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Thread Number: 47648
The Maytag 806 Suds Return Clusterfudge: A Lost Story and New Pix |
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| Post# 691785 7/24/2013 at 22:13 (3,927 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
Here's the third attempt at a story I wrote twice before and lost:
Everyone had left, and Jackie's Ocean-liner, gone. Paul stayed for a while, but by midnight I was chompin' at the bit to try my very first, REAL suds return. I had a nice new wooden painter stirrer all set up to abort the lid switch, the return reservoir of water all ready to go, and then like a kid on his first date, I dialed up Suds Return, and I really think that I was not breathing. The low decibel hum of Maytag power ignited with the agitator whirling, but no valve clang sounded and no suds returned. Oh no. Please don't let this be broken. Tried again. Same results. With the lid and the stirrer getting in the way, had to keep re-installing the stirrer every time I redialed Suds. Did not count how many times. I tried this. An embarrassing number. Who here wouldn't ? At one point, the suds kicked in after I had accidentally hit the right button when fumbling with the lid, etc. but then I hit the wrong one in the frenzy--all without knowing any of this-- and I was right back to nothing. Desperate, I fumbled with the suds buttons, and suddenly the Clang came and I shouted out, so relieved. Turns out, the Suds Save button MUST be pressed in to return suds. I didn't know that, thinking the buttons were only relevant to where you wanted discharging water to go. Good, another button that must be pressed for real not pretend pressing. The machine pumped the water from the reservoir so fast, but then clanged off. Oh, no now what? Back to square one: closing the lid, the annoying paint stirrer. It was then that I discovered that Ross, Bless him forever, had disconnected the lid switch. So with the stick gone, I kept redialing Suds, but nothing happened. There must be a sweet spot on the aging timer, right. So I tried and tried to find it. Nothing. Oh well, Ross never used it, so it must need some maintenance. It'll be hit or miss. Shucks! I'll find a way. Went into a wistful fugue thinking of all the possibilities of getting this to work. As I thought, the machine was agitating in the Suds cycle, and I noticed that the water level was set to Small. Right now, knowledgeable people are grinning. Not expecting anything, and my mind now numb but in flow, I pressed Medium, and my God, the sweet clang came again. First time I experienced a Suds that did not return all the water. Only Maytag. So smart. It figures. If other machines do this, I'm unaware. Let me tell you the system works perfectly, and I was soon playing those buttons like an accordion, and had her humming like a harmonica. The clang is lighter, clearer, and more melodious than that of the WP/KM. Here's from a spray rinse last night ~ 
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| Post# 691786 , Reply# 1 7/24/2013 at 22:15 (3,927 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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| Post# 691787 , Reply# 2 7/24/2013 at 22:16 (3,927 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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| Post# 691788 , Reply# 3 7/24/2013 at 22:20 (3,927 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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Washing both bedtime blankets today ~ | ||
| Post# 691789 , Reply# 4 7/24/2013 at 22:21 (3,927 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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Over and around just fine, thank you. | ||
| Post# 691791 , Reply# 5 7/24/2013 at 22:24 (3,927 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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| Post# 691792 , Reply# 6 7/24/2013 at 22:25 (3,927 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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| Post# 691793 , Reply# 7 7/24/2013 at 22:28 (3,927 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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And finally, a bursting heart of thanks to Ross of Tucson | ||
Post# 691798 , Reply# 8 7/24/2013 at 23:28 (3,927 days old) by Kenmore71  (Minneapolis, MN) |
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 I can say for certain that Kenmore machines also responded to the water level selector during suds return. However, instead of turning the power to the motor and suds valve solenoid off, they only disengaged the suds valve which would then allow the machine to continue agitating to "reactive" the suds. Also, while a Maytag will stay in suds return mode indefinitely, A Kenmore will give you 4 minutes of suds return activity and then generally either shut itself off or go into the 14 minute wash of the cotton/sturdy depending on the timer design. | ||
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Post# 691837 , Reply# 9 7/25/2013 at 07:47 (3,926 days old) by turquoisedude (.) |
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That's pretty neat that the water level control will determine how much water gets returned also. I guess that makes perfect sense, though. So far, the only experience with suds-saving I have is the one-water-level 51 Kenmore - this is inspiring me to get that 66 Inglis back into service to see how it's suds-saver will work.
Thanks for the chronicle and those wonderful lakefront photos!! | ||
| Post# 691901 , Reply# 10 7/25/2013 at 12:18 (3,926 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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Hi guys, Thanks.
Paul, the kite guy is really one of us in that he keeps getting more kites. Later in the day, he had another new one up. I'll have to tell him about my washer collecting and laundry flying.
