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Thread Number: 65463
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Possible Whirlpool Duet Sport Craigslist find... |
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| Post# 880580 5/13/2016 at 12:18 (2,903 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US) | ||
I happened upon this listing last night just browsing through. $40 for a front load washer on CL is rare even for just a throwaway, and typically they're still between 400-600 if in good condition. They claim the only issue is leaking from the door, so if the only problem with this machine is a door seal replacement, that's cake!! I may be picking it up later today if I can get the truck from my father in law. To me it seems silly to pass up, the picture doesn't show any offenses aside from maybe a scuff on the top right, but as Coco Peru says, "Who ceaass?" It could be a secondary machine and a chance to get familiar with a FL should I decide to get that WP HybridCare set in the future, but if it ends up not working out, 40 bucks is nothing to at least get experience with a front loader tear down. What do you guys think?
CLICK HERE TO GO TO murando531's LINK on Huntsville Craigslist 
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Post# 880587 , Reply# 1 5/13/2016 at 12:51 (2,903 days old) by Yogitunes  (New Jersey) |
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well, their description alone throws up a bit of a red flag......as its presumed where the water is coming from, versus, the door boot leaks....
willing to bet its more along the lines of rear main seal is leaking..... even if its not hooked up, plug it in and put into a spin.......its its loud, first clue is bearings...... 40 may not seem bad, I would push more closer to 20-25....that alone would get you scrap value at best in case its a bust.... good luck with your adventure, let us know how you make out......hoping for the best... | ||
| Post# 880598 , Reply# 2 5/13/2016 at 14:00 (2,903 days old) by Murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US) | ||
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I had the same thoughts Yogi. I asked for a bit more detail and he/she (haven't made it that far in conversation) seems to indicate that with "large loads it will leak out the front sometimes" but when I asked about its running condition, they said they haven't had any problems out of it and it sounds fine to them, and that they're moving and have bought a new FL set because their traditional dryer wouldn't fit in the new location, so they needed a stack. I didn't really think to ask for a lower price, I suppose because it's a stark difference in what is usually listed on CL. To me it's worth it since I've had an eye out for a while for an "experiment" FL just to play around with and learn its pros/cons.
One question I do have: what is the difference in the Duet Sport models as opposed to the usual Duets? I know they don't have them listed as models nowadays and haven't for a while. Was it basically a name slapped onto the BOL versions without the direct drive BPM motor before they were phased out. So far that's the only variance I can see through parts diagrams. | ||
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Post# 880608 , Reply# 4 5/13/2016 at 15:40 (2,903 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.) |
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| Post# 880609 , Reply# 5 5/13/2016 at 15:48 (2,903 days old) by Murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US) | ||
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That's a good point lakewebsterkid! I doubt it would be any time soon in getting that HybridCare set though. I'm hoping by the time it's a possibility, the price will have lowered on the dryer and any bugs will be worked out. Maybe the machine will only need a little TLC and I can finesse it and sell it for a little profit. :)
If in fact this machine does turn out to have rear bearing and seal issues, how much of a hassle is it to repair? I haven't looked up specific parts because I'd like to get the full model number first, and see what the machine does. Are we talking Maytag Neptune nightmare, or something fun and worth a good Saturday to do? Honestly I'm nervous but excited to actually get hands on with a machine like this. I've been in the guts and had the transmissions of a GE FilterFlo, Lady Kenmore, and WP DD in my hands, but I've never worked on or even used a front loader aside from the commercial Neptunes I had to use at a laundromat when I first moved to Huntsville. I in no way intend for this to be a money pit at all however. | ||
| Post# 880613 , Reply# 7 5/13/2016 at 16:12 (2,903 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
giving more thought on this
Andrew - I remember reading something on the gardenweb laundry forum a LONG time ago. Get this: On front load washers, the very bottom of the glass will collect hair if you have pets, and lint otherwise. Someone once posted on that topic a LONG time ago, like literally 2008 or so about water leaking from the bottom of the front door. Someone else responded to make sure to keep that area clean where the glass meets the rubber boot to make the seal...and that's true. A LONG time ago my duet would have a small slight leak there, but I had remembered reading that, and I cleaned it really well and have kept it super clean ever since, and no leaks. I couldn't believe something as simple as cat hair could cause a leak.I was always good about keeping every part of my washer clean, but the very bottom of the glass was easy to forget. Also, I remember someone posting a picture of their duet sport here years ago, and one of the rinse water was 1/4 up the freaking door!
