Time for a new washer/dryer

[retro-man]

I guess the Frigidaire top loader washer and dryer on top is on its way out. It has been making a loud screeching noise during the spins and now when it is coasting down to a stop there is quite the rumble and the tub seems to jerk and tries to seize. Makes quite the racket. It is 10-12 years old and never gave me a problem. 4th of July sales starting so hope to get a good deal on a new set. Don't want an agi-plate so the search starts today on line. Any recommendations on which ones to look at and which ones to stay away from?

Jon

 

[combo52]

Best New Stack W-D

Speed Queen stack, PERIOD.

Next best, something used.

John L.

 

[retro-man]

Thanks John, I did go look at the Speed Queens yesterday and these units need a 220v plug along with a 120v plug. I only have the 220v in the laundry closet. This would add to the expense to have an electrician come in to install a 120v outlet. I did see a Bosh pair but the dryer was a condenser dryer and the closet is too small for that amount of heat and moisture to accumulate in. The nice thing about those were one plug for the dryer at 220v and the washer plugged into the dryer and they would fit. So tomorrow I am going to a private retailer with my measurements and see what is available. Don't really want a wash impeller with low water levels. Will see what I can find.

Jon

 

[ea56]

Jon,

Why not check out either the Roper RTW4516FW or the Amana NTW4516FW? They will easily fit into your space, and they have a dual action agitator and the option for a full fill and if you select the Normal/Heavy cycle with Hot water, you get virtually water heater temp.

These are both pretty simple machines, with a 3.5 cu ft capacity that will get the job done. And as far as reliability, everything these days is a crap shoot, no matter how much you spend, so perhaps buying BOL isn’t such a bad idea. Both machines are made by Whirlpool.

I have attached a link to the You Tube video review done by our very own AW member Eugene of Lorraine Furniture.

Eddie

 

[speedqueen]

^Regarding the Whirlpool/Amana, it has that crappy VMW mechanism that has the bearings and seals in the gearbox fail in short order, not to mention the mode shifter and board problems. John is right on the SQ stack or an older Whirlpool Thin-Twin direct drive type stack unit.

 

[retro-man]

Eddie: thanks for the info and link but I need a laundry center. I wish I had room for separate machines. That Amana looks like a stand alone washer. My closet has only room for a stack style system. I will be going today to check out machines that will fit.

Jon

 

[maytag85]

I’d get a Speed Queen stack unit or a used Whirlpool/Kenmore direct drive set. Everything newer is junk, and I’ve seen very few newer WP belt drive washers for sale in my area, and most have gotten junked already. I am surprised Whirlpool hasn’t been sued for their quality, and the fact they rip people off with inferior products.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

SQ stack for the win.

There is no good reason to look for any others as they will only cause problems. You would be far better off to have the electrician run the 120/60/1 line and get the SQ stack. This unit is BY FAR superior to any other EVER MADE! You will more than get a full ROI in this unit's 30 plus year lifespan. I see no reason to ever need a new W/D again as this could outlive a Maytag wringer washer.
WK78

 

[combo52]

SQ Front Load Stack

We have often wired the washer off the red side of the dryers terminal block when there is no separate 120 circuit available, we add an inline 15 amp fuse when we do this.

 

There is plenty of power available in a 30 amp 240 volt circuit to run both the washer and dryer, I think SQ just chose to be conservative about this. Maytag did the same thing with its TL stack back in the 80s but after a few years just wired them together on the same 240 volt 30 amp circuit, and a MT DC washer takes more than twice the power to run as a new SQ FL Washer with its efficient ECM motor.

 

 

John 

 

[retro-man]

So I went shopping yesterday at Beach Sales. Nice name for an independent dealer here at the coast. I looked at the Speed Queens again. No heater in the washer. The problem with this is our hot water here never runs out but it can take 3 or 4 minutes to get to the washing machine. Hence all loads would be done in cold water. So I really needed a top loader. I looked at numerous units and decided on another Frigidaire laundry center. It basically is the same foot print so I know it will fit in the closet. Stainless steel drum with an agitator. It looks like inside it is bigger than the current one that I have. Model #FFLE3900UV. Not the best ratings but if I can get 8-10 years out of I will be happy. Not my 1st choice but it will do the job. Got a good price on it, better than I think the big box stores would have done. It will be delivered and installed and the old unit will be taken away on Wednesday.

Jon

 

[spinmon]

ea56,the agitator cap on that $300 washer sure looks like the cap on the '63 Frigidaire we had. I thought that cap/agitator was the best looking one Frig ever made and it sprayed out water in a cool pattern w/cool 'squirt' sounds on 'Normal' speed.

Off subject but what the hey.

 

[retro-man]

Did a few loads last week. The washer is much larger that the previous one. The normal cycle is the economy cycle. Lower wash and rinse water levels. Tried a few different cycles and the machine does fill to the top in wash and rinse. No tub indexing on this. It has different agitation profiles depending on the cycle. Much longer washing times built it. No timer just a selector for cycles. Something I noticed on all cycles is there is no spin between wash and rinse, but when it goes into rinse it fills and agitates for a minute then the water starts coming and the pump comes on and it pretty much stays at the same water level while agitating. Absolutely no suds left after rinse. Time for spin. It seems like it has five different speeds. Starts on a low spin speed, runs like this for a minute or two. Comes to a complete stop and you can hear something shift into second gear. Does the same thing with the next three gears. Then is spins at high speed for over 5 minutes easily. Will have to time it. Suspension is not at all like the other unit. Flops around very east but seems to do the job. So far happy with this laundry center. Don't know how long it will last but only do 3 maybe 4 loads a week at most. I removed the safety lock and run it open so I can see what is going on inside.

Jon

 

[retro-man]

Forgot to add that there are no flow restrictors on this machine. Full force from hot and cold. The fill for wash starts with a cold fill for about an inch then changes over to full hot for the remainder of the fill. All rinses are cold. It is just strange to see the force of the hot water going in since I was used to maybe one half flow rate when using hot. The installers were great. Two guys, one was smaller but stout and he was the one who had to get behind the machine to hook it all up and climb over the top. The other one was 6'4" 260 lbs of solid muscle. He is a bodybuilder. Massive man but the nicest guy you would ever want to meet, both had great sense of humor. Tipped them but very well for the job they did.

Jon