Thread Number: 74549
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Frigidaire Classic Front Load Washer |
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Post# 983444 , Reply# 1   2/19/2018 at 17:22 (2,229 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)   |   | |
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They came out about 96’ or 97’. I had a 97’ model and it was a very good machine, the last of the good domestic FL’s in my opinion. They still had electormechanical controls, the top spin speed was I believe 950 rpms and they weren’t the least temperamental. They also used enough water to get your clothes properly cleaned and rinsed. The cycle times were about 50 to 55 mins IIRC. They got alot of bad press because many people didn’t know how to properly care for an FL and they got mold and bad odors from not leaving the door ajar and not using hot water anf LCB to wash often enough.
Eddie This post was last edited 02/19/2018 at 17:37 |
Post# 983445 , Reply# 2   2/19/2018 at 17:35 (2,229 days old) by IowaBear (Cedar Rapids, IA)   |   | |
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The employees in Webster City signed the final one off the line. Very sad. CLICK HERE TO GO TO IowaBear's LINK |
Post# 983452 , Reply# 3   2/19/2018 at 18:07 (2,229 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)   |   | |
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I liked and bought the Kenmore version of these....more options, and the dryers drum was also stainless....
as with any FLer, bearings/ seals, and some spider issues....but I think that fell more on user error I found them to be tough little no-nonsense machines....it would take a lot to kill one... first versions used a linkage connected to the timer that controlled the dispensers, over time they would not dispense correctly.....newer models switched to solenoid operated units... some had odd programming for the final spin.....meaning they would only ramp up to high for the last minute, while others ran full high speed the whole time... very good at cleaning and rinsing.....water level can be easily adjusted if needed |
Post# 983462 , Reply# 4   2/19/2018 at 18:37 (2,229 days old) by bendix5 (Central Point, Oregon)   |   | |
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We bought one of these washers in 97. I thought, at last a nice regular run of the mill front loader. After being off the market for years I was glad to see something and with a window. It actually was a perfect sized machine for us and washed, rinsed and damped dried just fine. Then at 3 years went out one day and loaded it up, turned it on and nothing happened. I put in a new timer and off it went. I don't remember the cost and I didn't much care until the bearings started going out. My son said he would take it and give me back my Maytag. I said ok. He had a whole house warranty at the time so he took it home, hooked it up and called the warranty company and they came and put in new bearings. I should say the back outer tub with bearings already in it. My sons family now was ready to go and his wife loved the machine. A few months later I went and bought another one. We were happy again. My wife never liked the dryer. Westinghouse clone. Ran to hot and she didn't like it that the back of the dryer was so hot you couldn't touch it. She said it had to go. We bought the Neptune(Samsung) front loaders. We have had them since Nov 2005. Like them very much. Set water level up some to help. Washer is now getting noisy and high speed spin is getting louder. Dryer is thumping which I think is a roller. I will be taking a look at them both soon. Also I have been looking at new FL'ers. Of the Frigidaire was still on the marked I would get another new one. I gave our other one away when we moved back to Oregon. I think that by now they should have all the kinks out of them. I would get one and a WP dryer and be happy. I liked the mechanical timer and you could go and reset it where you wanted it and it would just go. It would be perfect for us. It had a spray rinse after wash like the old WWestinghouse machines. It was great. Sorry this is too long. Dano
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Post# 983465 , Reply# 5   2/19/2018 at 18:39 (2,229 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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Post# 983467 , Reply# 6   2/19/2018 at 18:45 (2,229 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)   |   | |
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Actually, and with my name I hate to say it, but Neptune washers had more of an issue with the mold and odors that the Frigidaire did. The issue with the FD was that after about 4-5 years, the bearings would fail or something else expensive would go and would cost as much as a new machine to repair, so the washer was tossed. Are current Frigidaire FL washers like the original? I know they are larger capacity, but anything else much different?
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Post# 983471 , Reply# 7   2/19/2018 at 18:57 (2,229 days old) by peteski50 (New York)   |   | |
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Post# 983473 , Reply# 8   2/19/2018 at 19:04 (2,229 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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These were very good performers overall, the 1997-2000 had brush type main motors and European timers and had problems with both.
