Suggest a Front Load washer for 20-25K

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@blr_p ...Thanks for the suggestions...I could see 58L and 55L suggestion but did not see any models within my budget (20-25k range).
Are u suggesting that I buy the same model which Gannu bought in 2012?

Apologies, If I missed something in your post

If you buy the model that Gannu bought your max load will be 29 litres per wash. If you get the LG it will be 25 litres. The ones that fit your budget are in your post which i modified. Expand it to see the 6kg Bosch & LG. I then went on to advocate a larger size.

When i wanted to buy a machine i measured the drums then got some chart paper and made a model. It's quite simple. Staple a rectangular strip into a circle of the same diameter and depth of the two drums. Now try and fit your usual laundry load into both models. Which size is acceptable. Do this exercise with your family before you spend.

I concluded that the 55 litre drum was better than the 36 for the LG i wanted to get. It's 50% larger. Siemens does not offer the smaller size that Bosch has. Siemens begins with 58 L. That mean anything ?

I was chatting with a cousin yesterday and few years back they got a 5.5 kg samsung which is the same as the LG with the 36 L drum.

This is a family of four and i thought it insane. Sales guy must have convinced them and it was their first front loader. People adapt. You do more washes. This means more cycles and ultimately shorter life.

Think of the machine as having 2.5 - 3k duty cycles if you look after it. No overloading, no hard water etc.

So i asked them how the samsung was doing and to my surprise they told me they upgraded to a bigger Bosch. The 58 L model. After several years they concluded the samsung was too small. He'd load up the machine and it would refuse to start because it was overloaded. I didn't know there was such a provision with samsung.

The strangest thing was to hear him say these machines work best when they are loaded to 50 - 60% and no more. Wash better, less stress on the machine etc.

But you pay a premium.

Up to you to decide whether its worth it. Whether paying 10k more upfront is worth the extra life.

10 -12 years instead of 6 -8 years

I prefer to do less laundry

 

[technofast]

Sorry, maybe OT. I will be buying Bosch 8 Kg inverter model (WAT24464IN) from a dealer for around 30K. My question however is, do we have any washing machine which effectively scrubs the dirt and grime from the collars of shirts and cuffs. I've earlier owned whirlpool, LG, Siemens washing machines and none of them gets the dirt off from the collars and cuffs. Do the new washing machines now have any thing that addresses this issue?

 

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Sorry, maybe OT. I will be buying Bosch 8 Kg inverter model (WAT24464IN) from a dealer for around 30K. My question however is, do we have any washing machine which effectively scrubs the dirt and grime from the collars of shirts and cuffs. I've earlier owned whirlpool, LG, Siemens washing machines and none of them gets the dirt off from the collars and cuffs. Do the new washing machines now have any thing that addresses this issue?

You find this problem with shirts that have been worn only once ?

Post automatically merged: Sep 24, 2019

I washed cold for more then 11 years in my front load, the interiors are like new, the heating element has no scale formation at all. So this is with cauvery water. I bet it won't be the same had i put it to hot, which takes a toll on the spyder arm which is of a different metal then stainless steel drum.

I tested water hardness yesterday and it was 75mg/L. Amazed. Never seen it that low before. This is soft by any definition. Last month when i made some ice it was closer to 150. Found out because my neighbour was getting his Kent RO serviced. So the guy said he would adjust the RO to around 90 for taste.

What was your maintenance procedure with the whirlpool over those 11 years ? How did you keep it clean and smelling fresh.

 

[technofast]

You find this problem with shirts that have been worn only once ?

Yes, even new shirts. The dirt goes away when it is scrubbed by hand but remains feeble when cycled in the WM and not scrubbed by hand.

 

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Yes, even new shirts. The dirt goes away when it is scrubbed by hand but remains feeble when cycled in the WM and not scrubbed by hand.

The problem is soil mismatch. Collar is heavily soled. Rest of the shirt is medium soiled. Wash program set to medium soil won't adequately clean the collar and if it isn't cleaned it will get worse.

So the collar needs more work than the rest of the shirt. This will take some experimenting until you find something that works.

Putting on a shirt after a bath means less soil will get on. But we live in the tropics and even if you are in an AC room all day it will get soiled.

