In need of new washer/dryer

[CTdiznymom]

I'm so upset. My washer sprung a leak today. It's a 13 year old Maytag and after the last $200 service call the serviceman said to think about getting a new one the next time. Since they are visable from my kitchen I'd like to get a matching set. The dryer is over 10yrs. old. Can anyone recommend a good buy? I'm looking for a top loading machine. Unless someone can sway me to consider a front loader. Do they really save you any $$ on water/elec.? I do about 5 loads every other day, and at least 5 towels everyday. We're a family of 4 adults.

 

[akcire]

I love my front loaders (LG's) and they do save you money on your electric and water.

That said, I don't know if you can have them on the first floor of your house. The man who sold me mine, would only sell them to me to put in my basement (which is fine--since that is where they needed to be). From what he explained the high speed spinning of the washing machine long term can do a number on the general construction of your house (think cracked drywall and nail pops). Since mine sit on a cement slab in the only unfinished part of our basement it is not a consideration.

Hope that helps with your decision-making.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I too like you loved my top loader (Maytag) and it died at the age of 10..
well I ended up with a front loader by LG. The control buttons are where they would be on a top loader.. that was what I wanted.. I didn't like them on the front of the machine. That may be an option for you. I got mine in HomeDepot last summer...$899 model #WM0642HW (may be cheaper now )

Yes, it really does save money on water & actually drying time too. The clothes come out "drier" from the washer than the old machine.. therefore there is less drying time needed for them.
I would never go back to a top loader now... not with the money I am saving on the water & drying time.

I did not get the dryer to match. My dryer was still working & they are in the garage, so I didn't care they weren't a match. I figured when the dryer goes, then I will replace it. So I cannot help you with that.. but I do love my LG!

 

[jasmom]

Hi my 12 year old maytag died last week, wouldn't pump water out. I was told that certain front loaders are made for being in living areas and others will shake too much if they are on anything other that a cement floor. LG ones should only be on a cement floor I was told. I live in Canada. I bought an Inglis washer which is made by Maytag and looks exacting like my friends maytag neptune that she has had for a couple of years and loves. One thing to consider is that sears will price match and beat it by 10%.
When I was at Home depot looking I was shown a top loader that was maytag that used less water than a front loader. It was 899 Canadian so it would be less in the US. I did not buy it because it was going to take a couple of weeks to get it and I could not wait. It had a lot of features. I ended up buying from a family run store instead of a chain as they set up for free and delivered and took away my old washer.
Good luck

 

[cjnix29]

I have the Maytag Bravo series, it is a top loading washer, that is HE, so it has the efficiency of a front loader. LOVE IT! It has no agitator, and the capacity is amazing. I do atleast half as many loads, takes only 42 minutes to dry. Good luck with whatever you decide! I can tell I am old because I would be excited shopping for a new appliance!

 

[okeydokey]

We just got a new dryer, the third in 17 years. The Kenmore washer just keeps on going. I am secretly hoping it breaks soon so we can get the washer that matches our new dryer.

Anyway, after lots of research, we got an LG with the glass window in the front. The front loading washer matches it. We got them at HH Gregg.

 

[SandrA9810]

If you had time, it's always worth it to watch out in stores like home depot and lowes, if they get a return on one of those items, they have to mark it down. And it's up to the store's descretion on how much to mark it down. I've seen some front loaders pretty cheap in comparisson. And there's nothing wrong with it, and if you do have a problem you can take it back to the store. I'd really like a front loader, but I guess a christmas gift is better than not having one at all.

HH Gregg has a sale of 20% off appliances, if you've got one near you. They also offer free delivery and haul away of the old one.

 

[silvergoldberry]

I replaced both my washer and dryer last year with Frigidaire front loader washer and stackable dryer. They were listed as best buy in Consumer Reports and the pair cost me about $700 from Lowes.

I knew the washer would save on water,(used about 1/4 to 1/3 of what my old one did) but I was so surprised to see my electric bill drop by about 20%!

