Q&A: The Best-Selling Front-Loading Washers in the U.S.A.
Sep 06 '01 (Updated Mar 19 '02)
The Bottom Line Have questions about a front-loading washer? Here are some answers about the one you'll most likely end up buying.
Before I bought my GE WSXH208AWW front-loading washer, I did some research and found out that the vast majority of front-loading washers sold in the U.S.A., including my GE and your neighbor's Frigidaire, are made by Electrolux Home Products (EHP) in the same American factory where Frigidaire appliances are made. EHP is the American division of AB Electrolux, a Swedish company unrelated to the American vacuum cleaner maker once known by the same name, but now called Aerus. EHP owns such venerable major appliance brands as Frigidaire, White-Westinghouse, Kelvinator and Tappan. Their 2.7 cubic-foot capacity front-load washers are sold under the Frigidaire, GE and Kenmore names, and as a coin-operated model available from GE and Wascomat. You can see the family resemblance in the detergent/bleach/softener dispenser drawer and in the control layout consisting of a large cycle selector knob at the far right of the control panel and as many as 3 more smaller option knobs.
Manufacturers who aren't ready to build their own front-loading washers can mix and match the features available from EHP to create models unique to their own brands. Kenmore, for instance, is the only brand to offer a delay-start timer while GE's lower-priced front-load washer and matching dryer have a knob for adjusting the loudness of the end-of-cycle buzzer. Expect more of these "cousins" to arrive on the market if the demand for front-loading washers becomes greater in the future. If you're considering a front-loading washer and have already crossed out the Maytag Neptune, the Kenmore Elite HEłt, the Whirlpool Duet and all those $1,000-plus European washers as too expensive, you'll most likely end up purchasing a washer made by EHP, regardless of the brand.
Following are some of the most commonly asked questions about front-loading washers in general and the best-selling front-loading washer design in particular.
Why should I buy a front-loading washer?
There are both selfish and selfless reasons for buying a front-loader. You'll save water and the energy needed to heat it. Your clothes will last longer and you'll put far less detergent and bleach into the waste water stream. Washers that have earned the EPA's Energy Star rating (whether top-load or front-load) can potentially pay for themselves in utility and other savings long before they wear out.
How much do they cost?
For a 2.7 cubic foot Frigidaire, GE or Kenmore front-loader, expect to pay around $500 on sale for a simple 2-cycle model to about $800 for a top-of-the-line multi-cycle unit.
What'll I get for $800 that I won't get on the $500 washer?
Same as you'd expect with top-loaders: delay-start timers, incoming water temperature sensors, more cycles, more tumble and spin speed options.
How much can I wash in a single load?
2.7 cubic feet translates to about 14 pounds dry weight of mixed cottons. You should be able to wash a set of king size bed linens, a few towels, a week's worth of cotton underwear and some socks, all in the same load.
Are the newest Frigidaire and Kenmore washers bigger? They look the same but the capacity is now listed as "3.1 cubic feet I.E.C.".
They're the same. A top-loading washer with a 3.1 cubic foot wash basket would have an agitator that displaces about .4 cubic feet. Thus, 3.1 - .4 = 2.7 cubic feet actual capacity but the equivalent capacity of a 3.1 cubic foot top-loader.
How much water does it use?
At least 1/3 less than the typical top-loader uses to wash the same load (approx. 25 gallons vs approx. 40 gallons).
How long does it take?
The longest Cottons/Durables cycle with an extra rinse takes about an hour.
But my top-loader only takes 45 minutes and the washers at the laundromat do the job in under a half-hour. Where's the advantage in that?
Front-loading washers take longer to wash and rinse your clothes but the final spin removes so much moisture, the extra time will most likely be made up in the dryer. In many cases, the clothes will dry in less time than it took to wash them but the overall wash and dry time will be about the same or even less.
How does a front-loader get clothes just as clean with so much less water?
The typical top-loader cycle consists of a simple wash/spin/rinse/spin sequence, with the washer filling and draining after the wash and rinse. In a front-loader, the clothes are lifted and dropped into a more concentrated solution of water and detergent. The reversing tumble action kneads the water and detergent deeply into the fabric fibers. Then, a series of rinses and short spins removes both the loosened soil and the detergent. Since the washer never fills above the bottom of the washer door, much less water is used than in a top-loader.
But none of these washers have a water level knob. How does THAT save water?
The washer will determine how much water is needed based on the weight of the load and how much water is displaced or absorbed by the fabrics, but it will never be higher than the bottom of the washer door.
Hmmm. . .So that means you CAN stop the washer and open the door to throw in an overlooked item, doesn't it?
Yes, it does.
OK, we took the plunge, but when we went to the market to buy some HE (high efficiency) detergent, we nearly fainted when we saw the price. Do we REALLY have to use that stuff?
Maybe yes, maybe no. Most "ultra" detergents on the market are low-sudsing formulas, but the scoop included in the box might be too big to measure the detergent into the washer's dispenser drawer. Instead, use a 1/8 cup coffee measure to shovel detergent into the dispenser drawer. For a full load of medium to heavily soiled laundry, try 3 measures (or 3/8 cup) of regular "ultra" detergent or 4 measures (1/2 cup) of "ultra" detergent with color-safe bleach. Use less, of course, for smaller loads and lightly soiled loads. After you start the machine, watch through the washer's window while the wash cycle progresses. As long as the drum doesn't completely fill up with suds, you can continue to use the same detergent. But if your water supply is naturally soft or artificially softened, you might not be able to use little enough of a conventional "ultra" detergent to prevent oversudsing while still getting your laundry clean. In this case, you might have to switch to HE detergent.
Update on HE detergent:
A notable exception are Purex Tabs, labeled for use in HE washers. A box of 24 tablets sells for about $3.25, often going on sale for even less. Use one tablet per load, regardless of size, water temperature or soil level.
Hey, this face cloth just came out of the washer and it isn't even wet! I don't think it even got washed!
Actually, it did, but because of how small it is, it was wrung nearly dry by the washer's extremely fast final spin. It still contains some residual moisture, so be sure to toss it in the dryer along with the rest of the wash load.
OK, but while that load was in the dryer, my daughter washed one of her sweatshirts all by itself and the washer didn't even spin! Is something wrong with my washer?
No. If you try to wash a single item, the washer may sense it as a clump of wet laundry that won't distribute itself throughout the drum before the spin cycle begins. Better to wash 2 or 3 sweatshirts or throw in a couple towels as "ballast" for the spin cycle.
Yeah, about that spin cycle. This washer NEVER seems to go out of balance and dance around the laundry room like my top-loader did. Why?
Simple motion dynamics. The much higher spin speed and the perpendicular rotation create a gyroscopic stabilizing effect. But for that to occur, the washer has to be loaded with enough laundry to distribute and balance.
RELATED INFORMATION:
A review of the GE WSXH208AWW Extra Large 2.7 Cu. Ft.Front Loading Washer:
http://www.epinions.com/content_39740542596
A review of the matching GE DSXH43GAWW Extra-Large 6.0 Cu. Ft. Capacity Gas Dryer:
http://www.epinions.com/content_41645215364
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