[N/A] HE Washer Rant

ARFlyer

ARFlyer

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ARFlyer
So I have a HE washer given to me as a house warming gift. I'm very happy for the gift, but this washer SUCKS. This washer is one of these high tech HE ones that weigh the clothes to determine how little amount of water to add. Half the time my clothes come out with dry spots and sticky from detergent still on the clothes. It doesn't wash worth a hoot as I often have to brush the dirt off that's still stuck and re-run the cycle. The washer doesn't have an agitator. It's just an empty barrel. The manual says it washes by spinning the clothes at a high rate...

What happened to the agitator washers that used a dump truck load of water? I'm all for technology and environmentalism but this "fixed" a perfectly good appliance. A recently made a trip to several big box stores and inquired about washers. Only one store had none HE models and it was a commercial only unit.
 
I've never had the problem and I'm on my third LG HE washer and one Samsung. You have a lemon
 
flyingron said:
I've never had the problem and I'm on my third LG HE washer and one Samsung. You have a lemon
Click to expand...

I must have one. This evening I spent 15 minutes cleaning two of my sport shirts due to deodorant smeared across them from other shirts. I don’t have this issue in any other washer. Then I had to throw a pair of pants back in due to the legs being glued together from unused detergent.
 
We have an old (by today's standards it's old- bought it in 2003) Kenmore Elite regular washer and dryer. The washer has the big old torture corkscrew device in the middle, and can wash cold, warm, hot, temp controlled, etc, and has several different cycles and rates of agitation, second/third rinses, etc. This thing is amazing. Still looks brand new, too. A friend saw it recently and said, "Nice- where'd you find this kind of washer these days?" (With Sears being pretty much shut down, and all.) I said, "It's 16 years old." He said, "Duuuuude...." I guess he doesn't like these new space age washers, either, because he was all jealous of our washer. We had no idea the old kind were so hipster retro cool, but we know this particular washer actually washes the living snot outta some laundry.
 
Our Maytag HE seems to work OK. We use liquid HE detergent, I have to be careful not to use too much or I don't know if it gets fully rinsed out.
 
ARFlyer said:
I must have one. This evening I spent 15 minutes cleaning two of my sport shirts due to deodorant smeared across them from other shirts. I don’t have this issue in any other washer. Then I had to throw a pair of pants back in due to the legs being glued together from unused detergent.
Click to expand...
Wow, just wow! I sympathize and I would get upset to.

I don't have my own machines so I have to put up with the local laundromat which is temporarily closed. I found another one that had newer, high-er tech HE washers than the older HE washers I usually use and my clothes did not get real clean. They seemed rally dry to me to. Now I know why. There is a light soil, med soil and heavy soil buttons on the front panel. Might have something to do with it. Change sucks! Local place will be back open in 2 days but it leaves my towels sticky. Haven't been able to fix that problem.
 
Lachlan said:
We have an old (by today's standards it's old- bought it in 2003) Kenmore Elite regular washer and dryer. The washer has the big old torture corkscrew device in the middle, and can wash cold, warm, hot, temp controlled, etc, and has several different cycles and rates of agitation, second/third rinses, etc. This thing is amazing. Still looks brand new, too. A friend saw it recently and said, "Nice- where'd you find this kind of washer these days?" (With Sears being pretty much shut down, and all.) I said, "It's 16 years old." He said, "Duuuuude...." I guess he doesn't like these new space age washers, either, because he was all jealous of our washer. We had no idea the old kind were so hipster retro cool, but we know this particular washer actually washes the living snot outta some laundry.
Click to expand...
I can still get Sears here in Ohio. Have to drive a piece for new Sears go real close by is the Sears appliance outlet, which might be scary.
 
These newer washers are European designs and are primarily built to work with almost no water...

My landlord in Germany bought a washer for me and I used it once. It took nearly four hours to wash a single load and still ended up using lots of water.

I have used washers from the '70s most of my life. They are cheap, reliable and replaceable...
 
Lachlan said:
We have an old (by today's standards it's old- bought it in 2003) Kenmore Elite regular washer and dryer. The washer has the big old torture corkscrew device in the middle, and can wash cold, warm, hot, temp controlled, etc, and has several different cycles and rates of agitation, second/third rinses, etc. This thing is amazing. Still looks brand new, too. A friend saw it recently and said, "Nice- where'd you find this kind of washer these days?" (With Sears being pretty much shut down, and all.) I said, "It's 16 years old." He said, "Duuuuude...." I guess he doesn't like these new space age washers, either, because he was all jealous of our washer. We had no idea the old kind were so hipster retro cool, but we know this particular washer actually washes the living snot outta some laundry.
Click to expand...

My parents washer has been going strong for just under 20 years. You can throw in mud covered clothes and they come out looking new.
 
flhrci said:
Wow, just wow! I sympathize and I would get upset to.

I don't have my own machines so I have to put up with the local laundromat which is temporarily closed. I found another one that had newer, high-er tech HE washers than the older HE washers I usually use and my clothes did not get real clean. They seemed rally dry to me to. Now I know why. There is a light soil, med soil and heavy soil buttons on the front panel. Might have something to do with it. Change sucks! Local place will be back open in 2 days but it leaves my towels sticky. Haven't been able to fix that problem.
Click to expand...

I’ve spent the last three months in a hotel due to training. The on-site washers were awesome! I think my clothes ended up coming home cleaner then they left.
 
ARFlyer said:
My parents washer has been going strong for just under 20 years. You can throw in mud covered clothes and they come out looking new.
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I bought a washer and dryer when I bought my house in Colorado in 1992. They were still working when I gave them away with the house in 2017. I can't remember that I ever fixed anything on either one.
 
I had been using a set of Maytag Neptune front loaders that my parents had owned and given to me when I bought my first house. The washer just finally gave up the ghost after 20 years, I sold the dryer today for $100. Neither had had any work done to them in that period. Didn’t have a problem with the performance of the machines, but I don’t generally pay attention to that stuff. They were HE, but that was very early in the existence of HE washing machines.

The wife picked out a set of new Maytags that have all sorts of electronics and steam settings. It’s about the top end of what Maytag offers, but we’ll see how long they last since most of the machines are all owned/manufactured by the same 1 or 2 companies these days.
 
Have bought several HE washers.
They take FOREVER to wash
They do NOT wash
They try to save water but it's like the low volume flush toilets, you flush twice -using more water than if they'd not monkeyed with it!
Maytag apparently makes a 'laundromat style washer which doesnt take coins' so I am looking at that one next.
BE Wary! Some washers claim to not be HE but they don't fill up with water and they do that impotent dance instead of real agitation!
I'm sure I made a thread on this very topic, with these very concerns.
 
ARFlyer said:
So I have a HE washer given to me as a house warming gift. I'm very happy for the gift, but this washer SUCKS. This washer is one of these high tech HE ones that weigh the clothes to determine how little amount of water to add. Half the time my clothes come out with dry spots and sticky from detergent still on the clothes. It doesn't wash worth a hoot as I often have to brush the dirt off that's still stuck and re-run the cycle. The washer doesn't have an agitator. It's just an empty barrel. The manual says it washes by spinning the clothes at a high rate...

What happened to the agitator washers that used a dump truck load of water? I'm all for technology and environmentalism but this "fixed" a perfectly good appliance. A recently made a trip to several big box stores and inquired about washers. Only one store had none HE models and it was a commercial only unit.
Click to expand...
First off, don't use too much detergent, otherwise the excess suds really mess with the sensor readings. Second, if it has options for extra rinse or extra time/energy then use them. The regular wash with no options usually are there for gaming the Energy Star ratings or for marketing. Third, if you can't make it work then agitator washers that don't try to save water/energy are still available as commercial units. If you have roommates or college age kids, buy a coin operated one. :)
 
Lachlan said:
We have an old (by today's standards it's old- bought it in 2003) Kenmore Elite regular washer and dryer. The washer has the big old torture corkscrew device in the middle, and can wash cold, warm, hot, temp controlled, etc, and has several different cycles and rates of agitation, second/third rinses, etc. This thing is amazing. Still looks brand new, too. A friend saw it recently and said, "Nice- where'd you find this kind of washer these days?" (With Sears being pretty much shut down, and all.) I said, "It's 16 years old." He said, "Duuuuude...." I guess he doesn't like these new space age washers, either, because he was all jealous of our washer. We had no idea the old kind were so hipster retro cool, but we know this particular washer actually washes the living snot outta some laundry.
Click to expand...

Our washer and dryer are also Kenmore brand, bought new in 1992. Both still work great, although I have had to repair and replace parts on both. The good thing is they were designed to be fixable. It’s still possible to get parts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I love my top load HE! Cleans awesome, it’s “canyon load” sized- whole hamper fan go right in...

She’s due for a new bearing but that’s my doing with taking advantage of the canyon load too often... no biggie very DIYable... oh and now and again it does benefit from the washer clean mode where ya put in bleach only and it cleans itself- good idea to leave lid open or it gets a lil stinky and I gotta do the clean washer load.

My whites come out amazing- we are a entire bachelor housholf so sometimes socks are nasty! There is so many options to “up the ante” on wash cycles- it may take an hour plus for the pre soak and stain treat cycle added on- but by God them socks are white!!!
 
Look for Speed Queen washers. They still make a traditional washing machine. My parents gave up on the HE ones after killing two in three years. Their repair guy tipped them off on Speed Queen
 
We’re on our second set of HE washer/dryer. First set was GE Second is Electrolux. They clean clothes well. We do often use extra rinse.

I’m not sure what brand you got but I’m gueasing it’s a cheaper one. It does seem that the more expensive ones are ultimately better.

Also make sure you’re using HE soap and it really doesn’t need much of it, at least ours don’t. Yeah the greasy garage clothes will never get super clean but it does a good job with normal clothes.
 
ARFlyer said:
So I have a HE washer given to me as a house warming gift. I'm very happy for the gift, but this washer SUCKS. This washer is one of these high tech HE ones that weigh the clothes to determine how little amount of water to add. Half the time my clothes come out with dry spots and sticky from detergent still on the clothes. It doesn't wash worth a hoot as I often have to brush the dirt off that's still stuck and re-run the cycle. The washer doesn't have an agitator. It's just an empty barrel. The manual says it washes by spinning the clothes at a high rate...

What happened to the agitator washers that used a dump truck load of water? I'm all for technology and environmentalism but this "fixed" a perfectly good appliance. A recently made a trip to several big box stores and inquired about washers. Only one store had none HE models and it was a commercial only unit.
Click to expand...
Here's a cheat: dampen your clothes before you toss them in, to fool the washer into using more water.
 
Look for Speed Queen washers. They still make a traditional washing machine. Their repair guy tipped them off on Speed Queen
Click to expand...

Let'sgoflying! said:
BE Wary! Some washers claim to not be HE but they don't fill up with water and they do that impotent dance instead of real agitation!
Click to expand...

There you go!
I have a SpeedQueen "Commercial Heavy Duty" which they call non-HE but it does the silly, anemic non-agitating 'dance' that is NOT VIGOROUS. They claim it is non-HE because it has higher water levels than full-out HE washers.
This is not a cheap washer - over $1000. It does the wash cycle faster than the Whirlpool/Kenmore HE washers but I still have to wash my grubby clothes again.

Looking at the Maytag hotel/laundromat washer next.
 
All these fancy washers and dryers are junk, don't waste your money. Seriously, you will never make the money back for the added cost of the units. I just bought the basic agitator type 6 0r 7 years ago and never have a problem. In that time my parents and my sister have been through 2 of the new fancy ones each. I think I got my washer and dryer for less than the cost of the HE washer alone.
 
Use HE-compatible detergent and make sure you measure it using the cap to level "1" which is only maybe 1/5 full. I once saw a friend fill the cap all the way up :eek: -- don't do that.

What were you washing that had dry spots? Synthetic fabrics can get surprisingly dry during the spin cycle. I think HE washers generally have higher spin speeds.
 
dmspilot said:
Use HE-compatible detergent and make sure you measure it using the cap to level "1" which is only maybe 1/5 full. I once saw a friend fill the cap all the way up :eek: -- don't do that.

What were you washing that had dry spots? Synthetic fabrics can get surprisingly dry during the spin cycle. I think HE washers generally have higher spin speeds.
Click to expand...

Our new Maytag allows you to fill up the tray with detergent and it adds it as needed for the load. It will last several loads before it needs to be refilled. No way to control how much it uses unless you leave the bin empty and only add it manually. Our new washer definitely has higher spin speeds than the old one, but we can control the speed to a certain degree. The wash times are longer by about 20-30 minutes than the old washer, but the clothes come out less damp so drying time is reduced.
 
Yours is broke. Not a problem with HE washers per se.

Does it have a 'soak' setting ?



Tossed a 15yo Kenmore a year ago. Replaced it with a GE HE toploader. Works well for routine stuff. Have a second 12 year old Miele front loader in the basement. Works better for heavily soiled items, algae stained seat covers etc. as you can set the program and water levels as needed.
 
Speed Queen is the boss for a new W&D.

My mom has a HE washer. Hers has a setting that will fill the tub with water. I agree on putting the clothes in wet first.

She had a problem at first with clothes still having detergent stuck to them. I had to show her to use only a third of the amount of detergent that she was used to using. Then I found the low/medium/high water setting override. That seems to have taken care of the problem. She lives on a water well so water is no problem. It still takes over an hour to do one load.

My old agitator washer takes about 20 minutes. I just almost totally rebuilt my old Kenmore washer and drier for about a 1/4 of what new ones cost. The guy that did most of the work suggested that I buy a few extra parts that might become rare, so I did.
 
I have always stuck to the old fashioned She washer.

ElHuasoYLaLavandera.jpg
 
IK04 said:
These newer washers are European designs and are primarily built to work with almost no water...

My landlord in Germany bought a washer for me and I used it once. It took nearly four hours to wash a single load and still ended up using lots of water.

I have used washers from the '70s most of my life. They are cheap, reliable and replaceable...
Click to expand...
German washers definitely take longer than US ones. Dishwasher too. Then you learn how to trick it and you can save an hour per load. The machines won’t take over quite yet! :cool:
 
The inverter driven reversible motor on my LG washer agitates clothes as good or better than a conventional washer.

If I'm washing stuff that's really dirty, I use the soak option or the bulky cycle. The amount of detergent used for regular loads is about three liquid ounces. I've never used powder or pods in it, because with the lower water usage it seems obvious that liquid detergent will work better.

The HE washer does take more time for a cycle but I have more than one change of clothes, so I don't really care how long it takes.

For the OP, I suggest you RTFM. It may reveal the secret to successfully using the washer.
 
We bought an inexpensive Home Depot brand (Admiral) tub washer with central agitator (old school). Has 3 temps and 3 load sizes and that's it. Works great. Best part, I think the thing was under $200 brand new.
 
One of the harder parts of moving to Germany was figuring out the washing machines. Here are the selections for ours. We put pretty much everything on Schnell (which means fast) / Mix.

9D0CC1B1-3BCA-447B-BD24-E63665F18DFC.jpeg
 
I lived in Germany for a while when I was a kid. I used to know all that stuff, except when it came to laundry.
 
flyingron said:
I've never had the problem and I'm on my third LG HE washer and one Samsung. You have a lemon
Click to expand...
Agreed. Our Maytag top load HE washer does a great job, and my wife loves it. We've had it for 3 or 4 years now.
 
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