Thread Number: 40741
Speed Queen FL questions - pre sales |
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Post# 602786 , Reply# 1   6/11/2012 at 20:11 (4,336 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
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1) Boosted Hot is no longer available and I believe that it was never included on the Imperial model.
2) Water levels can be adjusted. 3) No new units that I am aware of. That doesn't mean that there aren't any coming, but SQ keeps these things hush until they are ready. 4) I know that a few people have concern over the auto sensing method available in the clothes dryers, but honestly, I actually prefer the thermostatic approach. Malcolm |
Post# 602809 , Reply# 2   6/11/2012 at 21:27 (4,336 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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nowayout-- I'm a longtime user of front-loading washers, and understand your loathing of all things cheap and plastic. I bought the TOL redesigned Frigidaire pair in 2010. It's my first ultra-low water machine. Unfortunately, plastic abounds. I really like the washer, and would make these suggestions:
1) With the dumbing-down of hot water temp (110 degrees on many brands, which I consider warm, not hot) I wouldn't go near a washer without an internal heater. You'll never get truly hot water. I use the Allergy option to get 132 degree water, and the Sanitize cycle to get 155 degree water and a great profile wash (where the water enters warm and gradually heats to a high temp--great for removing a wide range of stains). 2) With the mega capacity of many new machines, I'd look for one that has a recirculating spray jet. This gets even huge loads saturated very quickly and helps remove detergent from fibers during the rinses. The recirculating jet on the Frigidaire kicks in a couple of times during the wash portion of the cycle and runs quite a bit during the rinses. Consumer Reports cites LG and Whirlpool as being reliable machines. If you have a big family, there's a new LG with a 5.1 cubic foot wash drum. I bought the Frigidaire because of the price point. The pair cost about $1850. You'll pay almost that much for a TOL Whirlpool or LG washer, alone. Good luck, and let us know what you decide to get. |
Post# 603165 , Reply# 6   6/13/2012 at 03:08 (4,335 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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I have always been a temperature sensor guy but this time/temperature on this machine is better than my old Neptune dryer. I could never get clothes out of the Neptune slightly damp, they were always bone dry.
This machine I can dial in any dryness I choose so it surprised me totally since there is no sensor onboard! |
Post# 603174 , Reply# 7   6/13/2012 at 04:49 (4,335 days old) by qualin (Canada)   |   | |
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The rear control washer doesn't look all that bad either.. I personally like white better, but that's just IMHO. |
Post# 603514 , Reply# 9   6/14/2012 at 06:36 (4,334 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 603519 , Reply# 10   6/14/2012 at 07:02 (4,334 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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Just for information: Using the Allergy option on my Frigidaire (heated boost to 132 degrees) lengthens the cycle to 1 hour and 12 minutes, which, I believe is in line with the regular cycle length of most brands. Frigidaire and Speed Queen seem to be the only brands with normal cycles that come in under an hour. Of course, they're both downrated by Consumer Reports for cleaning ability because of that, although I get great results by using the maximum amount of wash time for a given cycle, rather than the default time.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Speed Queen regain a much higher profile in consumer brands! They are obviously well-built, and boast more stainless steel than most other brands. If machines still allowed "tap hot" water, I'd...well, I'd still want an internal heater, but it wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me. However, since most machines thermostatically dumb-down the incoming water temp, it's a feature I won't be without. |
Post# 603520 , Reply# 11   6/14/2012 at 07:02 (4,334 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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I do think that these are the best built AND easy to service machines available today and should be good machines for your laundry situation. Even a main bearing job can be done by a avid do-it yourself-er. You may have also read that SQ engineers consider that a SQ FL washer can last up to 25,000 loads, so you should [ with some repairs ] get 20 years of use out of one [ this is over twice the life that Miele estimates that their washers can last ].
I do wish they still had the boosted hot water option, my 8 YO SQ FL has it and I use it frequently. One other way to get a good hot wash in a Hi Efficiency washer is to use a small 3-6 gallon electric heater near the washer. You can either install it permanently or hook it up with washer inlet hoses and plug it in, connected to the cold water inlet of the washer it would allow you to turn it on 15 minutes before you start a load and then select cold fill for wash and get a really hot wash as you can set many of these small heaters up to 170 degrees. By connection it to the cold inlet you could switch it off when you start the washer and then the cold water for the rinses will cool it off. You of coarse could connect it to the hot side and use it as a booster, this may make more sense if you want to leave it on all the time or if you houses hot water is heated in a more economical way than resistance electric.
You are exactly correct about it not making any difference in the cost of operation of electric heaters on either 120 or 240 volts. But when it comes to motor operation the SAME is true, a 240 motor is not necessarily one cent cheaper to run than a 120 volt motor. It is cheaper to build an efficient 240 motor, but if they were actually cheaper to run you would have seen the blower motors in gas furnaces etc all changed over to 240 volts long ago. On window ACs again there is no difference in the cost of operation between 120 and 240 volt units and in fact historically 240 volt units used to cost much more to run for the same amount of cooling performance, but that was because the manufactures were being lazy and could get away with in the old days, now they have to meet the same standards. |
Post# 603522 , Reply# 12   6/14/2012 at 07:35 (4,334 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Am noting the lack of efficient heating that you are stating in front loading washing machines.....I cant believe a company like Speed Queen and others wouldnt want this "Hot Water" feature on their machines - given them being the American Heritage of washers....
