Appliance Repair ?

[CateP]

Hi There.
Our Whirlpool Duet spin cycle is making a lot of noise and from what I could discover online, it is probably a tub bearing that needs to be replaced. The repair seems a bit out of my capabilities so I am looking for an appliance repair person who does jobs in the Lakes Region. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[HellRaZoR004]

Can't help with a repair person but it could also be the spider shaft assembly.

I have a Samsung that uses a similar setup that is starting to make a lot of noise and shake during the spin portion. I plan to break into the appliance at some point and possibly replace that piece. Unfortunately the part is over a $100 :(...we'll see if it makes sense to buy a new one.

[SAMIAM]

Crown Appliance in Center Harbor is great.....good work and reasonable but it's a ways to Wolfboro
253-8778

[radioman]

Cate, Suggest you call "RELIABLE" 800-900-.0428 we have used them in the past and were very pleased. Another is BARRONS they are in Center Harbor but cant find the card. Good Luck

[camp guy]

Suggest you call Pilgrim Appliance Service (Joel Ducharme), (603) 522-3978. He has done work for me, and he is excellent.

[DesertDweller]

Wells Appliance Repair is in Wolfeboro. Have no idea if they work on Whirlpool but if I had to guess they do. They fixed my LG refrigerator last year.

[Rusty]

If your machine is over 8 years old it would be cheaper to buy a new one then to do major repair. Unfortunately you will have to spend money to find out what is wrong with the old one.

If your machine is over 10 years old then I would just buy a new one.

Noise while spinning doesn't sound good and other things will probably start to happen shortly.

[CateP]

Well it's been an interesting time since I started this inquiry. I talked to two appliance repair people and they both confirmed that the noise is probably a bearing issue and that the cost to repair would not be worth the money. One person said that the washers these days have a 6-8 year life because of the plastic used to make parts. (Sounds like "designed to fail" to me).

So now I am looking at a near future of washing cycles that end with the sound of a jet engine and a further future of having to by a new washer. Bummer. I think my mother had one washer for most of our childhood and replaced it once or twice in the 50 years they lived at the house.

Any recommendations for washers that LAST?

[ishoot308]

Well it's been an interesting time since I started this inquiry. I talked to two appliance repair people and they both confirmed that the noise is probably a bearing issue and that the cost to repair would not be worth the money. One person said that the washers these days have a 6-8 year life because of the plastic used to make parts. (Sounds like "designed to fail" to me).

So now I am looking at a near future of washing cycles that end with the sound of a jet engine and a further future of having to by a new washer. Bummer. I think my mother had one washer for most of our childhood and replaced it once or twice in the 50 years they lived at the house.

Any recommendations for washers that LAST?

"Speed Queen"! It's the only good one left. Built like a tank. Barons sells them and they are not cheap! Wife bought one last year and loves it!

Dan

[SAMIAM]

If you haven't dealt with Barons......They are excellent. Same price range as the box stores and they have installation and service.

[ishoot308]

If you haven't dealt with Barons......They are excellent. Same price range as the box stores and they have installation and service.

I agree! They have been excellent with us in both sales and service!

Dan

[WakeboardMom]

I just went through this with my front loader!!!! Called a very reliable appliance repair person and he commiserated with me to say that it's a sad shame; there should be a class action suit. It would cost hundreds of dollars to repair, and it's a very common problem. He sees it all the time.

I have two top-loaders in two lake houses that are so old I don't even know how old they are!!! But my front loader is/was maybe 8 years old...probably closer to 5 and it was toast!

As someone above me said, "Speed Queen." Both the repair man and the applicance sales person recommended that brand. Old technology, but ridiculously reliable. The only advantage of a front loader is that they use less water.

I don't need any bells and whistles, so I went with this model:
http://www.dracutappliance.com/products/Speed-Queen/spq/awn432sp113tw04.html

[ITD]

Well it's been an interesting time since I started this inquiry. I talked to two appliance repair people and they both confirmed that the noise is probably a bearing issue and that the cost to repair would not be worth the money. One person said that the washers these days have a 6-8 year life because of the plastic used to make parts. (Sounds like "designed to fail" to me).

So now I am looking at a near future of washing cycles that end with the sound of a jet engine and a further future of having to by a new washer. Bummer. I think my mother had one washer for most of our childhood and replaced it once or twice in the 50 years they lived at the house.

Any recommendations for washers that LAST?

Depending on how handy you are you can attempt the repair yourself. It doesn't look too hard, but will probably take a few hours and you need some tools, like a relatively heavy hammer and a good set of sockets with extensions.

There is one video here on how to do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-eAvoBI59Y Not sure of your model, but you can probably find instructions for your exact washer. The bearing kit with seals looks like $40 on ebay, and if the "spider" arm is broken, they run between 90 and 130 bucks.

Generally the way I look at these repairs is that if I can't repair it or if I break it further it needed to be replaced anyway. If successful you've save a lot of money and it will probably last as long as a new one. Best of luck.

[Outdoorsman]

Generally the way I look at these repairs is that if I can't repair it or if I break it further it needed to be replaced anyway.

:laugh:
I am right there with you on that one!

My motto: "I will either fix it or break it so no one else can fix".

[TheProfessor]

and replaced it once or twice in the 50 years they lived at the house.

Any recommendations for washers that LAST?

Listen. Skip the expensive ones. There are basically two companies that make washing machines. GE and Whirlpool. Yes, there are Korean ones and European ones.

