OT: Washing machine pump, rattle, doesn't drain

[Joerg]

The amount you save in wear and tear on your clothes, and (in my case)
on the water bill, dwarfs the cost of an occasional main bearing.

We bought an LG front-loader about five years ago--a smart one, that
jiggles around and figures out how big a load you have and how wet it is
to begin with, then puts the right amount of water in. It does an
excellent job of cleaning the clothes, and the gravity-driven action is
far gentler than an impeller.

That is the main reason we opted for a front loader. Every time the top
loader scuffed another shirt collar I'd eventually have to replace the
shirt, and at Men's Wearhouse that's $50. Each.

It was $1500, but it's paid for itself about twice at this point.

HD had a smart LG for under $800 but I didn't know the brand real well
so went for a Maytag.

 

[Joerg]

[...]

Problem is, I know the brands from way back over there but not LG and
all those that we have now. Like this one:

http://www.homedepot.com/Appliances...d=10051&catalogId=10053&superSkuId=202705384#

I have a Frigidaire GLTF1040AS. Front loader, mechanical timer about 8
years old and runs like new. (About 1 load a week.)

Thanks. Good to know that they do last

 

[Joerg]

Hello,

a coins or other pieces of metal in the pump may cause such a noise.

Yes, but the drum won't turn anymore and with the brake released makes a
loud clunking noise when turned by hand. That means the transmission is
really shot. A 14 year old machine is pretty much beyond repair at that
point.

 

[Nico Coesel]

Perhaps The ones I've seen have drawers for detergent, etc.


They actually look rather nice (my pick-em-up truck is very RED ;-)

My concern is how well do the seals required by the front-loading hold
up over time.

They hold up pretty well. The first Miele that needed the front seal
replaced is my own. Probably due to putting too much laundry in it. It
was easy and cheap to fix though and it only leaked a little bit
during spinning with a lot of laundry.

 

[Joerg]

...and here I always figured that, since you spend most of your time
working from home, you typical garb consisted of a few $8 t-shirts, or
better still, free t-shirts advertising IC manufacturers or similar...

Well, most of the time it does but I am married

Then there's church where I am an usher, then the occasional
representation of stuff in front of guys in expensive dark suits, and so on.

 

[Joerg]

Maytag moved its factory to Mexico in December, 2004. Enjoy ;-)

We have to accept the fact that nearly nothing like that is made in the
US any longer. Even Volkswagens are made in Puebla now. If you look at
appliances in Europe they are mostly made in former Eastern Block
countries or Turkey.

 

[Charlie E.]

I'm too old to be of that juvenile crowd that wears T-shirts and blue
jeans, so I wear sport shirts and dress slacks. But I only own two
long sleeve white shirts, a few ties and one suit, reserved for
funerals and weddings ;-)

...Jim Thompson

My typical wear is usually a tee shirt and a pair of work out shorts,
since I am at home. When we go to a function, it is usually a polo
shirt and slacks. The polos are bright colors, red or green, and the
pants are khakis or black...

Charlie

 

[Joerg]

Bah. 70 is the new 40! Plenty of people your age wear t-shirts these
days, Jim!

There used to be a guy out here who looked at least 80. Wore faded jeans
and things like Grateful Dead T-shirts. But to topper was his ride: A VW
Beetle with big fat mag wheels, inches off the ground, flame-paintings
all over, big trumpet-style exhaust. I believe that thing could go from
zero to 60mph in under five seconds.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

I have one with "And God Created Light" with Maxwell's (vector)
equations on it. Will that do ?

I recently started cropping my beard really short so I can look like
those unshaven movie stars ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Have you considered adding a kufiya for that hot desert weather?

http://static.amefiles.com/static/r8/images/countryguides/yasser-arafat.jpg


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[[email protected]]

The amount you save in wear and tear on your clothes, and (in my case)
on the water bill, dwarfs the cost of an occasional main bearing.

There is no reason a top loader needs an agitator. Main bearings are
expensive. They want $750 for mine (a top-loader, at that), when it finally
lets go. I'll buy a new washer but have no idea what. It won't be another
Whirlpool, for sure.

We bought an LG front-loader about five years ago--a smart one, that
jiggles around and figures out how big a load you have and how wet it is
to begin with, then puts the right amount of water in. It does an
excellent job of cleaning the clothes, and the gravity-driven action is
far gentler than an impeller.

Irrelevant. Not all top-loaders have agitators.

It was $1500, but it's paid for itself about twice at this point.

How do you figure that? Are you comparing it to a $300 front-loader?

 

[[email protected]]

That is the main reason we opted for a front loader. Every time the top
loader scuffed another shirt collar I'd eventually have to replace the
shirt, and at Men's Wearhouse that's $50. Each.

You spend as much on clothes as a woman. I pay $10-$25 for my shirts. I wait
until they're on sale.

HD had a smart LG for under $800 but I didn't know the brand real well
so went for a Maytag.

