Thread Number: 59429  /  Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Bought a new toy...
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Post# 820261   4/21/2015 at 03:37 (3,264 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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Saw a listing on craigslist in Minneapolis for this brand new pair (floor model at MJ's contract appliance in oakdale) for $1498 and figured I'd give it a whirl.

Had been wanting a GE rightheight pair because the dryer reverse tumbles, glad this unit has the dual motors as well.

I have the smartdispense base ordered, got a heck of a deal on that from my GE distributor.

I left Sunday morning at 1:30 am, had my trailer, went to Minneapolis and came back around midnight.

I hope its worth it!


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Post# 820263 , Reply# 1   4/21/2015 at 03:54 (3,264 days old) by Gpevas (Parma Heights Ohio )        
Jkbff

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Washers look GREAT! The dryer reverses tumbling action? Wish my Kenmore Elite dryer did that. The washer does but not the dryer. How has the Persil detergents work??

Post# 820514 , Reply# 2   4/23/2015 at 00:31 (3,262 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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I love the persil. I dont use near as much as recommended but it still gets the water a bit sudsy and the clothes come out clean.

I keep forgetting to post model numbers.

Did a few loads with the overnight dry in the washer.. Was not expecting the lint lol. Having the dual motor dryer, its definitely different sounding than other units.

Am impressed with the pair so far. Have only done about 10 loads since monday. Love the dryer

I found a recipe on facebook, made that and did a few loads. I love the built-in drying rack!


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This post was last edited 04/23/2015 at 02:54
Post# 820523 , Reply# 3   4/23/2015 at 02:08 (3,262 days old) by behzad (Home Appliances Lab)        

Hello Joshua,
Congratulations on your new appliances. We have only one thing in common and this is the Miele vacuum. I never had this type of GE front-load washer and dryer, but I really like the smart dispenser which is located inside the pedestal, looks very professional and convenience.

Best regards
BJ


Post# 820524 , Reply# 4   4/23/2015 at 02:10 (3,262 days old) by L86810 (Southend, UK)        

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Congratulations!! Great looking machines.

That built in drying rack is absolute genius!


Post# 820528 , Reply# 5   4/23/2015 at 04:07 (3,262 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)        

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Video???

Post# 820632 , Reply# 6   4/23/2015 at 15:03 (3,261 days old) by logixx (Germany)        

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Yes, please make some videos. There are like none at all on YouTube.

Doesn't the dryer also have that hook for clothes hangers in the drum? What are the cycle times like?


Post# 820642 , Reply# 7   4/23/2015 at 15:50 (3,261 days old) by brastemp (Brazil)        

Videos, videos and videos!!

Post# 820652 , Reply# 8   4/23/2015 at 17:05 (3,261 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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The dryer is made in mexico, i havent found a tag saying where the washer is made. My guy that delivered the pair said the washer is the heaviest hes had to carry and he delivers for an appliance store! Lol.

Ill see if i can get a few videos made when im done with work for the week.

Yes it has the hooks in the dryer as well.

The only thing is when the drum is turned off for the rack, you cant use a temp or steam, just room air temps...


Post# 820669 , Reply# 9   4/23/2015 at 18:49 (3,261 days old) by logixx (Germany)        
Basket Breaking During Spin

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The link I just came across says the washer is made in China.

Safety Recall: www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2013/GE-R...


Post# 820685 , Reply# 10   4/23/2015 at 20:52 (3,261 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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Thats for the 8000 series. Mines the 4.

Post# 820688 , Reply# 11   4/23/2015 at 20:58 (3,261 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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pfws4600l0ww washer, pfds450el3ww is the dryer.

The recall was for 2008-2011 units, mine was made in 2013 I think


Post# 820784 , Reply# 12   4/24/2015 at 17:18 (3,260 days old) by Imperial70 (MA USA)        
I bought that washer

as it was being discontinued from GE. Home Depot sold it at a very good deal. I liked it so much I was looking for the gas dryer but none of them on the east coast.  Great washer.  Quiet, vibration free.  Whites are super white.  The steam and overnight dry cycles come in handy. 

 

Congratulations and enjoy your new laundry pair.


