The Speed Queen arrived today

[58limited]

It was delivered at 7:40pm tonight and I got it installed by 9pm. Ran an empty load with a little soap and then did a load of towels - it is in final spin right now. The vibration is not bad, about the same as my GE, but the spins between the wash and rinse cycles, while very short, had the machine walking across the floor. I was worried but the final spin was OK. I don't think the machine balanced the load very well for the short spins between wash and rinse and this caused the problem. I'll see how it performs on lighter clothing.

 

First picture is the unpacked machine in my driveway, the smaller box is the pedestal:

 

[58limited]

Box opened

Here is the Model <a name="start_38840.577994">AFN50F waiting to be moved inside. There is condesation visible on the door glass, residual water from testing at the manufacterer I guess. There was water in the drain hose too.
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[58limited]

In place

and in final spin:

 

[58limited]

Just unloaded the towels

The spin was definitely adequate, the towels feel damp, not wet. Here is a shot with the door open:

 

[mrb627]

Congrats

Nice machine. I'm sure you will be happy with it for years to come.

Malcolm

 

[gansky1]

Good looking machine - don't you love how simple it is?  Hope the balancing - walking isn't a problem now that it's "run in" a bit.  Enjoy!

 

[combo52]

Walking SQ FL Washer

Once you get the machine in its final spot it really helps to use the sticky over-sized rubber feet that come with the washer on the front two feet. Be very sure that all feet are properly adjusted first and that all four lock-nuts are tight against the bottom of the washer. If your floor is very smooth you might even get two of these larger sticky pads for the rear feet also.

 

I am sure you will enjoy this washer, Last week I got a service call on a 3 and1/2 year old GE FL washer [ Chinese made machine ]. The service request said that the washer was making a terrible noise and SMOKING inside. When I got there the nice young man met me and I looked the machine over a little and didn't see anything particularly wrong. So I plugged it in and selected spin and drain, the machine started to spin and no bad sounds at all. But once it went over maybe 600 RPMs there was this terrible noise, the customer and I almost bumped our heads together as we both went for the washers plug at the same time LOL.

 

The machine had a broken spider and smelled terrible, I asked the customer if they always washed in cold water to which he said always, isn't that what you are supposed to do?. Anyway we had a nice discussion about laundering procedures, he was so impressed with my service and knowledge that he bought a SQ FL rear control washer on the spot that we delivered the next day.

 

The bottom line for  FL washers to have a long life is one they should always smell great inside [ in fact you should be able to put your head inside and take deep breaths for mental therapy ] and two you should not be getting any type of build-up on the glass or boor boot. Many people tell me that they have to keep cleaning these areas, but cleaning it off does no real good as its the hidden areas that you can't get to that cause the real problems.

 

We have the old GE at our shop for parting out and recycling, I will try to record it running tomorrow before we recycle it as it makes an amazing amount of noise.

 

[58limited]

John,

How do those sticky feet work on a wood floor? I'm afraid that the polyurethane will simply pull off of the wood.

 

[qualin]

I had the same walking issue with my machine as well. My machine sits on a concrete floor, so I kind of expected it.

I put the front rubber feet on, that's made all the difference.

 

[58limited]

I'm currently washing a load of clothes as I type this. It is a full load compared to the small load of towels* that I did the other night. So far the machine is not walking when it spins between the cycles (called a "pulse spin" in the manual), but it still vibrates a lot. From what I'm observing, the machine does not take time to completely balance the load for the pulse spins like it does for the final spin.

 

I was using the extra rinse option, but as I'm reading the manual I see that the machine rinses twice anyway, the extra rinse adds a third rinse cycle. Do you all think the extra rinse is necessary? I have been reading the thread on how to increase the water level, is that pretty much everyone's recommendation as well? Will it void the warranty?

 

Just finished the final spin. There was vibration, but my old GE FL sometimes vibrated this much. The final spin starts at 650 rpm and then goes to 1000 rpm.

 

The manual mentions "Boosted Hot" on selected models that heats the water to 140 degrees, but there was not a single residential FL on their website with this option. The manual says that "Hot" is 120 degrees - does the machine mix cold water even when the "Hot" cycle is selected?

 

*The towel load was: three bath towels, a wash cloth, and two kitchen towels - a small load that is probably hard to balance anyway.

[this post was last edited: 4/14/2012-12:08]

 

[jetcone]

One thing I'd

double check is do I see you have it up on a pedestal? Part of the stabilization of these machines is the bottom access panel. There are two nylon posts that must mate with the cabinet panel around the door tightly. So check the screws on the bottom panel to make sure they are tight and the access panel is snug.

I think you will get good results on the factory water setting but I need sloshing in the washer!

As for third rinse- well how hard is your water? Do you want your towels crunchy or soft? If your water is on the hard side they will come out extra crunchy but will be thirsty for water when you use them.
It is a smart machine, if you choose the 3rd rinse it will move the dispensing of rinse agent to the final rinse.

 

[58limited]

Jon,

 

The front panel is secure. The water here is good, very little mineral content and soap rinses out fine. I don't think I'll need to use the extra rinse function that often, maybe just when I wash a heavy blanket.

 

[jetcone]

Excellent

My only other idea is I find the feet have to be perfectly level, not close, exact. The best way for me to do that is to run the spin cycle , get on my knees with a crescent wrench and micro tighten legs around the machine. You can see a marked difference doing that. Just putting the machine in rubber can help but micro adjustments can make a huge difference with heavy front loaders.

 

[58limited]

Jon,

 

I'll try adjusting the legs. Everything is level when the machine is off - a level across the top in any position shows it to be perfectly level.