Thread Number: 7383
unbalanced load handling
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Post# 145105   7/26/2006 at 00:05 (6,456 days old) by tbolt25 (Kentucky)        

How well does anyone's washer handle off-balance loads? My 1978 BD Whirlpool thumps and bangs for a minute, picks up speed, then spins across the floor at top speed. What does any of your washers do unbalanced?




Post# 145109 , Reply# 1   7/26/2006 at 00:15 (6,456 days old) by knitwits1975 ()        

Well I have a story about a GE Filter-flo does in my profile. Some find it humorous.

Post# 145128 , Reply# 2   7/26/2006 at 03:24 (6,456 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
Our early 70's GE used to walk about the room as well, held at bay by it's water hoses... How we never had a flood, I'll never know.

A friend's parents had a newer Maytag set (early 80's) and it stopped running in the middle of a cycle one day so they called for service and let the machine sit, waiting for rescue. I opened the lid, heard the familiar clunk of the off-balance/lid switch spring resetting and knew what the problem was. We re-distributed the load and off it went, just like always. They were stunned, having only Kenmores with buzzers, they had no idea.


Post# 145132 , Reply# 3   7/26/2006 at 04:46 (6,456 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
My Fisher & Paykel IWL12 toploader starts spin with a burst to 120 RPM, then settles back to 90 to 100 RPM for about 20 seconds. It then revs up to 300 RPM for a minute. If 300 RPM (slow) is the selected spin speed, it stays there for the duration. Otherwise it revs up slowly to either 670 RPM or 1000 RPM.

If the off-balance switch triggers during the start-up, it coasts down to zero, waits a few seconds, then tries again. Then again. Each attempt at spin extracts some water, so the load may smooth out enough to continue. If off-balance still triggers on the 3rd attempt, it either stops and beeps for help, or if auto recovery is enabled it fills and agitates briefly, drains, and the spin process starts over. I don't know if it would try auto-recovery just once, or more than once.


Post# 145136 , Reply# 4   7/26/2006 at 05:44 (6,456 days old) by jaxsunst ()        

I used to have a WCI/Westinghouse/Montgomery Ward that on the slightest imbalance would walk across the hall and bang the other wall.

Post# 145151 , Reply# 5   7/26/2006 at 08:03 (6,456 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        

good topic!

Hoover Keymatic (old shape) - main power switch on the front is a big red or black rocker switch. Behind it is a lever which protrudes near the drum. If the load gets badly off balance the drum flicks the lever which turns the main power swtich off. You are supposed to redistribute the load manually, then close the door and switch on again. It just launches into spin with no distribute first, a very crude system. However the Keymatic is one of the most forgiving machines I have ever seen for out of balance loads - it has cable and spring suspension with plenty of room inside for the drum to move around, so it runs smooth and quiet even with a jiggling drum from an unbalanced load.
The machine has wheels as standard and does not move around on its wheels even when spinning, it stays where you park it.

Chris.


Post# 145155 , Reply# 6   7/26/2006 at 08:10 (6,456 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Greg, those people with the early 80s 'tag could not open the lid and see that the load was unevenly distributed? Sheesh!

Post# 145169 , Reply# 7   7/26/2006 at 08:39 (6,456 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)        
ha

christfr's profile picture
try a unimatic on a concrete floor with out the rubber feet..the first time i used one i didnt know better and that machine took off across the floor, i dove on top of it thinking i could hold it down, and we both went for ride. so i have learned rubber feet are supposed to be there for a reason and the shorter you can adj the legs the better. it was a scary but sort of fun ride ha ha

Post# 145213 , Reply# 8   7/26/2006 at 10:30 (6,455 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        
But wait, the story gets better...

gansky1's profile picture
A couple of years later, they mentioned they were waiting for service to come for the WP made KM dishwasher because there was a strong burning smell when they ran it last. I opened the door, pulled the plastic lid from under the heating element and turned it on. I think they still had service check it out "just in case"! Easy $100 service call for that guy.

Double Sheesh!


Post# 145236 , Reply# 9   7/26/2006 at 11:04 (6,455 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Growing up in Georgia where so many washing machines were on wooden floors in the kitchen, several school-age friends were asked to Ride the Frigidaire during the spin to keep things from shaking too much. One friend had to sit on the Bendix Economat to hold the lid down because of a broken spring. Then the family's fortunes (literally) changed and everything in the kitchen was Lady Kenmore and TOL Coldspot.

Post# 145240 , Reply# 10   7/26/2006 at 11:18 (6,455 days old) by pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI)        

pulsator's profile picture
Dadoes, well, either there is a vast difference in the design of the programs or my machine is in need of repairs. My Fisher Paykel will just take off and keep right on thumping and banging around the laundryroom until the spin is over! Of course, it will eventually balance enough to just shake a lot and be almost frighteningly loud at the full 1,010RPM. I've had large loads come out to be completely on one side before and it still managed to get to full speed!

