I've noticed one other rather cool feature on the Aqualtis that seems to really cut the cycle times.

When the machine goes into any kind of a spin, it very quickly distributes the laundry (done within a few second) and seems to achieve a balance exceptionally fast then turns just fast enough for the clothes to adhere to the sides of the drum (similar to the platinum wool cycle)

Once the distribution balance is achieved it does not allow the laundry to tumble freely in the drum, rather it maintains this slow slow spin.

The machine will then crank the speed up to higher speeds (up to 1600 rpm) and reduce back down to the slow speed again. This gives the pump time to catch up with the volume of water being extracted out of the clothes, but avoids doing what most machines seem to do i.e. do a spin pulse, then redistribute, then spin pulse, redistribute (which can take ages!)

I'd say it cuts a good 20+ mins off the wash time on cottons cycle versus my parents Miele!!

It also looks MUCH more impressive as it just takes the clothes up to full speed without any messing around. Almost behaving like a commercial machine!!

Yet, despite all that, the machine's wonderfully well balanced.

I had a look in underneath it when I was installing it and there appears to be a very substantial weight attached to the front of the tank, much like Miele (although I'd say it's highly unlikely to be cast iron)

Also, the machine's suspension's quite different to other machines I've had. It seems to be a lot better dampened.

Most of the current front loading washers I've seen have that same method of ballancing.

My Miele steps up the spin speed gradually rather than pulsing or bursting into full speed. Depending on the load, it will change how it works. On small loads, it will just burst into full speed because there isn't very much water coming out of the clothes that the pump needs to catch up with. However, with a large load, it will go into a slow speed (~400RPM?), then once the pump has caught up it will increase a couple hundred (~600RPM) and let the pump catch before increasing yet again, it does this until it reaches 1,000 RPM which is full speed for the interim spins, but for the final, after the pump has caught up with the 1,000RPM, it'll take off into full speed! The spin only cycle however seems to just take off to full speed and leave the pump in the dust for a while... Kinda looks like a distributing Milnor while the pump struggles for a minute or so!

The Maytag Asko starts to spin up to 1200rpm then cuts out to pump away the water, does one distribute tumble then starts the main spin, all in all its timed for 12 mins, 9 mins for the full spin no stopping...

Its interesting to hear about the Aqualtis, I`m sure we will see a return to best practice, these features are nothing new in front loaders, Hotpoint UK where the first to have an 1100rpm fast spin machine back in 1970, 8 yrs earlier than Hoover and others, Servis UK machine always had large cast iron weights on the drum top and under the drum, and also a protective cast weight around the motor to weigh the machine stable....

I think the Aqualtis will be Hotpoints saving grace, a machine to be proud of. Can you tell me on the cotton programmes does it do a spin after the wash??

Yeah, the cottons programmes end in with an immediate fairly fast spin.

Most programmes I've used on it do the same.

Also there's a spin (at near full speed) between all the rinses on the cottons cycle which gives it a very good level of rinsing.

The Shirts Cycle causes the machine to fill >1/3 way up the glass for the wash and rinses!!!

The Aqualtis spin is quite similar to the miele described above. The spin speed is gradually ramped up. There are absolutely no sudden increases.

When I describe "pulses" I mean, the spin is moved up to 1000-1600 and held at that speed for a while, then it reduces back to 600 until the pump's caught up. Then will ramp back up to full speed again and so on. It never stops and tumbles which is what other machines i've used over the years (including older mieles) tended to do.

The Hoover Vision 9KG machine does the same almost. It distributes the clothes while draining and continues at that speed with the clothes stuck to the drum until the water has been pumped out. it then ramps upto about 600 for 10 sec, then back down to dist speed without letting the clothes drop from the sides of the drum, once the pump is empty it goes back upto about 800 for a few secs, then back down to dist speed. Once the pump is empty it goes upto 800 for 1min, then 1000 for 4 mins, then 1200 for 4 mins and finally 1600 for 2 mins. The long final spin together with the huge surface area of the drum leaves the clothes feeling almost just cold.

The AU settings in the Miele machines go straight up to 1200RPM.

it goes from the distribute tumble and then ramps up in a linear fashion to 1200RPM in less than 1 minute. It spins at 1200RPM for 5 minutes and then 1800rpm for 2. Total time, 8 minutes.

When I changed the settings to the EU standard, it now takes about 15 minutes for the final spin and spends a minute or so at 400rpm another minute at 800rpm, 10 minutes at 1200rpm and 2 minutes at 1800rpm.

Hi all

I bought an Aqualtis at the very beginning of this year and it seems to faff a bit on interim rinse spins. It goes into distribution then tends to stop and redistribute everything until it's balanced (which can take a few attempts) and then does a short burst at 400. It then slows down and holds the clothes at the sides on distribution for about a minute. What really bugs me though it that after that distribution, instead of going into spin again it stops and re distributes everything and does all those attempts at balancing again. The sequence is -

Short burst 400, distribute and re balance
Longer burst 400/600, distribute and re balance
Gradual increase to about 1000 for about a minute then end

I just wish the gaps between the above weren't so long and once it gets it balanced at the beginning does it really need to re balance again. The timesaver does not cut this down. Hopefully this has changed with the later machines as talked about above.

Having said that apart from the pump it's lovely and quiet and pretty stable. On the whole I'm pleased with it and have had no problems

Rob

My Creda will tumble to distribute at a slightly faster tumble than wash speed. If the tub does not swing too much, it will take off into the intermediate spin to do the initial spin out, then do like the Aqualtis. If, however the load does not distribute evenly, the tub will continue at the distribution speed, skip the spin and just go into the next rinse. It only spins at the intermediate speed twice between each rinse. I usually attend all performances, so if I see a no spin situation happening, I just flip the power switch to stop the drum and let it start again. Sometimes when it is deciding whether or not to spin, it reminds me a kid trying to decide whether or not to jump off the high dive. Sometimes it looks like it is not going to spin and then suddenly it takes off. It has to go through the intermediate spin and the fast tumble that holds the load against the tub before it goes into the final high speed spin. Neither W1918 nor the W1986 waste a lot of time distributing a usual load. If they cannot balance the load properly after stopping 2 or 3 times to let the load fall and then starting over, they default to a slow spin and continue without much delay.

The 1600RPM aqualtis we have doesn't do much faffing about at all. It'll just ramp up the speed slowly to distribution, once it's happy that the load's not totally off kilter, it'll continue to ramp up until max speed for that cycle. There's no sudden bursting into speed, it's all very gentle, like a dimmer switch being turned up.

Also, it always get the distribution right.

It seems to tumble slowly, then faster, then starts to adhere to the sides, by that stage it's very unusual for the drum to be at all off balance. The gradual ramping up seems to do a good distribution.

Perhaps the 1200 rpm model has a different motor?

Which Aqualtis 1600rpm do you have ?? the AQGD169S or the AQXXD169??

Does the squeak happen more on small loads or full to capacity??

Can you open the door to add clothes once the machine has started?? and if so does it pump out all the water?? or only pump out if the water is above the door??

Cheers, Mike

It's the Aqualtis AQXXD169

The squeak happens at all times, even if empty!

It lets you open the door at any time, provided you press pause. I haven't tried to open it during a wash where the water's above the door.