Whiteware???

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Whiteware???

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#991916 21-Feb-2014 17:43

Niel:

Samsung issue is around people putting their washing machine in a cold damp tin shed where you get condensation.

Can you state absolutely that the Samsung fires have occurred in tin sheds?
Are you exaggerating for effect?
Fires have happened in peoples homes... and unless you're knocking the home of the typical Samsung washing machine owner... then I just don't understand why you'd bring this up.
Please show links to all events to back up your claim re: the issue occuring in cold damp tin shed(s).

And as an aside, washing machines and condensation go hand in hand - water / heat...
Not everyone CAN place a washing machine in a dedicated laundry. Town houses + Samsung washing machines = unsuitable?

Anyway...

The fix provided by Samsung was to place a plastic bag around the bare wires, then utilize tape to secure the bag...
No replacement board...
And guess what? The fires did not stop.
So essentially Samsung were forced into doing the 'right thing' before they were 'made to do it'.

Samsung don't make all their gear blah blah blah - BUT, they are responsible in producing equipment that is safe for people to use. A design that left connections vulnerable to condensation.
I'm guessing that's about as mechanically simple as you can get, right?

Niel:
So how on earth is a fraction of the water used in a front loader going to wash cleaner?

Simple.
Think about it.
Front loaders use less water because the drum sits horizontally.
To put it simply, it doesn't need to fill up with as much water in order to cover the clothes, whereas the top loader has to use more water due to the vertically oriented drum.
Both cover the clothes.
The top loader will have more water, so the dirt to water ratio will be lower... but the amount of powder required will be higher.
The front loader will have less water, so the dirt to water ratio will be higher... but it will need to be filled + emptied more often - hence the longer wash times.

mattwnz

20157 posts

Uber Geek

#991928 21-Feb-2014 18:24

Hammerer:
mcraenz: TLDR but my vote is for Bosch. And front loader washers are better in every respect.

They aren't better in every respect.

They are much slower, for example. We can get a four loads out of a top-loader in a morning whereas we're lucky to get two out of a front-loader.

But if they aren't washing as well, and are causing more wear on cloths, then that isn't really that important. You can put front-loader on faster cycles which speeds them up. Inwouldn't go back to a top loader after having a front-loader.

Niel

3267 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#991991 21-Feb-2014 20:47

For the last ~10 years I do the laundry in our home, wife is too focused on kids (as a good mother is) and then I ended up with no clean work clothes.

Top loader: Only need to use (pay for) hot water when we rinse it (with a bit of vinegar) about once a year. I can fit a sheepskin rug in it. No pressure seal to rely on. Fast (comparing with normal, proper cycle). Less wear on clothes (when using e.g. Samsung without agitator). If power fails (or machine breaks), you can take the clothes out and don't need to mop up the floor. I can stop it any time and add/remove clothes or detergents. I can use it to soak clothes, because the water level is filled higher than the clothes.

Frond loader: Saves space as you can stack it.

Okay, front loader does not use a fraction of the water, more like half the amount of water, and they take twice as long to get wash clothes (15 minute cycle is not a proper wash), I was going to buy a front loader until I've checked the specs across a few brands.

You can never have enough Volvos!

Niel

3267 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#991999 21-Feb-2014 20:57

Dunnersfella: cold damp tin shed(s).

The typical Kiwi garage in a country with high humidity at moderate temperature. Can't be bothered continuing this discussion, this is a forum where people voice their opinions.

You can never have enough Volvos!

blakamin

4431 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#992003 21-Feb-2014 21:05

Hobchild:
blakamin: Most new F&P and LG (probably Samsung too) can be paused. Our F&P was $750 AUD... and I wouldn't reccomend them at all. ;p

Front loaders in general or just F&P ones?

New F&P ones.

I wish we had've bought the LG 1400rpm direct drive. (ours is 1100rpm direct)

I'd never buy a toploader again.

Hobchild

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#992028 21-Feb-2014 21:35

Hey thanks everybody for the huge responses, it's great to come home from a long day at work and see so many fantastic replies. I would just like to point out that we are not in the market for a dishwasher as the house comes with one. :)

We will definitely consider a front loader after all the positive feedback but to be fair "speed" trumps "gentler on clothes" for us as the only trouble we've had with our landlords top loader damaging clothes is when my fiance's pantyhose would sometimes get tangled around the fins of the agitator which would be fixed by buying one without an agitator and I imagine these front loaders with the 15 minute cycles are probably on the higher end of the price list but we'll definitely have a look round. :)

Batman

Mad Scientist
29763 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#992034 21-Feb-2014 21:43

gzt:
So how on earth is a fraction of the water used in a front loader going to wash cleaner?

It's a fairly large fraction. But I always assumed front loaders were pressure sealed and that the combination of sealed pressure vessel + hot water did a really good job of getting into the cloth fibres. Aside from price, what are the reasons for choosing top load over front load?

+++++++1

You either put more water if you want to wash a proper full load,

Or you put half the amount of clothes you think you should and then it cleans fine

If you peed in your pants or something that obviously need water dilution you need to put more water.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

alasta

6704 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#992054 21-Feb-2014 22:16

I bought LG appliances when I moved into this place about two years ago and all have been 100% reliable so far.