1) Rubbing some diluted dish washing detergent on the collar. Then wash as normal.

2) You could try an additional pre-wash option with some Vanish powder.

3) You could try a pre-soak. How to do soaking with a front loader ?

Fill the washer, add the detergent. Switch it on and let it fill. Then few seconds after it starts working. Power it down. Leave it for a half hour. Resume power and let it finish the cycle.

4) i've heard people say starching the collar provides an extra coating so it washes easier.

Many ways

Post automatically merged: Sep 24, 2019

No sir. No balcony. for now the washing machine is literally at the entrance of the house.. the designing and planning is that effed up... the landlords son (supposed to be an architect/interior designer) has done such a weird job that one doesn't know what to do. I doubt there will be enough space anywhere in/around the kitchen to stack it.

As the article says, only light clothes will dry well. Thicker clothes will still need to be hung out and that is in addition to the extra hours spent to dry. You can only dry half the load you washed which means two drying loads unless you wash only light loads. Keep in mind washer dryers come with the biggest size drum so it will be 65 L.

My 2nd question is how do I clean my washing machine or even best practices for monthly maintenance? The service guys have come a few times and use some BS drum cleaner and descaler that doesn;t doo much.. clothes seem linty and while a couple of dozen baking soda cycles has reduced the amount they smell there still is a slight smell at times. I'm ok with the slight smell as adding a small cap of conditioner almost eliminates it but for the love of all things clean I am just not able to get a lint free or even grime free wash.. (Use an LG Top Loader)

If your water is soft a descaler is pointless. Does your top loader have a heater ? otherwise you might have to heat some water up and pour it in.

What kind of detergent do you use ? powder or liquid and why are you using fabric conditioner. Conditioner without hot washes leaves a fat residue. This adds to grime and causes smell. The irony here is the conditioner you use to mask smell is contributing to it and will get worse with time.

What kind of maintenance were you doing so far. So as to get an idea.

 

[dafreaking]

If your water is soft a descaler is pointless. Does your top loader have a heater ? otherwise you might have to heat some water up and pour it in.

What kind of detergent do you use ? powder or liquid and why are you using fabric conditioner. Conditioner without hot washes leaves a fat residue. This adds to grime and causes smell. The irony here is the conditioner you use to mask smell is contributing to it and will get worse with time.

What kind of maintenance were you doing so far. So as to get an idea.

I'll have to check the level of hardness, but the last time the aquagaurd guy came home he said the water was hard.

It does not have a heater.

Use Surf Excel matic top load (POWDER) can switch to the liquid version if it helps. Have used liquid in the past too. Don;t use fabric softener/conditioner regularly. Just at times when I felt the clothes were a little smelly. Had no idea about not using it without hot water.

Used to buy the drum cleaner powder that the service guys would use. Otherwise Baking Soda + Viengar.. (that's what the internet told me )

 

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I'll have to check the level of hardness, but the last time the aquagaurd guy came home he said the water was hard.

It does not have a heater.

Use Surf Excel matic top load (POWDER) can switch to the liquid version if it helps. Have used liquid in the past too. Don;t use fabric softener/conditioner regularly. Just at times when I felt the clothes were a little smelly. Had no idea about not using it without hot water.

Used to buy the drum cleaner powder that the service guys would use. Otherwise Baking Soda + Viengar.. (that's what the internet told me )

Stick to powder, liquid is only for delicates and micro fiber.

If he says its hard then you need a descaler. Do you notice any scale fragments in the tub after the wash ?

Washing clothes you can do as normal. Maintenance washes are better at a hotter temperature. Chemicals become more reactive at higher temperature.

So is there a way to connect the hot water tap to your washer ?

The temperature needs to be ideally at 70 degrees but 60 is better than nothing. You need to set the washer to its highest water setting if it does not have a dedicated tub clean cycle. You will also need to clean with some antiseptic wet wipes or a cloth dipped in dettol just under the gasket at the top as no water reaches there

Baking soda & vinegar is quite mild. Often i see people mixing the two. What internet does not tell you is one is an acid and the other is a base. When combined they neutralise each other so any remedial effect is already reduced at the outset itself. Rather what you should do is wash with baking soda and rinse at the end with vinegar. This way they are added separately and not mixed. Both these mask smells, its better to get at the source of the smell and reduce it rather than hide it or perfume it.

