unbalanced load handling
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knitwits1975
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Well I have a story about a GE Filter-flo does in my profile. Some find it humorous.
Our early 70's GE used to walk about the room as well, held at bay by it's water hoses... How we never had a flood, I'll never know.
A friend's parents had a newer Maytag set (early 80's) and it stopped running in the middle of a cycle one day so they called for service and let the machine sit, waiting for rescue. I opened the lid, heard the familiar clunk of the off-balance/lid switch spring resetting and knew what the problem was. We re-distributed the load and off it went, just like always. They were stunned, having only Kenmores with buzzers, they had no idea.
A friend's parents had a newer Maytag set (early 80's) and it stopped running in the middle of a cycle one day so they called for service and let the machine sit, waiting for rescue. I opened the lid, heard the familiar clunk of the off-balance/lid switch spring resetting and knew what the problem was. We re-distributed the load and off it went, just like always. They were stunned, having only Kenmores with buzzers, they had no idea.
My Fisher & Paykel IWL12 toploader starts spin with a burst to 120 RPM, then settles back to 90 to 100 RPM for about 20 seconds. It then revs up to 300 RPM for a minute. If 300 RPM (slow) is the selected spin speed, it stays there for the duration. Otherwise it revs up slowly to either 670 RPM or 1000 RPM.
If the off-balance switch triggers during the start-up, it coasts down to zero, waits a few seconds, then tries again. Then again. Each attempt at spin extracts some water, so the load may smooth out enough to continue. If off-balance still triggers on the 3rd attempt, it either stops and beeps for help, or if auto recovery is enabled it fills and agitates briefly, drains, and the spin process starts over. I don't know if it would try auto-recovery just once, or more than once.
If the off-balance switch triggers during the start-up, it coasts down to zero, waits a few seconds, then tries again. Then again. Each attempt at spin extracts some water, so the load may smooth out enough to continue. If off-balance still triggers on the 3rd attempt, it either stops and beeps for help, or if auto recovery is enabled it fills and agitates briefly, drains, and the spin process starts over. I don't know if it would try auto-recovery just once, or more than once.
good topic!
Hoover Keymatic (old shape) - main power switch on the front is a big red or black rocker switch. Behind it is a lever which protrudes near the drum. If the load gets badly off balance the drum flicks the lever which turns the main power swtich off. You are supposed to redistribute the load manually, then close the door and switch on again. It just launches into spin with no distribute first, a very crude system. However the Keymatic is one of the most forgiving machines I have ever seen for out of balance loads - it has cable and spring suspension with plenty of room inside for the drum to move around, so it runs smooth and quiet even with a jiggling drum from an unbalanced load.
The machine has wheels as standard and does not move around on its wheels even when spinning, it stays where you park it.
Chris.
Hoover Keymatic (old shape) - main power switch on the front is a big red or black rocker switch. Behind it is a lever which protrudes near the drum. If the load gets badly off balance the drum flicks the lever which turns the main power swtich off. You are supposed to redistribute the load manually, then close the door and switch on again. It just launches into spin with no distribute first, a very crude system. However the Keymatic is one of the most forgiving machines I have ever seen for out of balance loads - it has cable and spring suspension with plenty of room inside for the drum to move around, so it runs smooth and quiet even with a jiggling drum from an unbalanced load.
The machine has wheels as standard and does not move around on its wheels even when spinning, it stays where you park it.
Chris.
Greg, those people with the early 80s 'tag could not open the lid and see that the load was unevenly distributed? Sheesh!
christfr
Well-known member
ha
try a unimatic on a concrete floor with out the rubber feet..the first time i used one i didnt know better and that machine took off across the floor, i dove on top of it thinking i could hold it down, and we both went for ride. so i have learned rubber feet are supposed to be there for a reason and the shorter you can adj the legs the better. it was a scary but sort of fun ride ha ha
try a unimatic on a concrete floor with out the rubber feet..the first time i used one i didnt know better and that machine took off across the floor, i dove on top of it thinking i could hold it down, and we both went for ride. so i have learned rubber feet are supposed to be there for a reason and the shorter you can adj the legs the better. it was a scary but sort of fun ride ha ha
But wait, the story gets better...
