Whirlpool trash

[wp-dude22]

wp trash

well i talked to the fella who owns that Maytag in the video and he said they came to check it out but they found no errors so im thinking he had a bad control board.

i have the whirlpool variant of this its a revision 3 meaning some design/ structural changes and maybe a re calibrated board and sensing algorithm for the most part it senses correctly but sometimes with a small load i find it should add more water.

then there are times i will watch it an think you should add more water and it will stop agitating and add some more water and wash again or add some more water think a bit then add some more then wash.

i think sensing is done using 3 things
1) the weight o the load during sensing spins the heavier the items in the drum the longer or shorter it will spin after the motor pulse.
2) the length of time it take to saturate the load and being filling up to a level the pressure sensor will pic up.
3) sensing strokes the more clothes in the washer the harder it is for the washer to make its full 180/360 degree sensing arch. during sensing strokes the water level is low and from watching the washer the level is determined by how long it take to saturate the load the 3 level of water i saw for sensing stokes are (just below the rotator, right where the fins join the center pole and in between the rotator and where the bottom of the fins join the center pole.

this is the sensing part of the cycle :
(fills to where the fins join the center pole lowest sensing level)

small load would have liked a little more water but shockingly came out clean with he detergent (guess the concentrated cleaning worked here):


the rinse water level largish load it washed @ that same water level too


mine works and im happy with it but to me whirlpool still need to refine the water level singing , get a quieter pump, all drums should be stainless steel by now, and the agitator design should have been like in the cabrio model with the agitator i liked that design a bit futuristic and it was right down to the bottom of the drum no gap under it, most importantly would it have killed whirlpool to apply a small voltage in to the motor to power it in the reverse direction of spinning so that would have slowed the washer to a stop faster, start with a small voltage and increase till the drum stops dont think that would have wore out the belt if done right. oh and bring back self leveling are legs come on whirlpool we went backwards by removing it
check the image for sensing water levels ...

 

[wp-dude22]

this agitator would have been better suited to the slower action as well if the fins where more stiff n less flexible / rubbery

 

[norgechef]

well..

The last video of the full rinse is ok but as for the small load i like my clothes swimming in water....i mean after a few loads of laundry the washer is still using the same amount of water, if that makes sense...so why is it that they don't just fill up the full way on all cycles? that would be a good question for whatever idiots came up with this idea to conserve water in washing machines because I don't really see why it matters how much water they use??? if the world is gonna run out of water its gonna happen there is nothing they can do to stop it and if thats what they think is going to happen then they are really stupid....thats all i can say!

 

[norgechef]

@beekeyknee

Yes that sounds like a great idea but I don't think there is a market for old washers .Unfortunately everyone wants the new pretty glossy colored front loaders or the new stainless steel drum top loaders...But if someone ever did create a store like that I would sure end up buying my appliances there....that's for sure

 

[repair-man]

The newest models have the "powerwash" (or something like that) feature that is supposed to fill to the max setting. I guess it bypasses the auto fill system. Never saw it in action but maybe this is Whirlpool's way of still meeting the government standards on the normal cycle and still offer the customer an option for a more traditional wash.

I do believe that with some modifications these could be good machines. The question is (as others point out here) does Whirlpool wan't them to be good ?

 

[logixx]

The newest models have the "powerwash" featurat is

Deep Water Wash it's called an works only on the Super Wash cycle. :-/

 

[DigAPony]

Unfortunately, there is little to no profit to be had selling refurbished older machines.

Unless you can find a regular supply of near mint condition, low mileage machines at bargain prices one would be hard pressed to break even after time, fuel, parts and labor cost are added in.

 

[norgechef]

I hate that

You have to use the longest wash cycle to get a full wash and rinse on Whirlpool/Maytag bravos washers...and a wash that takes 2 hours may start to wear out the motor after a while, don't you think?

 

[alr2903]

Wow after watching the above video in reply #20. Thanks Norgechef. The tweak between the 2011 and the 2013 water levels is very noticeable. alr

 

[wp-dude22]

@alr 2903
yea the revision 3 of the washer the water level is more accurate but the normal setting skimps on water unless its a large or medium load. I tend to use super wash for most loads as it adds just a bit more water for small loads and and goes through 3 wash modes for large loads ... with large loads it does a lower than clothes wlevel wash, then stops adds more water agitate, then fills to the correct level. super wash even does a stop then a very strong 180 degree arc to distribute / mix the load in-between.

bulky / soak /rinse and spin all bypasses the water level sensing (bulky starts of with a high speed 90 degree arc).

quick wash defaults to the lowest water level highest it may attempt to fill is just under the rotator if so much ( meant for 2 to 4 items to me a waste of a cycle slot )

delicate senses but i never did a big load on it but it starts of with a extra low 90 degree arc then regular 180 arc with another slow 90 arc before draining

if the machine senses that the agitator is not making a full 180 degree arc or is doing it to slowly it will add more water till it thinks the drag in the agitator is corrected they are not bad machines and i bet revision 4 will be better (although i suspect whirlpool has a redesigned version coming out with even better sensing and more substantial changes like a higher spin speed, SS tub, heck maybe even a new agitator design.

