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Thread Number: 40589
Maytag Maxima Front Loader |
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Post# 600488 6/2/2012 at 10:07 (4,339 days old) by kakidd  (Texas) |
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Anybody have these machines, and if so, what is your experience. I am considering getting rid of my 1 year old LG Waveforce toploader. The worst machine i've ever owned! | ||
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Post# 600497 , Reply# 1 6/2/2012 at 11:36 (4,339 days old) by Pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI) |
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 My dad bought the Whirlpool version about a year and a half ago. We initially had a problem with it balancing for the spin. It refused to spin, even empty, insisting the load was not balanced enough to go for it. Whirlpool replaced the whole machine and the repairman who we worked with to try and fix it first told us that Whirlpool admitted to him that they had a batch of control boards that were WAY too sensitive. That was about a week after we got the first one.
Since then, it's worked pretty well. It struggles with anything but full loads though. Since the tub is so large, it has a hard time distributing the clothing all around the drum evenly enough to take off but if you do full loads it usually isn't an issue. The annoying thing about this machine is that it does take FOREVER to decide to spin ESPECIALLY on the final spin. The machine allots NINETEEN MINUTES for the final spin to take place!!! And if it has trouble balancing it will take longer. It balances, does a low speed spin, stops, tumbles, re-balances, then does the high speed spin. It does this so that when it stops, all of the clothes fall off the tub instead sticking to the tub. (An old Bendix Duomatic trick from what I've been told.)
My other annoyance with this machine is that the temperatures on the Normal/Casual cycle are dumby temps. No matter what temp you select, it washes in cold. Both machines we had (the sensitive one and the current one) did this and Whirlpool told me it was normal and doing what it was supposed to. So if you want a hot or warm wash, you have to use any other cycle but the Normal cycle. I realize they did this to get the energy rating up as high as possible since only the Normal cycle is tested but, it's quite annoying as I wash NOTHING in cold water!!!
Aside from those two issues, it's a very fun machine, turn on the light while it's washing and it'll stay on until you shut it off. I like to sit in the dark with the washer light on while it's running and watch it. It performs very well at stain removal and makes the COOLEST SOUNDS during spin!!! | ||
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Post# 600515 , Reply# 3 6/2/2012 at 13:56 (4,339 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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I have the tol version frmo WP although I wanted the Maxima, but Sears didn't carry the TOL model I wanted. I do have some experience with it having balancing issues but not too bad. Jamie kind of mislead you about the final spin taking 19 minutes. When it starts the final spin it ramps up to medium spin in two minutes stops spinning and does some tumbling for about 3 minutes. Then it starts spinning again at 14 or 13 mninutes and gradually ramps up. Once it decides it is balanced enough to go into high speed spin, the timer goes down to 8 minutes. It likes full loads but it doesn't like stuffed BobLoads. I have used Normal/Casual cycle once. Not nly does it not use the heater, but it's also the stingiest with water. The cycles I use the most are Allergan (assures 130 degree wash temp minimum and lots of rinse water) and Jeans (for wrinkle-free, perm press type items and cools down the wah water) because it uses more water and has a medium tumbling speed. If clothing is heavily stained and I want the wash water gadually heated to hot, or maintained to warm and steam also added, then I use Bulky Items cycle, which is similar to Jeans, but with deep clean option. I've used quick wash a couple of times. I also always select the extra rinse option. I have the WFW97, the Maytag equivalent is Maxima 9000. I love to watch with the light on too.
