Washing machine not filling up with enough water

[Judique]

Ya'll are scaring me again....

Still living with my 1984 Maytag.....which has never known a repair man and been moved here to its third home.

But....checking out the Speed Queen's just in case.

OP I have no advice for you. I used some newfangled washers and dryers in the laundry room at Boardwalk Villas in January. They worked well for me. I actually had to figure out how to use them and it had some kind of auto mode where the machine decided what I needed. I had a white load of delicates, a heavy load of jeans and a medium load of light tops and the machines decided they all needed the same wash cycle. go figure...

 

[Jeff_G]

Cleaning cloths requires three things; Water, agitation, and soap.

In modern washers they are reducing all three of these. Without the middle agitator modern top loaders are relying on agitation of the water to get the cloths clean. Front loaders tumble the cloths through the water to get their agitation.

I too am glad I still have my 1990's top loading washing machine.

 

[arcey]

the new washers are a joke. it's always about money. we just had a Frigidaire to give up the ghost of 18 yrs. great washer. simple and fast 20 to 30 min washes. I bought a maytag which i didn't know was owned by whirlpool now. so the 2 are just alike. you just pay more for the name. like chevy and Cadillac. i was told they will only last 5 to 8 yrs give or take a yr or 2. I was told by a applinace salesman that i won't buy a new one like the Frigidare anymore. they don't make one i was told at a appliance store to just use the heavy wash cycle because not enough water is used on the other cycles. on one occasion one garment still had dry spots on it after the cycle. what a joke! i have done some research on speed queen and i will be getting a speed queen next time. they are built to last 25 yrs. or if dad passes i will get his washer which is one of the last old school washers. knowing what i know now i would have called a service man out to see if the Frigidare would be worth fixing.

 

[4kids4karen]

Our repairman doesn't like the washers without the agitator. I liked it as it was easier to put in blankets. He mentioned several problems when it doesn't have an agitator and how it sits inside the washer. I forget everything he said that there are issues with when the washers without the center agitator. We had him out several times for repairs and it is a major pain to take out the inside to get underneath to any parts. Basically, there was no way we could have gotten that thing out to do our own repairs.

We just replaced the washer with a Speed Queen, with the center agitator.

Ours was a Maytag and wasn't draining properly. Mine if it went off balance would just stop and show an error code (which was happening nearly every wash and always when washing towels). Then even if you moved the clothes around to get it back balanced, it wasn't draining properly.

With the new Speed Queen, I grabbed a freshly washed towel for my shower and it smelled so clean and great. I don't recall thinking the towels with the previous washer had that same great smell.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

This is an old thread but...I bought an LG large capacity a couple of years ago and it had a sensor too. Not enough water and it would go unbalanced a lot. I have a Bulk/Bedding setting and that bypasses the sensor and fills up with water. I was told all the new machines have those sensors built in to conserve water.

 

[SUSIEQ]

I realize this is an old thread. But when I need a new washer, I'm going to seriously look at Speed Queens.

 

[MillauFr]

Buy a front loader next time.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Regarding front loaders.............How do they seem to clean? Has the issue of mold and/or mold smell been fixed since the early days of the water saving design becomng mainstream?

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Buy a front loader next time.

Regarding front loaders.............How do they seem to clean? Has the issue of mold and/or mold smell been fixed since the early days of the water saving design becomng mainstream?

I had a front loader years ago and it would get mold on the rubber door seal. I would leave the door opened after I was done and it would still get mold on it.

 

[minnie1012]

It's the new way they conserve water I don't like it at all. My work around is that if I open it in the beginning it will add more water. So I hang around until it fills up then I open it. This way I can ensure the clothes on the top get wet. I hate it though and would not get one again if they still make ones that use water!

 

[MillauFr]

I had a front loader years ago and it would get mold on the rubber door seal. I would leave the door opened after I was done and it would still get mold on it.

Yes in Florida the humidity is so high I can see how mold would be a problem. The indoor humidity is far lower in Seattle so mold is less of a problem. Did you have to spray it with bleach often to keep the growth down?

 

[kymom99]

I have a top loader with no agitator. Not real crazy about it. My blacks often come out with white filmy spots on them no matter how little detergent I use. I have tried a second rinse option with mixed results. My kid locks down when the wash cycle begins. The only way to open it is to pause it.

 

[Sadie22]

It's important to read the appliance manual. It may be necessary to wipe gaskets occasionally and to leave the door open, but the use of too much of the wrong detergent is the reason some people have problems.

 

[seashoreCM]

"... one garment still had dry spots on it after the cycle. ..."

One thing the central agitator does (or should do) is move the clothing at the bottom to the top and vice versa. Sometimes air bubbles are trapped in pants legs or other parts of clothing so those items remain at the top or worse remain partially above the water level. The dry parts did not get clean.

Also, residues left behind may mean that rinsing was not good enough.

 

[DisFan22]

It's the new way they conserve water I don't like it at all. My work around is that if I open it in the beginning it will add more water. So I hang around until it fills up then I open it. This way I can ensure the clothes on the top get wet. I hate it though and would not get one again if they still make ones that use water!

This is an old thread but...I bought an LG large capacity a couple of years ago and it had a sensor too. Not enough water and it would go unbalanced a lot. I have a Bulk/Bedding setting and that bypasses the sensor and fills up with water. I was told all the new machines have those sensors built in to conserve water.

I have one of these crappy Top Loaders as well. I did learn a loophole though. If you soak the clothes in water, before you turn it on... the added weight will trick the machines sensor into filling with A LOT more water. What I do is keep a old empty jug of Tide and I fill it up with water, and pour it over everything as I'm loading. Sometimes I have to use two jugs, but everything comes out so much cleaner. I also learned that hitting the Fabric Softener and Bleach button will increase the water and rinse levels, so I do that as well.

Before I started this... a lot of stained clothes, would come out horrible, and my younger DS would occasionally break out in hives from detergent residue. He hasn't broken out since, and things are coming out much cleaner than they were. My only pet peeve is the lack of hot water these machines use. When I choose the Hot Water Setting, it mixes in a bunch of Cold Water, and the wash seems more luke warm than anything else. If I want to use Hot... I should be able to use Hot!

 

[DisFan22]

With Front Loaders, and these new crappy TL's... you have to leave the wash door open when it's not in use, so the drum can dry out and stay mold free. I've also been told that using Powder Detergent for some reason will eliminate the mold problem entirely, but I haven't needed to do that yet.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Yes in Florida the humidity is so high I can see how mold would be a problem. The indoor humidity is far lower in Seattle so mold is less of a problem. Did you have to spray it with bleach often to keep the growth down?

I use to wipe the seal with a bit of bleach. It took care of it but the mold left a stain on the seal. I have an LG top loader now and leave the top open when not in use. My laundry room has An AC vent but I'm still afraid of getting mold.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

It is sad that we have to do all these cartwheels to get the clean clothes we want and avoid mold problems. Our 2005 Whirlpool/Kenmore model was made for years and the guts were the basis for many models. We are hoping to keep ours running forever because parts are still readily available. We are mentally prepared to spend 400 to 500 dollars to keep it going. I have no desire to spend 650 to 900 for a new washer that is such a pain to use and doesn't even clean very well.

 

[mikes1025]

So is this how new school washers work?

 

[SUSIEQ]

Ghost thread