Who says you can't have FUN with a FRONT LOADER??

[tuthill]

OK don't get me wrong, I like front loaders, I really do; BUT with a door that has to be shut through the whole wash cycle (smoked window on my Duet doesn't help) they can kinda be boring. Not anymore! I rigged my Duet to wash with out the door! It was pretty splashy, and I could only do a very small load, but it worked out pretty well. When the washer is all buttoned up, the noise of the pump is down right annoying, but from inside the washer, it makes one of the coolest washer sounds I've ever heard, very throaty is the best way to describe it. Unfortunately, the camera didn't pick up that sound very well. Other than that the video turned out great. Enjoy guys -Jed

 

[autowasherfreak]

Crazy!

That was really cool Jed! How fast is the spin on the Duet?

Jim

 

[foraloysius]

O cool! Looks like this machine has a drum break! Thanks for the video. I think you're underloading though.

 

[tuthill]

The highest speed is 1050 rpm but it doesn't do that for the whole spin (fricken modern junk).

It sure does have a brake. I noticed during the spin cycle that in between spins, the tub resisted me turning it. A very "jerky" motion. Anyone think they could tell what kind of brake it is?

 

[funguy10]

And the moral of that video is: Never operate a Front-Loading washer opened up!

 

[pulsator]

I'm pretty sure the brake is just the motor attempting to rotate slower than whatever speed it's spinning at. The 75lb capacity Unimac washers at work coast from 1,000 RPM to about 10 RPM at which point the motor attempts to hold itself still thus stopping the drum! (The time from 1,000 RPM to 10 RPM is like 4 minutes of really annoying wasted time!!!)

 

[pulsator]

Almost forgot...

You should get a Neptune and do that! I love doing it with mine! You can do a medium sized load in those with the door open because the tub is tilted so far!

 

[tuthill]

That's a good idea Jamie, I wish my mom would've gotten a more TOL Duet because I believe they have a titled drum (among other reasons).

So it just has a motor brake, that makes sense.

 

[frigilux]

I love that it knows to use only a tiny bit of water for that small a load. My old-school '02 Frigidaire always fills to the same high water level, so very small loads just roll around the bottom of the tub, rather than being carried to the top of the tub and dropped---which as we all know is the ideal wash-action for a FL'er.

Thanks for taking one for the team, Jed! A very cool video.

 

[peteski50]

Duet Sport!

Jed thanks for the video. Real great spin speed. I do notice their is a lack of flexability on the sport models like not being able to select the wash time like (heavy normal or light) - I thought the drum rotation seemed rather slow. How well does it clean a big dirty load of clothes? So little water in the drum, which is typical for today. It seems to go into a spin faster than a lot - which is a good thing! How many rinses are their and with the extra rinse. I do like the door on these models - they are stronger than most. The wp and mtag models have a clearer door than the sears.
Peter

 

[alr2903]

Is this the amount of water always in the bottom, I am guessing if one had "twenty bath towels" it adds enough water to soak the towels plus this tiny pool in the bottom? Thanks Jed for the video, and the time to "trick" the door. Your vid. confirmed my expectations. I gotta stock up on some toploaders now. lol, arthur

 

[tuthill]

Hi Pete

Yeah, there isn't much for options with the Duet Sport, but it's a PERFECT machine for my mother.

As far as the slow tumbling speed goes, the Normal/Casual cycle (aka perm press) uses a slightly slower speed than the Heavy Duty cycle.

On the Heavy Duty cycle there are 3 rinses (4 w/ the extra) and they all use more water than the wash cycle. The first rinse is sort of a "deep rinse" in that during the last 30 seconds excess water is poured into the tub regardless of load size, often resulting in water creeping up the door. I really like this feature.