Front loading or top loading washing machine?

If I am not mistaken, the power for front and top load machines are different too. There is a different one for semi-automatics too.
 
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Can we use liquid detergent meant for TOP loading machine in FRONT loading machine and vice-versa ?
What is the difference in the detergents ?
If we can use detergent powder then I guess we can use either liquid in any machine, right ?
Detergents for Semi and fully automatic washing machines have lot of foam making stuff added to them. If you use that in front loading wm, it will foam a lot during wash cycle and overflow and damage the seal around the window. You must have seen that happen in tv serials or cartoons. The detergents for front loaders use very little of that foam making chemical. Another thing is, front load washing machine detergents will be less concentrated than top load washing machines since they use less water. Semi and fully auto top use large amounts of water so concentrated soap is required or you end up using too much soap.
You could use very little of top load liquid soap in front load wm if you know for certain it will not come out in bubbles nd still get a good wash. If you use hot water in front load, the detergent will produce even more bubbles.
 
Detergents for Semi and fully automatic washing machines have lot of foam making stuff added to them. If you use that in front loading wm, it will foam a lot during wash cycle and overflow and damage the seal around the window. You must have seen that happen in tv serials or cartoons. The detergents for front loaders use very little of that foam making chemical. Another thing is, front load washing machine detergents will be less concentrated than top load washing machines since they use less water. Semi and fully auto top use large amounts of water so concentrated soap is required or you end up using too much soap.
You could use very little of top load liquid soap in front load wm if you know for certain it will not come out in bubbles nd still get a good wash. If you use hot water in front load, the detergent will produce even more bubbles.
Okay, getting front loading one.
 
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Can we use liquid detergent meant for TOP loading machine in FRONT loading machine and vice-versa ?
What is the difference in the detergents ?
If we can use detergent powder then I guess we can use either liquid in any machine, right ?
You shouldn't. Front loading machines use less water so the detergent is made with that in mind. If you put detergent meant for top loading machines in front loading ones then it wouldn't be as effective.
 
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This reviewer said the machine he got does not have 6 motion. And that it's only the AI models that include it these days.

His model is the FHM 1408DM model, which, if you check LG's website, states has 6 motion. But I see no mention of 6 motion in the video. Usually, there is a sticker somewhere. And after asking him he seems confident there is no such feature on his machine. Yet when I downloaded the manual I saw the 6 motion feature mentioned.

The cheapest variant you can get is always the white model. Amazon though if you can stretch the budget some get the AI model for a few k more. It will complete full loads closer to the hour mark than base models which take two and a half. I'm not bothered with the time as i schedule my washes overnight.

The video was a good watch as this guy is a techie going by his other videos. He has good cable skills. It's the first video I've seen from India where a spirit level is used to level the machine. That level though is a laser model and goes for Rs,8k odd. A lot more than what I paid for mine with no laser.

He does not like Samsung top loaders having had to refit the rollers on the pulsator after a mere three months of using it.

The video is uploaded with Hindi subtitles (a true rarity among Hindi youtubers) so you can use YT to auto-translate into any language subtitles you want.
You can join WM drain pipes available in the hardware shops to extend the existing one. They fits.
Yes, this is how the reviewer above did it
 
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What a difference when someone with knowledge makes a video vs someone just making a video for views. The way he explained even error codes with the machine was excellent.
I get irritated with flattering comments on various youtuber's videos who just read out the specs sheet or only push you to buy the object in their videos without doing any real usage tests.
 
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Surf UK dosage.jpg

This is how Surf (UK) recommends dosing for powders and liquids

In India, they have chosen a dose for medium stains in medium hardness water of 50gm or a full scoop for powder.

Surf UK liquid dosage.jpg

And this is their liquids recommendation. The caps for Suf liquid hold 40ml max
 
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Points to keep in mind for prospective & existing Samsung front loader owners


The gasket seems weaker for some reason. He makes the great suggestion not to drag the clothes over the gasket when unloading but to pick them up and out of the machine. Something you want people who use the machine to be aware of especially maids. It goes without saying that pockets should be emptied as coins and whatever else can slice up the gasket and then you will have to replace it.

The next part is Samsung's inferior solenoid valves compared to LG. Here you need to regularly clean that inlet vale and ensure it is free of any sediment blockage as it will stress the solenoid valves which then 'burst'. This applies even to top loaders. This does not mean you can avoid cleaning inlets with LGs but the valve tends to protest loudly if you do not. This means the valves get noisy if the water coming in is slow for some reason.

Make sure the drain filter is kept clean regularly. That compartment at the bottom opens and pull out the filter. Any blocks here can affect the drain pump.

Finally, he mentions the spider on Samsung machines is weaker. Don't overload and regularly maintain your machine with chemicals instead of solely relying on Sammy's tub clean. What is slightly alarming is he says the older machines were fine but the drums of the newer ones are more fault prone. I based my experience of longer lasting Samsung on a machine bought in 2011 or older machine. I expect we will find out in the future from present owners how the recent crop of Samsung front loaders holds up.

You get what you pay for. There are reasons Sammy's are cheaper. There are reasons LG's cost more.
 
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Keeping an eye out for unbalanced spins in a top loader will help put off repairs of supporting components.


Just rearranging the clothes fixes the problem. But someone has to do it. It cannot fix the problem by itself.

I see numerous misleading videos on amazon posted by people slamming a top loader for unbalanced spins when the fix is their responsibility requiring manual intervention.

Front loaders like LG will try upto ten times to rebalance a load before giving up. No such automatic ability is there with top loaders as far as I know.
 
