Talk to me about H/E Washers and Dryers

[TaChapm]

My washing machine died over the weekend. I am looking into getting a H/E washer and dryer since we have so much laundry and it is just going to be getting worse with #3 on the way. I do at least 2 loads of laundry a day right now.

DH isn't convinced that we need to spend the extra money but I told him we would save in the long run on detergent and energy costs. Are the savings noticable? What brand/type do you recommend? We can't really afford the Top of the line model so I am looking for a good mid priced one. In addition does anyone know of a coupon for Home Depot or Lowes or know if anyone is having some good deals on them now.

I am going to have to decide what I want online and send DH out to get it since I am on bed rest.

TIA

Tara
Mommy to Jackson 11-10-02
Tyler William 6-9-05
OMG!!! It's a GIRL!! Due September 5, 2006!

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[DebbieJ]

When my dad got an HE washer, he watched his water bills for a few months and found that on average he used 3000 fewer gallons of water A MONTH. That's pretty darn incredible.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

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[bostonsmama]

There are lots of threads on HE washers (brands, at least) if you search the lounge, but I'll reitterate that I love my Kenmore HE3t (now the HE4). I rarely use the thermal booster, so skipping the "t" is a good idea to save money.

Also, our water and electric bill savings were so dramatic, I don't know why we didn't get one sooner. On average, our water bill has been $8 less per month than when we had a top loading Kenmore, and our electric bill was almost $15 less per month than when we ran our energy-hog dryer. Part of this is that the washer spins the clothes so dry that it requires less energy to dry them. We also (in the beginning) used 1/3 the amount of regular detergent, so we went from six jugs to two jugs per year of detergent. We now use the Kirkland Signature HE detergent, and six months later there's still detergent in the 300oz bottle.

Good luck...personally, I'd stay away from repair prone brands or brand without an established record of reliability that Consumer Reports identifies: LG, Fisher & Paykel, Maytag (although they did redesign the Neptunes for 2006).

Kenmore Elite HE series
Whirlpool Duet
GE's new front loader (great reviews, least repair prone, and cheapest)
...are great bets! But that's just my 2 cents.
Larissa

My-oh-my, we're doing it in July!

Proud Aunt to Jack Dorian, born to my brother and SIL on 3/06
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/32719.jpg

[searchdog]

We have the Whirlpool Duet HT washer and the matching dryer. I love them!!! Ours does have the thermal boost and I love that because I cloth diaper my DD and I love being able to wash her diapers on the Sanitary cycle. My washer and Dryer were a gift from my InLaws so that is why we got top of the line, that is all FIL likes to buy, but I would have been just as happy with the next model down as well. If I would have bought them myself I would have bought from the outlet.

I will say if you have a Sears Outlet you can get some fabulous deals on the Scratch and Dent models if you aren't picky and you get the exact same warranty you get if you buy new in the store. When I was shopping for them they washers were about $200-400 of retail but if you bought the washer you got the matching dryer free!! So that works out to be a really good deal!!! So I say look for a scratch and dent if you really want an HE and can't afford retail pricing on them. We bought our refrigerator from the Sears Outlet and it is 3 years old and has never had a problem. Sometimes they are returned for a scratch or dent, sometimes the unit had to be repaired and they replaced it with a new one and then they fix that one, sometimes poeple change there minds and once an item has been at someones home they can't sell it as new and it gets sent to the outlet, etc. So there are all kinds of reasons that an appliance ends up at the outlet so you might check it out.

[jd11365]

Check out the GE Adora at Home Depot. We are very happy with ours, and you can't beat the price!

[pb&j]

You don't need to break the bank with a high-end model. I have the lowest-end Kenmore, and it's wonderful. We actually chose it over a higher-end one because we didn't need eighteen gazillion cycle options with a digital touchpad - we wanted a dial that said "HOT WARM COLD." It's every bit as efficient as the schmancy models. We use so little detergent that our current jug has lived in 3 houses with us (okay, so we did move twice in 3 mos, but we've had it at least 5 or 6 mos). And it spins the water out of the laundry so well that it only takes a few minutes in the dryer to finish drying, saving on electric. With no center agitator, I'll happily throw nearly anything in the wash - I even occasionally machine wash my cashmere sweaters in a pinch.

I also remember hearing something about how there's no belt(?) between the motor and the tub, so there's one less thing that could break.


-Ry,
mom to Emma, stillborn 11/04/04
and Max, 01/05/06

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[eb1]

We have an LG washer/dryer set, and I consulted the most recent Consumer Reports review (March 2006, I think?) while researching. Seemed to me that CR gave the LGs a pretty good review.

