Video: Are today's washers made to break?

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My two cents on this matter is that regardless of any statistical drop in durability of modern appliances, a lot of people here are viewing the past through VERY rose colored glasses. There is a reason why most laundry rooms around the world (well, I can only speak for Norway), don't have very old appliances, and that's because those appliances are long since broken and replaced. The ones that are still around are the rare survivors, just as you will find the odd modern appliance still alive in 25-30 years time. The real problem is the cost of repair, which is very high because of price gouging by manufacturers and the cost of labor, which is avoided during production because they're built in low cost countries, and production lines are automated to a large degree. The former can be addressed by right to repair legislation, the latter cannot.
 
 
As I've said several times, my family's January 1962 Whirlpool belt-drive had many repairs until it was replaced in June 1976 ... belt and wig-wag and pump (maybe more than once), bearings, mercury-capsule lid switch bracket rusted off, brush filter replaced (probably twice) due to wear-and-tear from frequent cleaning, motor centrifugal switch got sticky and sometimes wouldn't reset (particularly on low speed) for the next start, bakelite agitator cracked, possibly a tub leak occurred at some point (the local dealer, which is the one where I worked summers for several years, often used roofing tar to fix tub leaks).  Bad bearings again is what triggered the machine's replacement.
 
Reply #25

GE Filter Flo washer reliability was dubious at best, sometimes they could go for many years with no repairs or would need a major repair every 5 to 10 years. That’s why Whirlpool/Kenmore and Maytag were popular for many years since they didn’t need repairs all that often and yes the Whirlpool belt drive washers needed to be repaired every so often if it were the pump, belt, control magnet assembly aka wig wag but those repairs were guaranteed vs something like a GE Filter Flo washer since there could be oil or water leaks or a transmission failure. I’ve taken a Whirlpool belt drive transmission apart before, there’s heavy cast iron gears inside similar to a Maytag, only way a transmission can fail is if water gets inside and contaminates the oil but that only ever happened if the tub seal failed (which was rare) or the center post seals failed which happened on the later belt drive washers but almost never happened on the belt drives with the tall center post.
 
I don't think it's always unwillingness on the consumer's part to invest in long-lasting goods like they used to. I think in many cases they can't. It's true that if one adjusts for inflation the price of a washer back in the day would be in the $1000 range today, and that people were willing to pay that to get good performance and reliability in their home goods. However, the price of production has gone up. The price of labor has gone up. The price of quality goods has gone way up. Wages, however, have not risen to match, not by a long shot. So I think consumers are a lot of times forced to buy crap because a $500 washer is what they can afford, which was the case many years ago. In order to get quality goods to consumers, consumers need to be able to afford them. Wages can't stay stagnant forever or we won't be able to afford anything.
 
The mechanical tolerances were better in the mid to late 60’s and through the 70’s vs the 50’s and early 60’s. Oils in the 50’s and early 60’s weren’t all that great either which is why engines were a bit tired before reaching 100,000 miles and the engines themselves weren’t bad but the oils were. If they still made cars and engines like they did back then but since the oils have improved greatly since then, they’d easily would last to 150,000 or even 200,000 miles since oils and transmission fluids have improved greatly since then.
 
 
The 1976 Supreme 80 was MSRP $369 which is what the dealer charged (although sales tax included which was his policy on new purchases).  That's equivalent to $1,895 to $1,899 today.  Speed Queen's MSRP for a TC5 is $1,449 and $2,229 for a frontloader, although discounts are widely available.  Either way, many consumers can't justify the cost or don't have the up-front funds vs. other choices, and they don't expect or *want* to keep the same appliance for 20+ years.

As an example, my Panasonic plasma TV (although it's really only a display since it has no tuner or speakers) will be 20 years in September.  It's 1024x768, 720p/1080i, has no "smart" capabilities or HDMI input.  How many typical consumers would have updated long ago?
 
1. Can an <span style="text-decoration: underline;">over engineered</span> washer (or any appliance) be made? Yes. It's been done before.
Should they be made? The number crunchers and those who are looking out for the long-term survival of our society are saying NO we won't be doing that.

 

2. Traditional top load washers and even wash plate washers are:

A. harsher on clothing 

B. use much more water

C. use more detergent

D. use more electricity

E. do not clean as well

 

3. It is one thing to like the appliances and furnishing we grew up with in ...what ever decade it was.  To have pictures or furnishings as memorabilia; not a problem. 

However to want to actually incorporate things that were a bad idea or were hurting society in our lives on a daily basis is <span style="text-decoration: underline;">very stupid.</span>

For example: we may like some of the products that were made of asbestos but to ACTUALLY pine for products anew made from asbestos is really, really dumb considering how much of a health risk it is.

 

 

4. About a 1/3 of the U.S. is affected by drought.  REAL TIME people.  And that number seems to be growing each year.  And that is just here in the U.S.

Other countries, especially those that are developing and adopting things like washing machines would be absolutely foolish to try and do a top load machine given the water situations affecting such countries.