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No such automatic ability is there with top loaders as far as I know.
My uncle's old LG top loader had that ability. It would make some clicking type noise to balance the drum. Even had hot and cold water inlets and was very quite in operation. Could hardly hear it even standing next to it.
 
Another way to handle uE errors is to untwist clothes


My uncle's old LG top loader had that ability. It would make some clicking type noise to balance the drum. Even had hot and cold water inlets and was very quite in operation. Could hardly hear it even standing next to it.
It's possible the LG top loaders with direct drive have this feature.

Can your top loader self balance itself or is manual intervention necessary @terence_fdes ?
 
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^ What LG sells in USA. Look at the quality. No plastic impeller, auto balances itself, even plastic used is higher quality. Here every machine looks like its using toy plastic.
 
^ What LG sells in USA. Look at the quality.
Yeah starting price is $699 and for volumes in excess of 100 litre deep drums

US top loader.png
^he's 5 foot 7 :D
No plastic impeller, auto balances itself, even plastic used is higher quality. Here every machine looks like its using toy plastic.
Not true


Metal impeller because of steam

Has jetspray which you want (see the little blue hemisphere next to the detergent drawer)

That's around 28k or half what you'd pay in the US. Volume is half too. There are bigger volume models available too.


Looking to upgrade? :cool:

PS
There is a cheaper direct drive model but get this it does NOT have jetspray so avoid it. The quick wash program is also missing in this model.

This the cheaper Direct drive top load model without steam which isn't necessary but losing jetspray means even with 6 motions the wash quality will be compromised.


 
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Looking to upgrade? :cool:
Ha ha, not yet. Probably in 15 years time when the current one goes kaput. I'll upgrade to a front loader. Had enough of top loaders.
Do front loaders have the jet spray and such fancy stuff top loaders have?
Edit: no high efficiency washing machines in india right?
 
Do front loaders have the jet spray and such fancy stuff top loaders have?
Yes but 360 is import only. The domestic version which is top of the line has just one jet. Supposed to cut wash times but I find all models with tinted front glass so don't recommend them. There is a model with clear glass which is preferable but it's a level below top line.

@r4hul can you confirm whether the lip at the top left of your gasket is a water jet?

Edit: no high efficiency washing machines in india right?
That is an American term only. Applies equally to top as well as front loaders. The top loaders use less water than before and this leads to complaints as you discovered. So people find hacks to bypass it.

HE detergent only should be used with HE washers. Front loaders everywhere are default HE. So too is front loader detergent. These days top loaders too.

Why don't you experiment with front loader detergent and see whether that improves things or not. It should dissolve more readily as the granules are smaller. I don't know whether less foam will affect cleaning in a top loader though. It does not with HE as the Americans don't have a front or top load distinction with detergents as we do in India. That could be for legacy reasons as earlier top loaders used more water. In the US detergent is either HE or not. Non HE is for non HE or older washers that used more water.

The thing with detergents sold by P&G earlier which advertised as suitable for both front and top loader is I suspected they were more for top loaders than front loaders. Or the exact opposite as is the case in the US with HE detergent. Back then their dosage instructions made no sense. Why use 3x more for top loader than front loader?

Ariel & Tide now offer separate versions for front and top loaders whether it be powder or liquid. Whether this happened or not six months after I emailed P&G is likely coincidence. The real reason is perception. If their product is perceived as unsuitable then it won't sell. India is the only market where P&G offers both Ariel or tide. Elsewhere its only one or the other. There is no Tide in Europe just Ariel like there is only Tide in the US but no Ariel. They offer both here otherwise can't compete with HUL.
 
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Good documentary on detergents from Singapore.


Powder, that is the right powder for the machine in body temperature water is best and costs less. But they find sheets did best at stains.

Stored in an airtight container powder won't get lumpy as she shows. It's never happened to me.

The detergent sheets used in the test did the best maybe because they used a full sheet and maybe less of the other detergent. Currently detergent sheets are the most expensive out of all detergents tested. Beckman has two variants Colour or bio variant (with enzymes) and Universal or non bio variant (without enzymes). The one with enzymes will be better at stains removal.

Stains test was subtly ommitted when testing bio and non detergent alternatives. This is where they cannot compete with regular detergents. The surprising part is the clothes came out as germ free as with detergent.

What I liked is they tested this claim of antibacterial detergent and discovered it was a gimmick.


Couple of years back, Ariel trying to cash in on the pandemic and had this 99.9% germ free claim on their packets. They add a little citric acid to the detergent so it technically does work but the difference is insignificant compared to regular detergent. You won't find this Ariel variant in the market any longer.
 
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Zack tours LG's washing machine factory in the US. This factory can pump out 100k machines a month!!


Amazed at the automation. AI this and AI that :oops:

So much is made by robots from injection moulding the tubs to the steel sheets to make the drum and machine housing. The humans change the spare parts of the robots.

The wash tower he likes is a pricey import for the time being in India.

First time I hear this term 'lighthouse'. WEF uses it for fourth gen factories. Bosch, Haier, LG, Midea & Siemens. No Samsung in that list which is surprising.
 
Zack tours LG's washing machine factory in the US. This factory can pump out 100k machines a month!!


Amazed at the automation. AI this and AI that :oops:

So much is made by robots from injection moulding the tubs to the steel sheets to make the drum and machine housing. The humans change the spare parts of the robots.

The wash tower he likes is a pricey import for the time being in India.

First time I hear this term 'lighthouse'. WEF uses it for fourth gen factories. Bosch, Haier, LG, Midea & Siemens. No Samsung in that list which is surprising.
Robots changing battery of robots.
Skynet is gaining self-awareness.
 
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How should we calculate the weight of clothes dry or wet? If it is wet how do one knows weight of clothes? My machine has 2KG capacity for woollen. Thank you