The title pretty much says it all. There are a couple of old threads the board is showing me, but they are old enough that options will be different now. So I welcome your fresh advice.
There was a big puddle underneath the washer last time we used it. It’s nothing really obvious. I’d be happy to fix it if that seemed likely to hold up for a while. But it’s 30 years old. Is that wise at this age? I’m pretty sure it’s past it’s expected lifespan. It is a Kenmore, and we’ve been very happy with it. We replaced the matching drier a few years go with a speed queen. But I really don’t care if the pieces match.
It’s a top loader. I wonder if we should get a front loader. If we do, do we also need a pedestal so we don’t have to crouch over to use it? It’s huge, and I like that about it. It also does a good job cleaning the clothes. And I do sometimes toss something in late, which I guess I couldn’t with a front loader.
Anyway, I haven’t been in this market for decades, and don’t know the choices, pitfalls, fun options, etc. that are available these days. In general, simple is good.
Well, on one hand, front loaders use a lot less water, and no matter what you pay for water, and sewer, that’s a very good thing.
On the other hand, leave the door OPEN when not in use to prevent biology experiments.
On the gripping hand, you have to figure out if the delta in price, with the pedestal, can be reconciled with your budget. Mine has worked fine over the years, and the stuff comes out clean. Doesn’t make me love laundry any more, some things ARE impossible…
Water is cheap here. We get a lot of rain. I’m not concerned with that. I really don’t worry at all about how much water I use except every couple of years for a few weeks when there’s a drought. But most of the year the reservoirs are overflowing, and it’s just not a major concern.
I have felt that front loaders might be gentler on the clothes, and that’s my principle interest in them. But maybe I should stick with the simpler top-loader. After all, they are much less prone to leaking.
I do wonder if I ought to be trying to fix this, despite its age…
I’m not all that price sensitive, either, although of course I don’t want to waste money. I would love to get something that will last another 30 years.
Several years ago I was in the same spot. I used my public library to research Consumer Reports for their advice re: Best Buys in both categories. It will also give you pros and cons on both styles. I sought out a middle priced model in top loaders and bought it. I have never had a regret. I gained much larger capacity, no agitator post, much wider range of cycle options and HE detergent use.
Because my daughter has a front loader I have grown to see them more positively-I have been able to add a piece or two a few minutes into the cycle (pause button), it does use less water and seems to be somewhat gentler on delicate fabrics. That said, they do cost more and I certainly would need a pedestal to load and unload.
So, research, be intentional about what you need and what bells and whistles you don’t need or won’t use (my happy choice has a few of those).
I bought an LG. Until I researched I thought they made only cell phones. To be fair, my machine will Bluetooth connect to my phone but I can’t imagine why I would need to have a conversation with my washing machine. That is what Alexa is for.
There’s no such thing as a new washer thst lasts 30 years.
We over paid for a front loader because I liked it. It was shiny red.
It has been a problem since day 1.
It’s been replaced(warranty) and still finicky.
I say go as simple and plain Jane as you can. No laundry device needs a computerized touch screen. Just dumb.
Advantages of a top loader:
Ability to pre-soak clothes in lots of water.
Better at doing lots of small loads.
Easy to extend washing time if the control is the old standard dial type.
Easy to add items after cycle starts.
Disadvantages of a top loader:
Uses more water and detergent.
Spin cycle isn’t as good at removing water (on dial-controlled models, extra spin time can be added to help with this but they still won’t come out as dry as a front loader).
Advantages of a front loader:
Uses far less water and detergent.
Does larger loads.
The spin cycle gets more water out so the dryer doesn’t have to run as long.
Disadvantages of a front loader:
Cycles take longer.
Adding stuff after cycle starts isn’t as easy.
Small loads don’t do as well if there isn’t enough for a good spin balance.
Oh, that “High Efficiency” detergent only instruction that comes with front loaders? They mean that. Most any liquid brand is labeled HE anyway, these days.
I would strongly recommend a top loader. It rinses far better than a front loader, because the gravity means the clothing is being truly immersed in a pool of water, as opposed to a front loader which only sloshes and sloshes about. The rinsing is therefore far more thorough.
With a front loader you are prone to having a lot more leftover detergent residue on your skin from the clothing and skin irritation.
Here is a thread I started in March, 2018 asking for the same advice after my high-priced LG front-loader bit the dust (the main bearing failed, which would have required literally a total machine disassembly to replace). Your problem might be much simpler to repair (might even be trivial) and you should at least consider looking at that option.
