New Washing Machine

[carolinarider09]

3W-Lonerider;

Thanks for the feedback.

Any issues with mold on the unit? 

[Patrick]

From RP's picture and as lazy as I've been this summer, I'm thinking I'll be writing a check for a new machine. I doubt I'll be in this house for more than a year or two. I'm more than ready to leave this land of liberals and their taxes. But, ya still gotta have clean clothes.

[Jess from VA]

I'm glad it's a Speed Queen.

Here is the Speed King, and you don't want him doing your laundry.

[3W-lonerider]

3W-Lonerider;

Thanks for the feedback.

Any issues with mold on the unit?  

she has never mentioned anything about the new one. i'm sure if it was smelling funky i'd hear about it. but complained about the washer she had before always having a funky smell to it. she just leaves the lid up when shes done.
not one complaint about the sq. though.

[RP#62]

From RP's picture and as lazy as I've been this summer, I'm thinking I'll be writing a check for a new machine. I doubt I'll be in this house for more than a year or two. I'm more than ready to leave this land of liberals and their taxes. But, ya still gotta have clean clothes.

Mine only cost me about $50 to fix - two bearings, a garlock seal and a tub seal, but as you can see I had to tear the whole snuggling thing apart to do it.  If I had to pay a repairman, the labor charge would have totaled the machine.  On a front loader, the drum/bearing arrangement is very similar to the rear wheel on the Valk.  If you have any heavy or unbalanced loads, after a while it wears out the garlock seal which then lets water into the bearing.  Once the bearing gets water in it, it isn't long before it starts singing during the spin cycle.

-RP

[gordonv]

In case anyone considers ever fixing the bearing on a washer, you want the proper seal for it. Most seals you can buy are oil seals, the washer has water, so a specific seal for that is required.

The Maytag FL I would replace the 2 bearings and seal. TL on Maytag & SQ fairly simple, bearing and seal. SQ FL is a trunion with the bearing. All are actually easy, youtube I'm sure has how-tos, room to do the job is always great and makes the job easier.



I lost the forum last night, when I was editing my post. I was going to add in the below:

I believe the TL SQ parts go back almost 20 years, are still the same. But who knows what is going to happen 20 years from now? As I said, the old Maytags are still going strong, with used parts in them, but we can't buy new, and some things we can't chance using used parts. Water valves fail, and can flood a building, and we can be held responsible for it. Dryers can also get fires (usually caused by the  operator). Your home, your machine, your risk. I NEVER run my washer or dish washer without being home any more (in a townhouse, 10' away from them), just in case I get a flood.

[carolinarider09]

Good information and advice.  Thank you. 

I will provide an update when the new machine arrives.  I am interested in watching the install since I watched the install on the Speed Queen website.  Be interesting to see if they do it that way.   

Not a big deal, just something to see and learn.

[cookiedough]

good luck,  pretty sure you made the right choice.  Spend few hundred bucks more now hopefully no headaches for next 20 years or go thru 2-3 other mfgs. in that timeframe...   

Wife wants to get a smooth top electric range but after speaking to my old neighbor up the street his wife also wanting one they got one and they hate it, wish he still had the old coils like we got on our 27 year old whirlpool electric range.     Going thru only 1 set of porcelain drip plates below burners were rusting and 1 heating element in 27 years is not too shabby for something that got used near daily and often since we rarely go out to eat.

let us know how it works out after a month or so.

[carolinarider09]

I shall update the thread after the install takes place.

And we have one of those smooth glass top ranges.  Wife seems to like it. 

[scooperhsd]

good luck,  pretty sure you made the right choice.  Spend few hundred bucks more now hopefully no headaches for next 20 years or go thru 2-3 other mfgs. in that timeframe...   

Wife wants to get a smooth top electric range but after speaking to my old neighbor up the street his wife also wanting one they got one and they hate it, wish he still had the old coils like we got on our 27 year old whirlpool electric range.     Going thru only 1 set of porcelain drip plates below burners were rusting and 1 heating element in 27 years is not too shabby for something that got used near daily and often since we rarely go out to eat.

let us know how it works out after a month or so.

We have a 20 years old Maytag with the smooth top and 2 ovens. The oven-cleaning locks on the top oven have failed, and when they fail the oven can't be used. So, I'm looking to replace this range within a year or two, more likely within 6 months. The quandry is do we replace it with another electric range, or since we have a natural gas line right behind the range -  have a gas range outlet put in on the gas line and put in a gas range (or MAYBE use a dual fuel - electric oven and gas cooktop). As long as the electric is still mostly working, we'll keep using it, but if it goes out before we are ready for the gas range, we can use an electric. Wife really enjoyed having the gas cooktop in our NC house.

