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Thread: top loader washing machine

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    24,791

    Default top loader washing machine

    i have been less than please with my front loading washer since we got it 5 years ago. it was touted as excellent at getting the clothes clean, saving on water and energy, and with no agitator, one could get more clothes into it to wash and do big blankets as well. well, it has not quite measured up. it does NOT get our clothes as clean as the old top loaders and i end up rewashing many things and that is two down on the pros list that it didn't make. the laundry soap is more expensive. the washer smells.

    i have been really displease with it, but we paid a lot of money for what we THOUGHT was a superior product. it was not. i told fezzik recently that if we ever end up having to get a new one, i am getting atop loading one again that is NOT high efficiency. i was joking and said "it almost makes me want to have something be wrong with it so i can get one that works better"

    i need to be careful what i say.

    so we have had the repairman out to fix the washer twice since we bought it. the first time was about a year and a half after we bought it. and the second time was two years ago. remember, it is 5 years old. then about a year ago, it happened for the first time......i found clothes that were ripped up after going through the washer, and this weird grey stuff smeared all over the piece that ripped and other clothes as well and it had a melted rubber stink to it. it was the rubber seal around the front. it continues to happen about once a month with other clothes getting little holes here and there. in the last couple of months, it has happened more frequently, and i finally mention it to fezzik. up to this point, it had only happened to mine or the kids clothes and not his. i was pretty ticked about it, and told him what was happening and that i was (yet again) not happy with that washer. we needed to fix it or get something else.

    he says "we'll have to look into that"

    i'm sure we all know that did not happen. so it happens again a few days later. fezzik hears mumbling and grumbling (and ok..... there may have been a slight hulking out) coming from the laundry room, and wanders in and asks what the matter is. i tell him it is the washer again, and it ripped up more clothes again and smeared that grey stuff all over the other clothes and ruined stuff. i tell him we need to get this fixed or get something else. i tell him i am sick of this, and go down the list of all the problems with it, (not the least of which is we don't have the money to replace all the clothes it keeps ripping apart, and thus we have less clothes) and he gives me this odd, slightly smirky look and nodding at me like he's not buying it.

    dude thinks i am givin' him a story to score a new washer!

    so then it happens yet again and one of the babies precious few warm jammies is the victim along with some other items. i will admit, it was a full on hulk out. fezzik comes into the laundry room with this look and says:


    "is it the washer again?"






    he had to run from the room covering his ears dodging flying borax boxes and full vinegar bottles.







    well........







    about a week ago, fezzik goes into the laundry room to change out his work clothes from the washer to the dryer. one minute later, i hear growling and yelling and things being slammed around. "THE WASHER CHEWED UP ONE OF MY WORK SHIRTS!!! AND THERE'S THIS GREY CRUD ALL OVER EVERYTHING!!!! I NEED THIS FOR WORK!!! I DON'T HAVE THAT MANY TO BEGIN WITH!!! PIECE OF JUNK WASHER! WHAT'S THE POINT IN USING IT IF IT'S JUST GONNA............

















    and that brings us to now. fezzik will not let his work clothes be washed in the washer now and does them himself by hand. the washer is still doing it to clothes




    and now i get to get a different washer.






    we will have to wait for a few weeks until tax money comes (if anyone even gets any this year), but i am looking to see whats out there now.


    i ain't please. i will not get a front loader again, but i have found that the top loaders are getting pretty junky too now. lots of complaints about them not working as well as the last one they bought from the same company. it isn't brand specific either. it seems to be across the board. in the course of looking, i found out the average age of washers is now 5 years. they said the manufacturers make them this way on purpose. of course, they cost a ton of money even for the top loaders too. i went on consumer reports and looked at the ratings for top loaders. one maytag got and excellent for performance, and an excellent for capacity. just what i was looking for. but it costs $600 dollars on average. i started looking on craiglist, and found a maytag dependable care supercapacity for $80. the guy said it is about 20 years old and he just replaced the belt and have used it after that and it works great and is clean.


    i am leaning towards this one as it is much more affordable, and it looks to be a good washer. what do yous guys think? should i get the used one and hope for the best, or get a new one? if everyone thinks new, what brands do people think?
    float like a butterfly...

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Default

    Huny... I'd absolutely go look at the used one. I'm with you... I replaced my 28 year old washer (can't even remember what brand) with a front loader and I HATE IT!! I'd HAPPILY trade it for a much older top loader if I could!!

