Speed Queen FL on the fritz *again*

[stricklybojack]

.
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.

 

[brucelucenta]

That is very sad and unfortunate. I would be furious, if this happened to me. I know I was when it happened to my LG made refrigerator and I am working with the second one like the first one I had, only a newer model. Appliances are only as good as the service you can get on them. Right now I think the fridge is going to be ok, but who knows about tomorrow? I would NEVER recommend an LG refrigerator. This one has been services 3 times for freezing up. The last time they replaced the entire back panel with the blower and the computer control board. The time before that they replaced the ice maker. It seems to be operating correctly TODAY. I really think we have government regulations to thank for a lot of this, trying to cut energy cost. Certainly that is what behind top load HE washers. Depending on the shape your Maytag is in, it will probably give you many years of use. The main thing I have seen commonly fail on those is the siphon break going from the fill spout and sometimes the water valves will stick and need to be either replaced or serviced. Maytag really was the DEPENDABILITY company you could rely on. Shame they make them no more.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
It's Monday morning, the sun is up, and my washer is still broken and filled with water and no replacement part or end of my ordeal in sight...yes I own a Speed Queen.
I paid an extrodinary premium for the pleasure of working the phone with regularity hoping to get this POS operational again, even if for just a matter of months cause that's all it has been able to muster at this point, and my expectations are now that low.

So I called my service guy, no part, no eta, no status at all whatsoever.
So I called and waited out the hold and talked to SQ HQ. They were only to happy to inform me I needed to call my authorized service center back and explain to them about the "SQD" program. Really? You guys aren't worried YOUR BIGGEST REPAIR OUTLET IN THE COUNTRY's FOURTH LARGEST CITY doesn't know about *your* program...ya want me to handle it? O-k-a-y...anything else I can do?
Then I let him know about the waiting, the previous board failure, and all the rest, and he came back with "SQD"...
Then I pleaded with him to at least assure me if this part also fails like it did just recently SQ will make it right..."SQD"
...his only response, and his repeated reminder *to me* to do what some other person BESIDES THE CUSTOMER should have already done.
But they got ya by the short hairs don't they?
So I sucked it up and called the service manager and educated him on SQD..."huh, never heard of it."

Don't get suckered, don't get a FL SQ unless you are ready to pay AGAIN with your time, inconvenience, and peace of mind.

And take what professionals on internet message boards say whilst opining with great authority, with copious amounts of salt...ahem, imo.

And to the person who offered to send me a new portable machine, THANK YOU and please email me again.

[this post was last edited: 2/6/2017-18:01]

 

[mrb627]

So that we are all in the know...

What is the SQD program?

Malcolm

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Good question Malcom.
Apparently it's a means whereby a dealer and/or parts suppliers can order a specific part directly from SQ and avoid various minimum order reqs, and standard shipping speeds...I assume.
The part is meant to be headed to where it is needed much more quickly than a part ordered through the usual proceedure likely would. Perhaps this is for warranty work only, I do not know.
In my case the dealer has now scavenged a part somewhere and is scheduled to be installed tomorrow.
So next time I will be at least somewhat better prepared to negotiate repair work having heretofore labored with the ignorance of not knowing SQ has outsourced it's dealer information desemination to it's customer base...doh!
Or this dealer, and the last one too, are a little slow on the uptake...like many years slow.[this post was last edited: 2/6/2017-18:13]

 

[mark_wpduet]

Your ordeal almost

sounds like my ordeal with during the 2nd year of ownership with my Duet!

Error code FDL- called service - service guy comes (orders door latch), a few days later returns to put new door latch in -(didn't fix the problem). He tinkered with the wires with the to cover removed...that fixed it for a month, then F11, called for service - they replaced the CCU or MCU (I can't remember) and it's worked flawlessly going on 12 years now with never another problem. LOL

The saving grace was that I was actually able to do laundry during all of this. You could literally hit the top back right of the machine with your fist, and it would start working for a few more cycles.

Anyway - just thought I'd share that. Sorry you're having to go through all the unnecessary drama. They should send you a new washer and take the old one back ASAP if anything to improve whatever they find keeps causing your current machine to malfunction.

 

[ea56]

Just a thought, but is Honey Badger the CEO of Alliance?
Eddie

 

[mrb627]

It has been my experience...

The better trained service personnel work on the commercial side and not the domestic line. Might be a good plan to seek out one that might be willing to do both.

Malcolm

 

[lorainfurniture]

Sqd is speed queen direct. Basically your servicer can get any part for your machine direct from speed queen with overnight shipping. All the more proof they are a bunch of idiots over there.

I seriously went to ONE training and I know about spd.

