# Washing Machines



## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

Bane of my life these are. We appear to be lucky to get approx 5yrs out of any washing machine we own. To be fair as a family of 5 they get a lot of use. Looks like we have another that’s bit the dust. Is this about average lifetime ?


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## shep (26 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> Bane of my life these are. We appear to be lucky to get approx 5yrs out of any washing machine we own. To be fair as a family of 5 they get a lot of use. Looks like we have another that’s bit the dust. Is this about average lifetime ?


Unfortunately it does seem it now, I bought an Indesit machine in 1991 for about £350 which was a fair bit then, lasted 20yrs with the odd repair here and there. 

You can get a washer now for not much over £200 and the average repair is probably £100 so what do we do, scrap it and buy another. 

The top brand's will last but you'll be paying much more, Miele etc.

A mate supplies and installs them for a living so he tells me.


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

Will check the brushes at the back as it could be that. However, it’s could be any sensor on the thing. Think we paid £400 for this one. Going to buy cheaper if I have too this time. Not worth spending the extra IMO .


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## shep (26 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> Will check the brushes at the back as it could be that. However, it’s could be any sensor on the thing. Think we paid £400 for this one. Going to buy cheaper if I have too this time. Not worth spending the extra IMO .


I do that, last one came with 5yr warranty for about £220.

My pal always has the top appliances but he's in the trade so gets them a bit cheaper plus he can fix them himself, he charges £50 for a callout but that comes off the bill if you have the work done but if it's anything major you may as well buy new.

Trouble is then the world's full of old machines!


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## Colin Grigson (26 Aug 2021)

You can’t beat a Miele … costly to buy, but last and last … our current one is over 12 years old and it’s never faltered. My mother has one over 20 years old - they’re great machines


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## Electric_Andy (26 Aug 2021)

My current one is second hand. I'll likely buy second hand next time. I think I paid £25 and it's done me 3 years so far.


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

I still reckon it would get hammered by us. Coming round to the idea of £250 max and if it get 5yrs , then great.


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> You can’t beat a Miele … costly to buy, but last and last … our current one is over 12 years old and it’s never faltered. My mother has one over 20 years old - they’re great machines



well I’m sure they might do but you would be spitting nails if it didn’t !


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## welsh dragon (26 Aug 2021)

My washing machines tend to last about 15 years on average. Last one I bought was in 2006 and it finally went bang this year so I had to buy a new one.


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## stephec (26 Aug 2021)

welsh dragon said:


> My washing machines tend to last about 15 years on average. Last one I bought was in 2006 and it finally went bang this year so I had to buy a new one.



Have you still got this one? 😂


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## welsh dragon (26 Aug 2021)

stephec said:


> Have you still got this one? 😂
> 
> View attachment 606060




Yes, however I keep it mainly so that Mr WD can do some washing as well. He has never caught on to this new fangled electric magic


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## Beebo (26 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> Bane of my life these are. We appear to be lucky to get approx 5yrs out of any washing machine we own. To be fair as a family of 5 they get a lot of use. Looks like we have another that’s bit the dust. Is this about average lifetime ?


If you are anything like us it is probably on once a day on average. So over 5 years that is about 2000 cycles. That’s about 20p per wash for a £400 machine.


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## IaninSheffield (26 Aug 2021)

It's a long time since I bought the current washer, so this post got me wondering what current prices are if it goes bang now that I've jinxed it. I've had a quick scan and firstly, it doesn't seem to make sense that you can buy a whole washer for a third to a quarter of what a smartphone would cost. (I understand the economics, but that doesn't help where apparent common sense is contradicted).
Secondly, you can buy Bluetooth or wifi enabled washers these days! What?! Eh! Why on earth would I want that?!


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## OldShep (26 Aug 2021)

+1 for a Miele
I bought my first one 10 years ago for £50 s/h. I was so impressed with everything about it when son’s 3yo Indesit blew up I gave him mine and splashed out on another, slightly newer, Miele for £100 s/h 
Both are in use most days and both still working perfectly with excellent results.


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## Sharky (26 Aug 2021)

We take the buy cheap strategy as well. They always seem to break at the wrong time and options to get it repaired would take several days. So off to B&q and take whatever they have in store.


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## Blue Hills (26 Aug 2021)

IaninSheffield said:


> Secondly, you can buy Bluetooth or wifi enabled washers these days! What?! Eh! Why on earth would I want that?!


something to do with that strava thingie?