    Go look at the used one... doesn't cost anything to look! Check for rust (especially where it might contact the clothes and stain them) and make sure it's structurally solid (look inside the cabinet in the back, even if you have to pull the panel off to check to see anything important isn't about to rust through)

    I'm about ready to start looking on Craigslist myself! And mine doesn't even spread gray goo all over our clothes, or "eat" them. It just does NOT get them clean, and they always smell a little, even if I take them out of the washer immediately after it finishes. And the damned machine always smells funky, even though I clean out the seal frequently and leave the door open to air always. Sigh... "new and improved"> RIGHT

    Summerthyme (where's that tongue sticking out smiley when you need it?)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Beautiful Lakes & Mountains of East TN
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    Default

    We've recently replaced our fairly new broken washer with an old one from the 80's from craigslist. We paid $60 and it's working great! No bells or whistles but IMO, it's the bells and whistles that cause half the problems.

    And when we take the broken one to the scrap center, we'll probably make half of our cost back.

    good luck!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    782

    Default

    Make sure that it spins properly. If it doesn't spin properly when empty, there's a crack in the drum that you can't see. That's a "Do Not Resucitate."Many washer repairs are easy (with the help of the internet.)
    If you can't get a used one that you like, go to Lowe's or Home Depot and look for a scratch and dent. Offer them a small amount--$50 or $100. The manager has the authority to sell it at whatever price. DS got a $2000 wall oven for $100 because it was missing a trim piece. Called the manufacturer and they sent it out free. It helps that he works there, but they do it for non-employees as well.
    If you use white vinegar instead of fabric softener, it helps to get out the smell.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    1,928

    Default

    I have one of the evil front loaders too which I hate. I have found though, if I use the Arm & Hammer liquid detergent that the clothes don't smell. I do still have to leave the door open between uses. Before using the A&H detergent, if I left wet clothes in the washer for more than an hour the whole load would stink.
    I would go with the used one too if it looks good upon inspection. All the new ones are basically expensive crap.

    Sherry in GA

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1,521

    Default Yah, me too.

    I had even created a thread about this very subject. The #$*&! think just doesn't get the clothing clean. I have the stackable front loader and I am now looking at replacing it with a stackable top loader. I'm looking on CL. Here is a list of things I find WRONG with the front loader we have:

    The blooming front loader is pre-set as to how much water will go in, so you cannot make adjustments needed. If you were to stop it and add water, it would either drain it right back out or just sit there because of the added weight.

    It does not agitate the clothes, or tumble them, a long enough time to get the dirt out.

    It will not spin the water out of a small rug, cannot handle the weight.

    In order to get the clothes acceptably clean, I have to spot them thoroughly and then wash and rinse them twice. Where is the savings on that?

    No matter what kind of detergent I use, if I want my whites white, I have to pre-soak them in our laundry tub because the machine doesn't get out any greasy stains.

    Talk about being sold a bill of goods on a POS!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    Default

    In June last year our old washer went out. I wanted to get one from Craig's List but DH insisted we purchase a new one. After looking in several places at every brand on the market I picked out a GE. No bells or whistles,(does have a fabric softener dispenser) just washes. It's a top loader, as I'd heard horror stories about the front loaders just like yours.

    I was a "little" hesitant over the GE (Jeff Emelt) thing but have had other products made by them over the years and they were good. For the money it was the best buy we found. The washer was 395.00, plus tax and delivery we paid a total of 458.46. I'm very pleased with the clothes being clean. The only thing I would add to it is the "end of wash" buzzer but that's fine - the price was good, for something NEW.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    1,521

    Default And here's a shocker....

    When we were in Germany 1&1/2 years ago, my brother had a front-loader in his apartment. I actually watched that thing and here are the two key differences:

    It put more water into the machine
    I tumbled/agitated the clothing for a full 40 minutes. Total run time was about 1.3 hours per load.

    It got the clothing sparkling clean, no extra washes or rinses needed.

    So, it appears to me that our govt's push for green has actually had an adverse effect, since I now have to run the washer twice, using MORE water, using MORE energy, than if they simply set it correctly in the first place. How dumb is that?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    401

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    Sounds like they market the ones for the overseas market and sell you a neutered version.

    I've had good luck with older used models, run 'em til they die and if the parts to repair cost more than $100, I'll get another used one.
    I do have my last one still sitting in the basement, the pump went out and I think I should be able to find one, so I kept the washer.
    The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
    Prov 10:3

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    19,250

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    That's SO frustrating about the ones in Europe!!

    When I bought ours, I was thinking about the front loading machines in the commercial laundromats- you know, the ones which actually fill up with water, and you can SEE the dirt being pulled out of the clothes as they slosh around in the sudsy water?

    Heck, you can barely see ANY water in this thing. What a STUPID design.

    Summerthyme

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