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Post# 880682 , Reply# 8 5/13/2016 at 23:29 (2,903 days old) by Joe_in_philly (Philadelphia, PA, USA) |
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I believe the duet sports do not have an angled drum like the older duets, so it is difficult to compare water levels, as an angled drum machine will appear to have less water. My Mom has a duet sport, and its operation is noisier and overall less refined than my older, original duet sister machine, a kenmore HE3t. She is happy with her duet sport.
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| Post# 880806 , Reply# 9 5/14/2016 at 18:51 (2,902 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US) | ||
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Okay, so after much ado about nothing, the verdict is in, with lots of pictures to browse through. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much and I'm glad I didn't because this poor lost soul was ready to ascend to the great beyond a LONG time ago. As basic as I can be with the story: it had been used for no telling how long at a tanning salon along side an Estate direct drive washer and a Roper dryer, both of which had been through as much hell as this poor thing. From the outside, this Duet looked a little worn, but nothing horrendous, just a few scuffs but no chips or dents or anything. I opened it, rotated the drum and it didn't feel or sound bad, and they had just washed a few hand towels in it, so I thought 'how bad could it be'? I fully expected it to be disgusting and need super cleaning but after that it would make a decent little machine to play around with and wash the dog's bedding, right?
Hell. No. First off, I don't know how heavy this thing is, but my husband and I only got it up on the back of the truck by an upward breath of a friendly spirit. I've never moved an appliance this heavy; even a FilterFlo or Lady K feels feather light in comparison. So, upon moving it and lifting it, there was some god-awful disturbance moving around inside the cabinet, with that telltale sound of grit and debris moving around. Sure enough, I open the bottom plate and theres a chunk of concrete counterweight in about seven pieces there to greet me. So we just get home and get the thing off the truck and into the garage. I plugged it in, hooked up the water hose to the cold side, and right off the bat, as soon as the lid locks and the water valve opens, water pours out the open hot inlet side, and this was on a cold Rinse Only test. I even unplugged the valve solenoid and still, in through the cold and out through the hot. So I found a cap to plug the hot side, just to continue the test. Keep in mind, if you look at the pictures, the door seal is quite warped, but there was no evidence of any water coming from the back of the tub. As soon as it begins tumbling, water starts drizzling not from the door, but from right behind the access panel. On closer look, I noticed that the broken counterweight was from the top front of the tub, and that apparently in whatever horrific mishap that caused it to break free, it ripped a few holes in the side of the boot, along with scraping a few wires and scuffing up the interior of the cabinet in general. I quickly cancel and drain the machine into a 5 gal. bucket and inspect the basket a bit more, to notice that there is a horrid popping and crackling sound as it's rotated, and then realize that the basket is sitting at a downward angle inside the tub. I could wobble the basket all around the tub without even moving the suspension at all. So that was it. That bearing is probably in about fifty pieces and the rear one is barely holding on. I was too scared of even trying to set it to spin because you could feel the basket scrub against the tub. And the kicker there is that they've been using this thing for no telling how long like this! It's apparent it didn't just happen recently with the amount of rust on the counterweight mounts, specifically in the areas where it sheared off. I don't even want to talk about what was in the drain trap.... All things considered, I'm not mad about it. I don't feel I wasted any money because I at least got to tear the machine down and put it back together, I'm just disappointed more in the fact that this is how the majority of appliances are treated in this world, and it's a bit eye opening really. This washer, all things considered even after being destroyed, is very well built, like a tank. If taken care of properly, this thing would still be in new condition now, being nine years old. It really does explain why the world of appliances is in the shape it's in now: most people using these machines are idiotic bimbos, like the leather bags that were running this tanning place, and no matter how well built the machine is, all it takes is stupidity to tear it to shreds. The only logical explanation for what happened to this machine is that they crammed it so full of towels that it couldn't balance, or that a towel was shut in the door seal and got jammed so that when the spin started, it knocked the machine off balance enough to shear through