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| Post# 600535 , Reply# 4 6/2/2012 at 14:55 (4,339 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
Appnut | ||
| Post# 600548 , Reply# 5 6/2/2012 at 16:01 (4,339 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
Hey Appnut | ||
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Post# 600606 , Reply# 6 6/2/2012 at 18:28 (4,339 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Yes the bearings started going out on the Frigidaire last November. Mark, I can tell you evfen on wash, Allergan fills with more water than on Whites. For a very full load of towels, the 2nd rinse will fil with water for 3 and 1/2 minutes and the 3rd rinse adds a little more, but the filling is "split" as the head inside the dispenser tray revolves so that it shoots into the softner hole. The manual admits Jeans uses more water. When it does the cooldown at the end of wash, it fills and adds water that goes well over the boot and just reaches the glass of the door and then it starts draining. Bulky items uses almost as much water each fill as on jeans, but I can at least have th heater come on and heat the water to warm, hot or sanitize, something jeans won't allow. Mark it's definitely not the major splash of water you want, that's not going to happen in a moderen front loader, but it's far more noticible increase on these cycles than whites or heavy duty cycles. And normal casual not only uses less water, it even reduces wash time if the load weight isn't as large as the machine thinks it should be. All cyhcles adjust wash time based on weight, but with my loads, it usually adds wash time--whites and towels and loads with 3 sets of queen size sheets--anywhere from 9 to 28 minutes added on lol. When I do perm press, it reduces wash time but it's still about 9 minutes which is very good for average soil for wash time.
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| Post# 600621 , Reply# 8 6/2/2012 at 19:22 (4,339 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Appnut-
Someone sent me a picture of the jeans cycle with max water at the end before draining, and it was pretty far up there, so if bulky cycle uses almost that much water in each fill, I'd say it would definitely be the splash you want. Also good to know that you can use warm, hot, or sanitize on bulky cycle. Thanks | ||
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Post# 600629 , Reply# 9 6/2/2012 at 20:00 (4,339 days old) by kakidd (Texas) |
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do not consider the LG WaveForce. The machine is terrible, you can never leave it unattended. It always goes off balance with all loads. if it is a heavy load and it goes off balance, well...just watch UTube!! | ||
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Post# 600643 , Reply# 10 6/2/2012 at 21:24 (4,339 days old) by logixx (Germany) |
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washerdryerinfo.com likes the Whirlpool machines:
Maytag Maxima 6000 www.washerdryerinfo.com/content/M... Whirlpool 94 HEX www.washerdryerinfo.com/content/W... | ||
| Post# 600688 , Reply# 11 6/3/2012 at 03:25 (4,339 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Post# 600751 , Reply# 12 6/3/2012 at 13:20 (4,338 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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those WP and Maytag models are made in Ohio | ||
| Post# 600845 , Reply# 13 6/3/2012 at 21:49 (4,338 days old) by mfduffy () | ||
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Heater behavior Are there any 'settings' for the heater on these models? Where did you learn about its behavior? I can't find any info in the manual. When I inquired, customer service told me the heater is only used to achieve sanitize. | ||
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Post# 600928 , Reply# 14 6/4/2012 at 10:41 (4,337 days old) by Logixx (Germany) |
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It certainly heats on Allergsn and when Sanitary temp is selected. The Steam for Stains should also activate the heater.
I washed a full load of towels of Bulky yesterday and water was an inch up the door glass on every rinse and the tub dropped about an inch due to the weight, too. Sixth Sense also added 15 minutes to the cycle when it went into the rinsing stage. Each fill took five minutes. Mark - I took a video... ;-) | ||
| Post# 600991 , Reply# 15 6/4/2012 at 17:40 (4,337 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Post# 601002 , Reply# 16 6/4/2012 at 19:03 (4,337 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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WP Built FL Washers Are very good machines, I believe much better built than The Frigidaire and GE offerings. I will be nice and not say anything about the Korean machines except they are just not in the game yet.
All that said I do not have the patience to have a WP LF Washer it is just too painful to watch a machine try to balance a single load for the final spin for 30 minutes. Get a SQ FL and if you have to have really hot water get one of the small 4 or 5 gallon electric water heaters and set it as hot as you want and plug it in 15 minutes before you start the cycle. You can just use an inlet hose and feed it into the washers cold inlet, set the washer for cold fill after it fills turn off the small water heater and the machines rinses will fill through the WH and be cold. | ||
| Post# 601019 , Reply# 17 6/4/2012 at 20:19 (4,337 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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On the LOWES.COM site
I wrote a review of my Duet (on the new Duet) site, since most reviews are of people who have not had their machine very long so I thought it would be cool to write a review of my experience with a now over seven year old Duet.
This person named "thoroughlydisgusted" wrote that there is a KNOWN issue with the bearings and people are saying the bearings keep going out on them. There are several reviews of this..............and throughlydisgusted commented on my review saying that these are NOT the same machines as the one that I'm reviewing, and that these newer models are much LESS reliable than mine. But over the past seven years of reading online reviews, it's the same song & dance with my particular machine over the years as it is with these new Duets with people having bearing issues after 2 or 3 years. Perhaps they have cheapened them even MORE since 2005? I don't know, but I do know that my Duet has an aluminum spider (like most of the FL washers do) and plenty of cracked spider and or bearing issues have been reported with my model over the years as well. So I see no difference in what thoroughly disgusted is talking about with MY Duet vs the current Duets build quality. | ||
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Post# 601048 , Reply# 18 6/4/2012 at 23:16 (4,337 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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| Post# 601097 , Reply# 19 6/5/2012 at 05:38 (4,336 days old) by chris74 () | ||
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@ logixx 6th sense is a Bauknecht/Whirlpool gimmick? | ||
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Post# 601175 , Reply# 20 6/5/2012 at 11:22 (4,336 days old) by Logixx (Germany) |
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Post# 601444 , Reply# 21 6/6/2012 at 10:18 (4,335 days old) by Pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI) |
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Video I took this video of my dad's new Duet washer around Christmas but never got the chance to upload it.
This is a video of the spin in diagnostic mode, gives you an idea of how the direct drive motor sounds as it ramps up to 1,400 RPM and I also love when the electronic brake kicks in! (The repair guy for the first machine told us that Whirlpool insisted this machine has no motor and instead has a "stator.")
Please excuse the rattling, there was plastic silverware on top of the machine! CLICK HERE TO GO TO Pulsator's LINK | ||
| Post# 601538 , Reply# 22 6/6/2012 at 16:37 (4,335 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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The new Duet's are direct drive? | ||
| Post# 601539 , Reply# 23 6/6/2012 at 16:38 (4,335 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Post# 601547 , Reply# 24 6/6/2012 at 17:05 (4,335 days old) by logixx (Germany) |
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Well, the cycles are longer and it can heat from cold to boiling temps. Mechanically, the washer is practically the same as the one that was shipped to the US. The door glass is different, is has a pump-access door and *maybe* less soft shocks - other that that, it's really the same unit. Oh, and it also lacks the tub vent on the back of the unit and the amber lights indicating optinal selections that some Duets had.
I see this new direct-drive washer takes longer to stop than the old belt-driven system. Here's mine to compare: CLICK HERE TO GO TO logixx's LINK | ||
| Post# 601549 , Reply# 25 6/6/2012 at 17:13 (4,335 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Post# 601565 , Reply# 26 6/6/2012 at 17:49 (4,335 days old) by logixx (Germany) |
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Post# 601568 , Reply# 27 6/6/2012 at 18:07 (4,335 days old) by logixx (Germany) |
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This would be the manual for the latest version of the European Duet:
CLICK HERE TO GO TO logixx's LINK | ||
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Post# 601580 , Reply# 28 6/6/2012 at 19:21 (4,335 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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The new Duet's are direct drive? I had no idea | ||
| Post# 601596 , Reply# 29 6/6/2012 at 20:35 (4,335 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Post# 601607 , Reply# 30 6/6/2012 at 21:33 (4,335 days old) by appnut (TX) |
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Apology accepted Mark.
I ran my machine empty on several wash cycle fills tonight. Jeans and bulky items used the most water, but nowhere near what Alexander's machine showed after filling. They aren't hammered with the water restrictions like we are with Energy Star. Whites used slightly less water for filling with water empty. Normal/Casual aws even more pathetic than I thought it would be. It added waterr for less than a minute and finished. It as about an 1/8th of an inch deep and only abouty 3 to 4 rows of holes deep from the back of the tub, nothing more. About 1/3 from back to front across the tub. Like I've said in another post, that cycle won't be used edxcept for washing one or two items at most. Bulky/jeans had water the spread about 2/3 across from baffle to baffle. Whites was slightly less. So that's about it. Hope you find it somewhat helpful Mark. | ||
| Post# 601717 , Reply# 31 6/7/2012 at 08:48 (4,334 days old) by mysteryclock (Franklin, TN) | ||
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