[carolinarider09]

When we were building the house, we looked for cabinets for the kitchen.  We visited Ikea in Charlotte and like what we saw, so we used those in the kitchen.  They also have appliances and we selected a flat glass top electric stove and an electric oven. 

I do like natural gas and we have it available but, and its sort of a strange but, a natural gas stove top is an open flame.  And while they have been used for years and years, I opted for the glass top range and the wife agreed. 

The design of our kitchen did not allow for an above the range ventilation system.  Another reason for the electric stove top. 

[Pappy!]

Lesa and I bought top of the line Samsung washer and dryer about three years ago........PURE JUNK!!
Like yours, ours rusted out in the same exact place. The washer then began to make stripped gear sounds.
The dryer quit heating and will run 24/7 if the door to it is closed.
Two words for you.......Speed Queen !!

We just replaced the Junk with Speed Queen. Quiet operation, quieter than the Samsung junk and we look forward to a couple decades with them.

[hubcapsc]

There ain't nothing quiet about the buzzer on the Speed Queen
dryer that alerts you that the drying cycle is through    ...

-Mike

[Patrick]

From RP's picture and as lazy as I've been this summer, I'm thinking I'll be writing a check for a new machine. I doubt I'll be in this house for more than a year or two. I'm more than ready to leave this land of liberals and their taxes. But, ya still gotta have clean clothes.

Mine only cost me about $50 to fix - two bearings, a garlock seal and a tub seal, but as you can see I had to tear the whole snuggling thing apart to do it.  If I had to pay a repairman, the labor charge would have totaled the machine.  On a front loader, the drum/bearing arrangement is very similar to the rear wheel on the Valk.  If you have any heavy or unbalanced loads, after a while it wears out the garlock seal which then lets water into the bearing.  Once the bearing gets water in it, it isn't long before it starts singing during the spin cycle.

-RP

Well, maybe if the parts are that cheap for ours I should go to work for a day and get it done. I'm already getting used to it howling.

[gordonv]

A bearing could last over a year, before it destructs/jams, it doesn't usually cause additional damage, it's the balls usually rusting/wearing away on a FL, and a TL is either a bearing or a bushing.

Keep on using it. It's noisy, a jet engine loud. Gives you the time to fix or replace. With a TL we rebuild the whole tube assembly (motor/bearing/seals), and swap it out as a unit. Not reasonable for a single home owner to do, but if you find a spare machine, do able. I browse the free section on CL looking for items. Lots of machines being thrown out.


Just remember, my replies, even tho being on this post for the original poster, is general information for all to read and garner some useful information.

[Patrick]

I'm not worried about it, it'll go for quite awhile, I think. Our local appliance parts store just went OOB. The appliance store we buy all our stuff at just said the parts are $300 and a couple hundred for labor if they fix it. But Judy didn't know what the part consisted of and no one was in the shop. So it appears its kinda some sort of assembly. Probably not that hard to fix but for that price for parts, another one will probably take the old ones place. Maybe a cheap one for just the next year or two.

[RP#62]

I'm not worried about it, it'll go for quite awhile, I think. Our local appliance parts store just went OOB. The appliance store we buy all our stuff at just said the parts are $300 and a couple hundred for labor if they fix it. But Judy didn't know what the part consisted of and no one was in the shop. So it appears its kinda some sort of assembly. Probably not that hard to fix but for that price for parts, another one will probably take the old ones place. Maybe a cheap one for just the next year or two.

Rather than take the time to knock the old bearings and seals out and press new ones in, some will want to just replace the whole assembly.  If the spindle is boogered up they'll end up doing that anyway.  Drives the parts cost up and the labor cost down a little.  Don't know if that's what's going on in your case, but that's what I found when researching mine and is what drove me to just do it myself.

-RP

[scooperhsd]

When we were building the house, we looked for cabinets for the kitchen.  We visited Ikea in Charlotte and like what we saw, so we used those in the kitchen.  They also have appliances and we selected a flat glass top electric stove and an electric oven.  

I do like natural gas and we have it available but, and its sort of a strange but, a natural gas stove top is an open flame.  And while they have been used for years and years, I opted for the glass top range and the wife agreed.  

The design of our kitchen did not allow for an above the range ventilation system.  Another reason for the electric stove top.  

Now that is one thing we do not have that we miss - ANY kind of exhaust / hood for smoke. When we're cooking something  (like stir fry or searing meat to go into the crockpot) that uses high temps and produces lots of smoke, our best solution is to open a window on the other side of the kitchen. Inconvienent at best. In the NC house, the gas (propane) cooktop was in an island, so we had a popup downdraft exhaust. Problem with that is that it pulled heat and the flames towards the exhaust, so we tried not to use it very much.

