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used to drag mine in a mesh bag.....
seriously just like lawn equipment (husqvarna) there are only a few washing machine manufacturers in business - odds are no matter what the badge its a white westing house underneath..... check consumer reports
second the rusting comment - 3-5 years and they seem to need paint
Ive checked.... In fact a bought and returned a couple of them.
Speed Queen is the only washer made today that functions like one made 20 years or more ago.
So unless you like cheap build quality, crappy wash cycle and computers, don't by a new one unless its a speed queen.
Old washers are great and easy to fix.
The new front loaders are nice I guess, but I have seen a ton of them broke down with mold, crapped out seals or just a computer that refuses to function, when you can buy a speed queen for the same price or less, why bother.
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I've given a lot of thought to buying a washing machine instead of my weekly trip to the laundromat. It costs about $5.00-washer and $2.50-dryer a week for two loads. That comes to about $400/year, about the price of a washer - although the washer should last several more years. But I also have to factor in for electric and propane each time the home washer would be run, and although I often hang the clothes to dry, I often also end up taking them down because of sudden rain. And a dryer would be even more costly than a washer. So... I shlep to the laundromat (combined with other errands), get some reading done, and often enjoy the ambience of the place - I often run into friends there too. That's my solution and I'm stickin' to it.
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quote:
Ooops sorry .. Here ya go, in your language ; )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxyLVZqpu1o
I know her. Think we met at the same tea party Queen Liz put on shortly before I left for the islands. We all know each other over there.
Have to admit her accent is not far off mine but that's about the only thing I want to associate myself with that. We're a proud nation and shouldn't be doing videos like that.
Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/
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We had a Maytag Neptune front loader for a few years (bought a scratch & dent with full warranty) before selling the old house & moving... after a couple of years of Laudromat, decided to see about getting one here, found a scratch & dent one at Sears in Hilo 6 years ago....still working fine no rust...solid performance...but does have a computer panel..
We chose the Neptune initially as it was one of the lowest water users (we had a shallow private well) & very low energy...still like both of those features...
ADDED: didn't even THINK of this until doing the wash this morning: One of the biggest ways we have found to AVOID rust in the washing machine (this is from the midwest where our laundry room was in a muggy basement) ALWAYS wipe down the washer drum, door & all seals & leave the door open until the thing is dry....airing out the washer also keeps all the other things, like mold & mildew, at bay...
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Ahhhhhh Hawaii life......... Where watching videos of washing machines is entertaining....
I didn't watch all 18 minutes of it.
Even more entertaing was Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs where he was "making" dirt shirts. THOSE machines got a workout.
Puna: Our roosters crow first
Seriously, watching that Norge wash cycle is more entertaining then almost all of the TV on cable.
Carey you are correct about the front loaders, you need to wipe them down and leave the door open. My mother started doing this after the seal blew on her Bosch front louder and it has been good since. Kind of annoying bet necessary especially in this climate. There is no fixing that computer though once it decides it can only do a 1/4 load permanent press with a lifetime spin cycle, don't leave a front loader outside.
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yeah 400 a year washing for what just you? What if you got two or three people? Tho... I never got away with just 2.50 drying time. But maybe you found a better washer to wring out better...
Anyway, it cost about 50 cents to run my washer per load and I might run it 3 times a month on average. So that's 1.50 ... It cost nothing to dry. So 1.50 - 18.00 round out to 20 bucks a year.
We don't use hot water to wash. Just cold water. Hardly ever go over the allotted gallons of hawaiian beaches so... Not costing any more in water. High efficiency might have a play in this too -- Note getting an older washer will probably cost more to operate it and a lot more water but on the upside might get your clothes somewhat cleaner.
At any rate, Since I paid 500 dollars with 5 year warranty... In my first year I will have made up the difference.
The Bonus? No smelling of Body Order of people that hang out there... No wondering who's nasty dirty cloths were in that machine just before you put your clothes in it... No wasting gas to get to the laundromat... No waiting around for wash/dry ... Can do your wash ANYTIME yes even at 3AM ... And Todah! Saves a crap load of money. Not only that but I found the machines never got my clothes as clean than the machine I own now.
What's really funny is I am doing laundry right now.
If you have upfront cash, just go to smiths they have a pretty good selection from 250-350. Can't go wrong IMO. So far I'm happy with my computer and sensors on my machine.
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Ditto the anti sears comment earlier. They are so close to bankruptcy I give it 2-3 more years and at that point any warranty will be useless.
Nothing left to do but
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Thank you! Is the reason a front loader can't be outside is because the door needs to be left open (and presumably you get extra protein in your sheets on the next wash)?
Otherwise the humidity and air are the same under the house as inside.