 

It is totally irresponsible for any of us, if we care about society and our own lives, to try and encourage wasting water and resources on a bad product like a <span style="text-decoration: underline;">traditional top load washer.</span>

 

Anything that can be done to get as many water wasting appliances and habits REMOVED from society makes us a better society.  That should be obvious.

 

Anything we can do to save water resources from not watering lawns unnecessarily, not wasting water on excess showering or shower heads that waste water, not having toilets that waste water, and of course not doing laundry in a topload machine is crucial.

 

Time to grow up. 

Put your washer fetish into perspective. 

Like the machines you like but certainly don't use the water wasting ones or encourage others to do it.

 

I don't know who made that first video but it's got a limited audience as most people will not care or understand the points.

 

Literally, yesterday I stopped at an older laundromat as I sometimes do, to check out the retro vibe.  They had traditional toploaders but the majority of machines were front loaders.  On the lids of the topload machines were signs stating to the affect of "because of the drought the topload machines have been turned off.  Please use the front loader washers"

(I wish I had my camera with me to get photos of the laundromat and the sign.  Maybe this week I will stop back for that.)

That's serious and that's taking responsibility.

 

Personally- I grew up with top loaders.  My parents first washer was a mid 60s frigidaire, then we got a 1976 Whirlpool belt drive sudsaver washer, then a 1985 GE FF TOL Spotscrubber washer, then I got Whirlpool made Direct drive models and a 1991 GE Filter flo washer.

And of course the 100+ other such top loaders I collected at various points in my life.

Do I have fond memories?  Yeah.

 

Would I ever do laundry in a top loader again?  NO. 

Would I collect the machines to look at as furniture, as people do with many other items?  Yes.

 

I first tried a friends front load Whirlpool Duet in 2007 and was sold.  So much better.

 

 

National Current Conditions

Get the latest U.S. drought conditions. View current precipitation, temperature, and drought maps, as well as streamflow and soil moisture conditions.
www.drought.gov www.drought.gov

bradfordwhite-2022071014194803560_1.png
 
I appreciate and agree with much of what was said above; but I'm not as sure that a FL washer uses less electricity than a TL.

From my experience, my 25 year old KM DD TL washer uses less electricity per load than my FL ASKO or SQ. The old KM DD only uses ~1/3 of a kilowatt hour for a load (in my area that is less than 4 U.S. cents) which is less than the FL's.

The difference appears to be because the FL machines tend to take much longer to complete the cycle than the older WP DD washers.

Regardless, when other cost are also considered like water, the FL cost per wash cycle is indeed less.

I will mention that for most of this year I have been temporarily using my washer rinse water to water the outdoor lawn and garden. (Most people would not go to the trouble yet, and I don't have a longer term plan or solution either) However in the past, all of that water was being sent down the drain. Maybe we will see more building designs incorporating alternative water disposal methods of some household water instead of it all directed into the city sewer systems.
 
@bradfordwhite, your points are valid and well-taken. However, there are some of us who still, even in a market that is trying heavily to push front loaders, can't afford them. If my Maytag A112 top loader breaks down, I'm going to need a replacement quickly because I am disabled and can't schlep clothes to the laundromat easily and neither can my wheelchair-bound wife. I'm going to find a cheap and easy solution because I'm on a fixed income. That would be either finding another old, used top loader for a couple hundred bucks or grabbing one of the VMW top load machines that are on the market today for around $500, both of which are going to use a lot of water and resources. The cheapest front loader that I've seen new is the Samsung entry level, which is still $700 on sale. Out of my range. I'm honestly not sure my laundry closet has the depth for a new front loader anyway. So, because of cost issues and the designs of many of our homes, lots of us don't really have much of a choice. I get your point but it was stated in a bit of a bossy, lectury way and like we can all do more about it than we can. My question is, what would you have someone like me do?
 
#33

Many people these days have budget constraints.  

 

Front loaders are not a new thing any longer and can be readily found listed in the same places you'd find other appliances and at reasonable prices.

 

A front loader will probably be easier to reach for people who are wheel chair bound.

 

Regardless of what type model you choose, it might be a good idea to shop and buy a back-up ahead of time so you're not under stress when shopping.


bradfordwhite-2022071016562706011_1.png
 
Wages and consumers are a lot of times forced to buy crap

True.

Back in the day even those on a tight budget could afford a manufacturer's BOL of the line machine that was just as reliable as their TOL machines, perhaps even more so.

Nowadays thats not really any option anymore, people have to buy what they can afford and take their
chances.
 
#37

As the decades have moved on the old BOL has tended to disappear
while the old MOL becomes the new BOL
and the old TOL becomes the new MOL
while the new TOL are new designs.

Manufacturers of many appliances, including automobiles, in the U.S. and other DEVELOPED countries are also dealing with market saturation. They can't just make a batch of couches, or entry level cars, washing machines, or whatever and count on the market demand to buy them up anymore.

These days if you're really in need of furnishing or appliances it's not difficult in many markets to get (used and nice) things for free through charitable organizations, off classified listings like craigslist or facebook.
 

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