Woke up to beeping Noise (2005 Duet Dryer)

[murando531]

I actually have that same dryer! So far it seems to be a pretty bulletproof machine, and I love having a hamper style door again, because I missed that after I sold the Kenmore 600 I had. The only other thing to get used to is having the lint filter on top again, but I don't mind it. I do miss my BravosXL, and especially miss my WP WFW/WED92 front load set, but I have a WTW4855 with this matching 4850 dryer and I actually really like them alot.

I know, I know...I need to make a MAJOR update post at some point. I've now had two more new dishwashers, sold the BravosXL and the Kenmore dryer I had, remodeled the laundry room, had the Whirlpool Duet set for two years, and now those are in storage because we're moving soon, and I have this 4855 set until then, which we'll sell with the house.

I'll attach a pic of the 92 series set and the 4855/50 set I have in currently.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Cool!

This dryer is so different from my duet dryer in the sound that it makes. It's like I'll be standing in the laundry room and I can literally hear the airflow more at times than others while the dryer is running. I'm not sure what's happening during the drying process but it's dries clothes really well.

I'm not sure, but I think those top loading lint screen, when pulling them out, bits of lint can fall off down into the area that holds the lint screen and build up lint over time, but I have a vacuum attachment that's supposed to reach down to the bottom where the lint falls. I would also not feel nearly as paranoid about taking the back of this dryer to clean lint build up as I did the Duet dryer.

That laundry room pic... I LOVE IT

 

[pierreandreply4]

Mark wp_duet

just a quick question if you had to replace your duet washer would you stick to a front load or get the matching washer to your new dryer?

 

[mark_wpduet]

NOOO

I'm definitely getting another FL washer just not the pedestal. Ideally it would be a FL washer with rear controls but they don't make them, unless it's a speed queen, which I don't want because they don't have heaters.

 

[pierreandreply4]

thank you for your answer was only wondering thats all

 

[mark_wpduet]

Hey

no problem? I wasn't screaming I was just expressing that I would definitely be getting a FL my next washer. I have a really dumb question now. With this dryer, when you move the dial, is it safe to move it clockwise AND counterclockwise?

 

[pierreandreply4]

usually these dryers its recommended to turn the dial clock wise to the selected cycle

 

[DADoES]

 
Dryer timers by-and-large are bidirectional, CC and CCW.  I recall hearing SQ are unidirectional, only CW.

 

[mark_wpduet]

After doing a few loads of laundry since the new dryer, I definitely like auto dry better than the sensor dry on my Duet. So far it's been very accurate. The longest it's taken to far to dry a load was 50 minutes (medium heat), some less. With my Duet dryer, even though the sensor strips were clean, I would get mixed results every time. If I chose the maximum dryness level, often, the display would show a lot of time remaining and when I would stop to check the clothes would be BONE dry and HOT so the heating element still fully engaging with dry clothes. If I chose medium dryness level, the dryer would stop and clothes would still be a little too damp. So I would always just choose max dryness level and try to run in there periodically to check. It's nice to not have to do that. Could have been something wrong with the sensor, I don't know.

Last night, since this dryer type is so common, I had no trouble finding videos showing how to take the back off and the lint chamber off to clean it. On my Duet, the bottom panel came off but it wasn't easy to clean certain areas. This dryer is so much simpler.

 

[murando531]

It's quite an easy platform to work on. I haven't had any issues at all with the auto dry. Sure, it's not as sophisticated as the WED92 was, and doesn't have as many sensors, but WP's automatic method on this simpler platform has been tried and true for probably 50 years, maybe more. As far as I understand, it uses a temperature sensor to sense the air that is being exhausted, and as soon as that temperature starts to rise, indicating that there is less moisture to dissipate the heat, it starts to reduce the frequency of the heating element turning on/off, and then stops all together, and that's when you see the dial in the "cool down" area. This is also why the dial doesn't start to move until that temperature sensor engages and completes the circuit to tell the timer motor to start spinning.