In mid 2000 they went with a better North American timer and 3 phase inverted motor and had no real problems with either.
All of the years had a high rate of bearing and main seal failures, and they had a thin spider and had lots of broken spiders, we see over a dozen broken spiders in these machines every month.
These machines had very little problem with mold and odors, compared to MT Neptune, MTs problems were caused by having a light in the tub that you could NOT TURN OFF unless you closed the door, they also had a light gray boot that showed mold and the stupid slanted tub did not throw enough water up to clean the boot and caused clothing tangling that FD never had.
John L. |
Post# 983474 , Reply# 9   2/19/2018 at 19:09 (2,229 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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My sister has the Kenmore version of this machine. It must be at least a dozen years old by now. Appliances tend to give her trouble because she doesn't know how to take care of them, but this washer hasn't needed anything. She was even keeping the door closed and there was no smell. I told her to leave it ajar, but don't know if she got in the habit or not. The dryer's duct was clogged by a rat's nest, which required a repair call, but that wasn't the dryer's fault. |
Post# 983484 , Reply# 10   2/19/2018 at 19:49 (2,229 days old) by potatochips ( )   |   | |
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My friends that have them seem to like them a lot, good capacity. I may add one to the collection just because. |
Post# 983523 , Reply# 11   2/20/2018 at 00:30 (2,229 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)   |   | |
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Post# 983531 , Reply# 12   2/20/2018 at 03:35 (2,228 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))   |   | |
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I've still got one, circa 98. In storage (like me, HUD section 202) but brother loaned it to girlfriend while she had her own place and she wished they still made them that way.
No bother at all. Quiet; loudest thing it did was fill. Seldom unbalanced. Never stunk. Never broke. Good cycle choices included prewash which waited for you to refill det dispenser. Very important to many, occupied 'standard' footprint. No wonder those gargantuan FLs are a hard sell outside the McMansion set.
As to cleaning, ideal for 'office dirt' and getting the longest fabric life. I've got sheets the same age as the washer; a TL would have shredded through 3-4 sets in the same time. Kids and mechanics stuff, you're going to want scrubbed by an agitator*. And those fabrics are short-lived anyway. (*NOT 'peller, which is the worst of all 3 worlds: tangling, wear, lethargic cleaning action.)
You want one? Come and get it. I'm not going to be stuffy about price. Wouldn't let it go but doubt I'll ever have a "residence" again. |
Post# 983937 , Reply# 14   2/23/2018 at 01:56 (2,226 days old) by wft2800 (Leatherhead, Surrey)   |   | |
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What was the outer tub in these made of? Stainless, enamel, or just plastic? |
Post# 983939 , Reply# 15   2/23/2018 at 02:34 (2,225 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))   |   | |
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Post# 983943 , Reply# 16   2/23/2018 at 06:21 (2,225 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 984030 , Reply# 18   2/23/2018 at 18:57 (2,225 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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All these posts---mine included---and not one mention that this thread should be posted in the vintage 'Imperial' forum. I'd say this shows just how deep in denial we are, LOL. It doesen't seem possible that what we see as a relatively new washer is actually old enough to be considered vintage by forum guidelines.😳
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Post# 984059 , Reply# 19   2/24/2018 at 02:43 (2,224 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))   |   | |
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Post# 984130 , Reply# 20   2/24/2018 at 10:07 (2,224 days old) by potatochips ( )   |   | |
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Eugene, I was thinking the same thing ha! By rights this should be in Imperial, but Im stuck in my old ways as sooner or later, those WP vertical modular washers will end up in Imperial too, its only ten years away! |
Post# 984142 , Reply# 21   2/24/2018 at 12:13 (2,224 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)   |   | |
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heres one for sale for 50.00.....seems decent enough even if it needs a 20.00 kit for bearings/seals....still a better deal than most Flers today.....
