I've a fairly old Bosch that's making a noise on spin. It sounds like there's something on the outside of the inner drum flapping against the outer. It only does it at spin speeds of around 1000RPM and above. It's definitely not the pump - I've used the drain prog to run that on its own and I've emptied out the lint filter.
I've had a good look and feel in the drum, expecting to find some wool or similar looped round the holes - nothing.
It's a similar noise to what would happen when SWMBO's bras used to fall apart and the semi-circular steel bit would work its way between the drums. The only way to cure that was to separate the drums. I don't fancy doing that on this machine.
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...when SWMBO's bras used to fall apart...
One of the most common causes of a fault, according to a repair man I spoke to a few years back.
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Could be the bearing bathtub bob, my 14 year old AEG is the same - especially when she (read I) does the towels,
but being the AEG has 'fuzzy logic' it will sense the imbalance and reduce the spin speed.
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Our up to then thoroughly reliable 13-year-old Zanussi washer dryer started to make similar noises just over seven years ago.
The white goods mechanic at the independent audio/visual/appliances retail shop owned by my best mate had a look and said it could be repaired but, as we'd had so many years' service out of it, better to put the repair charge towards a new washing machine.
His advice was sought as to an up to date similarly reliable replacement and the brand he came up with was Miele - it proved a spot on recommendation.
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9 yrs ago our beloved Hoover washer gave up the ghost - the day after returing from holidays.
Replaced with a Zanussi Special @ Makro - £170 IIRC with a 24 mth warranty (12 mths manufacturer, 12 months Barclycard "free Warranty") - still purring away.
Warranty Company wanted £120 to cover years 3-5 but new it was barely more than the warranty premium.
Yes, it is probably less reliable than the Miele and Bosch but at that price you could buy 2 x Zanussis and put the spare in the garage.
"New Bangernomics" buy 2 cheapies and keep one as a spare.
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My ole washer is about to go TU so I'd have a butchers at the LG range of tubs,
They're direct drive so I could listen to me ole 33rpm's while doing me smalls :)
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>>"New Bangernomics" buy 2 cheapies and keep one as a spare.>>
You won't need a spare with a Miele (any product) - it's pretty well nailed on to last at least 15-20 years...:-)
An example is that it's probably the only washing machine that requires the door to be, for want of a better word, "slammed" shut. That's guaranteed for a minimum of 60,000 times.....
www.miele.co.uk/washing-machines/owners/
www.miele.co.uk/about/product-testing/
As far as I'm aware the only product Miele doesn't actually make itself are refrigeration appliance types, which I'm informed are re-badged products from Liebherr to strict specifications and standards.
My best mate, mentioned earlier in the thread, says much of the reason for appliance standards falling over the past 10 years or so has been customers' demands for a replacement product at a price they had paid several years previously for the original.
I've just had to reluctantly part with a Lec upright freezer that was at least 30 years old and still working well, because the six or seven-year-old Bosch fridge that had been stacked on top of it gave up the ghost. So I bought a fridge-freezer....
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Why would you want it to last 20 years just got shut of our 11 year old machine and the fridge was 12 years the metal of the machine was rusting at the bottom.
At these prices today is it worth getting a all singing washing machine if you get 6 yrs from a £200.00 one and then get another.
I like spending money r lass says as im typing this.!
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The other thing to consider when forking out large amounts of green folding stuff for a new washtub, is the fact that technology is constantly evolving and improving so (in my case) rather than spending getting on towards £1k for a top flight Miele (for instance) which could last until the 2nd coming, I would rather buy a c£300 jobbie and out the critter after 5 or 10 years (which ever comes last).
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A washing machine is a washing machine is a washing machine.
If it gets your clothes properly clean with the minimum of fuss and maximum reliability, why practically insist on getting a new one every few years or so?
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>> A washing machine is a washing machine is a washing machine.
You would be surprised. I've done projects with white goods manufacturers and learned more about washing machines and fridges than is probably healthy. Miele, Bosch, AEG and the rest spend huge amounts of R&D money refining the washing algorithms, especially on the top end stuff, to minimise wear and tear on the clothes. If you want to try the opposite extreme, just wash your clothes on a low end top loader like in the US. 2 or 3 times and you can chuck your clothes away. The expensive ones are also quieter and stay that way.
