Washing machine woes

[fbelec]

How does the stub do with blankets? I'm in the market for a small stackable washer dryer setup due to the small space. Never shopped for these types of appliances before, but have no need for the crazy digital smart washers.

the machine is big enough that we put in comforters. queen size. so far everything comes out really clean. if i remember right the machine has a 5 cubic foot rating. i'm not a digital guy either but it is nice being able to control how fast in spin dries slow for delicate high for cottons

 

[peakbagger]

Late to this thread but I have US built Staber horizontal axis top loader.https://www.staber.com/. They are built heavy duty with minimal electronics.and moving parts. They have an unusual business model The sell them directly to the customer and design them if they need to be fixed that the owner does the repairs. Its basically a stainless steel horizontal drum with a "funky hatch" suspended on a front and rear bearing driven by a motor and fan belt. There is no transmission or transmission fluid. Its got a rotary mechanical timer and mechanical switches. The only electronics is pretty robust variable speed board that runs the motor. The pump is in the bottom of the drum, its supposed to be easy to clean out if foreign objects get in it but I have never had to work on anything. It gets clothes really dry but the trade off is you do know when its running. I think the older models need to have bearings greased every few years.

Despite being a horizontal drum, the clothes are loaded from the top. That means that the tub does not need any fancy seals. One thing that is different which may annoy folks is the top cover needs to be left open between uses.

The odd part is there are mixed reviews on them on the web. They were the standard for off grid folks because they can run on the old modified sine wave inverters and they are ultra low water usage and many reports of units like mine but I expect the satisfied folks like me do not post reviews.

Not cheap but its pretty much buy one once and never buy one again.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

. They have an unusual business model The sell them directly to the customer and design them if they need to be fixed that the owner does the repairs. .

Not sure thats a good idea. An ever larger % of the population can not change a light bulb without hiring an electrician ,or plunge a toilet without a plumber. On the other hand,trained repair people are also in short supply. When my Brand new LG needed repairs,Home depot had to bring in a 80 yr old service guy from NY state. As if they could not find anyone closer than that to service Central Pa warrantys . Took 6 trips to finally find the problem.

 

[peakbagger]

I admit, I am unusual in that in 30 years the only service tech that has entered my house is a boiler tech for a tune up. I even put in the deep well pump myself into a drilled casing I find the new electronic stuff is usually replace and hope. A tech is usually $150 to turn the ignition key and a minimum of 4 hours so a $500 bill for repair is possible and that is getting to the point where its just worth swapping in a new one. Many of the big plumbing and mechanical firms have figured that out and have a lucrative side trade of stocking appliances and selling them at a hefty markup to desperate homeowners who cant wait to get parts or are in situation where they have to take time off from work to meet a repairman.

Various studies are showing the new appliances especially the big box Korean brands have a far shorter life than in the past. Most appliances are shifting to throw away design. Happened with TVs long ago and arguably dishwashers, washers, dryers and refrigerators as well as outdoor power equipment is going that way. I would rather buy a simple well built unit once and fix it as needed. The high end developers building the big developments have no interest in longevity, they just want a high end looking unit with lots of features. They buy in bulk so a manufacturer is going to give them what they want. If you look at reliability of various brands, the high end names usually have the worst reliability. Many of the McMansions out there are not going to age well as the price compromises hidden in them to give more square footage for higher profit will come back to haunt future owners.

 

[SpaceBus]

I admit, I am unusual in that in 30 years the only service tech that has entered my house is a boiler tech for a tune up. I even put in the deep well pump myself into a drilled casing I find the new electronic stuff is usually replace and hope. A tech is usually $150 to turn the ignition key and a minimum of 4 hours so a $500 bill for repair is possible and that is getting to the point where its just worth swapping in a new one. Many of the big plumbing and mechanical firms have figured that out and have a lucrative side trade of stocking appliances and selling them at a hefty markup to desperate homeowners who cant wait to get parts or are in situation where they have to take time off from work to meet a repairman.

Various studies are showing the new appliances especially the big box Korean brands have a far shorter life than in the past. Most appliances are shifting to throw away design. Happened with TVs long ago and arguably dishwashers, washers, dryers and refrigerators as well as outdoor power equipment is going that way. I would rather buy a simple well built unit once and fix it as needed. The high end developers building the big developments have no interest in longevity, they just want a high end looking unit with lots of features. They buy in bulk so a manufacturer is going to give them what they want. If you look at reliability of various brands, the high end names usually have the worst reliability. Many of the McMansions out there are not going to age well as the price compromises hidden in them to give more square footage for higher profit will come back to haunt future owners.

If that Staber washer would fit in the space we have available, it would be in our house. I'm not that old, but I have noticed that old stuff from the 60's and 70's lasts much longer. The house we bought has some structural issues that need to be resolved, but it is still standing, most new construction only stands up to one family for 20 years

 

[semipro]

I admit, I am unusual in that in 30 years the only service tech that has entered my house is a boiler tech for a tune up. I even put in the deep well pump myself into a drilled casing I find the new electronic stuff is usually replace and hope.

Same here except my only outside contractor was for septic tank pumping.
I even did my own deep well (440 ft.) pump replacement as you did.

 

[peakbagger]

Reportedly in the suburbs of Japan its not usual to buy a house and tear the house down and build a new one. Its just common practice., the land is the valuable part the house is considered disposable. Doesn't just happen in Japan https://boston.cbslocal.com/2019/02/13/portsmouth-nh-cottage-2-million-real-estate-price-for-sale/

BTW, I did pay to have the septic pumped once, I didn't count him as he didn't come inside the house .

 

[rwhite]

last year i had the same thing happen to my whirlpool. i changed the balancing ring. i balanced it 20 times because it would walk and the only thing that would hold it from going across the room was the feed hoses. there is a spring that the back feet has to make it balance so i replaced that. on that machine it only had 1 spring for counter weight balance and replaced that i ran out of thing to replace so i put 2x4 between up stairs floor joists and the washer to hold it down to buy some time to buy a new one. then the plastic outside tub sprung a leak and that was the end. 2x4's bought me 7 months time. now have the biggest top loader we could find, maytag. no agitator but a small stub that works like one. so far so good. speed is great on the spin stuff comes out much dryer so the dryer does on half of what it used to. it uses small amount of water like a front loader but uses half the power. front loders i seen take 12 amps mine takes 6

Well I went the exact same route as you. Replaced everything within reason and then gave up. I too went with the largest top load but with an agitator. I wasn't sold on HE at first but it seems to work ok. I'm not sure it's any better or worse than the old one but at least i don't have to walk to the other side of the room and bring it back after every load. It is much quieter.