I bought quite a small fridge and despite what some others have suggested it has ample space for me, although admittedly I live alone. The plastic shelving is of somewhat poor quality, but out of curiosity I recently compared this to a few other brands when I was at Harvey Norman recently and I found that you have to pay twice as much to avoid that problem.

The washing machine is a 7.5kg front loader and is excellent, although if you want to add items during the cycle you have to wait a couple of minutes after pressing the pause button. It doesn't bother me personally but since you've mentioned that you want to add items mid cycle it could be a nuisance for you. I use fabric softener and have never really had a problem with towels feeling too rough, although they can start to feel a bit that way if I over dry them which happens occassionally on particularly windy Wellington days.

MikeB4

18435 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#992064 21-Feb-2014 22:29

Our Bosch front loader does the best job of cleaning clothes of any the machines we have owned. It easy on power especially the 15 minute fast wash an uses considerably less water.

martyyn

1971 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#992369 22-Feb-2014 16:03

Hammerer:
They are much slower, for example. We can get a four loads out of a top-loader in a morning whereas we're lucky to get two out of a front-loader.

It all depends on the cycle used doesn't it. We have a 'daily' cycle which is done in an hour.

Sideface

9357 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#992380 22-Feb-2014 16:26

Hobchild: ... the only trouble we've had with our landlords top loader damaging clothes is when my fiance's pantyhose would sometimes get tangled around the fins of the agitator ...

I would never even consider putting pantyhose (or any similar ultra-lightweight ultra-fragile material) into any washing machine or drier. Just asking for trouble.
I vote for a top-loader washing machine for all the reasons already stated.

Sideface

mcraenz

1140 posts

Uber Geek

#992530 22-Feb-2014 19:43

We have a Samsung dishwasher. It's ok machine but has a few issues. E.g the metal is not rust treated so after a small breach on the outer white paint it started to rust and paint/powder coat started lifting. The controlboard failed after 2 years just out of warranty but samsung were fine with that and replaced it. Next time we'll probably go with bosch. I think Samsung still have some lessons to learn.

Help me build a better way of doing politics in Aotearoa New Zealand

political.nz

Hammerer

2476 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#992540 22-Feb-2014 20:26

To save money in the short-term and long-term:

Pay the extra for time-saving and energy-efficient features which are first introduced in high end models. Examples include: fridge doors with a hatch to get the milk; inverter compressors are now coming out in mid-range fridge/freezers; ice-dispenser in door; etc. 30 years ago we spent an extra 20% to get a model with a fan in the freezer compartment so we wouldn't have to defrost - it was worth it as the airflow sped up freezing making it more effective. 30 years on we only got rid of it because the energy use was high because of inadequate insulation and old compressor technology. The fittings inside were perfect for our needs unlike the replacement.
Look at buying clearance items: the price drop is significant which also means that you can afford to get a better model with better features; it is easier to check their reliability if they've been around for a while; 'everyone' is more knowledgeable about them. You can get seconds appliances on TradeMe at a substantial discount as, for example, a fridge door might have a scratch so the distributor/importer clears it.

We just bought a kitchen set of appliances including replacing our 30 year old F&P fridge/freezer. Here's some things we found from buying a Samsung side-by-side:

take along the sort of bottles and containers you would normally use in a fridge/freezer e.g. 2l ice-cream containers, 2l milk and fizzy bottles. Try putting them into the fridge you are looking at - you will be surprised how many don't fit very well.
get one with adjustable positions for shelves and trays - it gives you more options.
get shelves with no joins on the upper surface as any join will always collect food and 'dirt'.
get an inverter model for the same reason you'd get an inverted heat pump, they run more efficiently and quietly.
side-by-side doors are less efficient but they are useful where there is a thoroughfare in front of your fridge as they don't stick out as far when fully open.
if there are compartments/drawers with doors/lids, make sure that you can open more than one of them at the same time e.g. to make transferring/rearranging items easier.
this doesn't apply to you getting a smaller unit but if you get a big one make sure that it will fit through your doorways - the salespeople often don't confirm this before selling it to you.

Hammerer

2476 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#992546 22-Feb-2014 20:55

martyyn:
Hammerer:
They are much slower, for example. We can get a four loads out of a top-loader in a morning whereas we're lucky to get two out of a front-loader.

It all depends on the cycle used doesn't it. We have a 'daily' cycle which is done in an hour.

No, I don't think it does. I realise that you could use a spin-cycle in a front-loader to get a faster cycle than a top-loader donig a wash but that would be a biased test.

Whether you take the manufacturer recommended cycle times for each type of wash or the shortest cycle time, the top loader cycles are much shorter. The shortest wash (not rinse+spin or spin-only) cycle on most top-loaders is usually half that of the shortest wash cycle on most front-loaders.

I also understand why front-loader owners extol them as 'better': quieter, gentler, more efficient on water and energy, simpler design, smaller, etc. I was making the point that they are not "better in every respect". Any assessment that did want to say that would have to take into account all end-uses and end-users.

Batman

Mad Scientist
29763 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#992553 22-Feb-2014 21:35

Dear op

Someone said you can pause a front loader and put more stuff in. Most you can't. You have too wait till the end of the 3.5 hrs of the cycle to put stuff in.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5