| Thread Number: 41876
Maytag Neptune Questions |
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Post# 617093 8/14/2012 at 21:24 (283 days old) by vintagekitchen  (columbia ky) |
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  Ok, went out looking for a replacement for the Atlantis which seems to be willing itself to death, and ran into a Maytag Neptune at one of the shops. It is what I am assuming is an early one, since the control panel is almost identical to my Atlantis, rather than the electronic deigital control panel. The guy hooked it up, and I ran it through a cycle which it completed with no problems. He said if I trade in the Atlantis I can have it for 100 dollars.
Now, for a few questions I hope you guys can answer.. Am I jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire? I have heard some people love the neptunes, and some hate them, so I assume it is a difference between models.. I just don't want to repeat the mistake I made with the Atlantis Is this a good price? What do you guys think, should I get this one or the Kenmore Limited Edition late 80's BOL Maytag I am asking about in the Vintage forum? (feel free to advise on either, I am getting exhausted trying to decide.) This post was last edited 08/14/2012 at 21:53 | ||
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Post# 617115 , Reply# 1 8/14/2012 at 21:46 (283 days old) by DADoES ( ) |
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Post# 617147 , Reply# 3 8/14/2012 at 23:50 (283 days old) by Spankomatic (Ukiah,CA) |
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| Post# 617190 , Reply# 5 8/15/2012 at 07:20 (283 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
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| Post# 617191 , Reply# 6 8/15/2012 at 07:22 (283 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
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Post# 617292 , Reply# 7 8/15/2012 at 18:02 (283 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481) |
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Post# 617404 , Reply# 8 8/15/2012 at 23:05 (282 days old) by Spankomatic (Ukiah,CA) |
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Post# 617800 , Reply# 9 8/17/2012 at 09:18 (281 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
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After looking up old posts on the site, talking more with the man at the shop, downloading manuals, and checking prices for parts, i decided to get the Neptune. (Notice I was far more thorough this time. My little Atlantis adventure taught me well, lol).
From what I have been able to see, the Neptune is one of the easiest washers to work on, parts are not that difficult to obtain or install, and are fairly inexpensive as far as parts go. The water level is one of the highest for a front loader, yet stays below the bearings, meaning the only seal I really have to worry about is at the front of the machine, and it is not that expensive nor difficult to do. The wash performance is good according to everyone I have talked to, and the machine appears to have had all early teething problems corrected already, (If you can beleive it, the woman who had him come pick it up purchased a new washer because the dispenser lid broke, and she felt that the washer was old enough that she may as wlll replace it since it was no longer under warranty. People amaze me.. Thats actually the reason I am getting it at such a low price, because he only had to repair the dispenser lid.) I called this morning, and by this afternoon my Neptune will arrive, and the Atlantis will drift away like a bad dream. I just finished draining the detergent dispenser, silly as it may seem, my penny pinching soul cringes at the idea of letting someone walk away with what turned out to be about 80 ounces of Era detergent. | ||
| Post# 617806 , Reply# 10 8/17/2012 at 09:31 (281 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
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Post# 617809 , Reply# 11 8/17/2012 at 09:35 (281 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
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Trust me, the hunt is on! Mismatched sets drive me bonkers, and next to that shiny neptune, the old 80 series Kenmore dryer is gonna look awful shabby. Seems most people around here are hanging on to the dryer even if they part with the washer though. Found 3 Performa dryers, but no Neptune.
As a side note, how do you handle detergent dosing in your Neptune, and what detergent type or brand do you reccomend? I want to get this right, and my experience with front loaders is limited at best.. | ||
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Post# 617842 , Reply# 12 8/17/2012 at 11:49 (281 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
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Omg, I am a very happy little man right now. The neptune is here, hooked up, and happily chugging away on a hot water stpp and bleach wash, (no laundry), to make sure it is nice and clean. It's so quiet compared to the failing Atlantis!
Bonus!-- I looked up the model number, MAH5500AWW, and from what I understand, this was the last run of the dial control models, and came from the factory with the updated wax motor, control board, etc, so no worries!! 
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Post# 617843 , Reply# 13 8/17/2012 at 11:54 (281 days old) by retropia (Central Ohio) |
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Post# 617877 , Reply# 14 8/17/2012 at 13:26 (281 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481) |
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| Post# 617890 , Reply# 15 8/17/2012 at 14:31 (281 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
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We like to use Tide original scent HE is best in my machine. Depends on your water hardness or softness. Make sure you keep the dispenser area clean. I always start my machine then add the powder to it. If you add it before, then close the door, it will blow back at you!!! Just saying. If you use bleach, make sure not to overfill and the same with fabric softner. It will drain itself out if not careful before it's suppose to.
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Post# 617900 , Reply# 16 8/17/2012 at 15:06 (281 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
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Long gone. I knew I wouldnt tear into it, since it is such a labor intensive repair, and since the needed parts were so expensive. The clincher was the oil found underneath when it was moved out this morning, which meant water was getting in the transmission as well, so I traded it in towards the price of the Neptune.
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Post# 617903 , Reply# 17 8/17/2012 at 15:42 (281 days old) by tecnopolis (Ocala/Dunnellon, Florida 34481) |
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Post# 617908 , Reply# 18 8/17/2012 at 16:33 (281 days old) by revvinkevin (Between Mickey Mouse & the Queen Mary (So. Cal.) |
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Interesting! I didn't realize they made a "5500" with the old style "knob" type control.
I have a 5500 (built 2001) with the electronic control panel (like the photos above and as seen belching suds all over the floor during my April wash-in). I've had it for a year now and have used it nearly every week since with no problems.
Andy (Redcarpetdrew) has said it's supposed to spin at 900 or 950 rpm, but heavy items don't feel as "dry" as when spun in the square door Frigidaire (1000 rpm??) or the KM Elite (1100 rpm).
Kevin | ||
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Post# 617912 , Reply# 19 8/17/2012 at 16:40 (281 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
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Post# 617926 , Reply# 20 8/17/2012 at 17:18 (281 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
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Love love love how well this great white beast performs! So smooth fast and quiet! I belive now that fabrics should be less damaged by this washer. Truly, I dont understand why so many slam the slant tub design. Didn't the original Westy Slant Fronts everyone loves have a slanted tub?
I can see though that this will take some adjusting. The manual said to load fully, but not overload. I am a chronic underloader, and the Neptune seems to actually handle full loads better than small ones. The small ones take too long to balance. The other main adjustment will be the cost of the detergent. I picked up a box of Tide Ultra HE original scent. 14.87 for an 80 load box, Mein Gott in Himmel! That works out to just 20 cents a load. Why didnt I realize this when I was using liquid Era at 25 cents a load? Not to mention various other brands at the same cost or more, and half the time settling for cheap junk that actually costs the same per load as the Tide.. Powdered Tide isnt that expensive at all really. I can finally stop cringing when I run low on detergent. | ||
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