 

[brucelucenta]

Which is sad because an appliance is only as good as the service you can get, should you need it. No matter how well built a machine it is, if it doesn't work it is no good at all.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Well I have a working washer again...hopefully it will stay working longer this time.
In this repair session I learned a lot, best summed up with the statement, "should've got the TL Speed Queen."
Really, that is it in a nutshell. I almost did too, but at the last minute went for the FL thinking they made more sense, cleaner dryer cloths while using less water.
What I didn't factor in was the greater complexity to the FL machines leaves them more susceptible to major failures than their TL brethren. And the appliance repair eco-system knows the TL machine like the back of their hand while the FL machine is seen as exotic-trouble-prone fruit. When I asked the parts manager how it could be he didn't know about Speed Queen Direct he said, "never came up before, we always had the needed parts in stock." In other words he wasn't replacing boards on FL machines but standard items on the TL machine.

As far as we can tell the pump choked on a sock and failed, which inturn likely caused the motor board to fail. Now what happened last time I don't know, the board failed on it's own. In both cases the board was collected for shipment back to Wisconsin, presumably for fault diagnosis and perhaps a reboot.
The tech said repair personnel used to be able to perform firmware upgrades in the field on a SQ but that is no longer the case. "Planned obsolescence?" I asked, "you got it" the tech replied. The repair tech also said Samsung and LG were far worse than SQ in that area though.

So a pox on both our houses. FL SQ users like me need to be ultra careful about pocket contents and the use of a garment bag. And I think SQ needs to beef up the motor control board protections and provide a training DVD or YouTube video to every tech to clarify the whys and wherefores of the FL product. Suffice it to say this tech had some seriously mistaken ideas on their use. "You should never wash a sheet bigger than a twin, you will overload the machine and wear out the suspension"...was one clearly highly mistaken gem of misinformation. "You should see lots of water splashing or you are overloading the machine"...was another moment he was clearly in need of some retraining. Very nice guy though, and good at what he did know.

Nonetheless he did convince me, along with my own experience, these machines are not family friendly.
Kids socks end up everywhere, stuck in pant legs etc. so even with judicious use of a garment bag we will no doubt miss one here or there and this machine will choke on it every time...which apparently also puts the board at great risk of failing as well.
So to the users of SQ TL machines, thumbs up, you made the right choice. All the good things said about those machines likely hold true...for *that* machine; FL buyers, caveat emptor.[this post was last edited: 2/7/2017-17:42]

 

[lorainfurniture]

Let's look at the clues

Initial failure, sock in pump. The speed queens will attempt to fill again despite not draining until it hits the flood switch. This is why you had so much water in it the first go around. Somehow the "tech" didn't catch that and assumed the board was bad?

He then removed your good board, and likely put in another board that they took off another machine. I would bet at no time he was wearing an anti static bracelet? Was the board in a pink anti static bag?

So by not properly handling the board he almost certainly static shocked it and ruined it. Static related failure doesn't always happen immediately, but it's only a matter of time.

Board # 2 finally goes bad.

He installed a "new?" Board? Was he wearing an anti static bracelet? You would know because he would have connected himself to a cold water pipe or the ground part of your receptacle via a wire.

If he didn't you will have another board failure in the coming months.

Did the guy ever call the speed queen tech line while he was there?

All of your hardships could have been avoided.

I'm not saying that sq is the best washer, but from a reliability standpoint there is nothing better out there than the fl. Your "tech" made a mess of a very simple issue that really is no fault of the machine.

 

[brucelucenta]

I can't imagine how the sock got into the pump. The LG made front loader I have has a sort of trap that protects against anything like that happening. So that is very bizarre if speed queen does not have a protection against that. Only washer I know of that used to do that was an old GE FF and even it would pump the sock down the drain. The whole experience certainly does not make me wish I had bought a speed queen.
And as far as "exotic trouble prone fruit" that could be said of many and not just machines.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Eugene, the first board failure, 2.5 months ago and was not in conjunction with any other issue.
This board failure was in conjunction with the pump failure and water overfill.

BOTH times they replaced the board because that was the code is was giving.
He specifically chose to replace both items at once rather than one than the other with a test between.
He gave a reason for this "based on experience", but I am not completely clear on what it was.
I do recall him speculating that the board likely had actual components burned out and thus a simple reboot would not suffice, even if he could do it, which apparently he could not. And this somehow related to his choosing NOT TO replace one component first and run the machine before replacing the second.
So I repeat, the board was giving the "needs new board" code on both occasions it was replaced, and that is why it was replaced.
I don't recall a bracelet being worn. I see people tear into their computers all the time on the web doing up grades and never wear such a bracelet. However if that is the proper procedure I again repeat my remarks from above: SQ needs better and easier access to training for this machine...and these damn boards are finicky, and trouble prone in the real world, imo. Not to mention, if you are out of the warranty period the board is simply cost prohibitive to replace. I see them as time bombs...insuring the fact that although most of this machine will last for decades, a critical part of it will not, sucks to be you. Or, if you buy a SQ, simply get the TL machine and sleep soundly. And that, as I said before, is what I now wish I had done.[this post was last edited: 2/7/2017-16:11]

 

[brucelucenta]

I sure do hope this does it for a while. Shame you are having so much trouble.