A couple of years later, they mentioned they were waiting for service to come for the WP made KM dishwasher because there was a strong burning smell when they ran it last. I opened the door, pulled the plastic lid from under the heating element and turned it on. I think they still had service check it out "just in case"! Easy $100 service call for that guy.
Double Sheesh!
A couple of years later, they mentioned they were waiting for service to come for the WP made KM dishwasher because there was a strong burning smell when they ran it last. I opened the door, pulled the plastic lid from under the heating element and turned it on. I think they still had service check it out "just in case"! Easy $100 service call for that guy.
Double Sheesh!
Growing up in Georgia where so many washing machines were on wooden floors in the kitchen, several school-age friends were asked to Ride the Frigidaire during the spin to keep things from shaking too much. One friend had to sit on the Bendix Economat to hold the lid down because of a broken spring. Then the family's fortunes (literally) changed and everything in the kitchen was Lady Kenmore and TOL Coldspot.
Dadoes, well, either there is a vast difference in the design of the programs or my machine is in need of repairs. My Fisher Paykel will just take off and keep right on thumping and banging around the laundryroom until the spin is over! Of course, it will eventually balance enough to just shake a lot and be almost frighteningly loud at the full 1,010RPM. I've had large loads come out to be completely on one side before and it still managed to get to full speed!
jasonl
New member
Glenn, the Oasis does the same thing. A slow surge to 120rpm, then to 300, then 600, then full speed. It does handle off balance well.
monkeywards40
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when I was a child of 4 years old my mom had a montgomery wards washer with a spin speed that was so powerful, that one day i was sitting on the commode and the washer came walking across the floor, now for a 4 year old boy that can be traumatic. i was afraid to go to the bathroom by myself for a couple of years, my mom had to go into the bathroom and turn off the washer until i was done because if not, it started walking across the floor i would scream at the top of my lungs for her to stop it, and move it back to its space. Now that i look back at those memories i sit and laugh but when i was 4 it was scary
Jamie, the off-balance switch on your GWL11 may not be working or maybe the lever broke off. Poke your hand toward the back rear corner, a plastic lever should be sticking down from the console.
You can test it via diagnostic mode.
F&P Off-Balance Lever
You can test it via diagnostic mode.
F&P Off-Balance Lever
knitwits1975
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Yes Kelly, sounds textbook page to my GE Filter-Flo experience in 1979. I was also four when it happened.
My parent's early 70's Filter-Flo got off balance at times, but never went for a walk. Just a lot of thunk thunk thunk, and the lid getting airborne.
The GE oven we had at the time would every now and then pop a heating element, and WOW, have you guys ever had that happen to you? It's *scary*
The GE oven we had at the time would every now and then pop a heating element, and WOW, have you guys ever had that happen to you? It's *scary*
chaskelljr2
Well-known member
Well "tbolt25":
What our BOL 1967 Kenmore (24" Model) used to do was bang its tub against the cabinet loudly, and then walk across the floor (and that thing scared the heebee geebees out of me back then).
And then, we upgraded to a 1978 MOL Kenmore (one of the match all models with black backguard control panel with the simulated wood looking steel top), our 1978 MOL Kenmore (which was an 18 LB Large Capacity Model) had an Off Balance Switch with a Buzzer. When a washload went out of balance in the 1978 model, all it would do is bang its tub against the cabinet a couple of times, and then the machine would stop immediately and a buzzer would sound. In fact, I was down at my family table eating breakfast one Saturday morning when the machine went out of balance. I got up from the table and went upstairs to re-distribute the load that was inside the machine and then reset the machine. It hasn't skipped a beat after that. I then explained to my mother that her machine was out of balance, and that what she heard was an Off Balance Buzzer, then I went on to tell her what I did. The next time the 1978 Kenmore went out of balance, she knew what to do then.
And the same thing is (or was) with the 1967 Kenmore that I used when I moved into my apartment.
But now, what I want to hear from Frigidaire, Philco and Westinghouse fans was how their machines reacted when the washloads inside of them went out of balance???? I am especially interested in hearing how a Westinghouse Front Loader (the ones with the unsusally shaped doors and oval windows) reacted when it encountered an unbalanced load.
--Charles--
What our BOL 1967 Kenmore (24" Model) used to do was bang its tub against the cabinet loudly, and then walk across the floor (and that thing scared the heebee geebees out of me back then).
