Which Frigidaire F/L is best?

[panthera]

Continuous problems with balancing

loads before spinning indicate something is wrong.
You can check the following easily:
Is the machine level? Level does not mean that the lid is level, it means that both the front and the back sides of the machine are level.
Is the floor "resonating" with the washer? These machines need very stable floors to work properly. Try putting some solid boards under the machine which span several joists. If the problem goes away, you will need to make some sort of permanent solution.
The suds-lock problem everybody has mentioned, but it really takes very little to suds-lock. Much less than I would have ever dreamed the first time I used a FL here in Germany.
Another "obvious" problem is the type of load. One heavy bath-robe will not spin very well. A full load of many heavy bath-robes will.
Of course, some of the motor controller boards were exceptionally vulnerable to static electric discharge...freezing them in the middle of the cycle. As were, recently, some of the first electronic program boards.
You'd think folks would learn.
The mechanism which gauges whether the load is in balance or not is measuring the power the motor is drawing compared to the speed of the drum. If the drum is not speeding up or only very slowly, the machine thinks there is an off-balance condition and stops, tries to re-distribute than starts again.
Any of the things I and others have listed above will cause this problem, not just the out-of-balance clothes.
Water level adjustments are easily made on these machines, just don't overdo...that door latch has been revised twice. It is not the most sturdy mechanism in the world. It is a very good idea to unplug the machine even if you are immune to electrical shock: It only takes the tiniest shock to kill the electronics in any washer; let your screwdriver slip or a bit of water fall on the wrong spot...and that was that)

 

[suziq]

Frig FL2940ESO

I have had the Frigidaire 2940 for over a year. I love the look, and the stacking ability has made a big difference in my small laundry room. However, the water coming out of the machine smells bad and my clothes are coming out with streaky brown stains. I don't know where it's coming from. I do laundry constantly, so it doesn't stay idle for long. A repairman told me to run vinegar through it montly, but I don't think I should have to. It seems that everyone on here is very pleased with theirs, so I am puzzled. Is it only me?

 

[decodriveboy]

Yuck

I would try filling the detergent dispensers with bleach and running a hot water wash with no items inside. Do it repeatedly until the smell ceases.

The best way I have found to keep front loaders fresh-smelling is to always leave the door and the detergent compartment open when not in use so they can air out.

 

[panthera]

Decodrive is right

And that is why my washers have had a little sign:
--KATZE?!?--
on the front for years and years.
After every cycle, wipe the rubber boot clean of water (especially under the fold). Leave the door ajar.
Problem solved.
I wouldn't run too much vinegar through a machine with an aluminum spider...but citric acid or formic acid will do just as nicely. You can get commercially prepared "washing machine cleaners" for FLs which have just the right dose...and boy, they really do clean.
If you can't find them (yet) in the US, just take 1/3 cup of citric acid and run the hottest cycle you can. Repeat if necessary.
(Nothing else added, especially not bleach - and be careful. Citric acid is a "real" acid).

 

[launderess]

SuzyQ

IMHO foul smelling water coming out of the pump leads one to believe something is festering in the sump as the water sits/machine is idle.

My first question would be what detergent are you using? If not using an HE detergent and or improper dosage means your laundry will not be rinsed cleanly and "gunk" is left over not only on your laundry, but in the machine. This is VERY important if one is using mainly warm and cold water for doing laundry.

If your washer has a way of emptying the drain (Miele washers like mine have a hose) empty the water out of the drain (following the instructions) and see what is coming out of the sump/drain. If you are getting foul water and see gunk, you need to clean out the sump and change laundry habits.

You can clean the sump by draining the water from the sump (if possible), put two cups of baking soda into the drum, then add one cup of white vinegar (you can up the dose, long as one keeps a roughly two to one ration). Close the machine up and set it to wash with the hottest water you can. Baking soda and vinegar together produce a foaming/cleaning action that will cleanse the junk out of your washer/pump.

The purpose of detergents is to lift oils/soils from laundry and keep them suspended until the wash water is drained so they can be rinsed away. Improper dosing and or using the wrong detergent causes the oils/soils to hang around not only your washer but your laundry, resulting in a final rinse water that has lots of stuff in it. That water now will sit and fester in the warm cozy confines of your washing machine.