The Miele fridge freezers are built by Liebherr by the way.
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>>..especially on the top end stuff, to minimise wear and tear on the clothes>>
If you watch the video about Miele's honeycomb drum and the tumble dryer from the earlier link you'll see some of its technology in this area..:-)
Incidentally my Miele has the means to add additional/change features using various button combinations to program it, whilst a PC input socket allows software upgrades if and when required to be undertaken by a Miele engineer.
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>>A washing machine is a washing machine is a washing machine.<<
There must be a more efficient way to do one's washing in the 21st century than using water in a washing machine,
Something like an anti-gravity device or particle accelerator,
I'll have to get my old chemistry set out and see what I can conjure up.
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>> There must be a more efficient way to do one's washing in the 21st century than using water in a washing machine
Sanyo sell a washing machine in Japan that uses compressed air to clean and disinfect the clothes but it costs around $2500. I don't know how well it works, but for someone living in a box flat in a skyscraper in Tokyo where water is expensive and drying space nonexistant, it possibly makes sense. I've also seen a washing machine in Korea that uses some sort of plastic beads to clean the clothes, also without water.
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>>Sanyo sell a washing machine in Japan that uses compressed air to clean and disinfect the clothes<<
I'd like to go back to the old days really - the old, old days, where you would wash your clothes in the local river or stream and they'd be dry come the morn, catch a few fish & rabbits for the pot, chop some wood for the fire,
pick a few erbs :)
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>> I'd like to go back to the old days really - the old, old days, where you would wash your clothes in the local river or stream
Last time I was in Mumbai I saw people living in shanty towns on a beach and washing their clothes in the (highly polluted) sea before arranging them in neat rows on the sand to dry. Shocking poverty there.
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...Last time I was in Mumbai I saw people living in shanty towns on a beach and washing their clothes in the (highly polluted) sea...
Have these people not got Mieles?
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>>Last time I was in Mumbai I saw people living in shanty towns on a beach and washing their clothes in the (highly polluted) sea before arranging them in neat rows on the sand to dry. Shocking poverty there.<<
Similar in Africa, and even parts of S. America, that's what amazes me about this capitalist system we live under - ONE MAN can have $billions and another lives on less than a dollar a day, crazy system.
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During our individual house remodelings a friend went for Miele everything and we went for Bosch as we couldn't afford Miele. They've had no end of problems with so many appliances whereas we've had no problems whatsoever.
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Tom could you stick your bonce inside the machine and shine a powerful torch through the drum (tight up against the inner drum will illiuminate most of the outer) and gradually go round the drum and turn it gently at same time, with a bit of luck you'll spot the errant sticky outy bit if there is one unless it's at the rear where there's no holes to peer through.
As for some of the makes mentioned lasting donkeys i wonder if that will be the case for long, i see a lot of packaged washers in my present work and some surprising makes have PRC on the packaging.
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£70.00 Call out and I'll let yer know.
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...Miele, Bosch, AEG and the rest spend huge amounts of R&D money refining the washing algorithms, especially on the top end stuff, to minimise wear and tear on the clothes....
I'm interested to learn there is some extra technology in a Miele, but I question its value.
No one has ever said my clothes are not clean, and I don't have a problem with them wearing out quickly.
I have Van Heusen/Tootal shirts that are years old and still look well, ditto unbranded sheets and quilt covers.
So my cheapo £250 machine washes well and doesn't damage the washing.
What else would a Miele do for me, apart from walk away with an extra 700 notes?
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Washing Algorithms.....? We're being taken to the cleaners !!!
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These days you can't even slosh a few rags around in soapy water without a computer chip to control the process.
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You can get a Meile for around £650 (though at that price it may only wash clothes and not make breakfast whilst grooming the dog), possibly less if you search around and find a previous model..which is no hardship as it'll last 20 years so will be superceeded dozens of times.
