them and only did so for the extra capacity. Someone else has them and is using them daily now.
 
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Waiting for my dinner to be served at a family Thai place in San Diego.
In the wagon (tight squeeze!) is the Maytag gas dryer, and it's washer mate is already in my garage from my earlier trip.
The dryer just had $180 of service done. They are clean and were installed high and dry inside a condo, meaning used only by the one resident. The washer does have some denting on the front but that is all, it weighed a ton considering it's size.
Oh and i got them BOTH for $100 total, yee ha!
pics to come.
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Sounds like the kind of deals we used to get as a family when I was a kid. When I moved to my first house family gave me the beat Whirlpool we had used for years and I got a cheap dryer eventually that all barely made it a year. Then I found a new Hot Point bol washer and dryer set from a shady acquaintance and somehow managed to get 10 years out of them.
That set should get you down the road and you can stash or sell them and break even at least. Hope they fix the Speed Queen and you don't have any more issues.
 
All this shows one thing I've been saying for years...

Speed Queen is an excellent washer? Yes, sir. It is.

A Machine entirely build of plastic is a piece of garbage? No or Yes, there are several factors like design, engineering, even the type of plastic and how the washer is used and where the washer is installed that will say if a washer made of plastic is good or not.

Are all the other washers in the world pure garbage if they're not Speed Queen? (Like some people here love to say). No, they're not.

There are machines and machines. There are people and people.

If i get the worst "Chinese crap" washer and put in a house where the used has "common sense" built in the way the washer is used, the poor quality will continue being a relevant factor but surely even the crappiest washer will last much longer than exactly the same product put in a house where a millenial jackass will use it.

Oh, so you're saying this Speed Queen broke because of the user? No, I'm not saying that at all. Several factors may have caused the malfunction, Speed Queen is an excellent brand, they have excellent engineers but they can make mistakes. Maybe this unit only had a mistake, who knows? Maybe during the production one of the workers made a mistake almost irrelevant and the result is appearing only now, the washer may have suffered shipping damage or a power surge... who knows? There are thousands of factors that can make a washer stop working.

One thing is obvious. It's ridiculous when somebody says "Oh, only Speed Queen is good, only speed queen is worth. speed queen is the best of the best and you're an idiot if you choose whatever other brand in the world."

No, guys, some of you are wrong! Speed Queen is an excellent washer, i agree. It's among the best washer in the world. I also agree, but it is a piece of metal with a motor, like all machines in the world. It's not immaculate, it's not a machine that will last forever. And (i know it will hurt some people) Yes, machines break. All machines. it can be a washer, a dryer, a car, whatever... machines break and all the Speed Queen units will break too, someday. A machine that lasts forever does not exist.

I've watched people here having serious discussions and even fighting because of Speed Queen. Do we really need that? How boring the world would be if we had only Speed Queen.

Honestly, i hope Speed Queen can solve the issue with this customer. The machines I design are really far from being a "Speed Queen", but my company and I do what we can. And when something goes wrong, we try to solve the problem immediately. Speed Queen has an amazing engineering and design team, but they need to improve their after sales. Making a good machine isn't enough. The manufacturer needs to be there, on the background, ready to help the customers ASAP. They have a technical service network all over the country, it's much easier for them. My company doesn't have a technical service network and we never took more than 9 days to have a customer using his washer normally again because when a customer calls or emails me, as soon as I get the first contact, i know i have a 60-minute deadline to process everything and ship the replacement unit otherwise my boss will be really unhappy and almost strangle me (not literally, of course).

The thing is... Why do companies in the US are always making things difficult for the customers? Oh, you have a warranty, to use it you must submit the warranty card, copy of your DL, a copy of the last three bank statements from your grandparents, you neighbor's dog vaccination card, then wait 3 months, until one of our authorized co-workers analize the case and we will decide if you deserve a chance to have the problem solved in less than 15 years.

Come on! The washer broke under warranty, so let's fix it ASAP to make the customer happy. Everybody knows that mistakes happen and machines break, but if we react fast and give a decent solution for the customer, that's gorgeous!

It is so ridiculous nowadays that I feel really ashamed to use our warranty as a "feature". Everybody should have a similar after sales service focused on efficiency. F-word de profit, the milk is already spilled, cry won't do anything, so let's move our asses and clean the mess asap to make the customer happy.

i'm really sure that if on the first call Speed Queen said "Oh, I'm sorry this happened, please don't worry, we're sending somebody to replace your washer in 24 or 48 hours", this thread would be titled "Wow, my Speed Queen broke and they were awesome" and the member who created it would be very, very happy with Speed Queen, trusting the company much more and recommending Speed Queen to his friends.
 
I think you made the right choice for machines to use as back up till your's is repaired again. Those look close to the same machines I had when I got my front load set. They are still going strong for someone else I gave them to. My dryer was gas also.
 
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Well the saga continues, until "Thursday at the earliest."
The tech was here and able to recreate the circumstances we experienced. electrical burning smell, and an over filled tub. The motor board was throwing off all sorts of codes but then the tech did a smart thing, he put his hand on the pump and said the it was very hot and shouldn't be. A quick test confirmed the pump is toast.
He has to get a new pump ("those rarely fail") sent out and speak to SQ to decode the board codes it was giving, to see if it too needs replacing ("those do fail").
My hope is the board in the machine is good and this machine only needs a pump.
Given the earlier board failure and now the pump I still will wonder if this machine has a gremlin lurking in the electrical system. The tech, who did impress me as more than a simple r & r guy, said the board has a fault diagnosis system which would alert us to any shorting in the harness.
OTOH the machine showed the code for a door switch failure. And the tech, who brought the unit we have been waiting to arrive with him, said the old one was working fine and didn't need to be touched.
Will keep ya posted..
 