 

[panthera]

oh yes

Venus,
You are so right. I didn't think of that in a new machine...but the way these Electrolux are designed, it is easy for a bra wire (their greatest weakness) or something similar to jam right above the pump impeller and let stuff build up.
The vinegar and baking soda really are a good trick, but those dratted aluminum spiders used in these machines won't stand up to a daily dose of chlorine bleach or vinegar.
Yet another possibility - and a really icky one - is stuff backing up into the machine. The US versions of these machines doen't come with the anti-siphon check valves our European ones have. Be worth looking into.

 

[passatdoc]

2940 vs 2140

I've owned the 2140 since late March 2006. I am very pleased with the operation. Clothes come out very clean. No skipped spins during rinse as some posters here have reported. I have mine in a stacked arrangement because my laundry area, in a rear alcove of the garage, has a bollard (concrete filled steel pipe) to protect the appliances from a runaway car. This is mandated by county law (Orange County, CA). In my case, the gas water heater, gas dryer, and gas furnace are adjacent to one another. So a car accidentally shifted into forward could take out three gas lines (with burners lit). Some people cut out the bollard, but there is some confusion whether it has to be restored to meet housing code should the home be sold. So I stacked my pair in the dryer space and use the washer space for a folding table.

I saved about $100 by choosing the 2140 rather than the 2940. The latter has two nice features lacking in the 2140: Automatic Temperature Control and a variable delay timer. ATC is not that important for me, because I'm in a temperate climate and the water heater is adjacent to the washer.

If someone's washer were far from the heater, and/or the cold tap water is icy cold, ATC would be a nice feature to have. (note: ATC in this model work on only Cold and Warm settings; there is no onboard heater, so Hot setting means straight hot tap water).

The 2140 does have a delay timer, but only one option: eight hours. At first I didn't see the point of delay timers. I didn't have to worry about running loads overnight, since my machines are in the garage and I don't hear the noise. But as this was my first FL machine, I soon realized that loads that took 20-30 minutes in a TL can take 60-90 minutes in this model, depending on cycle and options selected. The Heavy Cycle with Extra Spin/Extra Rinse/Heavy soil options stretches to about 90 minutes.

So at 21:00 or 22:00, I'm not likely to be able to wash a load and then dry it, unless it's something like towels that don't need to be promptly removed and folded/placed on hangers. And since the washer is sealed, I don't like the idea of wet laundry sitting inside for eight hours before I remove it for drying in the morning.

So I began using the delay timer more and more, mainly to start the wash at 05:00 or so, so that I can dry and remove the load in the morning while getting ready for work or the day's activities. Some US utilities now charge less for consumption in off-peak hours, which further increases the attractiveness of washing overnight.

The 2940 has variable delay, 2-12 hours. This is more useful than my fixed eight hour delay. If I go out after supper, it would be nice to throw in a load and have it wash 10 hours later. If I come home late, a four or six hour delay would be nice. Would I have shelled out another $100 for it? Probably not, but now the price gap between the two machines is closer to $50, and at that price I would select the 2940.

Actually, looking at the website of a large LA-area retailer, Universal Appliance, they now sell the 2940 for $10 LESS than the 2140. http://www.universal-akb.com/frigwas1.html (the matching dryer with glass window is $30 more than the windowless dryer that matches the 2140, but I'd hardly call that a bait and switch tactic).

If this price situation is the same for those of you elsewhere, I'd go for the 2940. Delay timing may become more important in the future if utilities begin to price their electricity according to hours of peak demand.

(ps: don't worry, the machines ARE level---I'm just not so good at holding the camera level!!!)

 

[cny4]

Does anyone know why the Affinity scored low in the Consumer reports wash test? I can buy a 6000 on sale right now for $530. I kind of like the 2140 and 2940 better, but the Affinity is supposed to be a step above these. Any thoughts out there what the differences are in the CR test or are they full of sh*t.

 

[peteski50]

Frigidaire!

I just don't understand why consumer reports rated the Affinity poorly. It is essentaly the same machine as the square door models as above. I wonder what the criteria is based upon?
Peter