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## vickster (26 Aug 2021)

My fairly entry level Bosch must be close to 10 years old, my parents have the same model of a similar vintage. Not a massive user, 2-3 times a week, seems fine, occasionally run a cleaning cycle, only use washing liquid, never powder or pods if that makes a difference


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## Bonefish Blues (26 Aug 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> something to do with that strava thingie?


Yes, there are very competitive people with washing machines, so there are leagues and all sorts - I guess it's just in their jeans.


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## Bonefish Blues (26 Aug 2021)

Colin Grigson said:


> You can’t beat a Miele … costly to buy, but last and last … our current one is over 12 years old and it’s never faltered. My mother has one over 20 years old - they’re great machines


We moved away from Miele last time - they were, as you say, lasting & lasting (about 30 years for our 2), but it does mean that you're washing with an 'old' machine for many years, when newer, more efficient models are available. 

We went with a Which recommended JLP own label machine (AEG in plain clothes) and it's a noticeably better machine at, well, washing, than the last Miele - which in turn was a giant leap for mankind over the previous Miele.


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## ianrauk (26 Aug 2021)

We always buy the cheap own brand option. Logik usually. For a couple of hundred quid. If we get a good few years out of it then we are happy. 

there was a big hoo haa recently about forcing manufactures of white goods to make them last long and for spare parts to be made more freely available Guardian link to story


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## Blue Hills (26 Aug 2021)

Bonefish Blues said:


> We moved away from Miele last time - they were, as you say, lasting & lasting (about 30 years for our 2), but it does mean that you're washing with an 'old' machine for many years, when newer, more efficient models are available.


would be interested in advances in washing - any newer features worth having - OP may be interested as well - must admit I do have the idea that some newer machines have some superfluous features, too many programmes, and personally I would try to avoid any sort of digital display.


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## Bonefish Blues (26 Aug 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> would be interested in advances in washing - any newer features worth having - OP may be interested as well - must admit I do have the idea that some newer machines have some superfluous features, too many programmes, and personally I would try to avoid any sort of digital display.


I think there's a 'sweet spot' in the mid-range where there are efficient/effective wash cycles, lower water usage, bigger drums for higher capacity & faster and more effective spins. Beyond that, I think you get into the land of 'spin'  where there are features for features sake, as it were. For example, we were specifically warned by a tame washing machine repair man to avoid the space-age Samsung machines as they had proved unreliable in use.

Hard to avoid digital displays, mind - they're pretty ubiquitous (and in my limited experience have never caused me an issue)


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

Not interested in WiFi or that crap. Keep it simple, we use one long wash a short wash option and a fast wash option. As long temp can be controlled that’s all we use. Everything else is to complicated for me. Mate at work has put me off a Beko. Fell to bits just over a year. As for Miele they appear to use pods now for detergent etc, that sounds expensive !


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## Blue Hills (26 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> . As for Miele they appear to use pods now for detergent etc, that sounds expensive !


they really dictate what washing gunk you use?


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## vickster (26 Aug 2021)

John Lewis have a bunch of Bosch models from around £330 up, all with 2 year warranty


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## fossyant (26 Aug 2021)

Tend to get over 10 years. We've had two in 25 years, and a third last year. Zanussi and a Mieher - the last one the bearings were worn, so noisy.

There were fairly basic machines, still more programmes than we needed.

This last time was just before lockdown, so it was a case of fastest, biggest load and was less than 56cm deep. We got a 1400 10KG Hoover for about £450. More than I wanted but the load capacity as way ahead of others. More functions than we need, and wirelessly connects to my phone, but my thoughts were has a heavy capacity and a fairly quick spin, so should be well built. We will see


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## winjim (26 Aug 2021)

Our old Bosch died a few weeks ago. I was going to repair the bearings but I thought I 'd better dissassemble it and check before I ordered anything.

Good job I did because as well as being quite minging, the spider had disintegrated along with the bearings. The spider itself isn't replaceable on that model, you need to buy the whole tub and drum assembly which is about the price of a new machine.







We bought it second hand and from the look of it someone had been inside the tub before me so it's already had at least one overhaul. Still, we got about five years of washing pooey nappies every other day out of it so that's not bad. Now we have a new mid-range Bosch which is lovely and quiet. I did ask my wife if we wanted a top range one that connects to the wi-fi and your phone but we couldn't quite fathom out why you'd want to do that.