Skip the front loaders. I know they look pretty. Won't mention the class action lawsuit for all front loaders. (Mold)

I had to purchase both a washer and a dryer a few years ago. I went to the online sites HD/Lowes. I got the absolute cheapest top loader washing machine and matching dryer. I paid $600.00 for both (prices are up a tad now). Got an Admiral. A brand name that Whirlpool acquired when Whirlpool purchased Maytag. This Admiral is the exact same machine as the Whirlpool.
Basic machine that washes cloths. Same with dryer (it dries clothes). And as a bonus it has some different settings.

Be sure to skip any that use sensors to either wash or dry. One more thing that can go wrong. Also skip the touchpad models. When that goes kaput very expensive to replace.

Speed Queen does sound like a good machine. Never owned one. Speed Queen does have an interesting past. LINK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_Laundry_Systems)

[Outdoorsman]

Listen. Skip the expensive ones. There are basically two companies that make washing machines. GE and Whirlpool. Yes, there are Korean ones and European ones.

Skip the front loaders. I know they look pretty. Won't mention the class action lawsuit for all front loaders. (Mold)

I had to purchase both a washer and a dryer a few years ago. I went to the online sites HD/Lowes. I got the absolute cheapest top loader washing machine and matching dryer. I paid $600.00 for both (prices are up a tad now). Got an Admiral. A brand name that Whirlpool acquired when Whirlpool purchased Maytag. This Admiral is the exact same machine as the Whirlpool.
Basic machine that washes cloths. Same with dryer (it dries clothes). And as a bonus it has some different settings.

Be sure to skip any that use sensors to either wash or dry. One more thing that can go wrong. Also skip the touchpad models. When that goes kaput very expensive to replace.

Speed Queen does sound like a good machine. Never owned one. Speed Queen does have an interesting past. LINK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_Laundry_Systems)

:rolleye2:

[Rusty]

Listen. Skip the expensive ones. There are basically two companies that make washing machines. GE and Whirlpool. Yes, there are Korean ones and European ones.

Skip the front loaders. I know they look pretty. Won't mention the class action lawsuit for all front loaders. (Mold)

I had to purchase both a washer and a dryer a few years ago. I went to the online sites HD/Lowes. I got the absolute cheapest top loader washing machine and matching dryer. I paid $600.00 for both (prices are up a tad now). Got an Admiral. A brand name that Whirlpool acquired when Whirlpool purchased Maytag. This Admiral is the exact same machine as the Whirlpool.
Basic machine that washes cloths. Same with dryer (it dries clothes). And as a bonus it has some different settings.

Be sure to skip any that use sensors to either wash or dry. One more thing that can go wrong. Also skip the touchpad models. When that goes kaput very expensive to replace.

Speed Queen does sound like a good machine. Never owned one. Speed Queen does have an interesting past. LINK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_Laundry_Systems)
Well said and very true.

[ApS]

If your machine is over 8 years old it would be cheaper to buy a new one then to do major repair. Unfortunately you will have to spend money to find out what is wrong with the old one. If your machine is over 10 years old then I would just buy a new one. Noise while spinning doesn't sound good and other things will probably start to happen shortly.I've seen it where the noise turns to "noisy and intermittent" operation. (Later, no spin-cycle). :(

Since it isn't a Maytag, it is time for a new washer.

My BIL is a Maytag repairman and when we needed a washer ten years ago, he bought a 10-year-old Maytag at a yard sale for $20—then gladly tipped the seller $20 for delivering it. This Maytag is newer than my inherited-by-house-purchase Maytag in Florida!

Older Maytag parts may be dwindling, so shopping around the state for that dusty part may be necessary by now.

He says to not buy a washer with a "board" in it, but I suspect (by now) that even the cheaper washers have that board. Front-loaders have that board. :eek2: Neighbors replaced a "board" in their just-out-of-warranty refrigerator, and paid the repairman $1000! :eek:

On the Maytag washer here, we've replaced hoses a few times—belts, 'cuz they're easy—and did an epoxy patch on a rust-through on the tub.

A major repair, even I was able to replace the transmission on my (even) older Maytag! :look: They're designed to be easy to work on, and are really easy to work on. :)

.

[tis]

I think you are right. Though you would like to buy a nice appliance I think cheapest is the way to go. They are disposable. It costs more to have them repaired than to buy new cheap ones. I recently got a front load washer and hate it. Sometimes, it doesn't even wet parts of the clothes. It's a GE, I don't know if it is the brand or what. Somebody told me unless you stuff a load, you won't get enough water. The repairman putting in a new ice maker for me also told me Speed Queen is the only way to go. They are still considered commercial so don't have to follow all the government rules and regs like the home products do.

[BrownstoneNorth]

Built like a tank, no useless bells & whistles but you can get all the options you need (for us, Extra Rinse is important), and the warranty is much longer than for other brands. We have mechanical controls but SQ is now also offering electronic -- I prefer mechanical.

Best price, including delivery, when we got ours for Wolfeboro in 2010 was at Central Furniture & Appliance in Sanford, Maine; might be different now.

I'd also recommend springing for Floodchek hoses, which are so much better than other types that many condo association are actually requiring them for new installs in apartments.


http://www.speedqueen.com/products/top-load-washers.aspx

http://www.shopatcentral.com/products/Speed-Queen/spq/awn432sp113tw04.html


http://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/floodchek-washing-machine-hoses.40315/

[CateP]

Wow. Lots of good comments here. Thanks everyone. Lots to think about.