Post# 145244 , Reply# 11   7/26/2006 at 11:26 (6,455 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN)        

Glenn, the Oasis does the same thing. A slow surge to 120rpm, then to 300, then 600, then full speed. It does handle off balance well.

Post# 145293 , Reply# 12   7/26/2006 at 14:26 (6,455 days old) by monkeywards40 ()        

when I was a child of 4 years old my mom had a montgomery wards washer with a spin speed that was so powerful, that one day i was sitting on the commode and the washer came walking across the floor, now for a 4 year old boy that can be traumatic. i was afraid to go to the bathroom by myself for a couple of years, my mom had to go into the bathroom and turn off the washer until i was done because if not, it started walking across the floor i would scream at the top of my lungs for her to stop it, and move it back to its space. Now that i look back at those memories i sit and laugh but when i was 4 it was scary

Post# 145305 , Reply# 13   7/26/2006 at 15:21 (6,455 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
Jamie, the off-balance switch on your GWL11 may not be working or maybe the lever broke off. Poke your hand toward the back rear corner, a plastic lever should be sticking down from the console.

You can test it via diagnostic mode.

F&P Off-Balance Lever


Post# 145313 , Reply# 14   7/26/2006 at 15:40 (6,455 days old) by knitwits1975 ()        

Yes Kelly, sounds textbook page to my GE Filter-Flo experience in 1979. I was also four when it happened.

Post# 145331 , Reply# 15   7/26/2006 at 16:49 (6,455 days old) by nasadowsk ()        

My parent's early 70's Filter-Flo got off balance at times, but never went for a walk. Just a lot of thunk thunk thunk, and the lid getting airborne.

The GE oven we had at the time would every now and then pop a heating element, and WOW, have you guys ever had that happen to you? It's *scary*



Post# 145342 , Reply# 16   7/26/2006 at 17:53 (6,455 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.)        

Well "tbolt25":

What our BOL 1967 Kenmore (24" Model) used to do was bang its tub against the cabinet loudly, and then walk across the floor (and that thing scared the heebee geebees out of me back then).

And then, we upgraded to a 1978 MOL Kenmore (one of the match all models with black backguard control panel with the simulated wood looking steel top), our 1978 MOL Kenmore (which was an 18 LB Large Capacity Model) had an Off Balance Switch with a Buzzer. When a washload went out of balance in the 1978 model, all it would do is bang its tub against the cabinet a couple of times, and then the machine would stop immediately and a buzzer would sound. In fact, I was down at my family table eating breakfast one Saturday morning when the machine went out of balance. I got up from the table and went upstairs to re-distribute the load that was inside the machine and then reset the machine. It hasn't skipped a beat after that. I then explained to my mother that her machine was out of balance, and that what she heard was an Off Balance Buzzer, then I went on to tell her what I did. The next time the 1978 Kenmore went out of balance, she knew what to do then.

And the same thing is (or was) with the 1967 Kenmore that I used when I moved into my apartment.

But now, what I want to hear from Frigidaire, Philco and Westinghouse fans was how their machines reacted when the washloads inside of them went out of balance???? I am especially interested in hearing how a Westinghouse Front Loader (the ones with the unsusally shaped doors and oval windows) reacted when it encountered an unbalanced load.

--Charles--


Post# 145391 , Reply# 17   7/26/2006 at 22:46 (6,455 days old) by westytoploader ()        

Since the Studio isn't built on concrete, I have a lot of OOB problems in there! When the machines start shaking violently I shut them off and re-distribute. The Frankenmore generally doesn't have a problem with OOB loads, but will shake if it does. The GE and 1-18 also like to shake. Only the Unimatic has an OOB switch which shuts the timer off, but that only has a problem when spinning out the water and getting up to speed. At the full 1140 it spins fine, although if the load is a little "off" it will vibrate. Before I adjusted the Rustinghouse's (front-loader with a straight front; Dual-Tumble design) leveling legs, it would tend to "hop" as it started spinning!

Up at the house, the '03 Maytag is the absolute best at handling off-balance loads. The tub can be doing its usual gyration, but the cabinet stays smooth. Only once did the off-balance switch trip, and that was with some bathroom rugs. It never has again. Before that, the '98 DD Kenmore liked to make a lot of noise, shaking and rattling. The '96 plastic GE handled them well because of its soft suspension, and the '86 White-Westinghouse (top-loader) wasn't bad, though I do remember it shaking a few times.