Hopefully soon we can stop having to put pooey nappies through it but we're not there just yet.


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## Drago (26 Aug 2021)

Mine is 13 years old, going rusty but still performing well. And the washing machine too.


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## BoldonLad (26 Aug 2021)

We are on for 3rd washing machine in 34 years. We were a family of 5 (three daughters at home), but, for last 25 years, there has been only two of us. First two machines were Hoover, and lasted about 15 years each, current one (about 4 years old) is a Samsung which came with 10 year guarantee. Most common problem with the Hoover machines was wires from underwired bra jammed in pump, which was a faff to clear but a "free" repair, because I could do it myself. Not sure this was related to the brand of machine, more likely the number of women in the house, IMHO.


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## D_97_goodtimes (26 Aug 2021)

Five years seems about right for a cheapish machine. Years ago I favoured Zanussi as they beamed them in.

Present machine is about two years old, is used several times a week. Although it has WiFi capability I never use it. 

Washing gunk and fabric gunk is delivered by post (SMOL) - works very well.

Perhaps the answer is to revert to nakedness. Sorry if that’s put you off your elevenses…


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## D_97_goodtimes (26 Aug 2021)

stephec said:


> Have you still got this one? 😂
> 
> View attachment 606060


I have something like that. Now converted to printing press.


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

D_97_goodtimes said:


> Five years seems about right for a cheapish machine. Years ago I favoured Zanussi as they beamed them in.



what’s cheapish ? Last one I think was about £400 or a bit more.


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## Bonefish Blues (26 Aug 2021)

winjim said:


> Our old Bosch died a few weeks ago. I was going to repair the bearings but I thought I 'd better dissassemble it and check before I ordered anything.
> 
> Good job I did because as well as being quite minging, the spider had disintegrated along with the bearings. The spider itself isn't replaceable on that model, you need to buy the whole tub and drum assembly which is about the price of a new machine.
> 
> ...


Meantime you have a new firepit


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## annedonnelly (26 Aug 2021)

+1 for Meile. When I had a guy out to look at a leak on mine recently he said to NEVER part with it because they are so good.


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## D_97_goodtimes (26 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> what’s cheapish ? Last one I think was about £400 or a bit more.


£300 to £400 seems to be reasonable. Of course market forces may drive you to buy what is available. How long can you do without a machine?

Launderette perhaps?


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## Pale Rider (26 Aug 2021)

Cheapo Beko for me which must be about 10 years old.

I'd take some convincing to spend £800+ on a Miele when a new Beko is £200.

Loads of programmes are of no use to me, and the more the machine has, the more complicated it is to operate.

I set the Beko to a medium wash/spin when I bought it and have literally not changed it since.


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## JtB (26 Aug 2021)

Our Bosch WFF 2000 is still going strong after about 25 years of constant use. During this time all I’ve had to do is fit replacement motor brushes, replace the pump and replace the door seal (all of which is standard maintenance that I was able to carry out myself).


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## Ridgeway (26 Aug 2021)

We are heavy users of washing machines, family of 6.5 people with 5.5 of them being ladies that have a limited view of re-using the clothes you wore yesterday, hey what's wrong with last week even...

Our machines are typically used 10 x p/wk and maybe more, so approx 1.5 x p/day. Animals in the house also add extra strain on pumps and filters.

Overall we gave up on buying the cheaper brands like AEG, Whirlpool, etc etc as 

A) they simply break in the 2-4yr window
B) being without a machine for the +1 wk it takes to get it fixed is very inconvenient 
C) repairs are always expensive
D) replacement is a headache and takes time when the machine is considered EOL
E) they use more water and leccy

We took a decision to buy basic spec Miele and have now had machines (tumble dryer, washer and dishwasher) that just last. Just replaced our tumble dryer 3 months ago after the Miele it replaced died, it was around 35yrs old although tumble dryers simply don't get the hammering that washing machines do.

My parents bought a Miele washer in the early 90's, admittedly only 2 people at home but it's still going today.

Cheap washing machines also wash the crap out of your clothes ie they shorten your clothes life and we've had 2 washers (AEG and WP) that both were pretty good at occasionally creating nicks of some clothes.