Specialised products will be more effective. Now that you have a smell problem it remains to be seen how bad it is. Generally once you can smell it then things are already accumulated and will take repeated cleaning cycles to reduce. And that is the thing, you can only reduce not eliminate. To eliminate means machine disassembly and cleaning it internally. This is the only 100% way.

Which drum cleaner powder are you using ?

 

[adder]

Manufactures generaly recommened using powder detergent, if you use liquid detergent or softners, the chances are the residue in the tray or the softner may sink to the bottom of the tub and confuse the sensor. The washing machine may show error codes or may think it needs a another rinse cycle.( not all washing machines as sensors, my whirlpool did, as do most modern front load machines) happened atleast 4 times that I know of in my whirlpool , even a reset didn't help and had to drain and clear the tray to get it working normally.

I tested water hardness yesterday and it was 75mg/L. Amazed. Never seen it that low before. This is soft by any definition. Last month when i made some ice it was closer to 150. Found out because my neighbour was getting his Kent RO serviced. So the guy said he would adjust the RO to around 90 for taste.

What was your maintenance procedure with the whirlpool over those 11 years ? How did you keep it clean and smelling fresh.

The hardness drop each year after the monsoon, I guess the continuing the rains will means the hardness will remain low for a month more. I usually adjust it to 50 for taste, but ever since WHO report about RO being bad for health, I upped the TDS 90 or 100 varies depending the on the incoming water. Now my RO membrane mostly has zero water entering it, because of the very low tds of cauvery water.

I used descaling packets sold by the whirlpool installation guy for the first year or so. But to keep it clean and fresh smelling, I simply cleaned the door seals thoroughly after each wash, my gasket looks the same as when it was first bought. Also keep the doors open after each cycle, never closed it shut until the next use. Till date there was no foul smell, not even once. Till date have used the onboard heater only may be 10 times.

Cleaning LG is tougher because the gasket is more rigid.

 

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The hardness drop each year after the monsoon, I guess the continuing the rains will means the hardness will remain low for a month more. I usually adjust it to 50 for taste, but ever since WHO report about RO being bad for health, I upped the TDS 90 or 100 varies depending the on the incoming water. Now my RO membrane mostly has zero water entering it, because of the very low tds of cauvery water.

It did rain non stop last month so this is the result.

I used descaling packets sold by the whirlpool installation guy for the first year or so. But to keep it clean and fresh smelling, I simply cleaned the door seals thoroughly after each wash, my gasket looks the same as when it was first bought. Also keep the doors open after each cycle, never closed it shut until the next use. Till date there was no foul smell, not even once. Till date have used the onboard heater only may be 10 times.

Cleaning LG is tougher because the gasket is more rigid.

The part missing here is you don't do maintenance washes. In 11 years you only used the heater as many times makes me wonder how it remained clean as long. I run a maintenance wash every month since i got it. LG's Tub clean at 70 with a cleaner. Some times with nothing just hot water sloshing around.

Descalers won't do much as there is no scaling with cauvery water. Replaced the heater element in the geezer some years back and it had zero scale on it after over ten years use.

You did say you dismantled the whirlpool to replace the spider. Did you take a photo of the spider ? can you describe what state and how pitted it appeared.

 

[adder]

It did rain non stop last month so this is the result.


The part missing here is you don't do maintenance washes. In 11 years you only used the heater as many times makes me wonder how it remained clean as long. I run a maintenance wash every month since i got it. LG's Tub clean at 70 with a cleaner. Some times with nothing just hot water sloshing around.

Descalers won't do much as there is no scaling with cauvery water. Replaced the heater element in the geezer some years back and it had zero scale on it after over ten years use.

You did say you dismantled the whirlpool to replace the spider. Did you take a photo of the spider ? can you describe what state and how pitted it appeared.

I dismantled to replace the bearings and bearing seal, during which the spyder had no damages, nor did it have any signs of degradation. Like I said the machine is clean. The only thing that look worn out now is the shocks.

 

[prime]

Planning to buy a 6kg Front Loading Washing Machine.

