Laundry disaster

[bjarvis]

I put a load of towels & sheets into the washing machine, then headed upstairs to warm up some soup. When I returned, there was a half-inch of water throughout the basement laundry/furnace room. Not good.

The mystery is that there is little evidence of a machine malfunction, yet I can't see any other possibility. There are no visible breaks in pipes, all other appliances are working well and the washing machine itself seems to be operating correctly. The water itself was clean and odourless, indicating it was either a rinse cycle or fresh water rather than drained or waste water.

On the good side, the soaked areas all have tiled floors rather than carpets so clean up has been easy. I was tempted to dash out to buy a wet/dry vacuum but it seems now unnecessary. We are however going to be shopping for a new washer & dryer. This isn't the first time and I'm getting a little tired of mopping the floors in this way.

Anyone have any recommendations (or warnings) about various models of front-loading washers?

Comments

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Usually the drain hose goes into a standpipe, and if there's any slowdown in the drain from the standpipe it will overflow from there. If there's any sign the standpipe had water flowing down it, I'd check to make sure it's not a slight blockage in that drain rather than your machine which is at fault.

I have no useful advice re new machines, though some of the new Euro-style frontloaders (which are considerably more efficient in water and energy use) have been troublesome. Consumer Reports did something on them recently... Feb 2005. Get a gas dryer if you can (much lower operating cost.)

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

Kenmore and Whirlpool are extremely reliable.

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Randy & I purchased a pair of mid-range/high-end "LG" front-loaders based on the then-most-recent Consumers Reports ratings. They're quiet, very energy efficient, and seem to clean effectively without being terribly hard on clothing. We've been extremely happy with them, and would buy either model again.

If you like, I can get you the precise model.

laundry machines

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

Shortly after I moved into my last apartment (this would be May-June 1998) I got stackable Frigidaire front-loader + its twin dryer. I paid an extra $35 for the Hudson's Bay Co to actually assemble them on-site into a top-and-bottom pair and twas the best $35 I've ever spent, after watching them do it, and the video(!) that came with the machine telling how to use 'em, and how to stack the pair.

I was extremely pleased with them, and would recommend them to anyone.

Now I realise a) you live in a house, so footprint isn't quite so demanding as it was in my 21st storey condo, so you may not need a stackable, b) this was an all-electric setup (yes, yes, it used water to do the laundry), but gas was not an option for moi, so this isn't directly transferable information.

(I also had a 1-metre-square white enamelled steel lid -- from the washer -- in my storage locker for seven years. I spoze I could have converted it to a card table, and heaven knows the kitchen could have used the counterspace -- but it belongs to the new owners of 2101 now)

I don't have the model info, coz the laundry machines done got sold with the apartment when I moved this past spring. [I *did* tell you about that didn't I? New address: apt 2108, not 2101, everything else is the same]. The laundry machine in the new apt is an all-in-one Whirlpool washer-dryer. The washer half is a top-loader + agitator paddle. It's OK, but if I had a magic wand, I'd prefer my old front-loading Frigidaire back.

There is a LOT more lint in the dryer lintscreen now, with the top-loader washer, than there was with the front-loader-no-agitator washer. That seems like direct and very visible evidence that the top-loader is being harder on my clothes, pounding that much more lint out of them every cycle.

The front-loaders use much less water - maybe 33% of the top loaders, and consequently less detergent too, which is also an issue if you're paying a) for water or b)more significantly, to heat said water.

All that said, I hope your old washer isn't flooding regularly