Washer Dryer Bust

[GeoffF100]

I have had a Hotpoint washer dryer for 3.5 years, and the pump has failed. The rubber around the door also needs replacing. It is the worst washer dryer I have ever had, but its failure is nonetheless unwelcome. I have just finished hand rinsing a full load of clothes.

Normally, I just use the dryer to dry towels, but I guess I could put up with hanging them up to dry. I hang up lots of wet clothes in my house, and do not get problems with damp. The dryer is sometimes useful when I wash waterproofs that need to be tumble dried on low heat, but I expect that I could do that at a launderette, or resort to Nikwax whatever the label says. Old water proofs never seem to repel water like new, whatever I do.

I will ring Hotpoint regarding the possibility of fixing the washer dryer tomorrow. New washer dryers cost £300 plus. Plain old washing machine can be bought for half that, but a Bosch would cost almost as much.

Has anyone got any recent experience here?

[unperplex]

Best of luck finding a new washer drier.Personally I would never buy one in the first place.Twice the problems and half the efficiency.Do you have space problems ? LEG are good washers .Brushless motors guaranteed for 10 years......

[GeoffF100]

Yes, I have space problems. A separate dryer is out of the question. I do not think that I will buy another washer dryer after this one though. It takes forever, does not get my clothes clean and tangles them up. I have to use two wash cycles, the first with bio and the second with non-bio to get my clothes clean. A total of about three hours, and more if I use the dryer. It does not seem to have been made for people who sweat it out in gyms and waterproofs. I think I can cope without the dryer.

[wheypat]

I just replaced my 14 year old Bosch with a Beko after the repair man said it wasn't economical to repair anymore. He then suggested a Beko as under the lid many cheap Bosches (he suggested sub £350) are actually Beko inside. A week later my tumble dryer broke (belt snapped) - this is also a Bosch. He opened it up and low and behold, on the inside it's a White Knight. Had to get a belt from them.

Also, I highly recommend http://www.ao.com, delivered as they said they would and when the washer was reduced after I ordered it, but before it arrived, they then refunded me the difference.

[hectorcat]

We have a Bosch Washer / Dryer and it's great - delivered from AO.com and has survived two children in washable nappies with no issues.

It has settings where you can select either to dry the clothes on a sensor (ie until the right part becomes dry) or for a specific amount of time. The only thing to watch is the weight of the load as if you put in too much it won't dry sufficiently.

Happy to update with make / model if that helps
K

[GeoffF100]

I just bought a Bosch WAB24161GB. £239.93 plus £25 to deliver, connect and dispose of the old one. The salesman said it took 3 hr to wash, but they were all like that now. The reviews are good, but I do not expect miracles for that money.

[GeoffF100]

My sister suggested a compact tumble dryer. She has one bolted to the wall in her garage. I only have a small kitchen. If I was rebuilding it, I expect that I could accommodate a separate tumble dryer, but that would not be worthwhile. I do, however, have plenty of space elsewhere in the house. This looks interesting;

https://whiteknightdryers.com/shop/whit ... ble-dryer/

The vent hose comes out near the bottom, which does not suitable for poking it out of a window. It only weighs 24Kg, so I could lift it onto the kitchen worktop. Nonetheless, I expect that I can get by without a tumble dryer.

[melonfool]

Well, we had a Hotpoint washer (OH did, which we kept when we moved in together, leaving my excellent washer/dryer....) which was rubbish.

I had an Indesit washer/dryer which lasted about 12 years and I passed on so no idea how much longer it went on for.

So, I suggest you problem is Hotpoint, not washer/dryers.

The w/d has its problems - smaller drum, can't go directly to dryer if its a full load as it washes a bigger load than it will dry, can obviously not wash next load until dryer is done. etc. I only used it for underwear so as not to have forty pairs of kecks hanging round the house, and bed linen as hanging it took up so much room. Thus it was only used on dry about once a month.

OH has/had a tumble dryer, but since we've moved we've not got room for it in the house (well, we have, but not in a place we'd like to actually put it) and so it's never been used in 3.5 years. We just hang our laundry on airers.

So, the Hotpoint failed and after 2 years of complaining to OH about all the grey greasy streaks being left on my clothes (didn't do it to his - or he didn't care!) which my Googling showed me meant the bearings had gone, we bought a cheaper Bosch from AO.

