Whirlpool Duets for Sale

[iiijohnnymaciii]

Every time I go on Facebook marketplace, I see a Whirlpool Duet set for sale. That just goes to show the quality of that line of machine. Some of these units are going on 24 years old! Kudos to Whirlpool for building a classic! I wish I would have got one new back in 2005. Probably would have still had it today!

 

[mark_wpduet]

Mine will be 20 in april...I've heard over the years of a few others on the forum that had them or the kenmore version of them that were even older than mine and still working...The only area that is prone to some mold is the detergent dispenser area..after I'm done, I take the tray out, dump remaining water and set it on top of the machine to dry and I wipe off the water droplets on the roof of the dispener area...for the most part, my machine still looks new. Nothing faded, scratched..I'm so OCD that when I'm done doing laundry I clean everything in the laundry room... probably I do every time what most people might only do once a year. My duet dryer is no longer with me. I got an error on it like 6 years ago... probably something simple to fix but I went back to a whirlpool standard dryer which I like much better.

 

[pierreandreply4]

i had a duet washer dryer set that lasted 18 years

i had a duet set washer and dryer even do i did not like the frontload washer style because of my size it did the job thye are very performant and did the job

 

[logixx]

Ah yes, the German ones. I got mine 14 years ago.

 

[mixguy]

Duet Washer Longevity

I had one that lasted 17 years before my laundry room flooded and the motor control unit shorted out. I was really pleased with the machine until that happened! I never had a mold issue!

 

[panasonicvac]

I love Duets

We had one up at our last cabin and up at a ranch I was living at before, best machines I've ever used by far! I also like my aunt's Maytag version, still works fine but wish it had a little more water. The detergent drawer is broken but I put the powder detergent inside the washer instead anyways. My uncle has the Kenmore version of my aunt's dryer that dries just as good but it's gas instead of electric. Personally, I'd prefer gas over electric savings wise.

 

[launderess]

Weren't those WP Duet washers built in Germany at WP's Bauknecht plants?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauknecht_(company)

Whirlpool really ate Maytag's lunch when they launched their front loaders which had far less issues than Maytag Neptune line at the time.

Poor Maytag, but they never would be told.

Had they waited for full launch of Neptune front loaders and worked out kinks it may have been savior of that company. Instead even after Neptune washers were finally "fixed" as it were, damage was done and Maytag was circling the drain.

They couldn't even get marketing and promotion correct. Maytag was gushing on about how Neptune washers were first front loaders built in USA or some such. IIRC it was one or more of AW.org members who sorted that bit of misinformation out. Pointing to Bendix and others who offered front loaders going back ages.

[this post was last edited: 12/10/2024-17:47]

 

[henene4]

I think the ones in the picture were not made in Germany anymore.
The ones with the program dial that had the long thin area to grip were the last ones made here - they were the last ones sold here.

Once production shifted to the US, they stopped making the EU versions.

 

[logixx]

I think the Maytag washer above might be the last one from Schorndorf before the factory was shut down and eventually demolished. Weren't these the ones that followed?

 

[launderess]

Bauknecht was wound up and Phillips got their mitts on those assets.

Whirlpool bought Phillips and got their mitts on what had been Bauknecht's appliance factories.

What WP did was simple genius; they just tweaked European front loaders and exported them to North America.

https://archive.ph/qX3wp

Like Asko, Miele, Bosch and bit of Creda, Whirlpool simply went with strengths of basing their Duet line of laundry appliances on what was offered in Europe. At that point appliance makers on that side of pond had forgotten more about designing and building front loading washing machines than any nearly all of the big US companies.

Maytag, OTOH per their usual management wrong headed way of doing things, decided to build something they never produced before from ground up. It was bound to end in tears, but has have said Maytag's management never would be told.

Perhaps instead of various other ill advised purchases by Maytag they should have snapped up any of European appliance manufacturers that could have been had.

That and or turn to at least consulting if not hiring German or other European engineers for R&D including product product development, testing and marketing. [this post was last edited: 12/11/2024-22:23]

Bauknecht (company) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[combo52]

German full size whirlpool front load washers

The washer and reply number five should still be the German one of course the dryers were always made in Marion Ohio.

Yes, Maytag could've turned out very differently if they had reinvested money in their own products instead of buying all those junk brands they would still be a force to be reckoned with today, they probably should've gone ahead and bought Amana which they eventually did and Jennair and maybe Hardwick range company.

They should've left admiral magic chef, Hoover Norge, and a few other others to just go out of business which they were bound to do anyway.

I wish it would've turned out differently whirlpool buying Maytag actually hurt whirlpool. The only good thing is whirlpool closed most of the factories and whirlpool is mostly still made in the US in union factories

John

 

[panasonicvac]

Yes the washer was made in Germany.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I wonder if in the USA we are ever going to have 220/240 outlets for washers... It kind of pisses me off I can't do the occasional boil wash

 

[launderess]

208v-240v outlets for laundry appliances

Often largely depends upon lack of natural gas service one has found.

In our neck of woods electric rates are rather dear compared to NG, so most homes have gas dryers. Places where gas isn't available make do with either electric or propane.

American homes with their tank or other means of providing abundant hot water from taps historically meant little demand for washing machines that heated their own water. This coupled with fact top loaders with central beaters dominated US washing machine market until rather recently sealed that deal.

Until fairly recently historically water heaters in USA homes were set to deliver at temps ranging from 140F to 180F, more than capable of doing "hot" washes.

 

[combo52]

240 V 190°F boil wash washers

I don't think you'll ever see such machines in the US. I believe they're even moving away from that how to wash temperature in Europe as a regular thing although I'm not an expert in European machines.

Most front loading washer sold in the US do have heaters in them and give you the option of a nice 140-150° Wash with modern detergent it is well proven you don't need excessive temperatures to clean things and you can certainly sanitize even better with a little chlorine bleach.

I honestly don't think the plastic tubs in some of the machines being sold today will withstand 190°F easily and continuously.

We can't even get dual fuel ranges into kitchen so I don't think you're gonna get 240 volts into laundry room rooms for washing machines. It would be a hard sale and there's little general interest in using more electricity.

 

[logixx]

They should make washers that plug into an existing dryer outlet - that's some fast heating. And with everything being smart and connected (or in the case of WashTower type of set-up) make the dryer not heat until the washer is done heating. Or have a heat-pump dryer that leaves enough juice for the washer to heat at a very decent speed.

Didn't Miele sell some sort of box that allowed the washer to plug into the dryer? Such a box could control the electric flow.

Possibilities, possibilities...

 

[mark_wpduet]

Gotcha... I know a lot of appliances in Europe have cold fills and the appliance heats the water...but I'm wondering, the reasoning behind America relying on their water heaters for hot washes... so what's the typical method for heating water in Europe? I mean, obviously they can take hot showers... maybe it's on demand? I don't know.

 

[ozzie908]

99% of washers sold here are cold fill only

Few of us have hot water tanks these days its nearly all heated by gas and supply on demand all my appliances are cold fill I have 1 bathroom where the shower is off the boiler and the other is an instant electric shower. Keep in mind all our power is 220-230 its the amperage that changes The electric shower is 9kw and yes it sounds expensive but in reality its not running long so its quite cheap to use. everything else in the house runs on a normal 15amp circuit apart from the hob its on its own 30amp circuit.

 

[logixx]

Every single-family home I've lived in had a central water storage tank somewhere in the basement - usually heated by gas or oil. I currently am living in a high-rise and it, too, has a central storage tank. The many kitchens and restrooms at work all have on-demand water heaters under each sink.