Over Filling SQ FL Washer

Hi Robert, I feel your pain with this washer and as a Speed Queen dealer if this washer had come from us and we could not fix it within a few days of your contacting us you would at least have a loaner machine. [ why aren't you dealing with the local dealer that sold you this machine ? ]

 

That said after reading what happened on the last tech visit I don't think they have a clue as to what is wrong. What your were told by the company when called the first time { you may have a lemon } would be reason enough for them to lose their service franchise with SQ.

 

A drain pump is either bad or not, they are as simple to test as a light bulb, they do get hot to the touch.

 

The tech should have attempted to find out why the washer filled 1/2 way up the door, a bad drain pump will not cause a washer to over fill, normally this would be caused by a bad inlet valve or a problem in the water level sensing system.

 

I hope these guys can fix this great washer, we have sold over 50 of the new style FL washers and not replaced a single part yet.

 

I was excited today to have a warranty call on the electric FL stack version of this machine that we had sold and installed last April, the customer said that the dryer went completely dead, when I got there the dryer worked just fine, but stopped working about ten minutes later and after I looked behind the machine I found the 240 cord had worked its way out of the outlet, LOL.

 

We also do warranty for a local dealer that buys SQs in orders of 250 machines at a time, over 1000 per year and the only problems we have had is with a few TL washers, mostly bad timers.

 

 
 
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This tech is from the nearest SQ dealer as determined by the SQ website dealer locator. I originally bought it online from an authorized dealer there, as I didn't know it would be breaking so often. I was also in Manhattan and wanted it delivered and ready for me to install when I arrived here in San Diego that summer. And that's what indeed happened chronicaled in another thread right here on AW. So this machine has actually not even seen much use yet, and still all these issues.
The inlet valve seems to be working as he was able to run the rinse cycle. The tub way over filled and then we smell the burning again. The burning smell was coming from the pump...which tested as bad...
Repeat, he test the pump and found it faulty. He also determined it was the source of the burning smell, perhaps it burned him?
He was also considering the water level sensing mechanism and that may still come into play.
First thing to to get this machine pumped out as it is sitting there way over filled with water waiting for him to return...and Thursday is his first available slot.
He knew I had been a week already on this go round, and I told him about the previous board failure and the week we waited for that part.
SQ needs to find out about FedEx, yes...but this tech is so busy fixing other BROKEN Speed Queens it wouldn't matter anyway.
I digress. The next visit will be last visit wherein if I am still in limbo, I will call SQ and ask for a new unit be sent out or our money refunded.
Now I have the 20 year old Maytags that are ready to clean cloths and an SQ that is apparently allergic to dirty laundry, so I am no longer as attached to my dream of joining the SQ for life fraternity, seems it may just not be in the cards for us.
Btw both techs out have spoken of fixing these FL SQ's. So I guess I'm not the only one.[this post was last edited: 1/30/2017-23:08]
 
If you need a washer to help you while the situation with Speed Queen is unsolved, please send me your shipping address via private message here or at email [email protected] and I'll ship you a Miniwash Blue and a Mini Countertop Spin Dryer as a gift. There will be absolutely no cost for you.
Let me know if your dryer is working, otherwise I'll also send a Solaris Dryer and the Over-the-Door Bracket.

They're small, but much better than nothing.
 
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Well apparently the machine was giving the code for "needs new control board" and one has yet to be located....none to be found for some REASON. The service manager explained this is the course SQ wants to take DESPITE the fact this is the second board replacement in less than six months...and thus the third board in this machines short working life.
I have to believe they are getting A LOT of board failures to eat another board without special instruction on looking for a contributing factor. In better news at least a replacement pump is now on hand.
I will give it a whirl when a new board is finally located, but if it fails yet AGAIN I will do everything I can to replace BOTH SQ's with machines that parts are readily available...FL Maytags likely. I have the TL Maytag Dependable Cares but would have to add a gas line and live with the small capacity. [this post was last edited: 2/2/2017-18:17]
 
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It is a new high quality surge protector. We have numerous electronic devices, computers, smart phones modems etc. and other gear: TV's, refrigerators, and the like...no problems.

Just checked the paper work on this machine and was surprised to see the last new board was put in just before *Thanksgiving*.
Less than 2.5 months ago...much more recently than I had originally recalled.
Called SQ this morning and was put on hold for a while, then sent to voicemail. I'll try again.
 
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I was told i would have to "make some noise" for that to happen and have yet to do so. I have been giving the repair guy time enough to properly diagnose the problem and the required parts to be found/shipped.
In the mean time we needed to run a couple loads and there is no way in H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS i am going down to the SQ equiped landromat and pay to run an effin' load.
Besides i got something that kicks my SQ's ass all day long and twice on Sunday...
A TWENTY YEAR OLD MAYTAG.

Watch:



post was last edited: 2/4/2017-16:51]
 
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Yes the heavy-duty-super-capacity Dependable Care Plus saved the day.
I decided to marry my two favorite hobbies and vacuum the dryer, although i have no need or plans to use it just yet.
I removed a vent on the back an found a rug of lint needing removal.
In the pics you see a before and after look behind the control panel.
Do repair persons EVER vacuum a dryer? This one just apparently had $180 of servicing but that clearly didn't involve the strenuous back breaking task of a quick vacuum.

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