CLICK HERE TO GO TO Yogitunes's LINK on Cnj Craigslist
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Post# 984145 , Reply# 22   2/24/2018 at 13:13 (2,224 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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My niece has the same washer and matching dryer in the house she bought a few years ago and is very happy with them. 2 of my neighbors have had this model and one had the outer tub destroyed when some idiot put a king size comforter which went out of balance. The other neighbor's kept going out of balance and banging. Both replaced them with the same new models.
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Post# 984222 , Reply# 23   2/25/2018 at 07:13 (2,223 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)   |   | |
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Post# 984243 , Reply# 24   2/25/2018 at 08:14 (2,223 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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The worst thing about this otherwise great preforming washer was the spider was just too thin and corroded and broke too easily, FD seemed to learn their lesson on their next two generations of FL washers we have never seen a broken spider.
Hi Tim, the king sized comforter was not the real cause of the failure of the washer, [ in fact a king sized comforter could not go out of balance in a washer of this size ] But rather the spider was very corroded and would have broken anyway, the other machine probably had a partly broken spider causing to to seemly go out of balance easily.
Just in the last two weeks I have run 6 service calls on these washers that all had broken spiders.
John L. |
Post# 984314 , Reply# 25   2/25/2018 at 16:23 (2,223 days old) by richimaor (Baja California, Mexico)   |   | |
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Here’s a picture of my Frigimore’s control panel to share with you guys...
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Post# 984342 , Reply# 26   2/25/2018 at 20:19 (2,223 days old) by IowaBear (Cedar Rapids, IA)   |   | |
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Post# 984347 , Reply# 27   2/25/2018 at 20:37 (2,223 days old) by richimaor (Baja California, Mexico)   |   | |
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It is an 8 minute (approximately) wash, then it drains, stops and you start the main wash. I use it for heavy soiled clothing and sometimes whites. |
Post# 984348 , Reply# 28   2/25/2018 at 20:58 (2,223 days old) by IowaBear (Cedar Rapids, IA)   |   | |
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Thanks. I considered this exact same model when I when I bought my Maytag 6500 FL Neptune back in 2006. Both were made in Iowa.
The Neptune had a heater which ultimately swayed my decision in its favor and by that time I figured most of the bugs had been worked out of the Neptunes.
The window would have been nice though... |
Post# 984357 , Reply# 29   2/25/2018 at 22:21 (2,223 days old) by richimaor (Baja California, Mexico)   |   | |
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The lack of a heater is the only “complaint “ I have about this washer, otherwise it’s an amazing machine, small but mighty... |
Post# 984389 , Reply# 30   2/26/2018 at 03:09 (2,222 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)   |   | |
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Post# 984414 , Reply# 31   2/26/2018 at 10:18 (2,222 days old) by richimaor (Baja California, Mexico)   |   | |
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I can’t quite remember exactly when did we get this washer, something between 2003-2006 |
Post# 984439 , Reply# 32   2/26/2018 at 14:02 (2,222 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)   |   | |
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I bought this Frigidaire Gallery version in 1997 and still have them. I guess I've been lucky, the washer hasn't had any major failures (yet) and I've never had to repair anything on the dryer. The only problems with the washer have been the tub shocks (twice) and the timer knob broke once. I rarely use it now and the last few times I run a load, it kind of sounds like the shaft seal may be a little dry, but the bearings are still as quiet as ever.
They have been great machines, the washer uses a good amount of water (then again everything did back then) and it washes / rinses well because of it. The spin speed is 650, then it ramps up to 900 rpm for the last minute of the final spin (reg cycle only). This post was last edited 02/26/2018 at 16:32 |
Post# 984440 , Reply# 33   2/26/2018 at 14:10 (2,222 days old) by richimaor (Baja California, Mexico)   |   | |
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Is your dryer a 2 way tumble dryer? Mine isn’t but has a stainless steel drum... |
Post# 984456 , Reply# 34   2/26/2018 at 16:48 (2,222 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)   |   | |
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Yes, it runs one direction for 5 minutes, reverses for 1 minute, the other way again. The blower wasn't designed properly for equal airflow both directions. When it reverses for 1 minute, the airflow is noticeably less (maybe half?) and there's far less noise out the vent too.
