Steam Washer and Dryer- I will share my research with you (pool, water tank)
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i can tell you with my 19 years of appliance repair experience that steam is the last gimmick that can be pulled off on a frt loader. YES it is a gimmick and anyone that tells you differently feels bad because they spent a load of cash for one of these. it may help with removing wrinkles in dry clothes,but other than that it does nothing exept up the price of the unit. these units use a heater to heat the water into steam which then travels into the tub.you do not see steam during this process,you have to have faith that its there. sorry to sound so negative,but i work on these junkers every day(frt loaders) and 90% of my customers tell me thell never buy another one. the manufacturers know this and are now coming out with new top load high efficiency models and they will concentrate on top loaders for now on.frt loaders have peaked ad theres nothing more that can be done to improve them. the cheaper frigidaire frt loaders are o.k but have a 7 year life span. if i had to buy a frt loader,it would be one of these
People seem to be misunderstanding what the steam really does. It's basically useless in the washer, but...in both the washer and the dryer, it's mostly to reduce wrinkles. Also, if you throw stuffed animals in the dryer and run the steam cycle, you'll kill dust mites and things like that.
Beyond that, there's really no purpose.
I've never had an issue with a front loader, and we've been using them for 20 years. now. People don't maintain them properly (leave door open to let moisture dry, etc).
As for the new top loaders vs front loaders, the fronts are still more efficient. If the tops ever catch up and pass the fronts, I'd happily switch to those.
I've never understood why they even came out with steam machines. Just another fancy doodad to break.
I'll stick with hot water.
(Oh, and I think you dropped a few decimal points up there. 45 cubic feet? 40 cubic feet? Or you were looking at really really big machines, LOL)
I don't mind the steam washers, what I don't really need to use is a dryer. I do understand their value, I use one all the time, because I don't have a big yard, but clothes just smell better when they are drying in the sun...
i can tell you with my 19 years of appliance repair experience that steam is the last gimmick that can be pulled off on a frt loader. YES it is a gimmick and anyone that tells you differently feels bad because they spent a load of cash for one of these. it may help with removing wrinkles in dry clothes,but other than that it does nothing exept up the price of the unit. these units use a heater to heat the water into steam which then travels into the tub.you do not see steam during this process,you have to have faith that its there. sorry to sound so negative,but i work on these junkers every day(frt loaders) and 90% of my customers tell me thell never buy another one. the manufacturers know this and are now coming out with new top load high efficiency models and they will concentrate on top loaders for now on.frt loaders have peaked ad theres nothing more that can be done to improve them. the cheaper frigidaire frt loaders are o.k but have a 7 year life span. if i had to buy a frt loader,it would be one of these
ITA with your observation of front loaders.
100% of the people (MIL, SIL, BIL, neighbours, friends) I know who bought one regrets owning one & wished they kept their old top loaders or bought a new top loaders.
Each & everyone complained & shared stories (at the family gatherings) about that "smell" of mold that gets into their clean clothes... hence why tide came up with another gimmick to "clean" these machines once a month to rid that smell.
100% of the people (MIL, SIL, BIL, neighbours, friends) I know who bought one regrets owning one & wished they kept their old top loaders or bought a new top loaders.
Each & everyone complained & shared stories (at the family gatherings) about that "smell" of mold that gets into their clean clothes... hence why tide came up with another gimmick to "clean" these machines once a month to rid that smell.
It's completely true. The smell of mold is there and you have to purchase products and run those front loaders on cycles to help reduce that smell. The old top loaders simply clean better. And I'm still not convinced that the technology that supposedly cleans your clothes better through front loading is better. I do think it saves on water but I certainly don't feel it cleans better. I have both styles of washers and I can say without a doubt that my $700 Maytag top loader cleans much better than my $1500 LG front loader. Does the front loader look better? Yes Is it trendier? Yes But I don't know if cosmetic findings and curb appeal should be justification to pay twice as much for a machine that does a worse job.
Becuase the front loaders can extract so much more water (and soap...) from the load the can gett clothes VERY MUCH cleaner than the top loaders. The key is to get a front loader that is setup to use enought water in the various cycles to get all the grungy stuff out and replace with enough fresh water to adequately do the required rinsing.
In my experience the less "feature laden" units from Fridgiare are very good at this. It is also possible to program the Miele and Bosch units to "ignore" their sensors and "default" water savings profiles and use enough water to actually get clothes VERY clean, but generally with a lot of grief, like using the "baby diaper program but overrriding temperatures...
I don't if the Korean units (or the fancy US units that compete with them...) have these kinds of options as they all sing the praises of "water savings" so loudly...
Yes, that is the theory and I was told the same thing but I still think submerging clothes in water cleans better than technology that uses less water but supposedly "extracts water" from the clothes. I disagree. It has nothing to do with the brand. Prior to these LG units, I owned a pair of Maytag front loaders and it was the same thing and people can see previous threads if they want proof that I'm not making this up. I don't think a brand is going to influence the way the front loaders clean. At this point, I think it's psychology. People paid a lot of money for their front loaders and unlike me, they don't have the temerity to simply admit they paid a lot of money for nothing. I have no problem being honest because I don't want someone else to make a mistake. Aside from cosmetic reasons, I don't see any reason to buy a front loader.
And if I was someone who owned pets and many children, I would most definitely invest in a top loader or have a second top loader unit in the basement for the hardcore washing like some families employ.
There's a lot of misinformation here about front-loaders.
Mold issues: This is only an issue if you don't leave the door cracked open so it can dry out when you aren't using it! So many people never think about this, but it's a sealed compartment and you have to leave the door cracked open so it can dry out... otherwise, yes, it probably will eventually get moldy.
Efficiency: Front-loading machines are more efficient and better for the environment for two separate reasons. They use significantly less water, soap, and energy. In fact they use only about 1/3 as much water and soap as a top-loader. They spin *much much* faster than top-loaders, extracting the water so your clothes don't have to be in the dryer as long.
Another big advantage of front-loaders is they don't have an agitator. This means your clothes last longer without as much wear-and-tear from the washing machine (and also because the clothes don't have to be in the dryer as long). It also means you can fit a lot more in a load (even though the machine itself may be smaller). They also tend to get your clothes cleaner because the clothes are rotated through the water again and again (which is more effective than pushing them around with an agitator).
Yes, there are now a few "high efficiency" top loaders (easy to tell the difference because they don't have an agitator in the middle), but they tend to be very expensive and usually still don't work as well as a front-loader. But that is another option.
There's a lot of misinformation here about front-loaders.
Efficiency: Front-loading machines are more efficient and better for the environment for two separate reasons. They use significantly less water, soap, and energy. In fact they use only about 1/3 as much water and soap as a top-loader. They spin *much much* faster than top-loaders, extracting the water so your clothes don't have to be in the dryer as long.
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Thanks for this post. And sorry to bury up this old Post.
I can't believe how many people are praising these freakin top loaders...
Coming from good old Europe I never saw one of these before coming to North America. Why would you use such an inefficient device? Also stacking them on top is a lot wankier (I know there are versions for that)
And every German I know coming to Canada is complaining that all the clothes get grey and ripped up. There are tips traded what setting to use with which detergent to at least get decent clean clothes.
And finally, at least in Canada, there are usually only settings like "cold" "warm" or "hot". With "hot" basically just dumping the hottest water from the faucet. Whatever temperature that might be.
Everytime I ask myself: "Where are all my nice temperature settings?! What's with my 90°C towel setting?"
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about that "smell" of mold that gets into their clean clothes... hence why tide came up with another gimmick to "clean" these machines once a month to rid that smell.