[TaChapm]

Thank you all for the help so far. I have a few more questions. How do the H/E models compare to the regular front load? As far as the HE3T (etc...) does that just mean that it heats the water beyond the regular hot water. It isn't something I think I need but I might. These are things I would normally ask a sales person but since DH will be doing this I need to know exactly what to send him out for. We really need to get something soon.

Does anyone know how I would go about finding a Sears outlet in the Austin/San Antonio area. We live in outlet central with the outlet malls in San Marcos but there are no appliance stores.

Tara
Mommy to Jackson 11-10-02
Tyler William 6-9-05
OMG!!! It's a GIRL!! Due September 5, 2006!

http://b4.lilypie.com/gzWfm8.png

http://b1.lilypie.com/kLMem8.png

http://bd.lilypie.com/UEZ3m8.png

[searchdog]

Go to this link and you will see where you can check a box for Sears Appliance Outlet Center and it should bring up the ones closest to you. Hope that helps.

http://www.sears.com/sr/storelocator/framedMap.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@2092178445.11484136 14@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccgcaddhlghlldfcegecegjdghldgfi.0&vertical=SEARS&targetPage=http://clients.mapquest.com/sears/mqlocator&PagePath=http://www.sears.com/sr/storelocator/&link=search_criteria&Env=www.sears.com

Also call some of the major appliance stores around you and see if they have a scratch and dent, I know here there are like 10 locations of a major appliance store, but they send all scratch and dents to one specific store so there may be something like that near you as well.

[bostonsmama]

It got a good review b/c it washed test clothes well, was relatively quiet, and certain models (the WM2032H) did a great job at extracting moisture. But with all the models reviewed, CR clearly states after each explanation that "there's insufficient survey data to establish a track record for reliability." And after personal experience w/ LG appliances when I lived in Europe (vacuum cleaners, fridges, et al), I've not been impressed by their reliability. But, like the Hyundai cars, quality of foreign goods continues to rise....so I'm not saying people shouldn't buy them...I just prefer to stick to companies with a proven track record. :)

Larissa

My-oh-my, we're doing it in July!

Proud Aunt to Jack Dorian, born to my brother and SIL on 3/06
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/32719.jpg

[bostonsmama]

>HE3t...does that just mean that it heats the water beyond the regular hot water?

Yes, the "T" feature on both the HE4t and Duet HT heats the water to between 160 and 180 depending on the setting of your hot water heater (increases temp by 20ish degrees) to combat bio stains such as vomit, rotavirus, feces, blood and allergens. If we hadn't paid the same price for the T vs the non T (discount through our real estate company), I wouldn't have paid extra for it.

IME, front loaders use more water, energy, detergent, aren't as gentle on clothes (so long as you don't overload the front loaders), agitator TLs have less space and the top of the line top loaders are just as if not more expensive as sufficient front loaders.

ITA w/ Jamie in that you oughta check out the GE aurora. I don't know if it's been reviewed yet, but there's a big to do about it being excellent and cheaper than any other model out there ($800/washer vs $1200-1400/washer for Kenmore/Whirlpools). Finding an outlet would be a win-win situation for you, since often, unless you buy a washer/dryer from Lowes, models go on order and you might not have delivery for a couple of weeks. Good luck.

Larissa

My-oh-my, we're doing it in July!

Proud Aunt to Jack Dorian, born to my brother and SIL on 3/06
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/32719.jpg

[3dears]

Maybe we just got a dud, but we have the Kenmore HE3 and I've been pretty disappointed with it. It smells like mold! Ick! I guess it's because water sits inside the window and in the soft plastic seal. I've scrubbed the mold out of there and it's tough to remove. We've had the Sears repair guys out quite a bit but they act like they cannot smell it and that the visual mold is just not that big of a deal. Run vinegar through the cycle, they say. No. I jsut want our old machine back. Also, I think it doesn't clean quite as well because it doesn't use as much water and maybe clothes need a lot of water, I don't know. I'm just saying it smells musty and I miss the top loader. I know I'm the only one in the world who feels that way. I just feel compelled to warn you.

[searchdog]

I don't know if you already do this, but you are supposed to keep the washer door open until it dries. We basically just leave the door open unless it is running a load of laundry and we have never had a problem with any smells.

I read our manual and it specifically says to leave the door open, my washer also has a cleaning cycle where it specifically uses more water and you put bleach in to clean the washer, so you might want to check your manual if you haven't already but I am guessing with all the problems you have had you have already done this, but thought I would mention it just in case you hadn't tried this.