LG has some good appliances. We liked the look and operation of their 'fridge
but they had *horrible* repair records and service complaints. We ended up
with the Electrolux.

The last of the builder-grade appliances that came with the house is about to
go to Goodwill. I think SWMBO has settled on the dual-fuel oven ($2500 plus
$1K to get the gas plumbed in from the other side of the house).

 

[[email protected]]

We have to accept the fact that nearly nothing like that is made in the
US any longer.

Not true. Electrolux manufactures several appliance brands in the US, still.
We didn't choose them because they manufactured here, but it was a (small)
bonus.

 

[[email protected]]

Remember when men put their women on a pedestal? There's no point any more,
since all the women started wearing pants. >:->

Don't kid yourself. They always did, even when they only wore dresses.

 

[[email protected]]

I have a Frigidaire GLTF1040AS. Front loader, mechanical timer about 8
years old and runs like new. (About 1 load a week.)

One load a week isn't exactly taxing it.

 

[[email protected]]

The consumer group reviews I've seen say that they don't clean as well
as top-loaders, when used with the latest Obama-imposed
no-phosphates-style detergents.

Throw a 1/3 TSP in with 2/3s the normal amount of green detergent.

 

[Joerg]

[...]

We have to accept the fact that nearly nothing like that is made in the
US any longer.

Not true. Electrolux manufactures several appliance brands in the US, still.
We didn't choose them because they manufactured here, but it was a (small)
bonus.

That's a Swedish company that has assembly plants all over the world,
just like BWM has one somewhere around where you guys live.

[...]

 

[Joerg]

You spend as much on clothes as a woman. I pay $10-$25 for my shirts. I wait
until they're on sale.

So do I, usually. With work shirts and shoes and such I don't skimp. It
usually pays off to plunk down $60-80 for a pair of Rockports or similar
brands, or a nice Men's Wearhouse shirt. That stuff lasts several times
longer than the cheap editions.

LG has some good appliances. We liked the look and operation of their 'fridge
but they had *horrible* repair records and service complaints. We ended up
with the Electrolux.

The last of the builder-grade appliances that came with the house is about to
go to Goodwill. I think SWMBO has settled on the dual-fuel oven ($2500 plus
$1K to get the gas plumbed in from the other side of the house).

That's something I am not looking forward to. Our double-oven is a
rather professional one from day one, so 40 years old. Thermador brand.
This house was custom-built in 1970 with all top notch stuff. But one
day it'll croak and it's a special narrow edition, hard to find these days.

 

[[email protected]]

Jim Thompson wrote:

[...]

HD had a smart LG for under $800 but I didn't know the brand real well
so went for a Maytag.
Maytag moved its factory to Mexico in December, 2004. Enjoy ;-)

We have to accept the fact that nearly nothing like that is made in the
US any longer.

Not true. Electrolux manufactures several appliance brands in the US, still.
We didn't choose them because they manufactured here, but it was a (small)
bonus.

That's a Swedish company that has assembly plants all over the world,

Of course. That doesn't change the facts.

just like BWM has one somewhere around where you guys live.

Don't know about BWM, but that over-priced German car company has a plant
here. ;-) ...as does just about everyone else except the US manufacturers.
;-) (KIA has a pretty big assembly plant about 15-20 miles from here). ;-)

 

[[email protected]]

True, some have washboards and wringers, but we didn't want one of
those.

Umm, they're not top-loaders either.

Just my water bill dropped about $100 a quarter, and clothes stay nice
looking a whole lot longer.

That's very hard to believe. What do you pay for water????

It also has a really amazingly high speed
spin that saves electricity in the dryer.

My top-loader spins at 1000RPM (and has a larger basket than a front-loader).
Front-loaders don't have a monopoly on high-speed spin.

(I live in this yuppie
neighbourhood full of leftist greenies, but clotheslines are illegal.
Go figure.)

Typical.

 

[Joerg]

Jim Thompson wrote:
[...]

HD had a smart LG for under $800 but I didn't know the brand real well
so went for a Maytag.
Maytag moved its factory to Mexico in December, 2004. Enjoy ;-)

We have to accept the fact that nearly nothing like that is made in the
US any longer.
Not true. Electrolux manufactures several appliance brands in the US, still.
We didn't choose them because they manufactured here, but it was a (small)
bonus.

That's a Swedish company that has assembly plants all over the world,

Of course. That doesn't change the facts.

just like BWM has one somewhere around where you guys live.

Don't know about BWM, but that over-priced German car company has a plant
here. ;-) ...as does just about everyone else except the US manufacturers.
;-) (KIA has a pretty big assembly plant about 15-20 miles from here). ;-)

Overpriced? A client EE just bought himself a 335i ragtop for slightly
over 30k and he says it's like a rocket.

Maybe they are all there because they dodged the unions so far? Or got
"deals"? Usually when unions march in companies begin thinking about
leaving, and then leave the country.