The worst was before I was even born. Parents had a WCI/Montgomery Ward set from 1983 I believe in their old house. Laundry room had two doors; one inside the house that pushed in to open and another to the garage. Apparently that washer had a habit of walking during spin, and would walk right in front of the inside door and block it so no one could get in. Whoever was in the house at the time had to go around to the garage to get to the laundry room and schlep the washer back in its place. The washer moved with them to their next house, and didn't walk after that, but was replaced for one reason or another. Why this particular machine liked to walk, and the next White-Westinghouse didn't is beyond me since they are basically the same machine. Had it been a Norge-made set, that problem would have never existed.

--Austin


Post# 145428 , Reply# 18   7/27/2006 at 08:39 (6,455 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN)        
The Frankenmore generally doesn't have a problem with OO

Now THAT just made my day. Go Frankenmore! Of all those machines, the "KENMORE" handles OOB best. Yay!

Post# 145450 , Reply# 19   7/27/2006 at 10:51 (6,454 days old) by peterh770 (Marietta, GA)        

peterh770's profile picture
My little Kenamore' FL washer would jump and hop up and down if the load was all smooshed on one side of the tub. Didn't happen open, but the BANG! of the machine coming down and hopping back up was a sure sign!

The same happened with the Miele the other night. I thought that thing never went OOB, but it did! After one good BANG! it spun out enough water and evened out.

I think I can say I never had a top load washer go OOB on me.


Post# 145472 , Reply# 20   7/27/2006 at 13:04 (6,454 days old) by agiflow ()        

The DD Kenmore that is currently being used only went off balance maybe three times....it generally handles loads pretty well.

2 other machines that i can remember that were good with off-kilter loads were an early 70's Norge and same era Westinghouse toploader.

The Norge would never try to spin full speed with an out of balance load,..it used to slow down and compensate for the unbalance.

The Westinghouse from what i can recall in the 5 or so years it was in use didn't have any issues with off balance loads,..those machines seemed to have good suspension systems.


Post# 145504 , Reply# 21   7/27/2006 at 15:51 (6,454 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY)        

toggleswitch's profile picture
HA!

So I get home from work one afternoon, and I could not figure out why the dryer *ON* or even why it was thumping.

My ex did some laundry after "entertaining". (Afternoon delight is not just an ice-cream flavor). Sheets with towels with darks. This was in the NEW GE T/L-er. Apparently the towels were sopping wet due to an OOB situation in the washer. When I went to re-spin them in the T/L-er it would drain only. No spin. Transferred stuff to F/L-er to spin. Of course I had to rinse them as well. *SIGH*

Afterwards, when I went to wash my clothes, the machine would still not agitate or spin. The motor had overheated and gone into *safety* (of course I had to be at the airport by 4am! and did not have time for these games!)

I took the front panel off to find the base soaked with water. After mopping it up, I used a hairdryer on *cold* to cool the motor. Kicked right back in.

Seems like there is NO provision for an OOB situation.

Send me an email privately if you have had to do laundry to clean up after another couples interlude. LOL

LAWD help us all.


Post# 145535 , Reply# 22   7/27/2006 at 19:39 (6,454 days old) by mattywashboy (Perth, Western Australia)        
Hitachi

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My Hitachi goes OOB almost every time you select MED or LOW on the load selector. I'm not sure why this is. The Hitachi has two things that it does to try and ensure the clothes are evenly balanced. Phase One is in the last one minute of the agitation on wash and rinse, it clicks into gentle action during this final minute whihc i think is an attempt to spread out the clothes instead of just thrashing them then stopping dead. Phase Two is during the draining process, when the water has hit the last quarter of the wash drum it activates the spin. This i beleive helps the clothes to float into a balanced position and then when the water has fully drained the basket revs into full 900 rpm. Of course it doesn't always work, towels and sheets are the main OOB loads while clothes loads have generally been okay.
Happy OOB washing
Matt


Post# 145551 , Reply# 23   7/27/2006 at 21:38 (6,454 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Matt, are you washing sheets & towels together? That's essentially a no-no in my book--learned form mom's mistakes. The towels will bunch up inside the sheets for the oob. Best to wash towels with towels and sheets with sheets. Bob

Post# 145811 , Reply# 24   7/29/2006 at 04:12 (6,453 days old) by mattywashboy (Perth, Western Australia)        
No Bob

mattywashboy's profile picture
what i meant was that towel loads and sheet loads are the ones that seem to OOB the Hitachi. I wash them seperatly, you could not fit all the sheets and towels into one load lol
Matt


Post# 145829 , Reply# 25   7/29/2006 at 10:19 (6,452 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)        

mayken4now's profile picture
Bet my rollermatic will never get OOB. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!



Post# 145839 , Reply# 26   7/29/2006 at 10:55 (6,452 days old) by mixfinder ()        
OOB

Lordy, I just use psychotropic drugs to create perfect balance and harmony!