Plus it's a great washer. The man I take care of sometimes soils his clothes and it used to take two washings to eliminate the smell, but not with this one. And we can pack it fully.

Get a Consumer Reports membership when you are in the market for a major purchase like this....it pays for itself.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

Check out a Sears outlet if you have one near you-- sometimes you can find a really good deal on all different brands. I have a LG front loader washer that I love. our Maytag dryer is still going strong after 16 years.

 

[trip]

I have the Maytag Bravo series, it is a top loading washer, that is HE, so it has the efficiency of a front loader. LOVE IT! It has no agitator, and the capacity is amazing. I do atleast half as many loads, takes only 42 minutes to dry. Good luck with whatever you decide! I can tell I am old because I would be excited shopping for a new appliance!

I got the Maytag Bravo series about two months ago after having a front loader for about two years. I am so happy to have a top-loading machine again. I hated having to leave the door open on the front loader(to keep it from smelling) The dryer is alittle louder than my old one but not enough to bother me.

Good luck with your shopping.

 

[ceecee]

I've heard about the mold issues with front loaders so I am looking at the top loader I really like the Kenmore Elite and Maytag ??? I keep meaning to check consumer reports and forget. My washer is 25 years old and dryer is 12 so I know it won't be long. We have well water so the water thing isn't as much of an issue as the dry time and I want a steam dryer too.

 

[CTdiznymom]

Thanks all for your great advise and tips. My head is swimming. Washers certainly have changed in the last 13 years! I would consider the front loaders if I wasn't so worried about the vibration issues as it is on our main living floor and on ceramic tile. Leaning towards the Maytag Bravo series. Would appreciate any other advise or recomendations. TIA

 

[TaraPA]

If you haven't been washer shopping in years you may not realize that many top loaders are now just as water & energy efficient as the front loaders. I didn't care for the front loaders because I'd rather take up vertical space when the lid is open rather than the space in the laundry room if the door was opening out into it. I have the Maytag Neptune set & it's top loading - and has no agitator like the older models I used to have. I uses VERY LITTLE water, there's never water just sitting in the washer. It senses how much water is needed to saturate the load & then tumbles it. It's amazing how clean things come out!

I also have the Maytag Neptune drying center - it looks like an armoire (ok it looks like a tall dryer!) -the bottom is a full dryer, the top is a steam/vibrating unit for delicates. You can hang them or add shelves to dry flat. We've saved the cost of the dryer in just 3 years not having to use the dry cleaner as much anymore. It has a "refresh" option as well which is great for DH's suits in betweem dry cleanings. I highly recommend spending the extra money for this if you use the dry cleaner. I think it was about $1600 4 years ago, I'm sure it's come down by now.

 

[tinatark]

Tara, I don't think they make the drying center anymore - at least I've never seen it in the store. Our friends have one and NEVER use the top part!

I have a H/E top load pair - Fisher and Paykel - you can use the washer as a HE (uses very little water) or conventional (soak your clothes) machine. The dryer is top load also - it's nice to open the washer/dryer and just move over from one to the other!

One thing I wish I had - a quick wash cycle - the clothes do dry very quickly, but the HE cycles are 50+ minutes long. Another option I didn't get but think I would have liked is a steam dryer - it seems like the clothes would be as wrinkled coming out of the dryer, or you could just throw a couple of things in to de-wrinkle with the steam.

www.thathomesite.com has a great laundry room forum!

 

[TaraPA]

Oh no on the Maytag Drying Center! We couldn't find it in stores either - we had to special order it through an appliance store - so maybe it's just not on display anywhere? I have no idea! It's definitely not worth the extra $ if you're not going to use the top part. I use the steam-dry option & add a little vibrate to it & I never have to iron anything - for me that's a huge plus, I HATE HATE HATE ironing!