As far as the question of what direction to turn the dial, I had the same thought since this is the first mechanical timer dryer I've had since 2013. The dryer we grew up with was a late 80s Kenmore that was this platform exactly, and we always just turned it counter-clockwise to the normal automatic dry setting. That dryer was still running fine in 2009 when my parents got a F&P dryer after I moved out. That said, after reading several different reviews or articles saying it's best to turn it the direction it turns itself, I've start just turning it CW just like a mechanical washer dial.

As far as the actual drying, it seems to do a perfect job with normal dark and colors loads when set to Normal and low temperature. Towels and sheets do better if the dial is set between the More Dry and Normal spot, with medium temperature.

 

[DADoES]

 
All dryers (well, maybe not some *really* old units) have a thermostat (or thermistor) in the exhaust air to control the temperature, otherwise they'd heat out-of-control.  Thermostatic auto-dry simply controls the timer motor through it ... in opposition to the heat source.  The nature of the drying process is what makes the heat source run more (and the timer less) at the beginning due to moisture evaporation holding the air temperature down ... and accordingly run less as the items head toward dryness and hold heat more readily.

 

[roscoe62]

Now that you've had the dryer awhile

Mark,do you find auto dry best for drying most if not all loads?

 

[mark_wpduet]

Yes

to elaborate:
I strictly use auto dry. I used to use medium heat but I'm using high heat for most everything because I read that the old medium is the new "low" and the new High is medium. Whether or not that's true, I can't say for this dryer.
I have noticed that if I turn the dial to around normal, the loads will be a little damp when done....but if I turn it beteen normal and more dry that seems about perfect. Seems like it takes about 45 to 50 minutes to dry a load, which I guess isn't that bad. Now, if the load isn't completely dry for my taste when it shuts off, which has only happened ONCE, that's when things aren't as accurate. If I turn the dryer BACK on, even though the clothes are totally bone dry, the dryer was still running trying to dry them. Overall I really like the dryer better than my Duet dryer.

 

[roscoe62]

45-50 Minutes

seems more normal for a drying time on most loads, unless it's unusually large. I have a dryer on order like the one you purchased, it reminds me of the older model Kenmore I we owned about 15 years ago, I used the auto dry and every load was bone dry when the machine shut down.
I have had three of the newer front load dryers, not one will dry everything completely dry, even set on Driest or More Dry settings, it's like a crap shoot with every load. All I want is DRIED clothes when the machine stops, HUH!!
Do you think the wrinkle shield is on auto if you don't get to dryer after it has completed the cycle?

 

[mark_wpduet]

yep

the buzzer buzzes really fast too.......sometimes it's so fast I don't even hear it, but wrinkle shield kicks in and it will buzz again. On this dryer, if you choose more dry you will have bone dry clothes when it shuts off. The only load that has taken longer than the 45-50 min range was 62 minutes but that was a huge load of heavy jeans.

 

[roscoe62]

So once the door is opened

I'm guessing the wrinkle shield shuts off.
It seems to be far more efficient at drying than the one I have, it's very pokey, but it'll be short lived here, it'll be gone, gone, gone, pretty soon. Since it's star rated I'd like to send it to the moon with a few people attached to it .
Thanks for you help Mark, appreciate it.

 

[appnut]

From my 1986 LK with its mechanical timer, when wrinkle shield had started and you opened the door to retrieve some items.  When I closed the door and pushed start button, it would resume the 5 minute periodic tumble to the end of wrinkle shield.  

 

[mark_wpduet]

You know

now that I think about it........mostly as soon as I hear the buzzer, I go and open the door and fold the clothes......clean the lint screen and vacuum up around the area and I will forget that the turn the dial to off, but it doesn't do wrinkle shield after I close the door.....the dial will just turn itself to OFF after a bit of time without coming back on....so I can only assume that the dryer knows the door has been opened and that stops wrinkle shield from coming on? I don't know HOW.....but wrinkle shield works fine UNLESS the door has been opened.....I'm thinking if you want wrinkle shield to keep going, you have to close the door and push START again or the timer will just go back to OFF on its own without coming on again.