And then, we upgraded to a 1978 MOL Kenmore (one of the match all models with black backguard control panel with the simulated wood looking steel top), our 1978 MOL Kenmore (which was an 18 LB Large Capacity Model) had an Off Balance Switch with a Buzzer. When a washload went out of balance in the 1978 model, all it would do is bang its tub against the cabinet a couple of times, and then the machine would stop immediately and a buzzer would sound. In fact, I was down at my family table eating breakfast one Saturday morning when the machine went out of balance. I got up from the table and went upstairs to re-distribute the load that was inside the machine and then reset the machine. It hasn't skipped a beat after that. I then explained to my mother that her machine was out of balance, and that what she heard was an Off Balance Buzzer, then I went on to tell her what I did. The next time the 1978 Kenmore went out of balance, she knew what to do then.
And the same thing is (or was) with the 1967 Kenmore that I used when I moved into my apartment.
But now, what I want to hear from Frigidaire, Philco and Westinghouse fans was how their machines reacted when the washloads inside of them went out of balance???? I am especially interested in hearing how a Westinghouse Front Loader (the ones with the unsusally shaped doors and oval windows) reacted when it encountered an unbalanced load.
--Charles--
westytoploader
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Since the Studio isn't built on concrete, I have a lot of OOB problems in there! When the machines start shaking violently I shut them off and re-distribute. The Frankenmore generally doesn't have a problem with OOB loads, but will shake if it does. The GE and 1-18 also like to shake. Only the Unimatic has an OOB switch which shuts the timer off, but that only has a problem when spinning out the water and getting up to speed. At the full 1140 it spins fine, although if the load is a little "off" it will vibrate. Before I adjusted the Rustinghouse's (front-loader with a straight front; Dual-Tumble design) leveling legs, it would tend to "hop" as it started spinning!
Up at the house, the '03 Maytag is the absolute best at handling off-balance loads. The tub can be doing its usual gyration, but the cabinet stays smooth. Only once did the off-balance switch trip, and that was with some bathroom rugs. It never has again. Before that, the '98 DD Kenmore liked to make a lot of noise, shaking and rattling. The '96 plastic GE handled them well because of its soft suspension, and the '86 White-Westinghouse (top-loader) wasn't bad, though I do remember it shaking a few times.
The worst was before I was even born. Parents had a WCI/Montgomery Ward set from 1983 I believe in their old house. Laundry room had two doors; one inside the house that pushed in to open and another to the garage. Apparently that washer had a habit of walking during spin, and would walk right in front of the inside door and block it so no one could get in. Whoever was in the house at the time had to go around to the garage to get to the laundry room and schlep the washer back in its place. The washer moved with them to their next house, and didn't walk after that, but was replaced for one reason or another. Why this particular machine liked to walk, and the next White-Westinghouse didn't is beyond me since they are basically the same machine. Had it been a Norge-made set, that problem would have never existed.
--Austin
Up at the house, the '03 Maytag is the absolute best at handling off-balance loads. The tub can be doing its usual gyration, but the cabinet stays smooth. Only once did the off-balance switch trip, and that was with some bathroom rugs. It never has again. Before that, the '98 DD Kenmore liked to make a lot of noise, shaking and rattling. The '96 plastic GE handled them well because of its soft suspension, and the '86 White-Westinghouse (top-loader) wasn't bad, though I do remember it shaking a few times.
The worst was before I was even born. Parents had a WCI/Montgomery Ward set from 1983 I believe in their old house. Laundry room had two doors; one inside the house that pushed in to open and another to the garage. Apparently that washer had a habit of walking during spin, and would walk right in front of the inside door and block it so no one could get in. Whoever was in the house at the time had to go around to the garage to get to the laundry room and schlep the washer back in its place. The washer moved with them to their next house, and didn't walk after that, but was replaced for one reason or another. Why this particular machine liked to walk, and the next White-Westinghouse didn't is beyond me since they are basically the same machine. Had it been a Norge-made set, that problem would have never existed.
--Austin
jasonl
New member
The Frankenmore generally doesn't have a problem with OO
Now THAT just made my day. Go Frankenmore! Of all those machines, the "KENMORE" handles OOB best. Yay!
Now THAT just made my day. Go Frankenmore! Of all those machines, the "KENMORE" handles OOB best. Yay!
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