Can someone help in finding out difference between:

1. IFB 6 kg Eva Aqua VX
2. IFB 6 kg Eva Aqua SX
3. IFB 6 kg Diva Aqua VX
4. IFB 6 kg Diva Aqua SX

They all look same to me.

 

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Planning to buy a 6kg Front Loading Washing Machine.

Can someone help in finding out difference between:

1. IFB 6 kg Eva Aqua VX
2. IFB 6 kg Eva Aqua SX
3. IFB 6 kg Diva Aqua VX
4. IFB 6 kg Diva Aqua SX

They all look same to me.

See post #36 and open vercetti's post to see two options

 

[prime]

See post #36 and open vercetti's post to see two options

Thanks.

I am looking for IFB only. Checked one of the above in Croma and the drum volume is adequate for my requirements. My earlier machine is IFB (5 kg) and lasted more than 13.5 years.

Now I am confused between these 4 models.

 

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Thanks.

I am looking for IFB only. Checked one of the above in Croma and the drum volume is adequate for my requirements. My earlier machine is IFB (5 kg) and lasted more than 13.5 years.

Now I am confused between these 4 models.

Any reason(s) why only IFB ?

Post automatically merged: Sep 25, 2019

I dismantled to replace the bearings and bearing seal, during which the spyder had no damages, nor did it have any signs of degradation. Like I said the machine is clean. The only thing that look worn out now is the shocks.

From your experience it seems that if one lives in a soft water area and cares for the machine then the most likely cause of failure is bearings and not the spider ?

So you changed the bearings and seal, how long did the whirlpool last after that. Why did you have to replace it with an LG.

 

[adder]

From your experience it seems that if one lives in a soft water area and cares for the machine then the most likely cause of failure is bearings and not the spider ?

So you changed the bearings and seal, how long did the whirlpool last after that. Why did you have to replace it with an LG.

Yes primary failure are bearing, spyder failure is more common in korean brands like samsung(king of spyder failure) and chinese brands. Spyder failure less common in german brands and american brands like whirlpool.

Whirlpool FL was bought in diwali 2008 usage 3 cycles a week till 2015, from 2015 till 2018 usage was 4 cycles a week.
Bearing started making noise from 2016 in spin cycle only, by 2017 it started making noise even in wash cycle even with zero load. Contacted whirlpool in 2016 they refused to even come and have a look, saying no parts and FL line was discontinued.( they relaunched FL line in 2017). Hence did the repair all by myself.

Bearings replaced in sept 2017, from year 17 to 18 the usage was 4 cycles a week. From july 18 to 19 present day, the usage of the whirlpool is daily (maid fired), despite having the LG FL.

Errors made by family members atleast 5 times that I know of, was using excess detergent in synthetic clothes causing lot of foam (this eats away the grease in the seal). Mistake again was made by family member by accidently adding Rin powder this happened even after bearing change last year, it would have had an some severe effect, since the foam was overflowing. Will have to see the bearing life.

 

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Yes primary failure are bearing, spyder failure is more common in korean brands like samsung(king of spyder failure) and chinese brands. Spyder failure less common in german brands and american brands like whirlpool.

Whirlpool FL was bought in diwali 2008 usage 3 cycles a week till 2015, from 2015 till 2018 usage was 4 cycles a week.
Bearing started making noise from 2016 in spin cycle only, by 2017 it started making noise even in wash cycle even with zero load. Contacted whirlpool in 2016 they refused to even come and have a look, saying no parts and FL line was discontinued.( they relaunched FL line in 2017). Hence did the repair all by myself.

Bearings replaced in sept 2017, from year 17 to 18 the usage was 4 cycles a week. From july 18 to 19 present day, the usage of the whirlpool is daily (maid fired), despite having the LG FL.

Errors made by family members atleast 5 times that I know of, was using excess detergent in synthetic clothes causing lot of foam (this eats away the grease in the seal). Mistake again was made by family member by accidently adding Rin powder this happened even after bearing change last year, it would have had an some severe effect, since the foam was overflowing. Will have to see the bearing life.

ok, so you are still using the whirlpool.