I JUST HATE THE NOISY PUMP THE SPIN IS SUPER QUIET WHEN THE PUNK SHUTS OFF. IF THERE IS NO WATER PUMP IS LOUD AS HELL WP SPEND MONEY ON A QUIET IMPELLER / PUMP DESIGN PLZ

i find the washer should do random 90 degree high speed agitation mode in-between the usual 180 arc on super an normal cycles but the washers results are good

pic below of a medium load washer that load was turning over well in that water

 

[wp-dude22]

large load pic it was a very dirty load that pilled up after the old washer was cutting corners on cleaning / died the old washer got alot of licks/work

 

[mark_wpduet]

I'm so afraid

that something is going to happen to my 2004 Duet and the thought of buying a modern machine. Even though mine is from 2004, that's ancient for a washer by today's standards unfortunately, because it actually uses water compared to what I saw in the Maytag video above. That's pretty freaking gross

 

[roscoe62]

@mark

Maybe by then the only thing will be a FL'r available to you, so here's hoping that they will be manufacturing something that is still a decent machine to use and worth investing.If enough people are complaining through consumer watch dogs,etc. about what they have to choose from now and getting poor service, hopefully they will have to do something to accomodate demand.If FL'rs are all that is left I wonder what brand will take the lead??

 

[alr2903]

Hopefully some new upstart like I-Wash. The T/L machines are not quite doomed, but 20 years ago you would call warranty service for what the new machines offer in washing/rinsing ability today. Just my 2 cents. alr

 

[laundromat]

The only current top loaders I would even consider looking in to are the LG and GE. The rest,I wouldn't even bother to open their lid.John L. had one at his shop in for repair and I was shocked to see the loose tub movement similar to Frigidaire's indexing but movinng both ways instead of just counter clockwise.Its spin speed too had issues. The Cabrio does nothing for me and the ones I have seen in production leave much to be desired. The LGs however,are quite effective in thoroughly washing and rinsing using less water and their all stainless steel tub and impeller does'nt get scratches from metal zippers like the plastic ones do causing the fabrics to fray.

 

 I like the Duets and have two different sets hooked up and running. They do our daily (4) loads and I was able to rig them to increase the water level about 1/4 the way up the window. one set is their original with the booster in the washer anc the other set is about two years old and was still under a Lowes three year service contract.The older set has the risers and the newer set is stacked real high because the washer alone has the riser.They are both out on the lanai. My LG Mega Capacity pair are in the laundry room and are used for the king size bed clothes and area rugs.

 

[funnut]

My Maytag Bravos experience

A very interesting thread and useful to those shopping for a W/D. I will weigh in with my experience. I live in a very remote mountain area of northern New Mexico. We are building our house, almost finished after 4 years! For the first several years after we bought the land in 2006 we lived in a little trailer to observe the sun movements, decide on the building site, and then build the first part of the house. I bought a used TOL KitchenAid washer and put it on 2 pallets next to the trailer, outside. I washed with water from the outside shower spigot to get warm water and used Calgon to soften the water. I winterized the washer Nov. to March and covered it with a tarp when not in use. Drying was done on clotheslines strung from nearby pine trees.

By 2010 I was ready to buy a new W/D set as the laundry room was finished, although we were still living in the trailer. I had researched for over a year and rejected a FL washer for various reasons: smelly washer reviews, wiping the gaskets, having to leave the door open, hard to add items after starting a cycle, etc. After much much study I decided to buy the TOL Maytag Bravos with onboard heater and TOL Bravos steam dryer. The onboard heater turned out to be a lifesaver when the house water heater had problems, I washed for several months with only cold water coming into the washer and the onboard heater had to heat the water from cold. I will never have another washer without its own heater.