the steel mounts and cable that held the concrete to the tub and shatter the bearing. It's pitiful. We wonder why warranties have been reduced to only around a year, but my god, I don't blame them a bit?! The poor direct drive was in such a shape I just couldn't look at it. The water level was, of course, set to Small, and it was currently chugging away at a FULL load of towels soaked in god only knows what. I peeked under the lid for a second to see that they have NEVER set the level selector any higher than small, as evidenced by the wall of brown against the speckled porcelain tub, while there was a solid line about halfway down where the tub was generally cleaner. Just...disgusting. I hate the world after this experience. I'm hoping the memory will fade away soon because that smell....a smell of cheap tanning lotions and despair...will haunt me forever... | ||
| Post# 880807 , Reply# 10 5/14/2016 at 18:53 (2,902 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US) | ||
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| Post# 880808 , Reply# 11 5/14/2016 at 18:54 (2,902 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US) | ||
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| Post# 880809 , Reply# 12 5/14/2016 at 18:55 (2,902 days old) by murando531 (Augusta, Georgia - US) | ||
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| Post# 880813 , Reply# 13 5/14/2016 at 19:50 (2,902 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY) | ||
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Well Andrew,
I'm not surprised. I'm amazed you say the sports were so well built. I just remember them so well being talked about a few times on the forum back in the day and we were comparing our Duet's, He3t's Sports, etc..and we came to the conclusion that the Duet sport was the definite BOL made in Mexico, while the Duet HT's (like mine) were made in Germany. And to think you say this is built like a tank. It must have been to survive that hell in a tanning salon for 9 years. I'm amazed. When my Duet dies, I want someone here to have it to tear down and look through a washer that has been taken care of and only used by me over the years....I'm dying to know what the spider looks like on mine. After knowing a Duet sport lasted 9 years in a tanning salon, and mine is now over 11 years taken very good care off, maybe I will get more years out of mine than I thought.
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| Post# 880822 , Reply# 14 5/14/2016 at 21:11 (2,902 days old) by delaneymeegan (Midwest) | ||
I've had several Duets over the years
They all worked great.
I've had the washer you have. It was indeed a bit louder than the full-size Duet, the likes of which I had from 2007.
I currently have a Kenmore HE2 which is basically the same as the Sport. I bought it used for $20. Luckily, it only needed a clean up, and a pump MOTOR for $39. Who ever had it before didn't go out of their way to take care of it. But, I got paid to clean it out. I found about $4 in change in the drain line and the pump filter housing. It runs as smooth as can be with no issues with the bearings.
I also recently picked up a year 2012 full-size Duet Steam washer/electric dryer pair for $40 for both that looked GREAT, not knowing their condition. I was reved on these. The dryer worked ok, but the washer bearings were ..... It was like a mini bomb went off back there. After removing the back panel, there was black stuff that ran down all over from the center part. There were bee-bees in the bottom of the washer, and lots of rust from water leakage. The pump housing was absolutely full of hair and sticks, needed a good cleaning. Even the drain hose was gross.
The timer, pump, boot, and everything else were fine. Even the motor.
Anyway, I sold the dryer, and parted the machine. For the money, which I'm already in the black as I sold the dryer for $175, I'm keeping most all the parts in hopes of finding another cheap full size washer, hopefully with a timer or pump problem. Something like that. All I'd need to do is replace the part, like I did with the HE2, and I'll have a great washer.
Word of advice for front loaders: 1. always leave the door open when done, even if it's just a small bit. Let it air dry. You don't want mold growing on the inside or door gasket. 2. After a load, and even before unloading, take a damp sponge and clean off the inside of the glass, and the lower portion of the door seal, soaking up any remaining water. This will take away any remaining water and lint and your clothes won't take the chance of touching that when unloading. 3. When done with cycle, pull out drawer and dump out all water in a sink. Put the drawer on TOP or inside the washer so it AND the drawer cavern can dry between loads. Again, this helps prevent mold and avoids water staining.
You did good with your experiment. Now you have a parts machine, and something you learned on, for next time. Frankly, I like the Sport better than the HE2 as the water inlet on the Whirlpool flushes the window, where as on the KM, any residue just stays on the glass.
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