When did GE start to go bad?

[panasonicvac]

Meh

I've seen how the newer GE top loaders work, I wasn't impressed. I did at one point had interest on one model until I've seen several wash videos and saw what's inside of it. I think I probably would've gotten a Hydro Wave compare to whatever they sell today except the front loaders if I had to pick my poison. Definitely agree on picking the SQ variant over any Hydro Wave but not the T, chances are my cousin's would've not had it anymore if their cabin came with that machine instead. Plus I prefer the plastic tub, wash action, and bypassing the lid switch on the T not to mention the price as well. When we sold our first cabin, we left our FF behind and not surprisingly it's since been replaced. The current owners did got another GE dryer but the washer is a used Kenmore direct drive. If my cousins replaced their T with something else, I would've recommended them a used direct drive as well.

 

[agiflow]

I always wondered why didn't Speed Queen make the outer tub of SS in the top loaders as well.

I don't mind though that a machine has a plastic outer tub. All it has to do is hold water and you don't have to worry about it rusting out. Though the DD washers are notorious for water line crud build up.

 

[whirlpool862]

Newer GE Machines

They wash a lot like Whirlpool VMW machines, not the best, not the worst, they last a decent amount of time if they are well-maintained. The GE’s with the agitators are better than the infusor variants.

They wash as about as well as the DAA VMWs if it has the agitator. The Whirlpool WTW4816FW has the dull action agitator, and it’s just a fancier and worse version of the older WTW4800XQ and WTW4800BQ models. The VMWs with the load size selector were the best of the VMWs.

The most common failure mode on the older agitator style VMWs (whether dual action or straight vane), was the suspension rods.

The HydroWave machines couldn’t get clothes clean and they cannot, they don’t rollover anything, and when you see videos of the HydroWave many of them are actually malfunctioning which proves how bad they were.

There was two variants of the HydroWave, the infusor model and the agitator model. The term “infusor” is still being used on GE’s newest impeller machines. The infusor model was made from 2010 to 2015 and they were a bit worse than the agitator versions but not by much, both of them didn’t clean well. The infusor versions made a higher pitch noise on agitation because the impeller was less heavy, putting less straining on the motor.

When the mode shifter failed, the tub would move violently, not just the inner tub, but the entire inside of the machine.

The Model Ts with no conditions also moved violently on agitation, the entire inside of the machine would move back and forth.

The GE’s make a noise on agitation like the older VMW machines did. My VMW has the second generation transmission in it, the third Gen transmission is the quietest and can barely be heard over the drive motor. The first Gen one sounded different than the second Gen one, that’s what Jerry (Smurdle450) is saying on YouTube.

Some GE top loaders were built by LG, like the one Sharkie626 filmed for example. I’m not sure about the Samsung machine reliability but I heard those were pretty reliable so I wouldn’t buy one and they seem to be expensive to repair. On some models it’s kind of hard to find parts. I wouldn’t buy Insignia or Hisense washing machines either.

 

[combo52]

I never had a single complaint from a customer

About the performance of either a GET model washer or the Hydro waves.

The Hydro waves were even better performers with their faster, spin cycle than the T model machines but both machines held big loads and got things clean both machines were very quiet in the spin cycle. Hydro wave was quieter in the wash cycle.

Yes, both machines had some serious durability issues, they were nowhere near as reliable as a direct drive whirlpool or dependable care Maytag or Speed Queen’s for example, even WCI top loaders were more durable than these GE’s, but we’ve certainly seen a lot of of these GE’s last more than 20 years, especially in situations where they weren’t used to heavily.

We have saved one of each for our museum as they are significant machines in the evolution of top loading washers.

John L

 

[gelaundry4ever]

baby swing

Ghe hydrowaves sound like a baby swing when agitating.

 

[Chetlaham]

Hydro-waves and model Ts had very quiet spins, if you disconnected the drain pump.

 

Sometimes I wonder how quiet Model Ts might have been if they used a direct drive pump driven by the main drive motor.  

 

[cfz2882]

Loud pump

Earlier plastoid GEs,atleast through 2000,had better sounding shaded pole motor pumps-very first ones were Italian,then Hanning.Same vortex impeller on both.If the PM pump craps on my Hydrowave,will install one of the salvaged SP pumps on The later PM pumps are Hanning and loud as hell.Quietest PM wet rotor pump i have seen is the Italian made Plaset in my '98 Neptune 3000-have to really listen to hear that one.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

GE model T

When I first got mine, I thought my family had a knock off Whirlpool because of the way the agitation sounded. No wonder why GE got sued by Whirlpool.

 

[Chetlaham]

Don you know the number or have a link to the lawsuit?

 

[gelaundry4ever]

chetlaham

I believe it's called an agitated whirlpool sues GE or something.

 

[Chetlaham]

Is this it? I don't have a subscription to the NY times. What was in the article? 

https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/19/business/whirlpool-sues-ge-over-roper.html

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Let me see...

How about this one?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB874274366761114500

 

[Chetlaham]

Says I need a subscription in order to read.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

chetlaham

I hate when it does that.

 

[Chetlaham]

Copy and Paste it in an email and send it over to me. I'll opine.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

I wish I could...

but I have to become a subscriber and spend money. I knew Whirlpool would be pissed at GE for that.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

insult to injury

To add insult to injury, I hear these don't clean as good as Whirlpool direct drives or even the filter-flos.

 

[Chetlaham]

Jerome, turn up your volume and have a listen to this. The agitator almost sounds loose/wobbly like its going to break at any moment. There is some roll over because the washer is under loaded. 

 

 

 



 

 

How society let such a joke of a consumer scam slide is beyond sad. 

 

 

I bet someone somewhere at GE was probably proud of this toy of washer LOL. 

 

[whirlpool862]

Yep

Surprisingly, they said it lasted very long before it died, and there’s a Kenmore VMW right by that machine.

The Model-Ts and HydroWaves sounded like they were dying in agitation and spin.

Video of a GE HydroWave with BROKEN tub straps, unfortunately a common issue with these and caused them to shake violently on spin cycle. It wasn’t even the rods that failed on the HydroWaves commonly, but it was the actual straps on the tub.

 

[Chetlaham]

Tub straps breaking were common for model Ts. Like super common. I'm not exactly sure what caused it but it was either a) how the whole inner and outer tub shook violently tugging away at them until they broke. b) Tub straps took very severe stretching if the load was off balance. c) both a and b.

 

No other washer tears its dampers during an off balance load let alone normal agitation.