High Efficiency Washing machine -- cost calculator?

Anyone know of a play on web where you can run calculator on High efficiency washers? I am interested in seeing how much they save... My Maytag will run on forever, but I am wondering if money could be saved by switching over -- I do a lot of laundry... 9 people living in the house... A LOT OF LAUNDRY.

Looking to plug in elec. rates... water rates... and number of loads and get back how long it would take to pay back for the grand spent on HE washer.

I did a google.. found nothing.

Reply to
Jack
Loading thread data ...

If its those costly front load machines....

Figure in the cost of parts and service:(

A good friend investigated this recently and found just one piece of a front loader, the control panel $455.00 woiuld pay for a new regular top load machine.

such considerations are a important part of the cost equasion.

Reply to
hallerb

It might help to know what brand of machine your friend had a problem with. Otherwise, your warning is of no value at all.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

If you have a functional washing machine now, you can take your time and look for sales - I found a fridigidaire front-loader at a local furniture store for about 25% off (floor model, had one scratch and some tape residue). I'd also look at Consumer's Reports - they do a lot of tests, comparing efficiency, etc. with lots of appliances including washing machines. You might also look into the EnergyStar stickers - although they might be different for top- and front-loading machines, they might give you an idea of how much you'd save on energy, at least. I'm not sure cost alone can justify a front-loading machine (especially not a high-end one), but water and energy savings make me feel better about calling myself an conservation biologist... Andy

Reply to
andynewhouse

It must be an old one that's been refurbished. :)

The US government says washers consume from 120-700 Kw-H of electricity annually for a typical family, and this factors how dry the clothes come out the spin cycle.. A Kw-H costs anywhere from about 5-25 cents, usually 9-10 cents, which translates to about $12-$70 a year. So the $52 saved annually by using the most-efficient washer instead of the least-efficient one, spread over the 10-20 years a washer typically lasts, is roughly the cost premium of a high-efficiency front loading washer over a conventional top loader. However this doesn't consider the time value of money, that is, what you could earn on that $52/year.

You may want to check Consumer Reports and some appliance forums, such as

formatting link
to see how reliable different brands of front loaders are. Apparently the Whirlpool/Kenmore Duet is the best, but word is that L-G front loader is also reliable.

Exactly what did you Google?

Reply to
rantonrave

I'm biased in favor of electronics and even converted a washer to homemade electronic controls, but I'd much rather buy washers and dryers controlled purely by mechanics.

If an electronic board fails out of warranty, DIY repair may be practical because the defects are usually simple, such as cracked solder, broken copper circuit traces, or blown power transistors or ICs that drive relays or solonoids. Some boards need to be beefed up mechanically with bracing, such as strips of wood or plastic slotted out and epoxied along the edges, or by soldering thick copper or steel wire to the wider copper traces. Any overheated resistors should be replaced with resistors rated for twice the original wattages.

Reply to
rantonrave

You know my mother had a front-loader in 1949. The problem was that she couldn't add clothes after it started.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

Reply to
mm

If you do decide to buy one, be sure to use the special HE (low-sudsing) detergent: the regular kind may get into the bearings and do major damage resulting in the need for expensive repairs.

Perce

Reply to
Percival P. Cassidy

Very good response.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

There are other ways to save as well. I suspect the main cost is the cost of heating the water. Try to experiment with washing in warm water in the winter and cold water in the summer. Try to convince family members to wear shirts etc more than one day before washing unless they got sweaty or stained.

Reply to
Jeff

We bought the LG front loader washer and dryer 5 months ago. The dryer is electric and dries the clothes really fast, even a comforter in about 25 or less minutes. The washer uses less water than the top loader we had.

One aspect I like about the washer is the filter on the lower front, it filters the waste water before it goes into the drain pump, pull the little cover off, pull the drain tube out and drain into a pail, unscrew the filter and clean it out. I clean it out after we wash the dogs beds, dog hair can clog up the filter pretty quick.

Reply to
mike urig

ROFL Why have a filter on the drain?

Reply to
LoL

...

Most of that fast drying can be traced to the washer.r Most of the new front loaders spin at a much higher speed than top loaders and extract far more water. Overall they use less energy because of that.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

As drain water leaves a washing machine, it contains lint, hair, etc. If your machine drains into a laundry tub, the fibrous material can clog the drain, and at some point, you can start raising soap-resistant trout in your basement when the tub overflows. There are lint traps you can put over the end of the drain hose, but sometimes those don't stay on no matter what you do.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Good advice for any machine. Some of those top-loaders with the fancy agitators don't have one mechanical control on them, you can bet the control boards cost an arm and a leg too. While the fancier top-loaders are a recent development, companies such as LG, Bosch, and so on, have been making horizontal axis machines for decades overseas, so it is a fair bet that they will be reliable.

The biggest draw of a horizontal axis in most of the US isn't as much water and energy saved, but that they just wash clothes better. Less lint and more dirt out. They will get rid of the wear line on the collars, and will wash comforters. Once you watch an HA at work, you'll find the proposition that a top-loader can wash something quite absurd. Unless you have a Jet Action GM.

Reply to
Nexus7

Dog hair can clog up the filter pretty quick.

Reply to
clifto

Why not wash the dog outside instead of putting it in the machine?

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Because the machine has a filter to catch the dog hair.

Reply to
clifto

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.