Gas cooktop is very nice for some cooking - (wok style, other high heat), and the instant on / off of heat being applied is super nice compared to the slow ramp up / ramp down of electric. You can also cook with a gas cooktop when the power is out - just use another source to provide the spark / use a butane lighter (a grill lighter works great for this). However, modern gas ranges do not have pilot lights for the oven, have to have power for the electronic controls. I've told the wife if she really wants high heat, I can go setup the turkey frying burner (55,000 BTU) for doing stir fry, but so far she has declined  .

[Jess from VA]

I had an exhaust over my gas stove, but it died.

Now I use the smoke detector to tell me if I've made too much smoke with my stove top.   

It's annoying, and loud as hell.

I do very little hot stovetop frying because I don't like the mess or the smell in the house.  I use the toaster oven for messy work like bacon. 

[cookiedough]

bacon I put in the oven and bake it in a metal pan laying flat flipping it once halfway thru or a little more and put aluminum foil on bottom of pan works great.  The bacon smell in house I like after the fact...

Not to change subject,  but my mother in law went thru now 2 over the range microwaves NOT cheap was at the time top of the line LG and GE ones.  I told her to just skip it age 78 and just go buy a cheapo 75 dollar countertop model since am sure she spend 1 grand on 2 over the stovetop microwaves since labor paid as well to install both.

Our microwaves we use several times daily and all under 100 bucks have only gone thru 2 of them in 27 years of very heavy use. 

[Patrick]

We have NG to the house and plumbed to the range/stove. JoAnn decided she had to have electric. My grandmother was the first I knew as a kid to have a glass top range. So JoAnn and I  have had them since the 70s.  We use a vent fan.

Smoke detector. Its mandatory in our house because JoAnn uses it for her oven timer. 

[carolinarider09]

Update:  Speed Queen delivery was delayed two weeks, now the two weeks is up.  Will have the wife (she is the one that did the order) check on her trip into town on Friday. 

[Jess from VA]

The Speed Queen is on the slow boat from.... wherever it is.   

[Rams]

My "expert" on laundry decided she wanted all new appliances in our new home.   I told her I didn't care what she got because I would rarely use them.

She picked Bosch for the majority of her appliances.   Very quiet and they seem to do the job good enough for her.   Her's is a top loader, I don't know why, I didn't ask, I honestly don't care as long as I don't have to deal with it.   No mold problems so, as long as she's happy, I'm happy.  

Edited:  Spoke to my spousal unit about the mold issue.   Her response was to run an additional load once in a while with bleach and water only.   She says the bleach will kill the mold.   Been with her for 39 years, learned the hard way to not challenge her laundry expertise. 

Rams  

[cookiedough]

Update:  Speed Queen delivery was delayed two weeks, now the two weeks is up.  Will have the wife (she is the one that did the order) check on her trip into town on Friday. 

why the delay, is it because of Covid?   I hear nationwide a lot of items from vehicles to pretty much anything the delay is due to shortages all over thanks to the chinese cooties. 

been looking at new vehicle but there are none out there in what I want shortage of them nationwide thus is why the rebates are low.  Yah,  they give me decent trade in since none used like mine but then what will I want to get new?  nothing out there to get I want.   Even if my vehicle was out there,  wanna bet the stealership will not discount it like in years past either thanks to supply and demand.

[Tundra]

We purchased the top of the line Samsung from The Home Depot and have had all the same issues, parts replaced twice under warrantee. Trips to the laundromat (first time in my life) can be amusing if you enjoy people watching. Some very odd folks indeed at laundromats. I concur it's pure junk with plastic innards that appear as if they were designed fail. I planned on buying a Speed Queen as well, just as soon as the warranty ran out...it did and I forgot until now. Pricey little rascals

They have all home models in stock with same week delivery at Famous Tate near me. Must be an authorized distributor. The TR3 model is less than we paid for the Samsung and several years ago.

Only $100 bucks or so between the lowest and highest priced models. I don't need the gizmos and extra temp. settings. Also don't want the digital, as those circuit boards life expectancy is effected by temperature and humidity. Two things we have lots of in Florida especially with mine located in a garage like a sauna. I will get the simple model with mechanical controls that will outlast me.
  Great post, lot's of good info. Thanks contributors SpeedKing/Valkyrie...now it's related.