Ya know, Gentlemen, I first thought the timer was stuck on suds, and as mentioned, Robert's Ephemera was for an 806 non-suds, so I was working blind. But then I realized that, were the timer to advance, all that nice hot suds you saved would be thrown out in just four minutes after the Pre-wash. Speaking of that, it's cool the way the Maytag set-up of pre-wash, drain, fill, soak, main wash is so much like the Whirlpool Superwash. Still can't understand why the Tag doesn't simply stop after the Suds-Return, but I'm not complaining. An Infinite Wash cycle will sure come in handy around here. Too bad I can't get it to work on the gentle speed. When I wash long, I like it to be slow. Paul, if you get bitten and smitten by the suds-return bug, there's no telling what amazing things will happen up in Ogden! 
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Post# 691913 , Reply# 11 7/25/2013 at 13:52 (3,926 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI) |
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My Mom's 1st 'Tag: | ||
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Post# 691929 , Reply# 13 7/25/2013 at 16:00 (3,926 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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thanks for all the insights Mickey.....I wondered how all this stuff functions on one of these....
@Kelly, between saving suds, and using a wringer, this is exactly what I was talking about in the Underwear thread, todays youth have no understanding of what our Mothers, Grandmothers and so forth had to endure during a wash day....automatics made it easier, but the drudgery is gone, all they can think is either turn one pile into a whole load, or seperate into 15 tiny piles...throw it in and walk away..... there ought to be a course in homemaking.....learn it the manual way first, then theres a better understanding of the automatic way, and it would be appreciated more... todays generation is not about making things easier, its about making people lazier! | ||
| Post# 691976 , Reply# 14 7/25/2013 at 21:40 (3,926 days old) by mixfinder () | ||
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Easier I agree, Martin. The younger ones are okay until the power goes out, the store is closed or they are removed from their normal surroundings. Without knowing how, why or what to use to take the place of modern existence they won't know how to improvise. | ||
| Post# 691985 , Reply# 15 7/25/2013 at 22:49 (3,926 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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I'm game ~
This septuagenerian I met while biking the lake trails today with his school of Walleye Bass certainly knows how to improvise dinner; his clothing will need Tide, Clorox, and the Pre-wash, Soak & Wash sequence in the 806.
Kelly, I was just listening to that sound last night when I had a wonderful whirlpool going in the reservoir. You're good to your Mom, Dave. Hope your little one is good to you when you age. Martin, we have to figure out how to get the 806 to agitate on gentle in the Suds cycle. 
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Post# 692265 , Reply# 16 7/27/2013 at 13:45 (3,924 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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MickeyD, | ||
| Post# 692287 , Reply# 17 7/27/2013 at 15:13 (3,924 days old) by beekeyknee (Columbia, MO) | ||
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Post# 692794 , Reply# 18 7/29/2013 at 05:53 (3,922 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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MickeyD, | ||
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Post# 692795 , Reply# 19 7/29/2013 at 05:56 (3,922 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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| Post# 692996 , Reply# 20 7/29/2013 at 18:45 (3,922 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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Sorry, I've been overwhelmed by other threads, neglecti
Brian, there is always hope. I've waited a hundred years for a Suds, and when you look at Mark LIghtedcontrols' pictures, you can't help but believe in possibility.
Tim, I HEAR ya and I hear IT; in fact, I'm worried about over-clanging the valve, but since Maytag made it, it will probably clang forever. You really have to love your machine to enjoy it going before work. What better way to start the day. We are amazing people, aren't we Tim? | ||
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Post# 693435 , Reply# 21 7/31/2013 at 12:41 (3,920 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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I do love it very much. Our washer/dryer set were a wedding gift from my parents 11/14/98. I managed to get 1 load of bedding, 1 load of underwear, and 2 loads of bath towels and washcloths hung on the line before leaving for work. I also managed to squeeze in breakfast, and a nice hot shower. Thank goodness for having a suds-saver so I could save the hot wash water, and have enough hot water for my shower. | ||
| Post# 693542 , Reply# 22 7/31/2013 at 20:15 (3,920 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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| Post# 696035 , Reply# 24 8/12/2013 at 13:17 (3,908 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY) | ||
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HI GARY
The Frigidaires have the small water pump that returns suds at the same rate as a regular fill, four minutes, without agitation.
As for the other brands ~ well, our knowledge base is just beginning. Today, traditional Monday wash day started off with some nasty clean-up stuff from a big family party yesterday. I wanted to quickly toss the really nasty stuff before adding the rest of it. The Suds-return cycle was perfect because after filling with only a few gallons of hot water in the regular cycle, I turned to Suds and could agitate fine without satisfying a level sensor. The versatile 806 provides this option without "special knowledge" of hidden abilities of the dead spots on the timer like the WP/K's. (So do the Frigidaires, naturally !) ;'D Then dialed up spray rinse for a spin drain spray sequence before adding the rest of the load for a full regular wash. It was fun, easy, and satisfying. 
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Comes to the Rescue!
I also used some of the vintage Blu-White powdered bluing I found last Friday (7/26/13) to make my whites whiter, and my colors sparkle.