[Brettio]

Note:  put washer in a shallow spill tub and add a battery powered water alarm ($25 total) to avoid nasty surprises.

Even less expensive advice....if you're going away from the house, even for a weekend, turn off the washers water valves.  Had a coworker who didn't...came home to a flood.  Their insurance put them up in a hotel and brought in a restoration company to repair the damage.  All was going well until one of the companies fans or heaters started an electrical fire. The house burned enough that it had to be demolished. True story.

[JohnR]

Does anyone here have Miele experience?

I have....

Perhaps consider calling the Miele repair center and finding out what their callout fee is and how long before they can come out (maybe invent a fictitous problem).

[twitch54]

  We're on a new well/septic system, so really don't need to worry about water use.

while maybe true, how do you dispose of your waste water from the washer ? NEVER let it go directly into laundry tub or a stand pipe. Wash water and the lint it carries is one of the primary killers of a septic system.

We drain ours through a food colander(in the laundry tub) which removes the lint.

 

[TomS]

while maybe true, how do you dispose of your waste water from the washer ? NEVER let it go directly into laundry tub or a stand pipe. Wash water and the lint it carries is one of the primary killers of a septic system.

We drain ours through a food colander(in the laundry tub) which removes the lint.

We always used a lint filter on the washer before the septic system. Worked great as long as you kept an eye on it. It was also amazing how much got trapped in there 

http://www.septicsafe.com/washing-machine-filter/

[twitch54]

interesting device Tom ! .... 

[djbnh]

We always used a lint filter on the washer before the septic system. Worked great as long as you kept an eye on it. It was also amazing how much got trapped in there 

http://www.septicsafe.com/washing-machine-filter/

We also have a septic system, but are fortunate to have the washer on a gray water system that our rural town allowed. Still I like that we use a lint filter.

[macrojack]

I have....

Perhaps consider calling the Miele repair center and finding out what their callout fee is and how long before they can come out (maybe invent a fictitous problem).

I would need fictitious problem because I don't own a Miele yet.
I called Miele's closest center in Logan, Utah. Spoke to Mike, who was very congenial and informative, and learned of a local repair option. I'm going to check them out. It seems that the reliability of appliances, warranties, and service people are well along a declining pathway. Perhaps our best option this way is the most reliable and least expensive product we can buy. The less you invest, the less you can lose. Any other course seems to lead you right into their lair. I think it's because of my lifelong involvement with hi-end audio, but I always lean toward the highest quality that I can both afford and appreciate. Nowadays, and for the foreseeable future, it seems that this is just another ploy to bring unjustifiable profit to the manufacturer (and everyone else in the supply chain) at the expense of consumers. The New World Order is proving to be pretty expensive for ordinary citizens.
I think I'm going to pursue a new record for Asko laundry longevity. They  are working well currently. May as well ride them as far as I can. You can buy a lot of repairs for what new Miele's cost.

[Wind Chaser]

We always used a lint filter on the washer before the septic system. Worked great as long as you kept an eye on it. It was also amazing how much got trapped in there 

http://www.septicsafe.com/washing-machine-filter/

I'll have to check that out. We've got a 500 gallon septic tank and it's very clean in the sense it doesn't stink; moreover it's never been serviced (pumped) since being installed 15 years ago. Instead of treating it with chemicals, we flush down some cut up pork liver every month.

[twitch54]

I'll have to check that out. We've got a 500 gallon septic tank and it's very clean in the sense it doesn't stink; moreover it's never been serviced (pumped) since being installed 15 years ago. Instead of treating it with chemicals, we flush down some cut up pork liver every month.

LOL, it's not your septic tank you need to be concerned about, rather your leach bed.

[TomS]

LOL, it's not your septic tank you need to be concerned about, rather your leach bed.

The idea of thE filter is it keeps it out of the weep holes in the leach field piping, as well as the pump.

[Brettio]

Instead of treating it with chemicals, we flush down some cut up pork liver every month.

Okay, I'll ask.....you're kidding about the pork liver aren't you?

[twitch54]

The idea of thE filter is it keeps it out of the weep holes in the leach field piping, as well as the pump.

Tom, I know that, my response was directed at Wind Chaser ...........

[MaxCast]

I have heard very good things about speed queen also.  Neighbor bought a set.
Just bought a Whirpool dryer.  There HQ is right down the road and I got the employee discount 
We will see about the washer when it goes.  This set was in the house when we bought it and must be 11 years old.

[Archguy]

Wow, thanks for the advice about washer lint filters re: septic systems.
I had no idea.