Post# 822638 , Reply# 13   5/9/2015 at 02:32 (3,246 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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Lets see, we are about 20 days in and i couldn't hold it any more... I gave in to my obsession or pickyness and raised the water level drastically.

After watching that maytag neptune video in another post, I was really bothered by how much the neptune could hold and how much the load deflated when wet.

I decided to wash a load i generally only do for 'tests'... A queen comfortor, a queen blanket, a flat sheet and two shams. The ge filled, tumbled, filles, tumbled and so on but the load just seemed to sit there, expanded in the tub... Finally it wasnt adding any more water and the items werent moving much. I ended up dumping 8 gallons of water in the dispenser. The load deflated to about half of the drum and started tumbling nicely. The water was just under the flat part of the glass door.

After reading the technical information, that level is roughly where flood protection is set.i took the hood off and started messing with the three water levels. Finally it dawned on me that i could go into service test mode and test each fill level. I adjusted the levels and re washed the same load and everything deflated nicely.

Just so people who search for it see it, the top of the three torx screws is the foam level, the lower left is the normal level and the lower right is the overflow level. The screws are torx t20. What really helps is the test mode.

Anyways, im gonna dump stuff in and see how it washes now. Ill start with my bedding lol.


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Post# 822669 , Reply# 14   5/9/2015 at 13:54 (3,245 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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What do you guys think? Do i have the level too high? Ive got 8 undershirts, 8 briefs and 8 pairs of socks in this load...






Post# 822670 , Reply# 15   5/9/2015 at 13:57 (3,245 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 822673 , Reply# 16   5/9/2015 at 14:15 (3,245 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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If this is the wash part of the cycle, yes, the waterlevel is way too high. The clothes are rolling over, not tumbling. Besides that, this is a very small load for such a big frontloader.

Post# 822676 , Reply# 17   5/9/2015 at 15:03 (3,245 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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I was thinking i needed more lift, but as i sat there watching the load (filmed three 5 minute segments trying to get the right file size) i did notice the clothes moving position from one side to the other (front to back of tub).

I was thinking the next water level id try would be just to the top of the inner drum lip? Or should i go half ways from where its at now and the lip?


Post# 822677 , Reply# 18   5/9/2015 at 15:09 (3,245 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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As far as load size... I have a mother always nagging saying I over load my machines. She has a neptune front loader and usually puts 4-8 clothing items in total.....

I load my clothes as needed and if they come out of the washer with the collars stinking, socks not smelling clean or the crotch of things not smelling clean, they go back in split in two loads. I dont use fabric softener, just persil 2 in 1 and i use a very small amount compared to what is suggested so my clothes arent over fragrant.

At minimum 3 rinses are used as well.

What are your thoughts to change that? Im a single guy with no partner. Just a long haired cat.


Post# 822686 , Reply# 19   5/9/2015 at 16:53 (3,245 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        

Depends on how high the tub lip is. But generally, the area where the bottom of the rubber seal is just about to be covered should work with usual loads. If you more often wash such "small" loads, I'd rather do a little less.
They'll get clean with this high water level as well. But then, you could have gotten a TL and get probably about the same water usage...
On load sizes: The "smallest" sorting I'd recomend would be Towels, Bedding, Whites, Coloreds, Delicates, Special Items (Pillows, Blankets etc.).


Post# 822687 , Reply# 20   5/9/2015 at 16:55 (3,245 days old) by logixx (Germany)        

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Technically, you don't need to have any free water in the drum at all to get clothes clean. As long as clothes are saturated with cleaning solution, it's fine. That being said, the inner drum lip is probably fine to aim for. My Duet fills that high when I use Bukly with regular clothes. The rinses, on Bulky, will get one to two inches more water.

As for the load size: if you're single that's probably the best you can do. Using the appropriate amount of detergent and cycle length, these washers can be loaded all the way up, though.

Alex


Post# 822689 , Reply# 21   5/9/2015 at 18:05 (3,245 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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How about now? Same load, different level.







Post# 822690 , Reply# 22   5/9/2015 at 18:46 (3,245 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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Two fitted sheets, two flat sheets and 14 pillow cases. All queen sized. Cotton for the white and Egyptian cotton for the two cream pillow cases and the green colored items.

