Front Load Washers

[jmra]

We've had our front loader for a little over 9 yrs. very happy with it.

[Abraham]

We have an LG High Efficiency top loader.

I love it, as I'm the one who does most of the laundry.

Because it's an HE there's no agitator and it uses far less water than a conventional washer.

The only (minor) problem is it's so deep and I'm so short, that at times I have to stretch to reach the last sock while straining not to fall in...

Presumably, the front loader type is easier to unload?

Is that it's appeal versus a top loader or ...?

[DocV]

We have an LG front loader. I recall the unit was the least expensive unit at Home Depot. It has all of the previously mentioned advantages and disadvantages.
I would not want to put our LG on any floor that is not installed on a concrete slab foundation. Even with the LG being "seated' properly, the washer's vibration can be somewhat noisy and the washer can "walk" on the floor. Our laundry room is configured where I was able to stuff some styrofoam pool noodles between the washer and drier units and the walls so that the noodles could act as shock absorbers. The noodle 'shocks' noticeably reduced the vibration, and resulting noise, of our LG. YMMV.

[mtnthundr2]

We bought a Staber Washing machine http://www.staber.com/washingmachines" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; about 10 years ago and I love it.

Its the technology of a front load but loads from the top. The things that drew us to this washer is that it has the capability to be used on DC power AND its made so the regular homeowner can repair it should anything break (10 years in and we have not had to repair anything yet). The whole front panel removes exposing all the mechanical parts (and its all mechanical).

[uthornsfan]

My wife hates the front loads because they get so dirty so easily and require constant cleaning. Also the door seals are known to fail and cause flooding.

We went with a pair of LG's.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/LG-Electroni ... /203578178" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.homedepot.com/p/LG-Electroni ... /203578180" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They are on a great sale right now and we love them.

[jmorris]

We have an LG front loader. I recall the unit was the least expensive unit at Home Depot. It has all of the previously mentioned advantages and disadvantages.
I would not want to put our LG on any floor that is not installed on a concrete slab foundation. Even with the LG being "seated' properly, the washer's vibration can be somewhat noisy and the washer can "walk" on the floor. Our laundry room is configured where I was able to stuff some styrofoam pool noodles between the washer and drier units and the walls so that the noodles could act as shock absorbers. The noodle 'shocks' noticeably reduced the vibration, and resulting noise, of our LG. YMMV.

Do you have the bottom drawer stands? We had the same walking problem with a LG FL bought from and installed by Home Depot. It vibrated so bad that almost every part ended up being repaced. After about 9 months of this LG agreed to replace it. It was delivered not by HD guys but an appliance dealer. The instalation guys took one look at the old setup and said "aw jeeze". Or something like that. It had been setup wrong, not everything done. I watched him put the new FL on top of the drawer and there were at least a couple of differences in how he did it. We haven't any problems with the new FL, about 4 years now.

[Pawpaw]

My wife hates the front loads because they get so dirty so easily and require constant cleaning. Also the door seals are known to fail and cause flooding.

Those complaints don't apply too much to the new generation of front loaders.

Mine doesn't get dirty, because we open the door after a load. This allows the water to evaporate instead of stagnating and allowing mold to grow. One tablet, once a month, followed by wiping down the seal with a wet rag and you're done.

Most, if not all, of the new front loaders are "HE" (High Efficency). They use far less water and detergent than the older generation. Gone are the days of looking at a front loader and seeing water half way up the door.

[Piney]

We replaced our good ole washer and dryer with these front loading ones. They seem to take a bit longer to run the cycles but I was told that's because we may be putting larger loads in them so ??

Everything I read says clean the washer, using its cleaning cycle or one of the cleaning agents and *leave the door open* to let it dry out.

If these last 15+ yrs, I guess Id get another set :-)

[uthornsfan]

My wife hates the front loads because they get so dirty so easily and require constant cleaning. Also the door seals are known to fail and cause flooding.

Those complaints don't apply too much to the new generation of front loaders.

Mine doesn't get dirty, because we open the door after a load. This allows the water to evaporate instead of stagnating and allowing mold to grow. One tablet, once a month, followed by wiping down the seal with a wet rag and you're done.

Most, if not all, of the new front loaders are "HE" (High Efficency). They use far less water and detergent than the older generation. Gone are the days of looking at a front loader and seeing water half way up the door.

We don't have to do that frequent of maintenance with our top loading HE washer. Who wants to leave a door open on your appliance anyway?

Just saying!

[tbrown]

We don't have to do that frequent of maintenance with our top loading HE washer. Who wants to leave a door open on your appliance anyway?

Just saying!

There's a definite funk if I don't leave the lid open on my old school washer.

P.S. When it comes to actually cleaning clothes, Agitator FTW!

[budroux2w]

Have an LG FL with steam and the matching dryer. I don't remember exactly when we got them, but I would guess about 8 years ago and haven't had a single issue with them. The washer will smell musty if the door is left closed and from time to time the drain filter will get clogged and I have to drain it, pull the filter out and clean it. Usually not a big deal, but it tends to happen on the load that's in right before going to bed so the timing could be better lol.

[DocV]

We have an LG front loader. I recall the unit was the least expensive unit at Home Depot. It has all of the previously mentioned advantages and disadvantages.
I would not want to put our LG on any floor that is not installed on a concrete slab foundation. Even with the LG being "seated' properly, the washer's vibration can be somewhat noisy and the washer can "walk" on the floor. Our laundry room is configured where I was able to stuff some styrofoam pool noodles between the washer and drier units and the walls so that the noodles could act as shock absorbers. The noodle 'shocks' noticeably reduced the vibration, and resulting noise, of our LG. YMMV.

Do you have the bottom drawer stands? We had the same walking problem with a LG FL bought from and installed by Home Depot. It vibrated so bad that almost every part ended up being repaced. After about 9 months of this LG agreed to replace it. It was delivered not by HD guys but an appliance dealer. The instalation guys took one look at the old setup and said "aw jeeze". Or something like that. It had been setup wrong, not everything done. I watched him put the new FL on top of the drawer and there were at least a couple of differences in how he did it. We haven't any problems with the new FL, about 4 years now.

We did not get the drawer stands so that might be the next thing to try if I ever decide to get rid of the noodles. HD did do our original installation. We recently replaced the floor tiles so that required some adjusting. Our LG has been trouble free since we purchased it 3 or 4 years ago. The floor stands might be nice as neither bends or squats are as easy as they once were for either Mrs DocV or me.

[karder]

My wife has a front loader that she has used for the past 5 years. She loves it. It seems to work fine. My wife has very few rules but one of them is for me to not mess with her washer, so I have no hands on experience with it, but it looks pretty.

[powerboatr]

My Whirlpool is almost 2 years old and hasn't given me one minute of trouble. You do have to remember to leave the door open so it can dry out and you do have to run a cleaning tablet through it once a month, but so far I'm happy with it.

To be honest though, if someone still made a purely mechanical washer with no electronics, that's what I would've gone with. Sadly, no one makes a washer or dryer you can actually work on any more.

Until you get used to how the new front loaders work, you will find yourself wondering why it does the stuff it does. Once you get used to it, you just hit the start button and then ignore it.

very well stated
we are on our 2nd front loader in 13 years....
less soap and less water
i stacked the dryer on top to save space.

a must to leave the door open when your done to let it dry out and not mold
early whirpool and sears and roper had an alum spider that attached to the stainless drum....yep corrosion sets in and the whole banana will fall apart
i imagine most are built the same way to save mass.

[RPBrown]

We have had an LG for over 7 years now without a hiccup. You do need to use the laundry detergent that is labeled as HG that is made for these washers.