2008 - 2015 @ 3 cycles - 1092
2015 - 2018 @ 4 cycles - 624
2018 - present day - 208
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total 1924

If we assume there are 3k duty cycles for this machine you still have 5 years left
If there are only 2.5k then about two and a half years more

This means after a bearing change you will get 13 - 15 yrs life from this machine.

That is twice the life i've seen of people posting here before they had to replace the machine. Though i suppose most would have thrown in the towel after being refused a bearings change. Such a lame reason. What is so special about bearings. They purposely refused because it would not get them much profit.

You could do this because the tub was not sealed. Remains to be seen how things will be now in this sealed tub era

 

[adder]

If we assume there are 3k duty cycles for this machine you still have 5 years left
If there are only 2.5k then about two and a half years more

This means after a bearing change you will get 13 - 15 yrs life from this machine.

That is twice the life i've seen of people posting here before they had to replace the machine. Though i suppose most would have thrown in the towel after being refused a bearings change. Such a lame reason. What is so special about bearings. They purposely refused because it would not get them much profit.

You could do this because the tub was not sealed. Remains to be seen how things will be now in this sealed tub era

I am using the whirlpool daily, one cycle each day, since july 18. so the bearings may not last long. I already have spare seal and bearing, will take no more then a hour to replace it. Since I have stripped the machine to the bare atleast 2 times, after replacing the bearings, I had to remove it again after a month because I forget to add grease to the seal and removed the top back and front covers, thrice more because I forget to add thread locker to the bolts and to asses the state of the carbon brushes in the motor, which btw still had 80% brush length left.

I had the patience to remove the machine apart that many times because I had the right tools, there is no way I would have stripped the machine that many times, if all I had was a screw driver set and spanner /socket set. I had tools that sped up the process by atleast 100x, also had tools specific to remove hose clamps. You also need to have a hardcore DIY mindset.

Most people replace the machine because the cost of replacing the Tub assembly, pcb is high. I heard its cheaper for Lg and the fact the tub isn't sealed and atleast in EU they sell both halfs of the tub.
Back in my village a 5.5kg siemens which is now a rusted heavily had a drum assembly change (because the machine was run without removing the transport bolt) and they quoted I think about 6k to replace, but when they did replace it they took only 4k, this was in 2014.
But bearings are just one part, the Tub plastics can weaken and become brittle over time, especially when used in hot setting. In the whirlpool the shocks are in its last legs, since I can see shock shaft with grease or dried oil, meaning the seal in the shocks are bad.

 

[dafreaking]

Thanks for all your replies man.. Just caught up with stuff so couldnt reply.

I would leave Vinegar in it for a few hours and then do a wash with baking soda after that.. The drum cleaner was some cleaner that the LG service guy recommended. I can't remember now.

To clarify. I don't use softener/ conditioner regularly. But will use it with warm/water next time I use it.

My main requirement is to get rid of the lint. I have cleaner the lint filter but it seems it isn't catching it. And to make sure there is no grimey residue on dark clothes when they are washed.

 

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I would leave Vinegar in it for a few hours and then do a wash with baking soda after that.. The drum cleaner was some cleaner that the LG service guy recommended. I can't remember now.

To clarify. I don't use softener/ conditioner regularly. But will use it with warm/water next time I use it.

My main requirement is to get rid of the lint. I have cleaner the lint filter but it seems it isn't catching it. And to make sure there is no grimey residue on dark clothes when they are washed.

You have a mould problem exacerbated by hard water

Mould Lumps In A Washing Machine

The reasons why you can get mould in a washing machine and the steps to take to avoid the problem of mould, mildew and having a bad smelly or stinking washing machine or washer dryer

www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk

Are you able to connect a hot water outlet to the machine for cleaning ?

 

[dafreaking]

You have a mould problem exacerbated by hard water

Mould Lumps In A Washing Machine

The reasons why you can get mould in a washing machine and the steps to take to avoid the problem of mould, mildew and having a bad smelly or stinking washing machine or washer dryer

www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk

Are you able to connect a hot water outlet to the machine for cleaning ?

Yikes.. Nope.. Can't connect it to any hot water outlet. Since it's a top load I can manually fill a couple of buckets. The issue is the geysers are instant so this task takes time.

What do you suggest one should do to try and get rid of the mold without opening the machine up? Getting quite fed-up of this