Vanity: Front end washer/dryer upgrade: Gas/Electric? Which Brand?

Sears ^ | 11 Jan 09 | dcbryan1

[DCBryan1]

New wife and I are looking to upgrade our old, worn out top loading washer and dryer. We are in a new house now, and I noticed a gas hookup in the laundry room.

Do any of you have experience, comments, and recommendations on the following issues:

1) Working with Sears for purchase and installation;
2) Front end loading washer and dryers;
3) Gas dryers.

Any suggestions, comments, etc. would be appreciated.

[newnhdad]

We have owned a Bosch washer and dryer for five years. The washer is great at getting clothes clean, but very, very loud and becomes unbalanced very frequently. I found some video on youtube of the spin cycle and if I knew then, I would not have purchased it because it sounds like a jet powering up. If you purchase one, make sure the floor underneath it is stable and reinforced. I would move it to the basement in this house if the owners had a hook-up for it, because it’s so loud that I don’t like being anywhere on the first floor when it’s running.

The dryer works just fine no issues except the coil just burned out and cost about $300 to fix.

I’m sure that newer models have addressed the spin issues.

[RnMomof7]

Last year we bought the basic LG front loader and matching dryer(gas)

We are very happy with them.

I had a front loader many years ago before going to top loader ...this is so much nicer and efficient.

Front loaders save on water and detergent, our also has a short cycle that is fine for the majority of our laundry, that saves on electricity

[brytlea]

You can differ all you want, but please tell us (who have these machines and don’t have this problem—and I live in Mildew Central here in S. FL) why you think we are wrong.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I knew about the mildew odor before we bought it, but presumed that as long as you left the door open it would not be a problem.

I was wrong.

[Rhetorical pi2]

Maytag Bravos MVWB750W[Q]

Just over $800, and should last. You may want to double check with the Consumer Reports website. I think they were giving it 4 stars when we bought.

Check with the store to see if your state gives rebates for energy saving...

Top load is the way to go, well for us it does. and it just seems more comfortable to put the clothes in from the top.

[Rhetorical pi2]

Maytag Bravos MVWB750W[Q]

Just over $800, and should last. You may want to double check with the Consumer Reports website. I think they were giving it 4 stars when we bought.

Check with the store to see if your state gives rebates for energy saving...

Top load is the way to go, well for us it does. and it just seems more comfortable to put the clothes in from the top.

[tsmith130]

Yeah, they’re fine. You can connect the washer to the dryer if you want and the washer will tell the dryer why ‘type’ of load it just washed and the dryer will automatically program the right dry setting. Seemed novel at the time. I NEVER use it. LOL!

[RnMomof7]

The “mildew “ problem is not really an issue..I simply leave the washer door open for a time after the laundry is finished to let the rubber seal dry out.

I have heard some say they use vinegar as a fabric softener and that also takes care of it

[brytlea]

My first Sears front loader lasted about 10 years. We replaced it the first time it stopped working (I cannot remember what went out, something electronic—it could have been fixed but it would have been almost as much as replacing it). So far my new one has given me no problems.

[Mr. Jazzy]

Bosch.

Just had a guy over to the house to clear out the dryer vent (the washer and dryer are on the first floor, in an interior room and have a dryer vent that goes out through the roof on the second story) and after 5 years, it was time to clean the vent to prevent a fire hazard. The guy said that he hadn’t seen a dryer vent so clean for a dryer that had been in use for 5 years and attributed it to the superior filter on the Bosch.

[markomalley]

We have old whirlpool gear, that only lasted a couple of years, and would like something a little better built and more reliable.

FWIW, Whirlpool bought Maytag...so if you don't like Whirlpool, you won't like Maytag.

I've had a front-loader for a while and like it. I find that the clothes come out cleaner than with the old top-loader that I had.

I wasn't aware of the mildew odor problem with front-loading washers before we bought one.

The manuals for the washer warn about cleaning the washer out on a regular basis. They make tablets that you pop in the washer and run through a cycle once a month to take care of the issue.