I agre cycle times on newer washers seem much longer than in the past on my older models. BUT my older models also had no digital panel displaying the time -so maybe I just never noticed how long the cycle was really taking! My heavy duty cycle with extra stain option is almost 90 min. Ugh. I do have a quick wash (there are 16 freaking cycles on this baby - I have only ever used about 5!) - that's around 25 min. I find myself using that when I have several loads to do, it just moves along much more quickly.

Good luck to the OP & let us know what you decide!

 

[mtquinn]

Hi! Posting my 2c here. When I moved into my new house a year ago we replaced the VERY old top loading w/d with a front loading LG from Best Buy. It was about $740 or so for each, and we had a coupon, I think.

It saves a lot on energy costs, and detergent costs! I used to use a full dose of regular detergent with the old w/d, and the new High Energy detergent requires only a tsp! I still can't believe how one tspn cleans a whole load. Plus it uses a THIRD of the water of a top loader. Definitely adds up.

As far as the vibration and the house, I have my w/d on my first floor, and no one told me about any danger. Keep in mind, I only use the MEDIUM spin speed, as I think the high speed is ridiculously fast and loud. So, I am sure that may help with the shaking. But, I have to say, that whole "watch the shaking of the foundation" thing sounds like hooey. My mother used to, for years, live in a beautiful, 150 year old triplex on the bottom floor not more that 50 feet from train tracks (obviously MUCH worse than a little washer) and there was no problem with the house or it's foundation or anything of the sort. She owns the triplex and has never seen any cracks or loosening. Maybe it depends on the house, but I there are plenty of new construction homes with laundry on the upper floors and I don't think the house suffers.

Anyway, to sum it up, front loaders are well worth the $ up front as you will save a lot in the long run. Yes, you have to leave the door open for a few minutes on the washer, to prevent mold, but every washer is like that. I do it, and don't even notice it any more..and it's only for five minutes. Hope this helps, and good luck!!

 

[crjack]

We also went with a top loader vs a front loader and picked the Whirlpool Cabrio washer & dryer. It holds more than most front loaders because it does not have the agitator and it definitely uses much less water than my old set.

It's also on my second floor and I liked not having to get platforms for it like the front loaders.

 

[annagirl]

Wow - I feel really fortunate then - our washer/dryer set is 15 years old and although we had to replace the heating coil and the belt on the dryer and one control switch on the washer (all done ourselves, no repair man) they have run great.

I suggest you do research on consumer reports for their recommendations. And look into scratch and dent sales at places like lowes - that's how we got our new fridge.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

We just purchased the Samsung 4.5 cf front load washer. After research and reading a lot of the LG reviews people complained about the vibration shaking the machine so much and how loud they were. Plus on the LG company web site they recommend that the appliances be placed on a floor that has been reinforced!
We decided on the Samsung after reading reviews on several different sites and each site had great reviews.
We got ours at the Sears outlet for $900.
It is so quiet! I did a load of jeans and put it on high spin and I can tell you the sound level is equivalent to a fan on a low setting. Very very little vibration. I was amazed at the preformance. It only took 25 minutes to dry jeans and I still have my 10 year old dryer!

The energy rating was $9.00

 

[CTdiznymom]

OP here with update:

We ran to the appliance store that we always do business with. Their prices are good, service excellent and they're very patient with no hard sell tactics.

She described all the machines and we went over the way we do laundry. The machines would be right off the kitchen in an open area. Our home is small so you can hear them from the living/dining room so noise was a concern. She also told me that bc the laundry is basically on footings and not a solid concrete floor I may have an issue with the vibration. Really, how can you be sure? It would really be buy at your own risk type thing.

So.....I went with a top loading Maytag Centenial line. Very basic. Only real disappointment is that I had to get white. No other colors It was between the Maytag or GE, and I really didn't want to give GE any $$$. Besides anything I have had in the past GE didn't last very long.

Cost was $1100 for the set including tax, delivery, and removal of the old sets. I thought that was pretty good, and I would get them on Tuesday. Hope I made the right choice. Thanks again for all your suggestions and advice.