Almost nothing to do with trains

[chuck]

About as close as I can get is the basement (aka trans and washer are in the basement).

Any recommendations on a new washing machine?. Our 5 year old Maytag has an electronics issue that will cost more to repair than what we paid for it 5 years ago. It replaced our original 30 year old Maytag which is why I THOUGHT sticking with the brand made sense. Any brand recommendations (or don't even accept as a gift) for a replacement. Top load, HE, around 5 cu foot tub?

[Roy]

Might check out Consumer Reports.

[chuck]

That's how I wound up with the one that took a sh*t after only 5 years. It had great reviews for the first two years than the machines started crapping out big time.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

That's how I wound up with the one that took a sh*t after only 5 years. It had great reviews for the first two years than the machines started crapping out big time.

And that's one of the problems with Consumer Reports -- long term evaluation takes a long time to perform and 10+ years later the one that scores well was discontinued from production 8 years ago....

[robert.]

Buy a whole control panel on eBay. You can replace it your self. Check how on youtube. This will help with hidden screws. One of my customers paid me to remove his asko washer and dryer. I'll bet he paid $10,000 for the pair(must be a charm having a wife that needs the best of everything) This dryer made noise and shut off. Asko repair man claimed "it's 8 years old. to much $$$ to fix." So i took it for him. It needed a reset button pushed, 2 bearings a belt and 2 fuses. The fuses are 2 15a fuses. i got 2 bearings along with a belt from a local bearing and belt guy for less the $30.00. When i got done with the repairs it would not run. A little more time on the internet i found it was in child safe mode. After pushing a few buttons and unplugging and plugging it back in it ran. Moral of this story don't trust a repair person even if it's your mother.
Ps i have an Asko washer and it sucks. It's some kind of snowflake machine. it uses a cup of water to wash a load. saves water. BS. i need to wash every thing 3 times.

[chuck]

Everything is accessed from the bottom. The parts are hard to come by which is why the replacement board is $450. On top of this the tech's computer spit out about two screens of what will probably go wrong next. He's concerned that the main board failure is hiding issues with the three phase motor controller board (unit makes a weird sound when it starts to engage during a full system test cycle).

aka this is not worth fixing, it probably has more value as a parts source than a working washer if you were running an appliance repair shop.

Maytag's off the list. Anyone have opinions, good or bad, for Frigidaire, LG, Whirlpool?

One tip the tech gave me was look at the control panel. If it has a line of LED's on the lower left it was made in the same factory irregardless of the brand sticker on the machine. Same guts, same problems.

The unit did work flawlessly for five years so it's not like it was a lemon out of the box. Clothes got clean and it did save electricity and water while it worked. Maybe I'm expecting too much. Just because the one I bought in 1981 lasted 30 years doesn't mean ANYTHING I buy in 2018 will last more than five?

[Roy]

Before dumping the present machine, you might follow Robert's recommendation, and check ebay for the control unit. It won't necessarily be $450.

I got a Sears' Kenmore a few years ago that has the old fashioned type controls. So, no electronic board failure will kill it. Amana, at least in the past, had a good reputation. I think they also make machines with the old-style controls.

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

Chuck,
I recently bought a GE washer and dryer, the washer is model GTW485ASJ3WS

It cleans clothes fine, but it’s gear driven not belt driven and makes some sounds I haven’t gotten used to yet.

Unless you purposely put it on the Deep Fill setting you would think there’s not enough water to clean the clothes. The Deep Fill only works on certain dial settings (like bulky items).

It has the center agitator which, according to my daughter, is a must have

Besides those two I’ve also bought a new dishwasher and microwave, I’m remodeling my kitchen. I bought a new stove last year so hopefully they will all outlast me.

[Roy]

Chuck, I have to wonder if your problem is due to tin whiskers in the electronic boards.

[chuck]

Chuck, I have to wonder if your problem is due to tin whiskers in the electronic boards.

I would have expected those to show up before now? I'm beginning to think we may have had some power issues that may have contributed to the failures. The issue with the motor power regulator is also disturbing. Part of the reason for the high price for the boards is these models are failing and the parts are in short supply. Given the amount of grief to take this apart I'm not wild about gambling on refurb/recycled. The unit seems to be more computer than washing machine. The sad part is the main drive train seems to be well thought out/designed and its the control boards that are crapping out. I still see Maytag's in the Laundromat but the user interface is dumbed down to about two banks of three buttons, hot/warm/cold, normal/heavy/delicate. No fancy computer readouts, simple countdown timer.

Thanks for the link on the GE model. That looks intriguing. My wife may prefer that anyway as it looks/feels more like the old unit we used to have BUT it's got the HE water/Energy savings. Water is not in short supply in Michigan and we only do about one load a week so the electricity savings aren't that big a deal either.

[E7]

If you decide to replace the machine, I purchased a very basic Kenmore top load, center agitator machine at K-Mart for $299.99. It is a base model (they have one with a few more bells and whistles for a bit higher price). I've used it regularly for over three years and have been well pleased with it's performance considering the modest price.

[healey36]

We've had terrifically good luck with KitchenAid brand appliances. Both the washer and dishwasher are well past ten years old, probably pressing fifteen. Recently purchased a KitchenAid range/oven. Knock on wood, the stuff seems pretty bullet-proof. I believe KitchenAid is at the top-end of the Kenmore family of brands.

[robert.]

Bells and whistles. Why do we have so many choices on a washer? What's wrong with hot,cold warm, small or large load? when i get home i'll photo my washer. Damn thing has maybe 100 choices.

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

Bells and whistles. Why do we have so many choices on a washer? What's wrong with hot,cold warm, small or large load? when i get home i'll photo my washer. Damn thing has maybe 100 choices.

Just like some of our trains...the more bells and whistles the more likely it is to break.

[up148]

It replaced our original 30 year old Maytag which is why I THOUGHT sticking with the brand made sense. Any brand recommendations (or don't even accept as a gift) for a replacement. Top load, HE, around 5 cu foot tub?

The really sad part about this, is the fact that most (if not all) name brand household appliances that used to be bullet proof decades ago, are not like that today. Many made offshore and even those that aren't have cheaper parts to increase the bottom line. It's a real crapshoot buying appliances these days.

I will say, working on clothes dryers is so simple anyone can do it. Washing machines a little tougher because of more components crammed into the same space, but if you can figure out what's wrong with yours, fixing might be simpler than you think. Internet is a great place to find from others the same problems you're having with your machine and generally as Roberts pointed out there are pointers on avoiding pitfalls.

BH