The dryer drum is white, though the paint has worn off the back of the drum. |
Post# 984986 , Reply# 38   3/2/2018 at 16:06 (2,218 days old) by richimaor (Baja California, Mexico)   |   | |
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I uploaded a video of mine around a year ago, here it is... CLICK HERE TO GO TO richimaor's LINK |
Post# 984987 , Reply# 39   3/2/2018 at 16:10 (2,218 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)   |   | |
This post has been removed by the member who posted it. |
Post# 985136 , Reply# 40   3/3/2018 at 16:53 (2,217 days old) by Whatsername (Denver, CO)   |   | |
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There was also a rare touchpad control model--never seen one offline before but here's a current listing on CL.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO Whatsername's LINK on Fortcollins Craigslist |
Post# 985137 , Reply# 41   3/3/2018 at 16:54 (2,217 days old) by Stricklybojack (South Hams Devon UK)   |   | |
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Post# 985169 , Reply# 42   3/3/2018 at 22:39 (2,217 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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were called FriGEmores. I never had one but I always heard they used more water and washed and rinsed well.
So Electrolux made these? I never knew Electrolux EVER gave a 5-year warranty on any washer! I know this was in the UK so I guess perhaps they make their washers differently there than the USA? Wouldn't surprise me. Another thing I notice is the lack of a coin trap pump access door. That still annoys me on washers today that do not have one. |
Post# 985181 , Reply# 43   3/3/2018 at 23:48 (2,217 days old) by richimaor (Baja California, Mexico)   |   | |
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I’d love to see those touchpad models in action, and even more to play with them |
Post# 985383 , Reply# 44   3/5/2018 at 09:00 (2,215 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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We saw about a dozen pairs of these over the years and they really did not offer any advantage over the regular timer controlled models and the control boards are now NLA.
These FD FL machines did have a nice removable lower access panel, but even after you remove it there is no clean-out trap, instead you have to remove the sump hose from the pump to clean out any clogs. john L. |
Post# 989811 , Reply# 45   4/7/2018 at 19:06 (2,182 days old) by Stricklybojack (South Hams Devon UK)   |   | |
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Proud new owner of a pair...ahem, of FL Frigidaires that is. Just picked them up from the original owner who had them in storage for 12 years. We unstacked the units...luckily he kept the washer top which apparently one removes if stacking the pair. Despite being standard sized units, both were able to fit in my Saturn wagon...at the same time! He kindly gave me a 30 day warranty in case the washer leaks (presumably from a dry seal), and seemed like the sort who would back it up without question. Will give them a test spin tomorrow and report back. This post was last edited 04/07/2018 at 19:41 |
Post# 989814 , Reply# 46   4/7/2018 at 19:14 (2,182 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.)   |   | |
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Congratulations Robert! I think you will be very happy with these machines, especially the washer. They both appear to be in very good condition. You will be pleasantly surprised how much this washer will hold, and still wash well. It uses enough water to really clean and rinse very well.
Good luck with your new set. Eddie |
Post# 989818 , Reply# 47   4/7/2018 at 19:23 (2,182 days old) by IowaBear (Cedar Rapids, IA)   |   | |
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Post# 989850 , Reply# 48   4/7/2018 at 23:28 (2,182 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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A friend of mine here found one of these and all it needed was a new strut. I enjoyed having it from 10/2006 until 12/2011. The bearings started rumbling more and more. Once I discovered the incredibly cleaner, not-so-stressed laundry chore with the reality of a machine with a heater and gradual heating of water to super hot temps, I knew there was no going back and anything without a heater was a inferior compromise.
Ricardo, my model had a quick wash rather than prewash. My PowerWash cycle was called Cottons/Whites. My Eco cycle was called Wrinkle Free/Colors. If your Eco cycle is anything like my Colors cycle was, it's probably called eco because it uses less water by eliminating all interim spins except for a spin right before the final rinse and then the final spin. Less spins is supposed to be gentler on colors. |
Post# 989949 , Reply# 50   4/8/2018 at 18:27 (2,181 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)   |   | |
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