I read the manuals for the washer in great detail. I read forums including this one and G-Web. I quickly learned that the "Bulky" cycle was THE one that would provide enough water and a cascading spray action to actually get my laundry clean. I use this cycle 90% of the time and occasionally use the Delicates cycle when I have a very small or delicate load. I use a couple of other "tricks" to get more water in the washer: I add about 60 oz. of water before starting the cycle (using an empty detergent bottle to pour on water to weigh down the load) and sometimes I stop the load using the pause-add garment feature to make the washer "think" more items have been added. I realize using a higher amount of water defeats the HE Energy Star "features," but I'm far more interested in getting my laundry clean than in saving a few gallons of water per load.

We have a whole-house softener and I always use the second rinse option. My laundry gets truly clean, I've never had a stain that didn't come out using the Bravos. I can do a full load of anything on the heavy soil setting - with a double rinse - in 59 minutes, about 20 minutes additional if I turn on the onboard heater.

Over the past 3 years I've continued to do research, mainly because my daughter inherited my old Kenmore Elite Catalyst set that I know is going to give out pretty soon. She is very busy with school, work, family and won't have time to research like her retired mom. I think all the HE water-saving Energy Star hoo-hah is a bunch of crap. You cannot get laundry clean without the right combination of enough water, good detergent, thorough washing, AND rinsing - all in soft water.

I bought my Bravos set from the local NM appliance store, Baillo's, and purchased a 5-year extended warranty for all my appliances. My previous experience in my last home, with at least 1 repair on several appliances per year, plus our extremely remote location with high service call mileage fees, made the extended warranty a no-brainer. My only disappointment with the Bravos set is I had to get the main circuit board replaced on the dryer after only about 3 months and the sensor still doesn't work correctly. I just have to check on it and use the dryer like the ones back in the 80s, before auto sensors would stop the dryer at the right time. This is annoying, but not a deal breaker. Also, I would've been better off with a lower model of dryer without steam, I seldom use it and I could just as easily spray some plain water over the items in the dryer to get the same result.

So I'm at the end of this quite-long saga, which I hope is helpful to those shopping and looking for reviews on different appliances. It's much much harder to buy appliances now than it was in the late 1970s when I bought my first home. Most brands were good and appliances lasted for many years back then, not so now. However, the take-away here is if you want a TL washer, find one that you can "trick" into using a higher water level. Avoid washers with a lid lock, unless you can hit a button to unlock it during a cycle.

 

[mrb627]

Modification

I don't think machines that have to be modified from their factory specification or somehow tricked should qualify, but most all machines on he market today have some frugality that needs to be overcome.

 

<hr />
 

I am still curious as to why none of the GE badged LG top loaders have reportedly had the exploding problem.

 

Malcolm

 

[wp-dude22]

hmmmn @ funnut you should try the regular cycles and see but she has a point one wet item or towel with a dry load makes the washer add more water . i also figured out the sensing spins have some effect on water the if takes a long time to stop spinning = lighter load if the load is heavy stops faster so i put in a really small load and i used my hand to slow down the basket .... it did the sensing strokes and then fill half way up for 5 items of clothes ..... @ funnut does your bravos have the glass lid would like to see what yours does during sensing and first 10 min of a cycle

also super wash adds more water it will be low first but after 2 to 5 min it stops and adds water twice and if u stop it while its adding more water it will add more on top of that

 

[qualin]

The way I see it, if you have to do anything more than add detergent and clothing to a washing machine, it isn't an automatic washing machine anymore.

Vote with your wallet and buy a washer which is truly automatic. No tricks, no fuss, no muss, no guessing, no tricking. We all know who makes them.

 

[repair-man]

"We all know who makes them"

I would have to say that a new Speed Queen will require at least a one time "trick" to adjust the water level. I was at a customers house a week ago and they have a 6 month old AWN542. It was grinding away with a full load set to the max level. I looked inside and could not see any water. The water level was just a little over half full. I can't imagine that these machines will last too long in the avg persons home operating under these conditions. Not to mention what it's doing to the clothing.

 

[mtn1584]

What???

The factory set level on a SQ is the third set of holes from the top. A one time adjustment, to the water level switch, is all the machine needs to fill to the row of holes. As far a damage to the clothes, NOT POSSIBLE, I have overloaded my AWN542, and never had an issue with clothing damage, as far as lasting, these washers have the best warranty in the business! Maybe you should stop peeking in your customers washers and take time to watch the Alliance factory testing video on YouTube which shows what lengths Alliance goes to test these washers!
Mike

 

[repair-man]

Not trying to offend anyone Mike

Just saying what I saw. And if you read my post I said it needs a one time adjustment. If a customer runs full loads without enough water it will be hard on clothes. And the machine. I was on a call to repair the range but was asked to look at the washer. They are not happy with it. I increased the level so maybe they will be happier now. I know that Alliance goes to great lengths to build quality products but these machines do have some faults.
Ed