Washing Machine Destruction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ybLoMqCaaY&feature=player_embedded#at=65
A short 1:18 video that gets pretty interesting about 55 second into it.

As usual, the comments are arguably the best part of that video, haha

I have a washing machine I want to do that to. It's just never gotten my clothes really clean like a proper machine would. Shame, too, it's supposed to be a pretty nice machine. If it ever fails on me again, I'm doing this to it. More beer will be involved, however.

I don't know what kind of retarded world the video was filmed in, but that is definitely a dryer...

That is most definitely a washing machine....have you never seen a front load washing machine? And when have you ever seen a dryer than spun at 2000rpm?

No, that's definitely a washing machine. I have the same one. On the fastest setting it takes NINETY MINUTES to do a miniscule load of clothes, and I have a blanket that literally will not fit in it. I've thought of doing the same thing myself sometimes.

Ditto, I just rid of the same machine. Completely worthless piece of crap. We've been intimate with 5 different expensive front loaders and they all suck.

Traded our last one in on a top loader HE and have been loving it. Much quieter, much faster, much cheaper and it actually cleans the clothes.

The maintenance of having to purify the seal just inside the door, and run an empty tub filled with bleach &/or vinegar about every third load to try to keep the moldy mildew smell out of your clothes was simply not worth it.

Front loaders are like rotary engines. People buy them without realizing there's a different care and feeding for them. Now unlike rotaries where the different care and feeding gives you a nice engine even with specialized care and feeding the front loader simply doesn't work nearly as well as a top loader.

The point the guy was illustrating in the video was that a front loader is inherently off balance and the machines don't do a good job of corrected that. The washer was supposed to stop, reverse directions, and spin back up to redistribute the load, but obviously it wasn't. Neither did ours. It jumped and bumped all over the room. On the ones that did do what they were supposed to it made the wash cycle take many times longer than it should.

We can wash 3 times the loads with our new top loader HE washer and the moldy smell is a thing of the past.

oh my god, that was awesome!!

Hmm I guess I didn't relize that. Didn't think washers spun that fast...

Guys you really should warn people spontaneous laughter may ensue. Had to explain to the instructor what was so funny. Luckily class hasn't started yet. Glad I. Wasn't drinking anything. :D

I was waiting for it to explode or catch fire.. but that was even better

I laughed my ASS off watching that! My washer just died, and I was given a barely used one by a friend. Nice machine, but for some reason the cold water intake doesn't work, sprays water all over the basement. I ran the hose from the hot hookup to the cold tap, which works fine.

We have a similar machine, there are lot's of different types of front loader from various manufacturers that are all basically the same POS. Ours is I think 5-6 years old now and it started to fall apart after about 18 months. Since then I've had to replace:
1. The seal between the 2 halves of the drum and because of the E36 M3ty nylon the drum is made out of and the self tappers used in manufacturing to hold the two halves (front and back) together all stripped out I had to drill through and replace them all with nuts and bolts.
2. Replace the 'shock absorbers' that help damp the drum as it moves around. I've done one of them twice and the new design seems to be holding up better. Note the originals were a sprung air shock, the new updated versions are friction dampers.
3. Replace the front seal to the door
4. Replace the extractor pump or whatever it's called that pumps the water out.
5. Replace the rubber boot/elbow to the pump.

I'm noticing moisture on the floor again so something else is on it's way out. On one hand I'd love to bin it and buy a new one, but $20-50 in parts every 6-9 months and a couple of hours work is a lot easier on the wallet/kid's collage fund/retirement/Future Miata fund than a new washer. When it's time to go finally though, I think I'll give it this dishonorable death.

Lesley wrote: I was given a barely used one by a friend. Nice machine, but for some reason the cold water intake doesn't work, sprays water all over the basement. I ran the hose from the hot hookup to the cold tap, which works fine.

Sounds like the water valve, which on most machines is a $20 part and 15 minute repair. I just did it on ours about a month ago.

