Who knows about washing machines?

[LukesfirstJeep]

I do very little appliance repair, but I have a friend that does. I trust him when he says replace it or spend several hundred to fix it. When I got married 40+ years ago, we bought a matching washer/dryer set at the used appliance store. They lasted probably 20 years before I replaced them. I wish I still had them.

 

[ColoJeep]

I do very little appliance repair, but I have a friend that does. I trust him when he says replace it or spend several hundred to fix it. When I got married 40+ years ago, we bought a matching washer/dryer set at the used appliance store. They lasted probably 20 years before I replaced them. I wish I still had them.

Our first washer was a used $25.00 Kenmore we bought in 1988 . I discovered it was built in 1971 and we used it until 2014 when it was replaced with a Speed Queen top load , It was the second to the last year you could buy a normal water use washer with a mechanical timer. No issue with the SQ so far. The Kenmore had worn out the chassis ball and socket rods that suspend the drum assy. But a good 43 year run.

 

[Zorba]

...replaced with a Speed Queen top load , It was the second to the last year you could buy a normal water use washer with a mechanical timer.

Nope. You can still buy them, full water use and mechanical timer. But you need to find a SQ dealer who will sell them to you as they're labeled "Commercial use only", and the strip mall dealer isn't allowed to sell them to you. I got online and found a commercial laundry outfit who would/could sell them to me. It was a 150 mile drive each way, and they were in an industrial area on the wrong side of the tracks, but I came home with what I wanted. BONUS! The strip mall dealer will want $1500/ea for the computerized consumer grade - I paid $1k/ea for the commercial. Win-win.

 

[LukesfirstJeep]

Nope. You can still buy them, full water use and mechanical timer. But you need to find a SQ dealer who will sell them to you as they're labeled "Commercial use only", and the strip mall dealer isn't allowed to sell them to you. I got online and found a commercial laundry outfit who would/could sell them to me. It was a 150 mile drive each way, and they were in an industrial area on the wrong side of the tracks, but I came home with what I wanted. BONUS! The strip mall dealer will want $1500/ea for the computerized consumer grade - I paid $1k/ea for the commercial. Win-win.

I find it interesting what features people find important. Full water and mechanical seem reasonable. For others, it's based on price.

A few years before my mom passed, I took her shopping for a new washing machine. She walked into the appliance store, and the first top load washer she could touch the bottom, when she reached in, she bought. She didn't care about any other feature. For her height, that was important.

 

[Zorba]

I find it interesting what features people find important. Full water and mechanical seem reasonable. For others, it's based on price.

It has an interesting - OPTIONAL - rinse cycle. Instead of re-filling the tub and agitating the rinse water, it spins and sprays fresh water on the laundry as it is held to the sides - the centrifugal force pulls the water though the fabric, out and directly drained. It makes sense when you think about it, uses less water, and gives a better rinse for MOST loads.

As for features - reliability and longevity are at the top of the list for darn near EVERYTHING.

 

[BlueC]

It has an interesting - OPTIONAL - rinse cycle. Instead of re-filling the tub and agitating the rinse water, it spins and sprays fresh water on the laundry as it is held to the sides - the centrifugal force pulls the water though the fabric, out and directly drained. It makes sense when you think about it, uses less water, and gives a better rinse for MOST loads.

Is that a standard Speed Queen feature, or model specific? When my old units finally kick it to a point I don't want to fix, I'll be finding some Speed Queen units.

 

[Zorba]

Is that a standard Speed Queen feature, or model specific? When my old units finally kick it to a point I don't want to fix, I'll be finding some Speed Queen units.

I honestly don't know. Its on the commercial unit with the mechanical timer. All SQ models are the same, except for the controls. The consumer versions give you a choice of computer connected knobs, or a membrane keypad. The commercial with mechanics also does NOT have a water level control, just as an FYI. All loads are full fill. But we're saving so much water by NOT having to re-rinse sheets, towels and underwear (Wife has allergies) that it doesn't matter - and most loads we do are full anyway.

The rest of the story, can't remember if I mentioned this or not. The local strip mall SQ dealer couldn't get stock, nor could he sell me the commercial unit and couldn't get stock on that either. AND the commercial dealer was $1K/ea, not $1.5K like the strip mall dealer.

 

[JKP]

Is that a standard Speed Queen feature, or model specific? When my old units finally kick it to a point I don't want to fix, I'll be finding some Speed Queen units.

My 35 year old Kenmore direct drive does a rinse with a full tub, then does a rinse/spin like he described every time.

Parts are still available and cheap and it's easily repaired.

 

[JKP]

Didn't know where else to throw this post, but here seems as good a place as any. So, my 30-year-old Whirlpool washing machine had its first major failure. It stopped working Thanksgiving morning. Neither the basket (tub) nor the agitator was working, and there was this God-awful ratcheting sound emanating from deep within the bowels of the machine. I suspected the coupling between the motor and transmission had failed, so I tore it apart. Nope, the coupling is fine. So, I removed the drive block. It's deteriorated somewhat, but not enough to cause what is happening. Clutch must be bad, then. No, clutch and basket-drive both check out okay. I decided to clean up the 30 years of grime and Squatch hair whilst pondering what the hell could be wrong. While cleaning up the transmission, I found that the transmission shaft that is driven by the coupling has worn so badly that the flat "sides" that are meant to be engaged by the coupling are no longer there, and all that remains of the shaft's original shape is a couple of high spots that have been hogging out the coupling's mounting hole. As they won't just sell me that shaft, I had to order a new transmission for it. I found an OEM one for $213 delivered to my door. The local shop wanted $300+ for the same part. He also thought I was crazy to invest that kind of money into a 30-year-old machine. But hey, I'd rather do that than buy an expensive new problem!

Damn, I just saw this. In the future, check walmart.com for Whirlpool/Kenmore parts. Just put in the P/N and look for a vendor listed as Sun. It's a huge appliance part place, but on walmart, you get free shipping and a better price than anywhere else usually. OEM parts.

 

[Squatch]

Damn, I just saw this. In the future, check walmart.com for Whirlpool/Kenmore parts. Just put in the P/N and look for a vendor listed as Sun. It's a huge appliance part place, but on walmart, you get free shipping and a better price than anywhere else usually. OEM parts.

Thanks, man! Hoping not to have to do this again. Parts are scheduled to arrive tomorrow (new transmission, and a couple other knick-knacks I decided to replace while I'm in there). The OEM aspect is important to me. I'll check out the site, for sure. Thanks again!