I would seriously look at some base models of the high end brands that will last you 10-15yrs (washing machine) and will save you a ton of money on water and electricity


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## swee'pea99 (26 Aug 2021)

Our second hand barely used Miele cost £170 and lasted almost 20 years, including The Era of Nappies. I think we had it looked at once. Unfortunately it finally gave up the ghost while I was on crutches, so eBay wasn't an option. We did a fair bit of research and ended up settling on a £350 Bosch. So far so good...


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## si_c (26 Aug 2021)

We're currently running a mid-range Samsung washing machine, which has a 10 year warranty (6 years in so far). If this fails outside of warranty I'd probably be looking at Ebac or Miele simply as they are repairable. I'd rather repair than replace to reduce waste, even if it doesn't work out any cheaper.


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## slowmotion (26 Aug 2021)

We've got a Beko which we bought over ten years ago for about £250. It does what it's supposed to do.


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

Think it may have a heating fault so either the sensor or element. Test mode came up with the e3 error which is heat. Spins/drains did an empty wash cycle at 30c . Just chucked some clothes in on the same cycle let’s see what happens. Think it will be a new machine as it would be a case of replace each component till the fault cleared !


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

Ridgeway said:


> I would seriously look at some base models of the high end brands that will last you 10-15yrs (washing machine) and will save you a ton of money on water and electricity



not convinced in saving leccy ?! Water is not metered for me . Power saving depends on what wash cycle. However I’d need a lot of convincing to spend lots of money on laundry. Ours is used heavily.


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## shep (26 Aug 2021)

winjim said:


> Our old Bosch died a few weeks ago. I was going to repair the bearings but I thought I 'd better dissassemble it and check before I ordered anything.
> 
> Good job I did because as well as being quite minging, the spider had disintegrated along with the bearings. The spider itself isn't replaceable on that model, you need to buy the whole tub and drum assembly which is about the price of a new machine.
> 
> ...


Now you've got a nice firepit, make a stand and you're laughing.


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## bikingdad90 (26 Aug 2021)

@winjim Bosch washer dryer owner here too. We’ve had ours 8 years now and in that time we had one warranty call out for a broken washer setting knob (common error on the model) and one replacement of the bushes and a new hose as existing had split.

We are a family of five and it’s one at least once daily. We are happy with it and hope it will last at least another 4 to 5 years before it needs replacement.


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## winjim (26 Aug 2021)

shep said:


> Now you've got a nice firepit, make a stand and you're laughing.


Need to get the garden sorted before we can put a firepit out there. There's landscaping to be done...


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> Think it may have a heating fault so either the sensor or element. Test mode came up with the e3 error which is heat. Spins/drains did an empty wash cycle at 30c . Just chucked some clothes in on the same cycle let’s see what happens. Think it will be a new machine as it would be a case of replace each component till the fault cleared !


Update defo friar tucked  . Will reserve a new one from Curry’s .


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## vickster (26 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> Update defo friar tucked  . Will reserve a new one from Curry’s .


John Lewis usually give an extra year warranty and will match Currys pricing on same model


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## MrGrumpy (26 Aug 2021)

vickster said:


> John Lewis usually give an extra year warranty and will match Currys pricing on same model


Yes aware but I also get 7% off at curry’s . Will be looking for something with a longer warranty . However to be fair I think this one has done its 5yrs at least.


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## stephec (26 Aug 2021)

welsh dragon said:


> Yes, however I keep it mainly so that Mr WD can do some washing as well. He has never caught on to this new fangled electric magic


You're spoiling him. 😂


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## Milkfloat (27 Aug 2021)

Those of you with a 10 or 20 year old machine are probably spending more money than those who get 5 years out of one. Machines have become more and more economical over the last years, so economical they need to keep adding stars to the energy ratings. 
Personally I always buy the machine that is offering the longest true warranty, not the ones offering 10 years parts warranty where you have to use their repair people who magically turn out to be more expensive in labour than an independent person plus parts.


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## presta (27 Aug 2021)

I buy washer dryers because I have no room for separates.

Hotpoint 9934: 12 years
Hotpoint WD61: 14 years
Indesit IWDE 7125: still going after 7 years

Miele cost three times as much as a Hotpoint, they'd have to last 40 years to pay for themselves at that price.


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## HMS_Dave (27 Aug 2021)

Mine is a kenwood. Paid £259 for it. I replaced the pump last year. £30 odd quid. 2 bolts and 2 spring clips held it in. Simple. 4 years old now. All parts still available on the internet. Long may that continue...