Mrs. BDT's dreams of fancy new machines are once again dashed. Our 15 year old washer and dryer get to stay until I can't fix it for under $50. Do not, under any circumstances, show her this video clip!

funny, my GE just died too. It was a top loader, but after my dad put a comforter in it when he was visiting...it destroyed the top seal---and now the computer stopped working. So...got a new Maytag top loader at Lowes--it was supposed to be an open box for $150 off, but they gave me a new in-box one instead...cool.

Anyhoo, my MIL's front loader does that weird funk/moldy thing too...never want one of those for myself.

Could anyone figure out why the washer was smoking from the very beginning of the video?

the guy I share an office with has a POS front loader, too- what was so hilarious about it was that it used a steel drum and an aluminum drum frame. After a few years, the galvanic corrosion caused the drum frame to fail..... What an idiotic design- where the designers failed basic chemistry/metalurgy.

"Self-Destructs"?

It sounds like there is no reason to purchase a front-loader. Why purchase them to begin with; are they slightly cheaper?

They aren't cheaper, but they tend to use less water and, depending on the machine, less electricity, even though they run a lot longer than the standard US top loaders.

What kind of amuses me is that pretty much everybody in Europe uses front loaders and still has clean clothes .

Disclaimer - we just bought a set of used front loaders (washer and dryer), but they were expensive machines when new. Seems to make a massive difference, in quality and longevity (now there's a surprise). But then again we live on the edge of the desert so I don't think it's massively smart to run lots of water through on every wash if I can get the same result with a quarter of the water.

Front loaders are the TRENDY thing. You can get the same water usage in the newer top loaders with none of the issues. PLUS spend a lot less money.

I just replaced my front loader with a top loader and I could have bought 2 top loaders for the price of 1 front loader. Plus I got a much bigger drum and I'm finding the clothes take a lot less time to wash so we can get more loads an hour in when we have a house full of guests.

You use the same HE deteregent.

I was under the impression the mold problem could be alleviated by simply leaving the door open after a cycle, that way the water evaporates out instead of staying the machine.

Don't particularly care as spending $1k+ on a "trendy" washing machine is completely beyond my feeble mind.

You HAVE to leave the door wide open to even help the mold issue. For those that don't know the door on a front loader has to seal well or else the water runs out when the machine's working.

People have gotten used to closing the lid on their washer when it's not in operation but on a top loader the lid isn't sealed plus there's usually a large gap where the handle is. On the front loader if you close the door it allows the mold to breed because there's nowhere for the moisture in the washer to escape. Remember when you were a kid and made a terrarium and inside the terrarium you got lots of condensation? It's the same thing.

The low water usage doesn't allow it to wash all the detergent and other things residue off the drum which is a prime source of food for the mold and mildew.

It takes a constant and vigilant program to keep the smells out of your clothes, especially heavier items like towels.

carguy123 wrote: The low water usage doesn't allow it to wash all the detergent and other things residue off the drum which is a prime source of food for the mold and mildew. It takes a constant and vigilant program to keep the smells out of your clothes, especially heavier items like towels.

I don't think I've ever seen any of the problems you mentioned (detergent residue in the drum and the need for 'vigilance' to keep the smell out of your clothes) on a machine that's in regular use. But I've only been using front loaders for about 20+ years.

Yes, leaving the door open to vent the machine is a very good idea, but I tend to close them when the interior surface has dryed out. Doesn't take very long in this climate here.

I have seen mold issues in machines that didn't have the dispenser trays cleaned out every once in a while, but not in the drum itself.

TBH, I wouldn't spend $1k on a washing machine either, the washer/dryer set I mentioned was a lot less than that used. Actually I was surprised at the cost of washers over here - my last Miele washing machine in the UK cost me about $150 used and while that was a pretty good deal, it wasn't way out of the ordinary.

Boxhead Tim just do a google search on front loader washer or plug in your favorite brand and model number. The post describing the issues will far outweigh the posts for the brand or model number.

My personal experiences mirror the google searches. I've had intimate contact with 5 brands and they all have the same issues. I just wish I'd have done the search before I bought. I just presumed it was a washer that used less water and would be easier to put clothes into and get them out of with no thought for the fact that they might work differently.