As far as gas or electric, I've found in the past that gas gets hotter. That might make for faster drying, or it might make for ruined clothes. I find that my newer dryer gets a full load done really fast (usually 35-40 minutes), so that helps the electric bill a lot. I think a big part of it depends on the costs for gas or electricity in your area...and whether you're set up currently for gas or electric. Keep in mind that with an electric dryer, a 220 circuit is required (out of most folks' capabilities) and with a gas dryer, a gas line needs to be plumbed in (again, out of most folks' capabilities and possibly a legal violation if you aren't licensed). Both operations would cost in the hundreds of dollars. You can add that to the up-front costs and the projected operating costs.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The “mildew “ problem is not really an issue..I simply leave the washer door open for a time after the laundry is finished to let the rubber seal dry out.

I never close the door except when it is in use.

[OKSooner]

To paraphrase an old wisdom about the Browning auto-5 shotgun, there’s really only one washer in the world and that’s a Maytag. All the rest are imitators. :)

[dools007]

Yo rednesss—Top load washer is good. The truth is there aren’t that many choices out there. There are only a handful of actual manufacturers left. I’m not familiar with the “high end” washer/dryer market. But, as my fairly expensive toaster has proven, additional money spent did not translate to a better toaster. Gonna buy a cheapie at WalMart.

I like GE products in general, but my wife is very happy with our Whirlpool washer and Dryer. A word of advice: Buy from a local store—not Home Depot, Lowes or some other mega-outfit. The local people tend to be alot more responsive when you need them. They are fairly competitive, but even if you pay a few dollars more the peace of mind is worth it. My son had a lot ot trouble with a washer and dryer he bought at Lowes. The main problem was the lack of knowledge of the salespeople.

[brytlea]

Perhaps you have another issue? I have to say, I haven’t even run the clean cycle on mine as they suggest and there is no odor at all. I wonder why some have this happen and others don’t. However, I think appliances are one of those things, some people love a certain one and others hate them (or one person gets the only good one and loves them! LOL)
Years ago we had a Frididaire (I think) washer that had up and down agitation. I LOVED that machine even tho it was noisy. It did such a great job, and I had small kids and lots of diapers.
Anyway, the second time they had to replace the motor (both times under warranty!) because it leaked into the motor and rusted it, I gave up on them. A bad design but a good idea.

[antiRepublicrat]

Congrats on frontloaders, they’re the best. LG is making some nice ones these days.

Spin rate: Don’t be impressed when they tell you a 1,200 rpm spin. It’s not that fast, it’s normal speed in Europe. 1,800 rpm is fast.

Get one with a built-in heater. You plug in only cold water and the washer uses the exact temperature needed. With this you can even get washers that go close to boiling for really nasty clothes. Again, standard feature in Europe for decades that we’re just getting.

Auto-stop dryer: Will stop when the humidity reaches a certain level, IOW, your clothes are as dry as you want them. Also can dry to just barely damp for ironing. And it’s a HUGE energy saver, never over-drying your clothes. Spin rate feeds into drying, the better the spin, the shorter the drying time. I had a 1,500 rpm dryer where I had to peel the slightly damp clothes off the cylinder, and the dryer basically just fluffed them up.

Instead of Sears, check out your local appliance outlets. We have one here, not a large town, that gives great sales, service and support. They have so much competition from the big stores that customer service has to be #1 in order to survive.

Overall watch out for the fact that you might see three different brands of washer, all made by the same company. So the real differential will be price, service and support, although some will try to up the price just because of the brand name.

[brytlea]

LOL like so many high tech things that sound great, but then, I dont’ use them! My friend bought one, they looked really nice.

[Tammy8]

My daughter bought one and one day it was making a horrible racket- was working but sounded like bearings going out or motor about to die. It is still under warranty so she shut it off and called for repair. The repairman said it sucked a baby sock into the pump and he swore he had never seen that before-sounds like it is not that unusual after all. Hmmmm.

[Publius Valerius]

LG front loader, and I’ve had good results. Would buy again.

I echo the others about mildew: if you follow the directions (wipe down the seal when finished, leave the door open), you won’t have a mildew problem. Also, for what it’s worth, I run the white cycle last, so that the bleach is the last thing to run through the wash—inhibits mildew growth.

In any event, great washer. Clothes come out drier than a conventional washer and, in my experience, cleaner. Also easier on the clothes.

[BunnySlippers]

I highly recommend this site for this kind of question:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/laundry/

They have hundreds of topics from flooring, cabinetry, heating, air-conditioning, washers, electrical, plumbing ... hundreds:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums