SQ FL Revision?

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Water level

Does anyone know of a way to raise the water level? Does a tech need to do it, or will they do it, or should it be done by the owner?
 
Apparently this washer can be programmed up to an impressive number of 5 rinses and high water levels are not really beneficial for the cleaning process in a FL except for washing delicates. I wouldn`t mess with the water level you might even risk a flood.

I really like what I`ve seen in the video, it`s certainly a sturdy no frills get to the point washer ! The interim spin speed could be a little bit faster but I guess whith the option to all those extra rinses there shouldn`t be a problem. Have to say I am really relieved (lol) that the pump did not shut off during interim spins.
They should think about offering a model with a heater to enable true warm-hot-sanitize temperatures on the flick of a switch.
 
KB0NES:
I like the piano hinge design. It looks sturdy. My own washer has it. It serves its purpose well and does exactly what it is supposed to do. :-)

Bud:
I don't know, but I do wonder if they use the same pressure switch as what they use in their older washers. It probably wasn't designed to be user adjustable, but I have to wait and see. Hopefully someone will post a thread about it! My hope is that the modification is as easy to do as it was on the old ones.

In saying that, the older washers could only do three rinses if the extra rinse switch was turned on. I personally felt that raising the water level was needed, otherwise I'd have to leave the "Extra Rinse" switch on all the time.

The only downside I can see to programming one of the new washers to use five rinses all the time would be a lengthy cycle time.

I wouldn't doubt it if someone from Alliance was reading these messages boards and listened to all of the complaints involving water level. Why else would they design their new top loaders to use a high water level to begin with?

One thing I would have liked to have seen would be separate pressure switches for washing and for rinsing. The wash pressure switch could use a conservative water level while the rinsing pressure switch could use a much higher level so that the need for lots of rinses isn't as necessary.
 
One small comment.. I honestly like the look of the chrome ring myself. It seems to indicate to me that the control panel would be a much more easily swappable unit, should any of the membrane buttons wear through.
 
I like the piano hinge design. It looks sturdy

Well looks can be deceiving. I walked around the show floor that day opening doors and leaning on them a bit. Other machines were Whirlpool, Maytag and GE. From my highly scientific test the SQ door seemed to be the most flexible.

The piano hinge isn't likely the fault, it seemed to be the door structure itself. In a way I like the idea of a continuous hinge vs 2 seperate points. I doubt it will pose a problem (unless kids swing on the door) but it just seemed to inspire a bit less confidence then what I expect from a heavy SQ neo-commercial machine.
 
Water Level

Qualin:

The previous model AFN50F that I have has a pressure switch with two actual switches inside it. One is set for a higher level than the other and it is for the purpose of detecting an overfill condition. The housing is actually made to house three switches inside and if we could figure out which model is fully populated with all three switches we could have a switchable low/high water level and still retain the overfill protection.

I have thought about wiring some transistors together that would use the high water level switch when the Rinse light came on.

If some of the repair folks on here could find the part number for the pressure switch that has the three setpoints I might take this project on.
 
Juilian,

Seems to me like the AFN50F/AFN50R would be very good for modding.

However, I'm sure that most of the things that AW'ers would want done would be far beyond the scope of my knowledge and ability to do.

(i.e. Things like recirculating spray and a water heater.)

Setting the pressure switch to use a higher level on rinse doesn't sound too difficult. There's lots of space inside of the console.
 
Speed Queen Repairs/Warranty

Been reading all of the personal reviews on washers/dryers and am now very intrigued with Speed Queen since my 12 year old FL Kenmore appears to have bearings/seal issues from my research. As suggested by some, called local laundry mat to see what they had in hopes of "trying out" the Speed Queen. He said all he had were Dexters (which is what I believe the other local laundry mat has installed) and he said "do not buy a speed queen"! Said he has had to replace bearings twice at $2000K, but never with the Dexter. I am not sure Dexter offers a home version, but anyway, has anyone had to replace bearings and/or have they used the warranty with Speed Queen. The warranty online states "limited" etc. so not sure how useful that will be when the time comes.

Steve in San Diego, thank you for the video! I have read your other posts elsewhere and appreciate all of your expertise and insight you provided. Someone mentioned the noise level of the machine from your video. Do you find the machine loud? Which model do you currently have?

Thanks to all!
 
Bette,

First off welcome to the group.

I'd suggest taking the advice of the local laundromat with a grain of salt. $2000 seems like a lot of money for a bearing replacement service. Commercial service can cost more then residential. Also you need to be sure he was speaking of similar machines, not larger commercial ones etc.

When researching on the Internet reading reviews etc., keep in mind that in general you only read about machines that gave troubles. There is just no way to know how many machines are out there performing properly to derive accurate statistics from. It is human nature to be more likely to write a negative review then to willingly dish out praise for something that works properly. Since you don't know the sales numbers higher volume products will automatically have more negative reviews as well, possibly making them look artificially bad. Advice from good service people and an independent dealer is important, although beware, they may be trying to sell you something too ;)

Sounds like you have done pretty well to get 12 years with your current washer. The SQ machine should easily outlast that machine on overall mechanical durability.
 
The Speed Queen model I have is the AFNE9BSP113TW01 and I think its sound level is reasonable. You can hold a normal conversation with someone standing next the washer during the spin cycle. The next time I do a batch of laundry I'll measure the noise level with a sound level meter held 6 feet away. Since my washer/dryer are in the garage, noise is not a concern anyway.
 
Speed Queen Repairs/Warranty

Phil & Steve,

Thank you very much for your feedback as I do appreciate it and agree. It seems the real person I need to convince is my husband. At $1,800 for a front loader (we have a septic & well so FL best for us), he says we can buy 2 or 3 machines since we really do not know if the SQ will really last as long as projected. He's also convinced that Steve works for SQ...lol

Ironically when I asked my mom last night if she had heard of SQ, she had just purchased a TL for $835. Said she loved it other than it was not big enough. Not sure why she said that as there is only two people in house.

Anyway, I am still curious if anyone has had to use the warranty with this machine and how it went. I feel EXTREMELY grateful my 12 year Kenmore FL set never had an issue until now. However, I do not feel we will get as lucky with the next household name brand (i.e. Whirlpool, GE, etc.) because they just do not build appliances/cars, etc. to last any more.

Thanks again for you advice and help! I am going to keep working on the DH. (:

Bette
 
cycle times and options

I'm thinking about ordering one for school. I teach culinary arts and am doing about 10 loads a day. We have an LG stacked and really want to put a brick in the washer and then tell them it broke . Luckily by chance, I found out there was a commercial speed queen triple loader and dryer just around the corner that I am doing about 3 or 4 loads in them a day as well.
I've been comparing the cycle charts for the residential version and the on premise one. Times are the same but the on premise one has less cycles and only one rinse option.
Some mentioned up to 5 rinses, correct me if I'm wrong, but when reading down the chart, wouldn't you have to choose either the 2nd or 3rd rinse option and not count both? If so, it looks like you would only get up to 4 rinses.
Also, just looked back at the rinse and spin cycle chart again. It looks like it is possible that you could choose rinse and spin and also select prewash and 3rd rinse which looks like you would get a 7 minute wash and 3 rinses in about 36 minutes. Is that correct???? Way cool if so as I feel a the short wash cycle consisting of only a 4 minute wash would not be enough and it would be nice to get a load done in about 30 minutes. This will be my next home washer for sure. :-) But until then, I have a Frigidaire front load and a calypso that I love.
 
For the 2015 Speed Queen front load washer, selecting the Second Rinse adds one additional rinse cycle. Selecting the Third Rinse adds two additional rinse cycles. Selecting both Second and Third rinse options together will add three additional rinse cycles for a total for five rinse cycles.

As far as answering the second part of your question (rinse and spin with prewash and additional rinse), I will give it a try tonight and let you know tomorrow.

You can also shorten the wash cycle by choosing a lower Soil Level since the default soil level is Medium. For example in Heavy Duty mode you can cut your wash cycle down from 45 minutes to 40 minutes by selecting the Light soil level. The manual does not contain any information on how selecting the soil level changes the wash times. It only lists the wash times for the Medium soil level. Other levels, such as the Normal/Eco cycle will cut your wash time even more. I just don't know what that is but I will get back to you tomorrow with wash times for each cycle based on soil level selection.
 
 
There's only one rinse if neither option is selected?  Don't frontloaders typically have two rinses as default/minimum?

What happens if Third Rinse is selected without Second?
 
If you don't select any rinse options in the 2015 Speed Queen front load with electronic panel you get two rinses. If you select the Second Rinse option you get a total of three rinses. If you only select the Third Rinse option you get a total of four rinses. If you select both the Second Rinse and Third rinse options you get a total of five rinses.
 
Cycle Wash Time Based on Soil Level Selected

stopmeister72 - The answer to your question about rinse and spin with prewash and "Third Rinse" additional rinse cycles works out to 41 minutes. Each additional rinse/drain option adds 8 minutes and the Rinse & Spin table left out the 2:30 minute water fill time for the prewash so the prewash actually adds 9:30 minutes to the rinse/spin cycle.

As promised the following is a list of the total wash times based on cycle and soil level selection. These times do not include any rinse options:

Cycle --- Low Med Heavy Max (Soil Level)
Heavy Duty: 40 45 50 55 (all times in minutes)
White: 45 50 55 60
Normal/Eco: 40 44 48 52
Delicate: 23 27 31 35
Bulky: 36 40 44 48
Quick Wash: 24 26 28 30
 
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