[Wind Chaser]

Wow, thanks for the advice about washer lint filters re: septic systems.
I had no idea.

Yeah, I walked into two different big box hardware stores and they had nothing in the way of product knowledge or advice concerning this matter.

[dolsey01]

Just bought the Whirlpool Cabrio 5.3-cu Ft Top Loader HE and we are pretty happy so far.  The washing drum is HUGE, I mean fit a whole dead body in it HUGE.  My wife has a hard time reaching the bottom to get the clothes out. 

We were going to keep or dryer since it was still working fine even though it was 15 years old but we HAD to replace it because one load of wash was taking two loads in the dryer.

We ended up buying the matching 8.8-cu Ft Whirlpool dryer.  We have cut the amount of loads in half but having to fold all that laundry......

[Archguy]

We use a clothesline, the old-fashioned way.  In inclement weather or sometimes just for convenience, an indoor drying rack.  Obviously it saves a ton of energy over the course of a year, but since things are hanging as they're drying they also often don't need folding.  Depends on what they are, of course.  Yeah, the Depends always need folding.  Wait..

[finsup]

First of all, thanks for all the info.

Careful now, it all starts with an innocent request for a recommendation and then you end up like these guys....

https://youtu.be/jmmmxI-Y_6U

That's a pretty funny video...

When shopping for top loaders check to make sure you and wife can reach to the bottom of the tub (high capacity means deep tubs).  Check with a reputable repair guy as to what brands he'd recommend.  Some companies (like LG) do a very poor job stocking replacement parts.  Some just aren't reliable. 

I did exactly that when the repair guy came over to troubleshoot the Samsung.  He recommended Maytag and said to avoid LG and Samsung for those very reasons – difficulty in sourcing parts after a few years.  So it is interesting to see all the happy LG owners.  I'm guessing maybe no repair issues yet?

I do not like the fancy electronic controls that take 5 minutes of pre-wash nonsense before they get down to business. I see it as more things to fail. I miss the simplicity of being able to add a dropped sock once washing has started. I know it is still possible with new machines but you have to know the secret handshake and it disrupts the cycle. 

One reason I was looking at top loaders.  You can add more clothes after the cycle starts.

I get bullied enough by my computer, I like my washing machines stupid and obedient. 

Best argument maybe for the Speed Queen.  I thought about Miele but it is out of my price range.  Maybe I’ll get one of their the vacuum cleaners once the Dyson bites the dust.

[jtwrace]

  Maybe I’ll get one of their the vacuum cleaners once the Dyson bites the dust.

Go to Ex. 25 and take a look at them and the Riccar.  I purchased the Riccar. 


http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=143291.0

[finsup]

After taking into account a lot of the ideas here, I ended up getting a Maytag 5.3-cu ft top-load from the local Lowe's store.  American designed and assembled with a 10-year warranty on the drive and some other parts.  They had a special on a machine normally at $1169 but had it marked down to $750 which was near the top-end of my budget.  Delivery was set 4 days later.

Delivery date came and no call from Lowe's the night before to firm up the delivery window so I called customer support and was told the delivery date had been moved back a week.  Thanks for telling me.

So another trip to the laundromat.  I really liked the idea of a Speed Queen after reading comments here and I nearly changed my mind about getting a front-loader again.  The laundromat uses commercial Speed Queens and you have to figure those machines get no care from the clientele. 

A week later, another delivery date come and gone.  This time, Lowe's was kind enough to call and let me know it was pushed back another week.  They said they have been having major problems with their warehouse in Charlotte getting product out the door.  My superstitious side was really kicking into high-gear at this point, thinking the Universe was trying to tell me something. 

This was going to mean yet another trip to the laundro.  I went and looked again at the Speed Queen prices but they (front-loaders) were between $1300 - $1630.  I was thinking about Macrojack's words above that for some things, maybe the better way in is to find something reliable and inexpensive, investing less and losing less.

For my troubles, Lowe's knocked another $110 off the price, which basically ended up paying for the laundro trips. 

It has a huge, deep tub.  The lower water level takes some getting used to.  So far, so good.  Unlike some reviews, I do notice the clothing shifting position in the basket and getting pulled under the water.  And the clothes are coming out wet with no soap film. It is pretty quiet but I think my old Samsung was a little quieter. 

A funny thing about online reviews - at least for washers.  People either like a given product or hate it.  It's either 5-stars or 1-star with hardly any middle ground.  I settled on looking only at machines that had a minimum number of 200 reviews on at least two different web sites.  I'll try and remember to come back some months from now for an update.  It seems pointless to write a review just after purchase.