So - is this still because of government beaurocracy still etc do you think??... On the other hand it must be a nightmare situation for utility companies and infrastructure if suddenly everyone bought front loaders with 212d wash options and started using them - the power usage would be enormous!! |
Post# 603745 , Reply# 15   6/15/2012 at 06:00 (4,333 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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SQ decision is based on cost and consumer demand. Mike to try and answer your question:
There is a basic OR has been a basic difference between EU washing and AM washing. Americans traditionally use chlorine bleach as a laundry staple. In EU ,from what Henkel writes, boil washing was always the staple method of doing laundry. So boil washing is something strange to most Americans born after the mid 20th C. Interestingly in Japan the staple has been cold water washing from early on. Every region has its method. I like John use my SQ heat boost quite often and I found the only working heat boost left in my 3 Duos is the oldest one from 1955. If I run the wash dial twice=18 minutes that 208v?? heater will get the water up to near 150 degrees. Whites do come out whiter. Enzymes are killed at 137 degrees but by the time the water reaches that they have done their job. The SQ will get the water up to 145 degrees and the wash program gets extended to 45 minutes in order for the 110v heater to do its job. |
Post# 603753 , Reply# 16   6/15/2012 at 06:09 (4,333 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
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The simple truth is that the Boosted Hot machines were not selling. I suppose the general public that would consider a Speed Queen FL machine is trying to get away from all the fancy do-dads of others on the salesfloor. A heater is just one more point of failure...
Of course, people in the know feel differently! Malcolm |
Post# 603765 , Reply# 17   6/15/2012 at 07:00 (4,333 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Malcolm, I suspect you are correct that the boosted heat model was just not selling, it was funny how many people we could get to buy a &1300.00 FL washer but would not pay another $90 for the heater, the last one we sold is the one Jon C has.
Jon your old 1955 Bendix would likely have a 220 or 230 volt water heater in it [ check the name tag to be sure ] not a 208 volt one but because you are now operating the machine on 240 volts the heater is doing its job faster and better than it did in 1955. Your new SQ FL washer has a 900 watt 120 volt heater in it and I am sure that you have 120 in your homes. |
Post# 603770 , Reply# 18   6/15/2012 at 07:12 (4,333 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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Post# 603931 , Reply# 20   6/15/2012 at 18:26 (4,332 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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It doesn't concern me that the machine has been sitting for two years.
You can buy the basic SQ Gas dryer and swap the parts and then you will end up with your SS Gas dryer and then you can sell the basic electric model. The only problem is you might void the warranties on the dryers, but even with the heavy usage you give the machines you still only have about a one in five chance of needing the three year full warranty.
The SS pair that I got for Jon in Boston will have to be converted to gas when he places them in there final home. |
Post# 604078 , Reply# 25   6/16/2012 at 12:48 (4,332 days old) by 58limited (Port Arthur, Texas)   |   | |
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I would have paid extra for the heat boost if it was still offered on the SQ that I recently bought. I purchased mine from AJ Madison and it took over a month to arrive, part of that was a scheduling issue with the shipping company - it sat in Houston for two weeks before they put it on the truck to my house, 80 miles away. Based on what I've heard about SQ's back orders, I feel lucky to get it as quickly as I did. |
Post# 604102 , Reply# 26   6/16/2012 at 14:15 (4,332 days old) by danmantn (Tennessee)   |   | |
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I had a SQ dealer explain that to me as my friends wanted a Speed Queen, but couldn't wait a month - seems they have been working on several huge government contract (SQs bread and butter), so big they shut the factory down for a period of time in order to meet the contract deadline. Two different dealers told me the same info, so I would assume it to be valid.
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Post# 604145 , Reply# 27   6/16/2012 at 19:26 (4,331 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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The major reason for the delay in getting NEW SQs is that they are becoming the victim of there own success, their sales have increased by large margins each of the last three years as more and more people are becoming interested in either purchasing an old fashioned TL washer or as we have found that many of our customers once they have had A Hi Efficiency FL or Calypso type washer that gave a lot of problems they were very interested in buying a very high quality FL SQ washer with a great warranty.
Converting a dryer to gas, it might be easier to just buy the gas burner and related parts to do the conversion, it is very easy to convert to Gas if you have the parts. You could also Pierrot parts from any SQ or Amana gas dryer built in the last thirty years to do the conversion, I have done it many many times. Get in touch if you need more information by emailing me your Phone # and best time to call, John. |
Post# 604154 , Reply# 28   6/16/2012 at 19:52 (4,331 days old) by mrb627 (Buford, GA)   |   | |
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Post# 604165 , Reply# 29   6/16/2012 at 21:39 (4,331 days old) by danmantn (Tennessee)   |   | |
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