AO were great, delivered when they said they would, they have lots of options for taking old ones away, plumbing etc. We didn't (or so I thought....*) need any of those so we only paid the delivery fee.

The new washer has been SO fab, it's a revelation. It has a useful 15 min wash (good for kids' clothes if they've worn them but they're not really 'dirty', or for swimming costumes etc), and any programme can go on a time saving wash - so everything of mine goes on a 30deg one hour wash. No idea what programme OH uses, we do our washing separately.

Mel

* - OH decided to give away the old machine, much to my horror as it was broken, but apparently someone did want it, which is great, except it took them two weeks to pick it up. Also, OH assured me he could plumb it in, but the first time I used it there was the most horrendous noise, and I switched it off quickly and guessed he had not removed the retaining clips. Turns out he had never heard of retaining clips.....

[melonfool]

Ooops, didn't spot you'd already bought one. It looks like it has similar functions to ours, this is the one we got:

http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/waq ... ng-machine

or that sort anyway (they seem to have loads the same).

I use the 'speed perfect' button on every wash (except towels), takes an hour, everything comes out fine.

Mel

[GeoffF100]

Thanks very much for that Mel. Your machine appears to be more up-market than mine. My new machine has now been delivered and installed. It is currently doing its mandatory 60 degree first wash with no clothes.

It turns out that the waste pipe was blocked with crud, which was probably why the old machine would not drain. I did not think of looking for that. The old machine did not have a fluff filter. It was supposed to be self cleaning, which probably meant that it just sent the crud straight down the waste pipe!

The old machine, in any case, needed a new rubber seal round the door. Hotpoint quoted £110 to fix it, with a charge if they could not fix it, and only a 30 day guarantee IIRC. Not an attractive option.

The new machine has a pre-wash option. Detergent normally goes in dish II. The instructions say distribute the detergent between dish I and II when using pre-wash. I expect that means bio in I and non-bio in II for those of use with sensitive skin. Hopefully, I will not need to use pre-wash. I have sometimes resorted to pre-soaking really smelly clothes in a bucket of bio, and then washing them with non-bio which worked well but was time consuming.

[melonfool]

The new machine has a pre-wash option. Detergent normally goes in dish II. The instructions say distribute the detergent between dish I and II when using pre-wash. I expect that means bio in I and non-bio in II for those of use with sensitive skin. Hopefully, I will not need to use pre-wash. I have sometimes resorted to pre-soaking really smelly clothes in a bucket of bio, and then washing them with non-bio which worked well but was time consuming.

I don't think I've ever used a pre wash in my life.

One of the reasons OH and I do our laundry separately is that I prefer non bio as I think bio makes me itch, and he won't use non bio as he says it doesn't get the clothes clean. I feel like my clothes are clean! If I worry about smell I pop half a capful of Zoflora (available in most supermarkets, Amazon and Poundland!) in with the detergent, as this is anti-bac it would kill any bacteria causing a smell. I don't use any laundry conditioner, but now and then about 100ml of vinegar. We have medium hard water.

For heavily soiled items (rare) I add Oxy powder. Seems to help keep the white bed linen white enough.

My mum used to pre soak in Biotex in a bucket then wash in the machine, I've never felt the need to resort to that. Nothing gets really smelly, maybe you need to use the short wash but just wash things more frequently?

Mel

[GeoffF100]

I have reread the instructions, and my interpretation of the compartments is correct. The main smelly clothes problem is from yomping up and down hills all day in waterproofs. Breathability is limited, and the the layers underneath have to by synthetic for moisture management, and have no anti-bacterial action. (You can use a Merino base layer, but they are expensive and wear out quickly. Some synthetic base layers have silver treatment, which helps a bit.) There are similar problems with boots.

I am reluctant to use artificial antibacterials like Zoflora, for fear of promoting bacterial resistance.

[melonfool]

I have reread the instructions, and my interpretation of the compartments is correct. The main smelly clothes problem is from yomping up and down hills all day in waterproofs. Breathability is limited, and the the layers underneath have to by synthetic for moisture management, and have no anti-bacterial action. (You can use a Merino base layer, but they are expensive and wear out quickly. Some synthetic base layers have silver treatment, which helps a bit.) There are similar problems with boots.