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## welsh dragon (27 Aug 2021)

stephec said:


> You're spoiling him. 😂




I know. That's just who I am. Generous to a fault


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## Bonefish Blues (27 Aug 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> Those of you with a 10 or 20 year old machine are probably spending more money than those who get 5 years out of one. Machines have become more and more economical over the last years, so economical they need to keep adding stars to the energy ratings.
> Personally I always buy the machine that is offering the longest true warranty, not the ones offering 10 years parts warranty where you have to use their repair people who magically turn out to be more expensive in labour than an independent person plus parts.


I agree - I made a similar point yesterday. Washing machines have improved significantly over time, and very noticeably so as we waited for our Mieles to die.

Mind you, it was almost worth the price of admission to watch the JLP delivery blokes' faces fall as they saw they had to take a 'weighs-a-bloody-ton-mate' Miele away when they delivered our new machine a couple of years ago


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## Pale Rider (27 Aug 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> Those of you with a 10 or 20 year old machine are probably spending more money than those who get 5 years out of one. Machines have become more and more economical over the last years, so economical they need to keep adding stars to the energy ratings.
> Personally I always buy the machine that is offering the longest true warranty, not the ones offering 10 years parts warranty where you have to use their repair people who magically turn out to be more expensive in labour than an independent person plus parts.



No doubt the star ratings mean something, but how much more efficient can a new washing machine be?

Motor efficiency barely advances, so unless you believe your new electric kettle is more efficient than an old one, it's hard to see where the savings are.


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## lazybloke (27 Aug 2021)

I hate the noise of belt drive machines, so based on criteria of quietness and value for money, I ended up with a Haier washer. Had it for circa 2 years so too early to comment on reliability but so far it's the best w/m i've had, by a considerable margin.


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## MrGrumpy (27 Aug 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> No doubt the star ratings mean something, but how much more efficient can a new washing machine be?
> 
> Motor efficiency barely advances, so unless you believe your new electric kettle is more efficient than an old one, it's hard to see where the savings are.


I`m guessing its in water usage ? For those on metered water connections maybe ? Anyway , off shopping today or tomorrow. Will take a wee drive to Costco later and see what they have in store for taking away before heading to currys.


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## MrGrumpy (27 Aug 2021)

lazybloke said:


> I hate the noise of belt drive machines, so based on criteria of quietness and value for money, I ended up with a Haier washer. Had it for circa 2 years so too early to comment on reliability but so far it's the best w/m i've had, by a considerable margin.


Costco do those, hoping they have one in stock to look at.


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## Bonefish Blues (27 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> I`m guessing its in water usage ? For those on metered water connections maybe ? Anyway , off shopping today or tomorrow. Will take a wee drive to Costco later and see what they have in store for taking away before heading to currys.


Higher capacity necessitating fewer loads, lower water usage, better wash efficiency allowing lower temperatures to be used, higher spin speeds meaning less energy to dry in a TD, if used.


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## Milkfloat (27 Aug 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> No doubt the star ratings mean something, but how much more efficient can a new washing machine be?
> 
> Motor efficiency barely advances, so unless you believe your new electric kettle is more efficient than an old one, it's hard to see where the savings are.


I agree with something like a kettle, after all it’s only job is to boil water and broadly speaking the same energy will be required. However, for something as complicated as a washing machine there was a lot that was done and now the ratings have been completely changed again as of March 21 there is a lot more that will be done. A 90s washing machine cost more than twice to run as much as one from 2018. A lot of the savings came at a cost to the consumer, like 5 hour wash cycles. The new ratings aim to squash that by setting more realistic parameters for the ratings. Tumble dryers offer even greater savings with heat pump dryers 3 times more efficient than a condenser dryer from just a few years ago.

The big gains have probably been made already, but I am sure companies seeking an advantage will continue to innovate and Eco credentials matter more and more to the marketing guys because they matter to us.


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## Pale Rider (27 Aug 2021)

Bonefish Blues said:


> Higher capacity necessitating fewer loads, lower water usage, better wash efficiency allowing lower temperatures to be used, higher spin speeds meaning less energy to dry in a TD, if used.



Wouldn't running an old machine at lower temperature/higher spin speeds use the same energy as a new one on the same settings?

Seems to me there's some marketing bull going on here.

