Which Miele W1?

[tomdawg]

On the topic of Miele rinsing

I agree to some degree with henriks statement on Miele rinsing, but I would argue it does better than most American washers that don’t spin/drain all. My wand test pretty much tells me how well a rinse works in a machine. My LG 4370 rinses better in shorter time than Miele, only because I can select a towels cycle. going into the service menu on my Miele W4 selecting allergy option as well as water plus, I’m pretty happy with the results. Miele’s are much slower, but the performance overall is amazing!

 

[hippo]

If you do change the Water Plus level in settings please report back. I was under the impression it only changed the level when Water Plus was selected in the app. If it ALWAYS activates a higher water level that would be great since I wouldn’t have to use the terrible app.

 

[derrick352]

"water plus"

Water plus setting works different on W1's. Some people have a menu option in normal settings. Other W1's it is a setting in secondary programming menu. Water plus on some machines it is a water adjustment for wash and rinse water level in 3 increments such as my WWF060. If it is in your normal settings options, details of how it works should be in your manual. Sometimes there is an extra rinse etc when it is used. If confused I'm sorry...water plus is just not the same on each W1 and what it does for your specific machine.

I do know on my WWF060 I set the water plus in secondary programming menu, and it is a permanent setting until changed by user. I use the max setting 3 droplets displayed. Water plus feature for my washer does nothing than increase the water level for wash and rinse for every cycle. Max rinse level setting not related to this feature.

 

[derrick352]

"water plus"

Miele W1's in the USA...if there is nothing in your manual about water plus does not mean you do not have the feature or option to use it. You need to set it by accessing other programming menu. It will likely be similar to the WWF060 in how it works for every load. Miele eliminates information in our manuals on purpose, and yet a prewash function is in manual but useless. Fact is for those without a working prewash due to error when used, it will NEVER be fixed by Miele. They just don't care.

 

[littlegreeny]

Hippo

It's super easy to change the water plus level. You should try it.

 

[littlegreeny]

Water Plus

This is what it looks like in the programming menu on my machine.

 

[hippo]

While the WXR 860 WCS USA manual makes no mention of Water Plus and the option is only accessible through the app, Euro market manuals vary in how they describe the Water Plus Level setting.

While it seems that for derrick352’s WWF060 the setting is always active, the Euro market WCR 860 WCS’s (which has M Touch like the WXR 860) manual states “ Water plus level: There are four different water levels which can be selected for the Water plus Extra.” This seems to clearly indicate that for that machine the Water Plus Level setting only matters when Water Plus is selected for a cycle. But then again for the WCR 860 Water Plus can be selected on the touchscreen unlike the US-market WXR 860 where is can only be selected in the app. Hopefully somebody tests this in a reliable manner for the WXR 860 and can report.

 

[hippo]

@littlegreeny,
Thank you for the image. That’s what it looks like on mine too. Changing it is the easy part, figuring out exactly what it does in interaction with various cycles and options, if anything, is more challenging. I’ll attempt to test to see if I can tell a difference and report if I find anything.

 

[derrick352]

@littlegreeny

Neat pictures! It appears your water plus setting is like the WWF060 functionally. I suspect it increases water level by increment for both wash and rinse by cycle. Normal menu access is nice I bet.

 

[logixx]

I really wonder why Miele had to fuss with the menu in the first place. In Europe, Water Plus is in the same options menu like Soak, Extra Rinse etc. It's turned on and off like any other cycle option. The secondary menu is easily accessible by the user; it's where one selects how much water is added (20 to 50 mm).

 

[henene4]

20 to 50mm

Alex, are you sure about those numbers?

I only use water plus programmed as extra water when washing pillows and blankets, but every time I do, even with the highest setting, the amount of water it adds to the main wash seems more like 2-5 liters.

It might behave differently on the rinses, but since I always activate the max water level for rinsing aswell, I can't say.

On the topic of rinsing in general:

If the Mieles are so much better than anything else in the US, you are really missing out...

 

[launderess]

"I really wonder why Miele had to fuss with the menu in the first place. "

Have no way of being certain, but IIRC Miele USA ran into no end of problems when 30XX, 4XXX machines were introduced to North American market. These were machines with more options under the bonnet via menu selections than previous models.

Largely thanks to internet word got out about said menu options and people began messing about with options that they shouldn't. When changes caused issues or didn't do what customers expected many often couldn't reverse changes. So calls to Miele tech support were made to "diagnose" issue.

As one has frequently stated and many others agree MieleUSA tech support often has a rather interesting attitude that Americans don't understand German appliances. Thus whatever is "wrong" with washer cannot be happening unless owner has done something wrong or shouldn't. In this instance it was fiddling with menu options that perhaps meant for situations outside of USA or something.

Subsequent washer and dryers at least from Miele often eliminated or buried many menu options that easily are found say on European machines.

To be fair IIRC ever since Miele moved over to fully computer controlled washers and dryers (Novotronic?) there were ways to access service menu. Guess since internet was so wide spread then word didn't get out thus you needed a tech manual (or someone with access to same).



https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?72568

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?27942

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?86799_9

Consider also America is on average far more litigious society than many other countries. People here sue for any or every reason even when issues largely are their own fault.

[this post was last edited: 12/9/2021-05:23]

 

[logixx]

Henrik

These are only numbers I've got to quote. They are from a WTH120 combo.

 

[stephen]

@hippo

I have noticed that the app ALWAYS shows Water Plus as active even though I have confirmed I have that option set to Normal and not on.
I don’t think you can trust the app.

 

[littlegreeny]

Someone (Luna?) over on Houzz mentioned USA machines have water plus enabled as a default. I don't know if "Normal" under the water plus settings means it is indeed enabled or not.

 

[chachp]

Water Plus

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">I am pretty sure on mine I could not set Water Plus to default.  I have to choose it on each load via the app.  For the most part though, I find I don't need the extra water.  I am getting really great results letting the washer pick the water level via the program and load.</span>

 

[derrick352]

"The secondary menu is easily accessible by the user"

Not here in the USA. To get to hidden secondary programming menu we have to go through a procedure of specific item selection, in order, on the screen to access it itself. Regular "Settings" menu here in the USA water plus does not exist as a setting, although now it seems it is on newer machines as in @littlegreeny's machine.

Lets just refer to settings menu as programming menu and hidden menu secondary programming menu.

 

[derrick352]

@chachp

Did you access hidden programming menu? It will be there!

 

[derrick352]

@littlegreeny

"Someone (Luna?) over on Houzz mentioned USA machines have water plus enabled as a default. I don't know if "Normal" under the water plus settings means it is indeed enabled or not."

exactly! It will appear no matter if on normal or not. Also to further confuse users that have no idea what it is because it's not in normal settings/programming menu period.

It is nice to just have it as set and forget on my WWF060. Just getting to that setting though may challenge some folks.

 

[jerrod_six]

IIRC there was an Energy Star regulation in the early 2000s that stated that if manufactures provided a visible option way to increase the water then that increased amount would be added to the water-energy usage rating. Even if a consumer never used the setting, Energy Star would consider that amount as used because the option was present. So perhaps this is why the water+ option does not easily appear as an option in the USA. Although the max rinse level is there it is still in the settings and only applies to the rinse. Given the above, I consider myself lucky to even get max rinse level.