I am reluctant to use artificial antibacterials like Zoflora, for fear of promoting bacterial resistance.

1) stop yomping up and down hills

2) re Zoflora - sorry, what?

Mel

[GeoffF100]

Here is an article about the dangers of using anti-bacterials:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... than-good/

The FDA is proposing to ban them:

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consume ... 378393.htm

The same issues have been raised about disinfectants:

http://www.buildingbetterhealthcare.co. ... ine/122676

In my case, a further problem is that I am prone to eczema, so I avoid contact with soap and detergent wherever possible. My GP says it is best not to wash at all, but that is going a bit far. Washing in plan water and then applying moisturiser to seal in the moisture seems to work best for me.

[melonfool]

Here is an article about the dangers of using anti-bacterials:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... than-good/

The FDA is proposing to ban them:

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consume ... 378393.htm

The same issues have been raised about disinfectants:

http://www.buildingbetterhealthcare.co. ... ine/122676

In my case, a further problem is that I am prone to eczema, so I avoid contact with soap and detergent wherever possible. My GP says it is best not to wash at all, but that is going a bit far. Washing in plan water and then applying moisturiser to seal in the moisture seems to work best for me.

OK. That FDA thing is very specifically about hand/body soap/wash. .

I agree over use is not good. If you cannot tolerate it on your skin anyway then obviously you can't use it.

But I would suggest that a half capful of Zoflora every couple of weeks in your wash probably does less environmental damage than your 'double wash' with two different detergents (one bio, one non bio).

Personally I use no other anti-bac stuff than bleach and one hand sanitiser in the downstairs loo but that is anti-viral as well and was bought when we all had tummy bugs that went on for three weeks.

I have massively cut down on things like parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate, and surfectants in my hair and body wash these days, which has made my skin a lot better. But I guess if you are only using water this isn't an issue for you.

Mel

[Devjon]

My daughter lives in a first floor flat in Edinburgh and has no access to an outside washing line. She has a wooden airer which she raises /lowers to the ceiling ( high ceilings in the older buildings )
There was an article that recommended using a dehumidifier instead of a tumble dryer, smaller cheaper to run and surprisingly effective. I dug around a bit and found one on Screwfix that has a dedicated clothes drying setting.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/wdh-316db-16l ... fier/1379g

The video illustrates how quiet and compact it is

[Hardgrafter]

No-one seems to have considered a condenser tumble drier. IMHO they are the best things since automatic washing machines. You can put them anywhere, and the clothes dry very fast.

[GeoffF100]

The Hotpoint was a condenser dryer. My previous condenser dryers were OK, without using bio powder/liquid, but the Hotpoint was rubbish. When I complained, Hotpoint said that modern washing machines did not wash as quickly or as well well as the old ones because they used less water. Washer dryers are roughly twice the price of a washing machine without the drying function.

I have just washed four towels, and hung them up over night. The ones near the radiator are bone dry, and the others are almost dry. No damp, and the kitchen carpet is still soaked, as a result having to extract my washing from a washing machine that would not drain. The towels are not as soft and fluffy as they would have been if they had been tumble dried, but that is not a problem. I do not believe that I need a tumble dryer. I will need to visit a launderette or friend when I need to re-activate a water repellent coating, but that is only about once a year.

The performance of the Bosch appears to be excellent. I am still experimenting, but I may not need to use bio liquid with this machine.

[helfordpirate]

Um... as this is a "living below your means" forum I am wondering why no-one suggested that you fix it yourself. Parts are widely available and cheap and generally arrive next day. Youtube provides tutorials on every aspect of fixing household appliances!

I don't mean to be rude to washing machine repair men/women but these are not sophisticated machines and there are only half a dozen major components. Usually a couple of bolts, a couple of hoses and a power plug to replace a pump. The hardest part is always getting into the thing in the first place - and re-fitting the rubber door seal if you have to go through the front.

And the sense of achievement is pretty good too!

[GeoffF100]

The new Bosh washes very well. The old Hotpoint was rubbish by comparison. I doubt whether I will ever need to pre-wash with bio. I have a question though. There are two similar wash cycles, easy-care and mixed load. Which says that easy-care means synthetics. The Bosh booklet says that mixed load is a mixture of fabrics. Mixed load is the faster. I assume that the longer easy-care cycle washes better, but I have been unable to verify that.