Cheaper makes may seem better value and some people do prefer to have shiny new things regularly, but with the hassle involved when replacement/repair time comes i'd sooner they lasted a long time.
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Mrs ON has a Bosch basic washer. It only has about 8 or 10 modes, probably 6 or 8 more than will get used, it is 5 years old and is as quiet as it was when it was new. I don,t see the point of a flash machine of any type that has more modes of operation than you will ever use, be it a car, phone, or washing machine.
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>> Mrs ON has a Bosch basic washer.
Same here Navy, probably 10 years old now and shows no signs of wear.
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>> What else would a Miele do for me, apart from walk away with an extra 700 notes?
The top end Miele stuff can wash materials like silk and wool that would normally need to be handwashed or dry cleaned. I don't have one by the way, I could never bring myself to spend that much on a washing machine.
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...The top end Miele stuff can wash materials like silk and wool that would normally need to be handwashed...
Even the cheapo Beko has a handwash program.
No idea if it's any good, and I'll not find out because I don't anticipate ever using it, or 8 of the other 9 programs.
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>>What else would a Miele do for me, apart from walk away with an extra 700 notes?>>
My Miele Novamatic W864 cost £499.99 new seven years ago - it was the basic model in the company's range of washing machines and doesn't feature the honeycomb drum etc. It does just what is expected without fuss.
See: www.washerhelp.co.uk/reviews/miele-w864-review.html (a useful website with a wide range of information).
That price was £100 less than for the Zanussi WD 13 years previously...:-))
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...My Miele Novamatic W864 cost £499.99 new seven years ago....
When I bought the Beko cheapo - about £250 - the cheapest Miele in Comet was £595 or £695, the dearest £995 or possibly more.
So they are not all £700 more than my Beko, but still twice as much and then some.
Generally, I don't mind shopping, but looking for a washing machine was a real chore.
I had a quick look in Comet, an even quicker chat with a disinterested member of staff, and ordered the Beko via their website.
Waste of time going into the shop - I already knew what a white tin box looks like.
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Tom could you stick your bonce inside the machine and shine a powerful torch through the drum..
He says that it only happens above 1000rpm so he'd need to put it on a spin cycle to be sure :-)
Don't wear a tie Tom.
Kevin...
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>> He says that it only happens above 1000rpm so he'd need to put it on
>> a spin cycle to be sure :-)
Ho ho good one K-:)
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I've dragged it out (It's a tight slot-in) and run it on spin with the covers off. I'm non the wiser.
I'm pretty sure it's not a bearing, no free play, water leak or rumble. It sounds even more like my original description. Separating the drums looks a nightmare (plastic outer). I guess it's designed to be assembled, not dismantled.
With the covers off it seems to occur at different speeds, possibly harmonics? I suspected a fraying belt, but it looks fine.
The only clue I can see is the large pulley on the drum has a thick layer of black dust centrifuged to the inside of its outer edge. Belt dust?
I'm getting very dizzy. ;>)
Last edited by: bathtub tom {p} on Mon 20 Sep 10 at 20:45
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Why not just replace the belt and be damned, if its not too big a job.
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>The only clue I can see is the large pulley on the drum has a thick layer of black dust..
Ahh!
Our old Bosch washer chewed it's belt when the bearing was on it's way out. Couldn't feel any play in the bearing but it began to rumble and vibrate.
Kevin...
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Mrs T has a Whirlpool...cheapy make, I think, but it's been very good since new aboiut 5 yrs ago.
Just put my cordura biking jacket in after removing the crash pads. Came off the bike in the Elan Valley and landed on me back in the mud so it was a mess ! Stopped at the time, right leg slipped from under me and the bike fell on top of me.......silly old fool !
The old Whirly's brought it up like brand new.
Ted
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>>..especially on the top end stuff, to minimise wear and tear on the clothes>>
Ah, so that's the secret. My working jeans would last longer if only I washed them in a top-end machine.
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A development!
The drum's stopped turning, it won't wash or spin and I can't hear the motor turning so I presume the belt's OK, but I can turn it freely by hand.
I guess I'm looking at new brushes (that'll explain the black dust) and I thought it was a brushless motor!
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Get yerself an LG, they're direct drive!
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most washing machines are DC motors, hence have brushes.
The brushes are not that much to buy (pounds instead of tens of pounds).
The only hassle is trying to get the motor out to change them.
For my self I have the large American top loader type, so one the washing machine is on its side the motor is easy to get at.
Shame the motor weighs a ton though.
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Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but my initial thought was that it was a bearing that was on its way out, and this latter post suggests that now it has finally failed.
Either buy a new bearing - I'm sure somebody said they are standard size, and may be had for peanuts - or a new machine.
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New brushes £20 locally. I could've got them for half that on-line, but SWMBO made it clear she couldn't be parted from the machine for that long.
The drum now turns under power, however, the pump sounds like it's got something it's graunching. Probably a result of turning the machine on its side to get the motor out and the display has gone out!
Interestingly, when I picked up the brushes the shop said they'd had another Bosch sounding just the same that turned out to be brushes.
I've never seen that sort of fitting for brushes before. I had to take the motor out to figure it out!
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Our beko is around 4 years old. I can't remember exactly.
It does about 2 to 3 washes per day and a few months ago it stopped working, just like that.
Well, wifey just wanted to go out and get a new one. This one cost us £160 via the comet auction website. Brand new unused, minor case damage. We couldn't find any case damage when it arrived!
I investigated with multimeter, removed the brushes and then set about looking for a replacement set.
There's a good electrical appliance retailer near us in Launceston who actually repairs washing machines. One outfit in Plymouth wanted about £25 for the brushes and he wouldn't stay open long enough for us to get there. So we contacted this crowd in Launceston - Hockbridge and Stacey, who knew what we were after. A number of manufacturers use common components including motors so he dug out the brushes that we wanted and charged us £13 for the privalage.
Fitted brushes and we've probably got another 4 years out of it before we'll need to do something else to it.
Two of our let properties have Servis machines. They have not had to be touched since new, again from Comet Auctions. One is a washer dryer. Mind you each of those properties are occupied by only one person.
When one of those curls up and dies I very much suspect we'll be cutting our losses and replacing it. They are both around 8 years old.
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>Mind you each of those properties are occupied by only one person.
>When one of those curls up and dies I very much suspect we'll be cutting our losses and >replacing it. They are both around 8 years old.
Don't you have to be 18 or over to enter a tenancy agreement?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Kevin...
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Pump had a paper clip in it!
Couldn't find anything that I'd done around the display. I did wonder if some water had sploshed in it when I tipped the machine on its side, but it was bone dry. All it does is display the time remaining to the end of cycle. I convinced SWMBO it's superfluous.
Five minutes into the first wash the display starts working! Modern technology, wonderful innit.
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The old brushes probably sparked before expiring. Sent an electric jolt up the brainstem and scrambled it.
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>> The old brushes probably sparked before expiring.
We replaced our Samsung hoover the other week because after getting progressively noisier and smellier over a period of months it started shooting sparks out the front. Not that old or well used either.
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Last edited by: Zero on Thu 23 Sep 10 at 21:24
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It's now doing its second load since repair.
Think I'll order some more brushes for spares in a couple of years. ;>)
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For others reference I know a very honest repair guy (washing machine, dishwasher, etc) who lives in Chortlon. Rates are good and he's good at his job. And if he thinks you're wasting your time with a fix he tends not the charge - offers good opinion advice over the phone.
When our washer failed a few years back (design meant foam could get out of drum if there was too much... etc. And it ends up on the circuit board) he gave me the number of someone who could sort out what he thought was a job he couldn't do. One new circuit board later and it worked - and still is touch wood.
So anyone in the Manchester area I can recommend someone. Not fair to post his number/name.
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>>There's a good electrical appliance retailer near us in Launceston who actually repairs washing machines<<
These folk are quite good ~ www.moorgoods.co.uk/
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Notice allegedly seen in a launderette:
"Remove clothing when light goes out"
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..."Remove clothing when light goes out"...
To be fair, that might be to encourage customers to empty the washer or dryer promptly to free it for the next person.
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Any washing machine mechanics? - Iffy