Soap. if not the machines which use it, is well known for that.


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## Mo1959 (27 Aug 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> Wouldn't running an old machine at lower temperature/higher spin speeds use the same energy as a new one on the same settings?
> 
> Seems to me there's some marketing bull going on here.
> 
> Soap. if not the machines which use it, is well known for that.


Plus the old machines drew water from your hot supply too so didn't need an element in the machine to heat the water from cold like all the new machines do since they all seem to be cold feed only now.


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## Bonefish Blues (27 Aug 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> Wouldn't running an old machine at lower temperature/higher spin speeds use the same energy as a new one on the same settings?
> 
> Seems to me there's some marketing bull going on here.
> 
> Soap. if not the machines which use it, is well known for that.


If old machines could run at a higher spin speed and could wash efficiently at a lower temperature then they would be a new machine, wouldn't they.


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## Pale Rider (27 Aug 2021)

Mo1959 said:


> Plus the old machines drew water from your hot supply too so didn't need an element in the machine to heat the water from cold like all the new machines do since they all seem to be cold feed only now.



There may be a reason, but cold feed makes no sense to me.

A kettle element is a lot less energy efficient at heating hot water than the house's hot water system.



Bonefish Blues said:


> could wash efficiently at a lower temperature



That is marketing claptrap.

It's soap, water and clothes chucked around in a drum.

The soap companies would say their product has improved, and it may have done over decades, but not every few months as they would have you believe.


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## Bonefish Blues (27 Aug 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> That is marketing claptrap.


Thank you for the insight


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## Pale Rider (27 Aug 2021)

Bonefish Blues said:


> Thank you for the insight



The insight followed, unless you can tell me there's more to it than soap, water, and a bucket - mounted sideways to make loading/unloading harder.

A source of frustration for those of who don't have built in appliances.


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## Bonefish Blues (27 Aug 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> The insight followed, unless you can tell me there's more to it than soap, water, and a bucket - mounted sideways to make loading/unloading harder.
> 
> A source of frustration for those of who don't have built in appliances.


Older machines usually have 40C as their lowest wash temperature. They therefore cannot wash at lower temperatures - down to 20C nowadays, in new machines, which take advantage of the capabilities of the detergents, with associated energy saving.

To wash at these lower temperatures you have to wash for much longer. Older machines do not have these lengthy programmes (over 2 hours on our machine in some cases), unlike newer ones.

That is why not claptrap.

Machines have become so involved in an efficiency 'arms race' that the A, B etc ratings are being recalibrated, having reached A+++++ or so. They are going back to A to G, with the recalibration set such that machines will be in the C-G range, so the ratings are more meaningful to the consumer.


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## Pale Rider (27 Aug 2021)

Bonefish Blues said:


> To wash at these lower temperatures you have to wash for much longer



Heating water to a lower temperature must be an energy benefit, but does that not mean the motor is running for longer, if only on pulse?

Any extra efficiency is to be welcomed, but I wonder if 40 degrees/shorter wash is a great deal more expensive on electric than 20 degrees/longer wash.

Certainly not enough to justify changing a working machine for a new one.


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## neil_merseyside (27 Aug 2021)

I much prefer a planet killing hot and short wash to an eco wash that takes a half day and leaves detergent residue to fester.


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## Bonefish Blues (27 Aug 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> Heating water to a lower temperature must be an energy benefit, but does that not mean the motor is running for longer, if only on pulse?
> 
> Any extra efficiency is to be welcomed, but I wonder if 40 degrees/shorter wash is a great deal more expensive on electric than 20 degrees/longer wash.
> 
> Certainly not enough to justify changing a working machine for a new one.


Yes the motor runs/agitates the wash for longer - but the net effect is beneficial - because heating is more energy-hungry than turning.

The Energy Saving Trust advises consumers to keep their machines for longer in most cases, rather than scrap a machine to buy the latest and bestest - but the point I and ano were making is that by buying a premium machine that has a longer lifespan, this change, with attendant benefits, is delayed, so the equation may be more complex.

Certainly we have noticed very marked changes (improvements) in the performance of our machines (in washing terms, cannot quantify energy usage) over our 4 machines across 5 decades. In sequence, we have had Candy, Miele, Miele, and JLP own-label AEG machines during that time.


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## presta (27 Aug 2021)

MrGrumpy said:


> I`m guessing its in water usage ?


My newest machine uses visibly less water, and the problems with it are equally obvious.

When you have heavy waterlogged clothes tumbling in the drum without enough water to hold them in suspension, the wear and tear on them is increased enormously. The result of that is that it grinds the laundry to shreds: when I take the laundry out it appears to be covered with what looks like washing powder stains, but on a closer inspection it's actually finely ground fibres of fabric. It wasn't a problem with my other machines.

I've seen environmentalists on TV complaining about the microfibres from laundry polluting water courses, and it makes me wonder if it's ever occurred to them to compare modern 'green' machines against the older generation ones.


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## lazybloke (27 Aug 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> There may be a reason, but cold feed makes no sense to me.
> 
> *A kettle element is a lot less energy efficient at heating hot water than the house's hot water system*.
> 
> ...


A kettle element is very energy efficient. It just uses an expensive fuel.


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## MrGrumpy (27 Aug 2021)

Well bit of a break through ! Popped into Currys on way home today to see what they had for taking away. Said to the lady , can’t remember when I bought my old machine but it was in here ! Off she pops with details and comes back with my order number and details !!! Yahoo!! I also registered it for the extended warranty and it’s got another 6 months ! Just been off the phone with Samsung , going to organise an engineer visit !


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## bikingdad90 (27 Aug 2021)

I believe Samsung let you pay £11pcm and they either fix or replace when it breaks so might be worth considering if you want as long as possible from the Samsung?


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## Saluki (27 Aug 2021)

I have a secondhand hotpoint somethingorother. 
I do a wash a week and it’s doing fine, I have had it 5 years. Use those deep clean tablet things once in a while. Today I scrubbed out the soap dispenser tray thing. It’s not making any noises and seems to be doing well so far.

My old hotpoint, 2nd hand early 90s did wonderful work until it’s demise in 2002. They last if you look after them. Family of 5 and always in use, I reckon 5 years is not too shoddy if the poor machine is on daily.


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## Kingfisher101 (27 Aug 2021)

I once read a report from Which regarding the longevity of washing machines(yes my life has actually come to this). The conclusion of the report was that they all are more or less designed to last a few years say 3-5 and use the same standard components. The only exception to this was Miele which had better components but obviously was a lot more expensive.
I'd just get a basic Hoover or Hotpoint one but with a fast spin, 1400 or so. When it breaks it breaks.


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## Milkfloat (27 Aug 2021)

Mo1959 said:


> Plus the old machines drew water from your hot supply too so didn't need an element in the machine to heat the water from cold like all the new machines do since they all seem to be cold feed only now.


This is on purpose as for the majority of people all the hot feed did was to feed in cold water that was sitting around in the pipe and then draw hot water into the pipe where it did no good except sit there cooling. So in effect people were heating the water twice.


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## MrGrumpy (31 Aug 2021)

The boys been and gone today , would have had it fixed on Friday last week if he carried that spare but alas he had to order it in . Hopefully that’s it and no more bother !


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## JtB (28 Mar 2022)

JtB said:


> Our Bosch WFF 2000 is still going strong after about 25 years of constant use. During this time all I’ve had to do is fit replacement motor brushes, replace the pump and replace the door seal (all of which is standard maintenance that I was able to carry out myself).


Well my 25+ year washing machine has finally suffered a catastrophic failure - the inner drum that spins has become completely detached and is rattling around inside the outer drum that holds the water.


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## classic33 (28 Mar 2022)

JtB said:


> Well my 25+ year washing machine has finally suffered a catastrophic failure - the inner drum that spins has become completely detached and is rattling around inside the outer drum that holds the water.


Where did the bearings go?


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## MrGrumpy (28 Mar 2022)

MrGrumpy said:


> The boys been and gone today , would have had it fixed on Friday last week if he carried that spare but alas he had to order it in . Hopefully that’s it and no more bother !


As mentioned in another of my posts ! This wasn’t the last repair . It ended up being scrapped and replaced for new under warranty with an upgrade !


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## JtB (28 Mar 2022)

classic33 said:


> Where did the bearings go?


I was wondering that too 

I took the back off the washing machine and the outer drum looks fine from the outside. Unfortunately my lower back is currently in no state to be taking a 25 year old washing machine drum apart in a confined utility room so it’s time for a new machine. I’ll re-read this thread to see which manufacturers get favorable comments, but I’m currently leaning towards another Bosch.


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