The old GE, 59 just shook, the Westinghouse 66 never ob'd once. The smaller Maytag 72 never ob'd. The 75 Frigidaire in Poppy never went oob and the 76 Whirlpool Imperial Supreme banged but kept going. The 77 GE shook and banged and moved around in it's cubicle. The 806 79, ob'd once in a great while with rugs. The Atlantis 2000, never ob'd and the Whirlpool/Kenmore DD large capacity double unit, 98 bangs the crap out of the cabinet. It has no shut off, but wakes the dead. It sits next a natural gas bib, in the event I wanted a gas dryer (not with our current and ample supply of electricity). I fully expect it to break the fitting off. I found oob was never an issue with large family loads but rears it's ugly often when I am trying valiantly to gather enough to justify washing the one thing I need.
Kelly


Post# 145878 , Reply# 27   7/29/2006 at 14:59 (6,452 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Early WH washers did have an OOB switch; later ones, no. When we used to take throw rugs to the Frigidaire coin-op, the lady in charge watched us try to rearrange an OOB load of white rugs washed in really hot water. She came over and showed us that if it stopped, we should just push the reset button and keep doing it each time the switch tripped because as soon as it spun the water out the weight was not that uneven. If the Mieles find they cannot balance a load, they stop then retumble, but only in one direction, the clockwise spin direction for a couple of times and retry. If the OOB is not too severe, the W1986 will just push the speed to the limit, slowly increasing as the water is spun off and then you hear the hydro balance wheezing as it takes over as the motor gets up to speed. It gives 1000 rpm spins between each water change. If the Creda is too OOB in the distribution period between water changes, it will skip the spin unless I turn it off and back on.

When Frigidaire first introduced the Roller Matics, they claimed that they would not stop with an OOB load, just spin slower. Consumer Reports commented on that in the test when they said that the machine made a strong, acrid, burning odor while doing the slower wobble spin.

Since this has arrived at smells, in the very early 70s, at a friend's house, we once washed the guest room bedding after the fun couple from Florida did not tightly cap the poppers after finishing with them. It probably would have been better with a vented dryer than the GE combo he had. It's a wonder they lived through the night and that all of us are alive and not too OOB today.

It's strange that while Kenmores had OOB switches and that awful buzzer, WP and KA machines did not have them.

Kelly, are you going to take the Super Thin Twin to your new house?


Post# 146024 , Reply# 28   7/30/2006 at 16:48 (6,451 days old) by mixfinder ()        
Taking the Twin

I am leaving the Twin. It was in the condo when I moved here as well as the other Kenmore appliances. I have saved them and will replace the stove, fridge and dishwasher and take the newer ones with me. I have 2 Frigidaire ranges, a Kitchenaid dishwasher and a Maytag W/D set I got for free from Craig's list. I put a wanted ad for a GM Frigidaire Fridge and have that lined up. The previous owner is waiting for the new one to be delivered. There is little reason to pay for anything, since the inception of Craigs.org.
The house I made an offer on sold to a higher bidder. The market here is wild and the usual style is to open house on Saturday and open the bids on Sunday and the highest bidder gets it.
I have a new deal cooking that requires care giving an old gentlemen with a presale agreement for his house. His wife dieD 14 years ago and he hasn't cleaned or thrown away a thing in those 14 years.
It will be a challenge, but it lops 200,000 of the price of the house.
Kelly


Post# 146254 , Reply# 29   7/31/2006 at 19:19 (6,450 days old) by paulg (My sweet home... Chicago)        
House fire

paulg's profile picture
True story..
I know a fella who investigated a house fire. Cause: out-of-balance washer.
What happened in that case was the washer went out of balance - walked across the laundry room and banged into the fusebox until the fusebox caught fire.

(The brand was never mentioned, but I bet it was a HOT POINT).


Post# 146256 , Reply# 30   7/31/2006 at 19:31 (6,450 days old) by kevinpreston8 ()        
My 90's Kenmore

shift across the floor on every load and rattles around alot. It did not do this in our old laundry room. All I can think of is that we were on a concrete slab in the old house and here is a raised wood floor on a house built in the late 40s. The floor seems to vibrate alot with the washer, perhaps making the washer move.

I have tried putting rubber squares on the bottom, nothing works.

So I just let it do its thing, then shove it back where it belongs. Hassle, but don't know what else to do.


Post# 146439 , Reply# 31   8/1/2006 at 17:20 (6,449 days old) by hairybruinuk ()        
No problem

Had no out of balance spins with my hotpoint, well not since having the kitchen floor fixed.

Post# 146466 , Reply# 32   8/1/2006 at 21:03 (6,449 days old) by andrewinorlando ()        

The Calypso seems to handle OOB fine. It sits on a concrete floor, but even with loads that have shifted completely to one side of the tub, it can complete the spin cycle at full speed with just some noise added to the mix. No banging or walking across the floor. Guess the balance ring takes care of the mess? Comforters, pillows, jeans or large towels, etc., don't seem to be a problem for it even after almost 6 years of heavy use.


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