What do you guys think with this size of load?







Post# 822730 , Reply# 23   5/10/2015 at 04:11 (3,245 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        
Both loads

They look perfect, water level and size wise.
Question: How "hard" is the ATC on that washer?


Post# 822734 , Reply# 24   5/10/2015 at 06:52 (3,245 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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Queen size down alternative comforter.







Post# 822736 , Reply# 25   5/10/2015 at 07:12 (3,245 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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The sheet load, the water level looked about right.  The reply #14, reminded me of a WH Laundromat whereby the water level wasn't adjusted for smaller loads and movement was way too sluggish, far too much water.  Personally I think better results comes from much higher lift and plunge in shallow water rather than simply rolling up into balls of contents of each load.  I also think the excessive water level in my old Frigidaire contributed to early bearing failure.  My OCD is, are darks and whites normally washed in same loads? 


Post# 822754 , Reply# 26   5/10/2015 at 10:19 (3,244 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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The water level in the second try is much better, the clothes tumble more. Ideally the clothes hit the side of the drum, just above the water level. You can compare it to beating clothes on a rock, the rock was always above the water level. After they had been beaten on the rock, they were submerged, then again beaten.

The sheets load is OK, but it's still not a full load.

Have a look at this video. This is how a German washer collector fills his machines.








Post# 822761 , Reply# 27   5/10/2015 at 11:14 (3,244 days old) by logixx (Germany)        

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Yup, the new water level looks much better - I'd leave it there unless you have cleaning issues.

This is a regular load of whites and colorfast towels in my washer, about half of what it can handle.


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Post# 822803 , Reply# 28   5/10/2015 at 14:48 (3,244 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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Henene4, what do you mean how hard is the atc? From what im noticing on this raised level that wasnt the first time, it adjusts a bit more evenly than the factory water level. The factory level was 2.5" deep at the back of the tub, bringing the water up to the middle of the tub on its tilt.

Now the water level touches the front rim of the drum but doesnt go over the inner lip. I would say the water is at least twice what the factory level was.

Things seem to saturate better now than they did originally.


Post# 822844 , Reply# 29   5/10/2015 at 19:36 (3,244 days old) by washer111 ()        

I think Henene is asking how aggressive the automatic temperature control on the water is.

Post# 822875 , Reply# 30   5/11/2015 at 01:35 (3,244 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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Sorry, i haven't had a clear mind this weekend. Friday we took my mom to the ER and they admitted her for the weekend. She smokes and was having trouble breathing... I've been futzing with this thing to keep my mind occupied, i just didn't read. I apologize.

As far as the atc goes, from what i can tell, warm is warm, not cool. Cool is warmer than tap cold, tap cold is frigid and hot is true hot!

Also, the dispenser fills with wash temp. I did notice when i had the lid off that, during the last rinse, dispenser was hot for a short time. I think it rinses the fabric softener with hot water for a short period then does a cold fill for the rest of the way.

The positive of this weekend is she is finally willing to start patches for the cigarettes. This all lined up at the right time of her sister was 11 years older than her, her sister passed away 11 years ago from a smoking related illness. Her sister was 65 and mom is 65 now.

Mom smokes a pack a day, but we are on day 3 of no cigarette.

While at home with her today, I decided to take the neptune apart and clean the dispensers. Mom is a clean freak but she could never figure out how to get the mold out. I took the machine apart thanks to a few guides here and a video on youtube and washed/scrubbed and sanitized everything. Mom was happy!

I also ran two hot cycles with boilout in to clean the neptune.


Post# 822909 , Reply# 31   5/11/2015 at 08:31 (3,244 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        
Thanks for the answer :)

Hope everything turns out fine for you. I'm that kind of person who believes that as long as you have no doubt about everything getting OK again, everything will get OK again.
Keep in mind we're all here for you ;)
Oh, and, BTW, really surprised the ATC isn't that bad about water temperatures. And I really adore the dryer. Love that drying "rack" and hanger supports. Quite unique!


Post# 823688 , Reply# 32   5/16/2015 at 08:29 (3,239 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

jkbff's profile picture
Henene4, i appreciate it.

I wished this machine had a recirculating pump and a 240v heater. It would be perfect.

