Washing machine rant

K

Kevin G

Member
Bronze Supporter
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
925
Reaction score
2,069
Location
Southern Maine
Recently got a new LG front loading washing machine with optional pedestal/drawer base. Damn thing cost nearly as much as my first car. It can somehow be tied in to Wi-Fi, for what I don’t know. Don’t plan on googling anything with it.
We live in an area where water is in abundance, would have much preferred a simple top loading machine with a few simple functions. I was overruled. With this one when the wash is finished it plays music that sounds something like The French national anthem.
Has developed a leak, the wife was on the phone for over an hour trying to get warranty repair scheduled. Had an extended conversation with someone in the Philippines.
Does anyone have positive experience with a simple basic washing machine?
Thanks, Kevin
 
Register to hide this ad
Found a heavy duty top loader last year,lots of electronics which I’m assuming is the weak link,but for now it works great. The machine it replaced was 35 years old! Couldn’t get parts for it anymore lol
 
Another case of government telling us what we need, or are allowed to buy. I am not sure if an old school washer is even made anymore.
 
We bought Maytag front loader washer and dryer at Lowe's Thanksgiving sale 7 years ago. We got washer and dryer for $100 more than just the washer. I built the base unit as 1 piece with a big storage drawer. Doors are at waist level for my wife and she is happy.

Washer / dryer have simple selector rotary switches. Today's machines look like the Space Shuttle.
 
Bought a Samsung front loading washer a couple years ago and it started to leak soon after the warranty ran out. Then, this past summer, it wouldn't drain at the end of the rinse cycle. Was about ready to pitch it and get a new one. Found a comment on the internet about unplugging the unit for 10 minutes or more to reset the internal computer and tried it. It's been working fine since.
Our first washer was a new Whirlpool, given as a wedding present, nearly 40 years ago. It lasted over 25 years. The only repair was for a new pump which was a DYI job and that cost only about $25.

John
 
When my 25 year old (I think) Maytag went out,
I went down to Lowe’s and bought a top load Whirlpool.
That was a few years ago, Really hadn’t thought too much about since.
 
Last edited:
Wouldn't buy a front loader, heard too many bad things about them. We had a top loader (Sears) that lasted from 1989 to 2016 before it quit, and an electric dryer (also Sears) from 1969 until it went out about three months ago. That may be a world record. I think Whirlpool made Sears appliances back then.
 
Get a Roper top loader.

Simple, good track record.
Whatever you get, if you get a washing machine that does not have the agitator in the middle you will never change back to one that has the agitator.

Complexity in appliances is just asking for trouble, even with microwaves.

Refrigerators are the worst. Do not hook up the ice maker. Expensive catastrophe waiting to happen.
Many people I know have had the water line or fitting leak and ruin or damage the floor in one or more rooms.
You can buy a lot of bagged ice or plastic ice trays for what repairs will cost you when the leak happens.
 
We bought our last one from Sears in 2012. It's a Kenmore and it's been trouble free.

I have a friend who is a retired appliance repair man. He still does repairs to supplement his retirement. He has nothing good to say about LG appliances. They use proprietary parts which are hard to get.

He also says that they have too much technology that is very prone to breakdown.

He refuses to work on them.

It's a washing machine, how complicated does it have to be?
 
The new thing is smart appliances of all kinds. I guess they figure we aren't smart enough to press or turn a button like we did for the last 50 years.

When I needed a new washer, the 30 year old Whirlpool finally drowned I guess, I checked into front loaders. First of all they are super expensive and why the base doesn't come with the dang thing I guess is just a ripoff. Second they are known for developing stinky black mold around the door seal. I decided it wasn't for me.
I bought a Whirlpool from Lowe's but the hot water valve didn't open so I took it back to lowe's for a refund. I went to a local appliance store and bought a Hot Point top loader. That was 8 years ago. It is still working like new.
I bought an almost new Haier dryer from a guy at work and I think it is garbage compared to the 30 year old Whirlpool I had before. The Haier had broke down twice in a couple years. I still have it but I wish I had my Whirlpool back.
A friend works a phone line for GE appliances repair and she said she will never own a GE appliance. She told me that supposedly GE expects around 20,000 calls a day for warranty repairs on their new appliances.
 
When my 35 yr. old Maytag top loader died I got another from Craigslist for $100. Works great, most parts are still available. I would have fixed the first one but it was a transmission problem which was more than I wanted to handle.
My original dryer died and I did the same thing. Neither my wife nor I care about "new" or "shiny" as long as the clothes are clean and dry.
Two of her sisters have front loaders which they both hate. One LG and one Samsung.
The design of front loaders allows them to be efficient with water and detergent because they have better mechanical action and since they spin faster drying time is reduced. However the quality of the consumer models is not great yet. If someone made me buy a front loader I would get a Wascomat.

FWIW: I have been around the industrial laundry industry for 40 yrs. and all of their washers are versions of what we would call front loaders.
 
We had a front load with the last house and it always smelled. We got the top loaders and they have been great. If I have to buy again, I’d buy the commercial ones and skip the fancy looking models.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
H Richard said:
About 10 years ago we bought a Speed Queen, top load. Water temp settings, load size setting, and regular/permanent press/timed settings. That's all we need and it runs great. Made in America. It's a commercial grade machine so I don't expect to need another machine in my lifetime.
Click to expand...
^^^^^^^^^^^^
I read similar stories as the OP stated on another site. The recommendation there was to buy a commercial machine, which seems to be built to withstand simple gorillas.
I can imagine the abuse received in a laundromat.
 
Bought a commercial grade Maytag at Lowe’s several years ago along with the matching dryer. The washer is top load and it works great,,,so far no issues.
I’ve always liked Maytag...;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
My Rant of the Day
Replies
14
Views
588
Skeet 028
S
venomballistics
MOAR USPS rant
Replies
3
Views
315
16thVACav
1
pantannojack
More USPS Rant
Replies
14
Views
523
venomballistics
venomballistics
Ματθιας
Shoe/Boot Sizing Frustration Rant
2
Replies
33
Views
1K
grover99
G
D
Lake Affect Snow Machine
2 3
Replies
43
Views
1K
Golddollar
Golddollar

Latest posts

Back
Top