[carolinarider09]

As for the delay, I have no idea.  I have two thoughts, one, there are lots of folks who want one.  Two, someone else has offered them more money or made the purchase part of another purchase.  I don't have a reference for why except to ask again.

Regarding mold, my wife has tired the bleach trick and it has varying results.  Its when you see mold, after a wash, in the bottom of the washer where it should have been removed when the water away sucked out, gives you the impression that it might be coming from the inlet line.

I am hoping that my hot water modification will prevent mold buildup on the new machine, which is why I am doing it today or tomorrow.  Should take less than an hour. 

 

[Gavin_Sons]

Speed queen, nothing fancy but will last

[bassman]

My niece is currently waiting 3+ weeks for the washer she ordered.  She was told there is an area shortage of many type of appliances (maybe by brand?).

[scooperhsd]

Hm - might be something to think about - we are thinking about replacing the 20 years old Electric range with a new gas one within 6 months. At this point I just need to have a plumber put a gas range outlet in .

[carolinarider09]

Update:

The lady told my wife, today, that the two week delay is now a three week delay.  The reason, she said, was because of  all the cleaning and precautions needed at the factory due to COVID-19. 

I can sort of believe that but still.   

So, if you want something made in the USA and, probably depending on the state in which it is made, you might want to order it now.  Especially if you want it this year

Funny how the store is probably full of stuff made off shore.........

[Patrick]

I've not read all the responses, so,,,

We've had good luck with Whirlpool, Maytag. The one where the bearing failed is a 20+ yr old Whirlpool. That failed bearing has almost fixed itself and I like it when that happens. It gets quieter ever time she uses it. Never any mold issues.
In Florida I had Maytags bought for $8-900, but, I made the mistake of having JoAnn with me  and she for some strange reason [ I didn't ask] just had to have $2500 Bosch front loaders. We bought stackable but she is too short so they are set side by side. Its only been 4 years but they have been trouble free and work well. No mold issues.

I guess my main recommendation would be an agitator with a top loader.

[carolinarider09]

Yes, the Speed Queen is a top loader with an agitator.  One of the things I wanted was an agitator. 

[carolinarider09]

Update:  Still waiting will have to have a chat with the vendor again this Friday.  But, it seems like either the vendor is total crap or these machines are hard to get. 

My wife has been doing the negotiations. 

[Jess from VA]

Some wives are excellent agitators Bill.   

[carolinarider09]

I know, old thread.  But we still have not gotten the new washing machine.  I had let my wife handle the request and she has not stopped back by the place she got the quote from.  So, I am in the process of trying to find one somewhere near here (well someone who has one in stock). 

The TR-7 is sill the one on the list.  However, as I was looking for places with one in stock (on line), I ran across a review from Consumer Reports that really put down the Speed Queen washing machine. 

I use to trust Consumer Reports but given all the positive responses here from ordinary people (well sort of ordinary ) and the negative responses on Consumer Reports, I don't think they (Consumer Reports) are real.

Also, I may downgrade my selection from the TR-7 to the TC-5.  There appear to be two versions of the TC-5.  Will have to do some research to see the difference.  The TR-7 has a digital interface vs a purely mechanical one for the Tc-5

The main issue with the reviewers with the Speed Queen is "stain removal".   

[Dave Ritsema]

Dang I can't believe how long it has been and they still didn't deliver! I have an old acquaintance that sells appliances and he whole heartedly recommended the TR5 for the washer and the  DR5 for the dryer. We didn't want the added complexity of the electronic displays and we actually prefer the mechanical switches. My wife is very pleased with them both.

[hubcapsc]

The main issue with the reviewers with the Speed Queen is "stain removal".   

It is hard to relate to innernet reviews sometimes  ...

Our Speed Queens seem like they're built like a truck... I don't want to
get washing machines again anytime soon. The washing machine functions
when you throw in the clothes and so does the dryer! 

-Mike

[carolinarider09]

Thanks Gentlemen.  I spoke with a local distributor in Newberry a month or so ago and they seemed to have a good handle on what where and when but I did not act.

This week I will contact them again and ask for a price quote and delivered date for the TR-5.  I must admit I was going for the "high end" with the TR-7.  

On this local distributor has several offices in the state so, might have what I need somewhere nearby.  

Ok... An update.  I can not find a TR-5 but I can find a TC-5 so I will check on the difference between the two.  Nearest TC-5 on display is about 200 miles away in GA.

[bassman]

FWIW and if it makes any difference to you.....TR7 comes with a 7 year warranty and the TR5 is 5 years.   Interestingly, Speed Queen was offering a 10 year warranty last year for units delivered by December 20, 2019.

Good luck in your quest !