My smartdispense base arrived. I just gotta get my good looking appliance guy over to help me install it.

I have used this pair more since i brought it home than i did the LG pair.

Mom is jealous of this pair. She offered me her neptunes for trade. Ive got a rep and two dealers looking for more floor models like this or the ruby red rightheights so i can take those neptunes off her hands. ;)


Post# 824027 , Reply# 33   5/18/2015 at 14:19 (3,236 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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My grandma has a cruel sense of humor..

She hates down filled pillows... A while ago, I had lived out there and had some bedding that I had left. Several pillows and one of those beds in a bag (comforter, sheets, shams and skirt etc). This past month I had been getting some stuff out of their house and she had my bedding packed up all nice and neat for me. I took everything to storage to deal with later...

Well, last night I decided to wash everything. Did the blankets etc, threw the pillows in and went on with my night. I was watching the machine from my kitchen and noticed the last two pillows were making the machine act odd... I didn't think anything of them when I put them in. The machine struggled its way through the cycle... I go to put them in the dryer and the damn things weighed a ton. They were friggen down filled pillows (she swapped my pillows out because she knew they could be washed easily)... It wouldn't extract all of the water (which I understand why now). One at a time they got thrown into the wash sink, rinsed and squished dry. We are going on 4 hours in the dryer with tennis balls and they still aren't dry. The damn things were so heavy they made the dryer bounce for the first hour...

HOW does one wash down pillows in a front load?

Also, while I'm at it, whats the proper way to load a thick comforter in a front load?

(On a side note, they came and took the LG's today. The guys left a trail of water all through my apartment...)


Post# 824028 , Reply# 34   5/18/2015 at 14:35 (3,236 days old) by henene4 (Heidenheim a.d. Brenz (Germany))        

You just got to hope with those pillows!
No, seriously: Let the washer finish its cycle. I usually add a prewash and a medium spin before that prewash, so they saturate completly.
No matter what hppens (except if it is about to spin with pillows not distributed evenly), let the machine do its thing.
Then, at the end of the cycle, check how well they are rinsed and spun. If they are still sudsy, rinse the manually. It will take ages to get them rinsed in the machine. Now, push out as much water as you can manually, just as you did. Get a whole bunch of towels and throw them into the machine with the pillows. These will help to couter balance them. I usually prewet them.
Start of with a slow spin cycle. Then set it a bit higher etc. until you reach the desired spin speed.
Takes a bit of time, but that is my EU tryed'n'tested method.

For drying: I usually run them on the highest sensor setting with the lowest temperature possible first. Alternetivley, a 45-60 min cycle will do. Then, take them out and let them sit for 30-60 minutes. The moisture from the core will move outwards. Do this 2-3 times and then just let them finish drying by laying them out.

I usually just stuff my comforters in.
Or I layer them by first putting in the shorter side and the adding layer by layer on top. Basicly, like Panasonic (see picture) suggests.
Or, I grab the 4 corners and load them in first, pushing in the rest afterwards. Or I reverse that (so, corners go in last).
Actually, I just decide by the mood I'm in.


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Post# 826035 , Reply# 35   6/1/2015 at 03:09 (3,223 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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So my SmartDispense Pedestal arrived a few weeks ago...

I took my lincoln in for some body work so I have been without my crossover for 2 weeks...

Mom started complaining about the huge box I had delivered to her garage so I borrowed her car and brought the pedestal over... I had no willing help so I took the drawer out and disconnected the tanks, carried that part separately and carried the pedestal frame down first.

GE Says to lay the washer down on its side to attach the pedestal... Uh. No thanks. I unbolted the old pedestal, put the new pedestal in front of the old one (both with the drawers removed) and slid the washer onto the new pedestal. I bolted the new pedestal on, removed the old pedestal and rocked the machine back into its place.

Whats nice is this time I had all of the leveling legs all the way up so I only had to adjust two legs two turns and the machine was level. I locked the bolts into place and connected everything.