 

[washman]

After reading this thread, doesn't it sort of remind us that oftentimes simpler is better?

 

Control boards?

Sensors?

all other assorted electronic thingamajigs?

 

I'm not suggesting we go back to beating stuff on a rock or mammaws wringer washer but yeeeeeeesh...............this mentality of throw a comm board on a washing machine just to say hey, lookee, we have state of the art! is beginning to wear thin.

 

If you really want some adventure and/or depression, search on youtube for HVAC repairs.  There's a guy in LA that is always out on service calls changing boards on pretty much EVERY Brand out there. Nothing wrong with the fan motor, the compressor or even the capacitor. But the super duper "hi tech" control board goes south and the condensing unit goes with it.

 

Ok customer, you paid 900 for the unit.  The board is $600/$200 service call/$100 hr labor, 2 hr minimum...........hmm lets see, how about we just junk the darn thing and get a new one?

 

Et cetera.

 

My AWN542 might be "crude' but it works, never needs rebooted, BIOS flashed, firmware update installed or crap like that. It just does the job I expect it to.  No error codes to decipher in fact, I never read the owner's manual. Didn't need to. Neither did my dearly departed father. And he was about an anti tech guy as you'd ever meet. 

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Washerman you nailed it.
It's well known the tire industry almost put itself out of business designing tires that last much longer.
Manufacturers of appliances realize they can sell more new stuff if the old stuff doesn't last as long.
Electronics achieve this end beautifully and help sell the product in the first place, "smart wash system blah blah blah..."[this post was last edited: 2/7/2017-18:30]

 

[launderess]

Methinks Alliance went with fully computer/electronic

Controls for their domestic washing machines to deal with the complaints regarding vibrations and other issues. Those things dinged SQ front loaders in many reviews including from customers.

Having used my fully computer controlled Lavamat versus the partial Miele w1070, vastly prefer fully electronic controls. It simply allows for a better fine tuning of drum movements in washing, distribution, spinning and unbalanced load detection.

The Miele will make only "X" number of attempts to balance a load, if it cannot too bad as it is off to the races; one loud "bang" and perhaps a jump then the machine goes into spinning banging and clanging away. Have never allowed the machine to continue so cannot say what happens next.

Small items in front loader pumps? Ohh yes; happens all the time and has ever since H-Axis washers came along.

Ask any owner of a commercial laundromat or laundry about what they find in the drain troughs and drains from their machines. Socks, coins, tokens, bra wires, small handkerchiefs, small baby or lady's bits of clothing... Standard practice then and still is that small items go into a mesh bag or are washed another way.

Nearly every owners manual for a domestic front loader have seen tells that small items should go into a mesh bag. You can also read repair/review sites to find many instances of people pulling socks, bra wire, coins and other bits from jammed and or now inoperative pumps. The "filter" on my Miele and Lavamat washers is more to catch and keep things from getting to the pump than any sort of real filtering of water.

Years ago came upon case of Woolite zipper mesh "bra" washing bags, so am good for the duration. Have only used two and the rest sit stashed away.

 

[countryguy]

How can a sock get out of the washer drum and into the pump? I have a Kenmore He4t FL and don't see how this could happen.

Gary

 

[launderess]

From the gap around tub and door boot/seal

I shouldn't wonder.

H-axis washing machines are nothing more than a cage/cylinder suspended inside a tub. Depending upon the movements of the cage/cylinder in relation to the boot/door seal small items can slip between the two. If left long enough eventually item will likely get pulled down into the outer tub then work its way into the sump/pump system.

Consider also when the machine begins to spin the same forces that extract water will likely also pull anything already caught between further if not fully between the tubs. Once that happens subsequent cycles will cause item to work its way down into the sump.

My AEG like other European front loaders has one or more removable vanes in tub. This acts as a way to get between the tubs and retrieve any small item before it works its way down into the sump/drain.

Again this isn't a new phenomena, has been happening almost ever since h-axis washers were invented. Early commercial laundries were often instructed to have the machine drain visible leading to the trough or whatever so workers could spot small items and retrieve.

http://www.espares.co.uk/advice/0/1732/how-to-diagnose-washing-machine-drain-and-pump-problems

http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/90429/how-can-a-sock-gets-into-a-washers-drain-boot

Remove Something Stuck in Washing Machine | Whitegoodshelp

This is a helpful guide on how to remove something that is stuck in a washing machine, usually between the inner and outer drum. Several methods to try..

www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk