That's one way to clean the basement, I guess

[Winchester]

And thank god it happened while Rick was here and not in Oregon.

I went downstairs this morning to throw the second load of laundry in the washer. The basement was soaked. I hollered for Rick and he came down. Started moving stuff around, got the wet-dry vac out and started vacuuming up water. What a mess. I sprayed with Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover and things are drying nicely. The good thing is the basement is getting a cleaning. The bad thing is we need a new washer.

The tub of the washer has rusted through. It's old; I had just posted about it a week or so ago. Should have kept quiet, I guess! The first load of laundry that I did only got through the wash cycle; I brought it all up into the kitchen, rinsed everything out as best I could in the kitchen sink (thank goodness, we have one huge sink), wrung things as best I could and threw it all in the dryer.

Guess we'll be looking for a new washer after all.

Crap.

ETA: So ladies and gentlemen, what brand of washer do you have? And do you like it? I'm looking at Speed Queen.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

oh my gosh!

  that's the stuff nightmares are made of -- at least my nightmares.

i have a very old Kenmore washing machine. i've been thinking to replace that coming up. after hearing about your washer tub rusting through and the resulting water, i think i'd better plan on doing that! 

part of the issue i have here is that the washing machine is located in the bathroom, which i like very much, but the dryer is located in the back enclosed porch -- ??? there's no heating/cooling in the back enclosed porch, and i've actually broken a toe hauling a washer load to the dryer -- there's steps from the kitchen door down into the back enclosed porch. there's not enough room for both washer and dryer, side by side, in the bathroom. i've been looking at (full sized) stackable washers and dryers.

i'm not going to be looking at another Kenmore washer, and i'll be very interested in brands that others might recommend.

 

[denice]

I have a Frigidaire front loader.  I don't care for it not because there is anything wrong with it, I just don't care for the front loader efficiency washing machine.  I thought I would like it, it does save water, but I don't care for it.  I would get a Speed Queen as well but no place around here sells them,  only one rent to own place.  GE does still make what is now an old fashioned agitator top load machine.

 

[artiemom]

I can tell you from first hand experience, do not get a front loader. They are the pits..

Get a regular top loader.. 

Maytag was bought out by Whirlpool, Whirlpool is Kenmore, hence the Maytag are Kenmore also..

What about a Samsung?

 

[Winchester]

We are back from shopping and the Speed Queen will be delivered on Thursday. It's the model without the electronic console (we don't have a lot of luck with those blasted consoles....remember our old Kenmore Elite dishwasher? And the GE Profile stove? Nope. No electronics.). They had to order it for us. Rick dickered around a bit and they agreed to free delivery and free hauling of the old washer.

My sister and my SIL both said we can use their washers, but I don't see the need. They have to pay for their water; we're on a well. I think we'll be fine until laundry day on Thursday.

I really did not want to shell out money right now for a blasted washer.

 

[denice]

Do you have an independent appliance store in your area or were you able to get a big box store to special order one for you?

 

[Winchester]

Well, it's like a regional independent "big box" dealer in its own right, I guess. They have six or seven stores in the area and they're fairly big. When Rick asked about getting free delivery, at first the guy said they couldn't do it. And Rick said, "Sure you can! I'm willing to buy the washer. What are you willing to do?" The guy talked to his boss, came back and said they'd deliver free and haul the old one away for free. We were able to save $50 that way. And every little bit helps. 

The guy said they don't sell a lot of Speed Queens and so they don't keep many on hand. He said they hardly ever go on sale. So Rick did what he thought he could do. And it worked. Doesn't hurt to ask.

When we bought our JVC tv, we bought through an independent store. Rick asked for a better price or free delivery. The guy gave us free delivery, free calibration and they paid the sales tax. On not one, but both of our tvs.  So it pays to ask.

 

[denice]

All that is left in Columbus are the national chains like Lowe's.  The closest independent is in a town 40 miles away.  They do sell Speed Queens but I doubt that they will drive that far for a delivery. 

 

[catlover73]

I replaced our washer and dryer a few years ago.  My washing machine developed an unknown issue and caused a lot of water damage. My washer is on the 2nd floor and it leaked through my ceiling and made a huge mess downstairs and in my upstairs hall and bathroom. The water even set off the fire alarm since it leaked through a sensor. I tried to call the fire department non-emergency and left a message. When you are in a townhouse environment the whole fire department shows up.   When the fire department should up they told me I should have called 911 and let them know it was not an emergency.  I thought I was only supposed to use 911 for a true emergency. The guys were really nice though and helped me to clean up the water in my hall/kitchen.  I was really annoyed I was home but I was cleaning the house and found water all over the laundry room.  I turned off the water right away but it was still a huge mess.  My washer was really old.  I now have a whirlpool Carbrio washer and dryer.  We also  replaced the water heater at the same time.  I was not going to risk it after fixing everything since it is also upstairs and was also old.  Having laundry on the same level as the bedrooms is really nice until something goes wrong then it is a pain.

I am glad you were able to get things cleaned up quickly.

 

[Winchester]

My sister's washer/dryer unit is in their bathroom on the second floor; washer on the bottom and dryer on top. The washer is inside a tub that's on bathroom floor, so if anything does happen with a leak, most of the water would stay in the tub. Those of you with older washers or washers upstairs might want to take a look at something like that. I think it's called a washer tray or washer pan. You can even have it drain through a drain to go outside.

We are going to do that, too. That was a huge mess today.Not as bad as what @catlover73  had, but it was still nasty.

 

[LTS3]

I have a Kenmore washer and dryer front loading set. My laundry hook ups are in a little closet so that's why I had to get front loading machines that stack on top of each other.

 

[catlover73]

 
My sister's washer/dryer unit is in their bathroom on the second floor; washer on the bottom and dryer on top. The washer is inside a tub that's on bathroom floor, so if anything does happen with a leak, most of the water would stay in the tub. Those of you with older washers or washers upstairs might want to take a look at something like that. I think it's called a washer tray or washer pan. You can even have it drain through a drain to go outside.

We are going to do that, too. That was a huge mess today.Not as bad as what @catlover73  had, but it was still nasty.

I agree with this suggestion and also get metal pans.  Part of my problem was the plastic tray had cracked in the back where we could not see it.  I also noticed after this that the plastic tray to the water heater was cracked too. When we replaced them we switched to metal pans.   I am glad your mess was easier to clean-up.  

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I vote for Speed Queen

I bought a matching washer and dryer, and hated both of them. The day after they brought them and hooked them up, I washed clothes all day. It took forever with the new energy saver model without the agitator. The clothes were still soapy, had to be extra rinsed every time. The dryer tied the clothes in knots. On the next day, I called the store and told them to come get their junk. That is when I found the Speed Queen. This is a washer that does a super job. I never have to do an extra rinse.

I wanted a simple washer with an agitator. This is a link to the one I have, which is now discontinued. It also shows the one that replaces it. I am totally in love with this washing machine and have been since the first load of clothes I washed. The Speed Queen is pricier that others, but it is the best money I ever spent. I can do without most of the stuff I own, but I will never part with this washer. It makes laundry day a pleasure.
https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/AWN432SP113TW01.html

 

[Winchester]

We got the one that replaces your model.It's all knobs, which is what I wanted. I thought of you yesterday when we bought ours because I remembered how you hated your new washer and told them to come get the thing. And then you bought your Speed Queen. 

Consumer Reports doesn't rate the Speed Queen highly, but we think it's because it uses more water than the higher-rated washers. I don't care. I read too many reviews that said using the newer washers was like washing your clothes in dirty water, that they had to do extra rinses then to get the soap out because not enough water was used in the rinsing cycle. One woman said she got so exasperated she took the laundry out of her washer, put it all on the table and got all the tangles out that way before throwing it into the dryer. Not what I want to do! And did I mention the 70 minutes it takes to do one load of laundry in those things?!

Stay tuned!

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

We got the one that replaces your model.It's all knobs, which is what I wanted. I thought of you yesterday when we bought ours because I remembered how you hated your new washer and told them to come get the thing. And then you bought your Speed Queen. 

Consumer Reports doesn't rate the Speed Queen highly, but we think it's because it uses more water than the higher-rated washers. I don't care. I read too many reviews that said using the newer washers was like washing your clothes in dirty water, that they had to do extra rinses then to get the soap out because not enough water was used in the rinsing cycle. One woman said she got so exasperated she took the laundry out of her washer, put it all on the table and got all the tangles out that way before throwing it into the dryer. Not what I want to do! And did I mention the 70 minutes it takes to do one load of laundry in those things?!

Stay tuned!

All this is what I went through with what was supposed to be their energy saver machines. How does it save energy when it takes longer to work through the cycle. Then, how does it save energy when you have to run it extra time (electricity) and always do an extra rinse (more water). The difference is the Speed Queen uses what it needs to start with and quickly gets the job done. That day when I tried to do my laundry which is only for two people, after supper I still was not finished because I had spent the day running extra cycles and untying the knots in the clothes. If I had been a cussing woman, there would have been a lot of it going on in my house, Instead I was crying. :stomp:

I predict a romance between you and your Speed Queen. That machine and my Kitchen Aid mixer are two things in my house I would fight for. :lol3:

 

[kathyfromcanada]

Well that sucks! I've replaced every single major appliances in our house, geez. At least your basement will be spick and span. I'm cleaning

our house from top to bottom and will probably be selling it and downsizing.

 

[Winchester]

All this is what I went through with what was supposed to be their energy saver machines. How does it save energy when it takes longer to work through the cycle. Then, how does it save energy when you have to run it extra time (electricity) and always do an extra rinse (more water). The difference is the Speed Queen uses what it needs to start with and quickly gets the job done. That day when I tried to do my laundry which is only for two people, after supper I still was not finished because I had spent the day running extra cycles and untying the knots in the clothes. If I had been a cussing woman, there would have been a lot of it going on in my house, Instead I was crying.

I predict a romance between you and your Speed Queen. That machine and my Kitchen Aid mixer are two things in my house I would fight for.

Well, we'll see here in a couple of days. To be honest, I'm a little excited to be getting a new washer and that it's a Speed Queen makes it even nicer. I wondered about that whole energy thing myself, too. If you have to run extra rinses, where' s the savings? And the tangling would make me crazy. I am a cussing woman and it wouldn't be pretty. Meanwhile the laundry is piling up a bit. We do go through enough laundry, considering there's only two of us. But I also wash a load of kitty blankies every week, too.

I definitely agree about the Kitchen Aid!

 
Well that sucks! I've replaced every single major appliances in our house, geez. At least your basement will be spick and span. I'm cleaning

our house from top to bottom and will probably be selling it and downsizing.

Wow, Kathy, I didn't know you were thinking of downsizing. Would you be staying in Canada when you move? And yeah, the basement has gotten a really good cleaning now. We were down there again last night, working on cleaning. We should have it finished by tonight. I was really spraying the mold and mildew remover around, too, and then wiping that down. I think a good vacuuming tonight should take care of anything that wasn't swept up with brooms and such. (It actually saved me the trouble of doing this while Rick goes away in September; I was going to go down and attack the basement then. Now I won't have to.)

 

[denice]

The clothes don't tangle in the front load machine.  I just don't think clothes get as clean.

 

[foxxycat]

I hate my front loader. the camp where we stayed for two weeks has a nice top loader with agitator. my clothes come out so nice and clean. I hate this washer we have.whirlpool ones. they are a pain in the butt. I run it on a regular heavy duty wash then we do an additional rinse cycle. we will definitely look into a speed Queen when this one breaks. And I am always nervous about the drum rusting out. Too bad they don't make the drums with a thicker grade sheet metal to prevent that. and seal it.

Those energy saver things are all gimmicks. more money for the companies who are in the back pocket of our government. I really think that is how it came about. Someone said oh why don't we come up with regulations and make people spend money for "new" things that are in reality stinky. I am a cussing woman and I am sure there would be a few four letter words tossed around. and longer words!

If I had the time I would go look for a second hand washer and dump the one we have but hey someone has to work right?! Jon isn't good about speaking up with negotiations. I usually can get them to knock down a few dollars or make it worth our time.

Sorry that your basement has been a pain lately. At least you don't have to deal with this later!! and not when the snow is flying and everything is frozen solid!

 

[bbdoll22]

I have a second hand Roper top loader. I love it.