The left tank has that lavender ecos detergent from sams club that I wanna blow through, the right tank has the members mark tide comparable ......... ...... I goofed on filling that one... You know how the large jugs have that spout on one end and the breather vent on the other? Well, I wasn't thinking I had the bottle as tipped as I did and I pushed the spout button to get air in...... SOB detergent shot across all three jugs... I found out that if one spills detergent in the drawer, there are handy vents in the BACK of the drawer to dump the detergent under the machine....... what a freaking mess....

anywho, got that all cleaned up, everything connected, went into service mode and primed the pumps and am on my 2nd no soap cycle to rinse the detergent out of whatever I could get my hands on to mop up the soap....

I registered my units today, also sent an email to GE's Firstbuild team hoping they can shed some light on accessing programming info on the washer... I'd like to... edit some stuff. The message I sent (mind you it was sent at 2:41 AM):

I am not sure if this is the proper place, but, I have a pfws4600l0ww profile washer and I hate the wash programs. Is there a way to reprogram the machine? This may sound like a random generic question, but like when it fails a spin and rebalances a load, it tumbles one direction. When it fills, it tumbles one direction. When it fills it pauses and fills and pauses until the water level is reached. Ive also raised the water level. There is no time selectable soak, when you pause the machine it drains the water. The rinses are too fast, there is only one rinse that is added. Overnight dry is not selectable on quickwash and overnight dry tumbles one direction.

Given the controller this machine already has, hacking it should be simple. Please let me know if there is a way to modify my machine!!

Anyways, Im hoping they email back... After snooping through the firstbuild site, I'm thinking about ordering the autofill pitcher kit and see if I can retrofit it to my frigidaire... I wished more companies had programs like this.

I would love to work for GE and design appliances...


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Post# 827185 , Reply# 36   6/9/2015 at 12:02 (3,214 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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So I've been using the smart dispense option for a bit now... I'd have to say I really wish the dispenser operated off of flow instead of timed dispensing... For what was such a high-end option, you'd think they'd find a way to measure the detergent output?

I say this because for some reason, I am getting a lot of air. I haven't checked for leaks (I don't think I wanna know if there are any) but the dispenser doesn't stay at its current level. When the machine sits, the detergent level goes back down a bit. The machine doesn't have a way for compensating for that so the air gap is pushed out but that is part of the dispense time... What this comes down to is the first wash of the day has to be on MAX soap, where consecutive washes have to be on MIN because I either don't get enough soap or I get too much soap.

I am really beginning to not like the rinse on this machine as well. I wished it used more water than the wash. I don't get all of the soap out in the first three rinses... I don't think I am over-soaping, but now I'm not aware of the amounts going in the wash with the Smart Dispense. The rinses just seem too short, and for some reason clothes just don't seem flushed. Then again, maybe all of this is coming from the fact that I used the bedding cycle on the TL LG's and everything flushed out with 3 30 gallon rinses?

Smart Dispense is a neat concept, the connections and plumbing is well thought out, but I might have to take it apart and tinker with things one day, just to see whats actually going on. Maybe I have a pin hole somewhere letting air in... or I don't have the tanks sealed all the way. I'll check the tanks after sending this...


Post# 827789 , Reply# 37   6/12/2015 at 23:38 (3,211 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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so... I decided to run a clean cycle the other day... I guess I messed up the fill percentages because it filled passed the second stopping point, kept going but filled past the flood protection point so drained...

Did the same thing on the handwash cycle.

I knew those two cycles used more water than the normal fill, but I wasn't thinking how it would be calculated... I am going to crank up the flood protection level and see what happens... on both cycles, they kept filling for 24 seconds more after the pump kicked in. I'm guessing they calibrated the extra water by time compensation vs actual level...

So gotta take the machine apart, again. ;-)

Oh did a diag on the dryer trying to figure out why dryerlink wasn't working... it says it has a memory error and the main board needs to be replaced...

I've got a work order in for my sexy repair guy. I hope he shows up soon :-D


Post# 827817 , Reply# 38   6/13/2015 at 07:44 (3,211 days old) by jkbff (Happy Rock, ND)        

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Messed with the flood protection level.

Here is the basket clean cycle:








Here is the hand wash cycle (does it look like the water will touch the bearings?):








If the water is going to touch the bearings, I need to lower the wash water leve a bit. I don't wanna kill this machine with my wrong doing...


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