Anyway, if you do consider getting a new machine, that thread may be of some help. I ended up getting the Maytag high-efficiency top-loader that I mentioned in one of my later posts, partly because the failure of the LG front-loader put me off the whole concept, and partly because I still have this hunch that a good top-loader with an effective agitator cleans better. It’s pretty easy on water use (unless you select the “tub fill” option) and typically takes in just enough water to completely cover the load and keep it soaked the whole wash and rinse cycles. It uses HE (high efficiency) detergent just like a front-loader.
It’s been working like a charm for two years now and I really like it. The particular model I mentioned has a larger tub than the next-cheaper Maytag and is well worth it. At the time, Sears was purchasing and rebranding a slightly modified model of the same machine as a Kenmore, which got reasonably good reviews, but Sears has been out of business around here for years. Which pissed me off until I found that the Maytag was essentially the same machine.
Anyway, for my purposes it’s ideal and you should have a look. I wouldn’t go back to a front-loader but that’s probably just my own bias.
ETA: Oh, and I agree with @Beckdawrek – keep it simple. Computerized front-loaders with touch screens? Meh! Give me a simple high-efficiency top-loader with dials and buttons.
I think Speed Queen, and perhaps a few others, still make machines with mechanical controls. Look at the “commercial” lines, which were originally aimed at laundromats.
We bought a front loader in, IIRC, 2013. Its an LG. We bought the pedestals which add about 14 inches to their height. They are a LIFESAVER. They were about ~$200 each, which I kind of balked at, but I’m really glad we got them. The drawers are nice for soap and an iron and whatnot, but really the extra height makes the biggest difference.
Ours has a “pause” mode which allows you stop the machine mid-cycle. It will wait a few seconds to let the water settle and then unlock the door and allow you to add something.
My only complaint is that the washer takes For. Fucking. Ever to do a load. A heavy load with an extra rinse takes 2 hours to run. A “quick” wash “only” takes 35 minutes. But it works well and after 7 years we’ve had no issues with either machine. We have two teenagers and we do laundry daily, with multiple loads done on the weekend. Our machine will handle fairly large loads.
I dont know if the old-school top loaders with the center agitator are readily available anymore. When my in-laws were shopping for a washer last year they bought a top-loader that had no agitator because “that was all that was available.” (There were front-loaders galore available, but these are people that think rotary telephones and velcro are the height of modern tech, so they think front loaders are a “fad.”) My MIL doesn’t like her new top-loader but I think a lot of that is their “Ew! Change! Change bad!” attitude.
Anyway, I like ours enough I’ll likely replace it with a similar model when this ones gives up the ghost.
One thing to remember, with a front loader you must leave both the door and the soap drawer open when it’s not in use. Otherwise it will grow mold and mildew as the system is airtight when closed up. After running it needs to dry out.
Edit: pretty much every thing I said had already been said, so consider this a general +1 for the thread
To add my 2 pennies worth. Bought a new set about 9 years ago. Maytag centennial commercial technology. Dead simple old school settings and controls, supposedly not a matched set but they sure look like it to me. Top load washer started leaking a week after I got it. The repair guy said it they use plastic housing instead of metal on the water pumps now and it looked like someone caught it with the blade of a hand truck on mine. Not a single problem since with it. So yeah, Maytag is good, research and go with a brand that has a solid reputation for quality and backs their warranty.
Also, I bought floor models(I guess I have a discontinued line) and paid about half of what I would have paid for brand new unopened “in the box”. (I paid $730 for the pair according to the reciept I have)
We have frontloading LG W (& D). We’re not convinced that the washing machine gets things as clean (or as rinsed) as the old agitating top loader. Consequently we add a scoop of Oxi Clean to each load. The dryer has a sensor that often gets fooled, telling us things are dry when they’re still wet. Both have a ton of cycles.
I have a front loader and no pedestal. I don’t find the lack of pedestal a problem. Mileage obviously varies.
It occurs to me that it may be relevant that I’m just shy of 5’2". It’s not as far to the ground for me as it is for a lot of people. Also, in my work I’m often handling things that are close to ground level (hand harvest, weeding, setting transplants, etc.), some of them closer to the ground than the front-loader’s door, so I’m used to it.
If you get a front loader, get the best brand you can and pay for an extended warranty. In my old house, we switched to a front loader so a counter could be placed over the W/D set (small laundry room), and got a front loader to suit. Damned thing lasted like 2 1/2 years before the main bearing went out, something too expensive to fix usually. That was a Kenmore. I forget what the next one was, maybe Whirlpool (we checked Consumer reports, whatever was rated well). That one lasted 2 1/2 years. Finally I asked the repair person who pronounced that one dead, what would he recommend. He said he’d never seen a bearing go on an LG or Samsung. So we got a Samsung. I still have it, six or eight years later, good as new.
