Water level in a modern washing machine

The first video mentions the drain hose being too far down the drain pipe siphoning the water. If the OP is lucky, that could be the problem and a quick fix.

I think that's more for a new installation, this is probably a replacement, so the drain hose mount height should be roughly the same...I'm thinking he's not loading the laundry before he starts the washer, like we did the old machines, while the water was filling, we added soap and then clothes...at least that's the way I do it...these new efficient water use machines weigh the clothes first and determine the water level...but I do see a lot of complaints...I prefer the low medium high design better...If a machine doesn't work reliably to my satisfaction, to me it's useless....and annoying...

Laundry tip, add a little bit of borax to freshen laundry...a handful is enough...

I forgot about the borax tip. Thanks.

We have a 16 year old front loading and lately I've been adding a cup of distilled white vinegar to the softener bin, since water in Florida is on the hard side..

So far not a trace but only the scent of the Tide detergent remains with the washed clothes, and the machine seems to get cleaned as well..

Before playing with machine settings it is worth considering a water filter.
I spend time in two different homes which are fed by different water catchments.

One catchment has beautiful tasting water straight from the tap , the other tastes like dead cow and rusty mud with an aroma of extra chloride.

We use a high quality water filter on the smelly one and even the clothes smell better coming out of the washing machine.
I have also noticed the water saver issue however my Fisher Paykel machine seems to get it perfect every time in Auto Water Level , and for very dirty work clothes it has the option of manual High - medium - Low water level.
Unfortunately they are made in New Zealand so for you guys in the USA its probably too far to walk for wash day. ;)

We have to load before doing the load. The lid locks and spins a little as it is sensing how much water to add.

I was not able to find a machine that had traditional low, medium, full settings.

I'll look into the drain hose idea. This is sort-of but not exactly a new installation. While having hurricane rated windows, doors and a sliding glass door installed I had a complete demo and rebuild of about 30 feet of exterior wall.

I like the 2nd video best as it guarantees the clothes are wet.

Either cut it off shorter so that the free end is above the water level in the waste pipe, or drill a couple of anti-syphon holes into it above the water level in the waste pipe.

Simplesξ!

Buy an old washer.

I agree. Front load washing machines suck. Less water used = Less clean. Period.

We have a recent set of Whirlpool Duet front-load high-efficiency washer and dryer as well as a tried-and-true set of 1989 Maytag top-load washer with the matching dryer.

When my blue jeans are washed in the front load washer, they are not as clean because they will start to smell like a high school gym locker at "first sweat". What I mean by that is the first time I have any situation that generates sweat, the funk wafts up.

When my jean are washed in the top-load old-school washer, that doesn't happen. (It takes a couple of 'sweat events' or several day's use before the funk sets in and the jeans get tossed into the hamper.)

Married, thus must be new and shiny.

We actually had better luck with our previous front loading washer. All normal wash settings were bad and created stinky clothing. The old GE that we had for about 8 years had a "basket clean cycle" that worked exactly like a normal cycle except it filled the front loading washer up to the middle of the door. That machine could do a great job as long as you didn't use it properly.

" . . . as long as you didn't use it properly." That's funny. I love your sense of humor.

Oh, I also add a dash (1/8 cup) of TSP to the powdered detergent to restore its effectiveness. You can still buy the Savogran brand at hardware and big box stores.

That's one I hadn't heard of before. It has a rather strong sound to it. Do you use it with everything or just jeans and other "not delicate" items?

I use it with everything. You do need to watch the concentration because in strong solutions (like anything that actually works) you can do some damage. I add it to my dishwasher (2 Tbsp) as well, and the spots on my glasses are gone.

No, not those glasses . . . .

. . . these.

P.S. White vinegar added to the wash with towels help soften them as it helps remove mineral build-up on the cotton fibers if you have minerals in your water. I dislike fabric softeners because they just seem to make the towels water-proof. And too much perfume. I like my linens to be clean and not just smell like a ______ ______ house. (You can fill in the blanks. )

I wonder if I can get it in eye drops to clear up the spots I keep seeing?

(DISCLAIMER: No, this is not a serious suggestion)

https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-trisodium-phosphate-4766547

I don't think I would use it on my dishes....or my clothes for that matter....

Ha ha , very true...that's why you always include a disclaimer...

I am often amused at the US being 'hooked' on massive top-loading machines. In Europe front-loading has been the norm for ages. My parents had an AEG front loader in the 1960's and it did a good job for 15 years.

Front-loaders use much less water for most washes. Extra-stinky heavy clothes like sports jeans or work clothes need one of the heavy duty wash/rinse programs but that amount of water is certainly not needed for most regular wash items.

For me, the main drawback with front-loaders is they cost more.

I install appliances and Old school direct drive commercial washers like Speed Queen and Maytag(Whirlpool) are the best. They use more water, but they wash. I have defeated the lid lock on the newer "efficient" machines and found they don't do much other than get the clothes wet and soapy.

Front-loaders are notorious for getting smelly unless they are large capacity commercial machines that are designed to be bolted to the floor. The extra rubber bits needed to allow the drum to wobble also make perfect places for water to accumulate and get stinky.

My commercial top loader has no control board to fail. It has been repaired twice with cheap parts and is over 20 years old. Parts cost never went over $40.

My current machine is Maytag Commercial Technology (MCT). It does seem to be a well built home machine but I don't think that my idea of "commercial" and their use of "commercial" are exactly the same.

Yep. The names given to equipment (washer, dryer, hand tools, etc) seem to migrate downward over time. Professional & Industrial now seem to be consumer quality; Commercial seems to be following.

I might try some of this wrap for the tops on my new washer and dryer, when my old ones finally quit...if ever, I have the Maytag commercial units...older models, but basically the same....but over time the tops do get scratched and damaged from chemicals and use, so some type of coating would seem to be a good idea....

Different scenario for another system....

Some solutions found in UK machines:

1) program for extra rinse

2) set for hard water area, even if in soft water area

3) use detergent in the prewash, and none for the main, so main wash is effectively finding

These things are produced the same way as cars: to get the best sticker for sales and environmental categories, instead of for the best cleaning results, but will have some way of improving cleaning after the fact.

I often do the extra rinse. I'll look through the manual for soft vs. hard water settings. I have not heard of them before.

Thanks.

If the machine is out of warranty and you still need more water then likely there will be a differential diaphragm switch that calculates the water level from the pressure it measures.

A little tweak of the adjustment screw will work wonders to get the level you want but then maybe it has a sealed unit and cant be meddled with.

We have a old top load machine, about 15 years old, have never been happy with front loaders, the comparison with a cement mixer is not lost on me and the long wash times are a bug bear.

As near as I can tell the machine is working 100% correct per green government standards. Having clothing agitated in a slurry slush at the bottom of the machine works fine if they weren't very dirty and only needed to be freshened up. When the clothes in the basket have white (salt?) stains from a full day of hard work with both the temperature and humidity at 95 you need more than a spit of recycled water.

Extra clothes do result in extra water. But "stew" in the washer just doesn't get clothing as clean as "thin soup" in the washer.

I think all washing machines should have a custom water level option, just because it makes sense.. If I want the water set to a particular level then the machine should provide that ability, without a hassle....I mean why wouldn't you? Are they going to start auto set water level in the bathtub as well? ...on outdoor hoses? ...It's bad enough they restricted the flow through shower heads, these are freedoms that have been taken from us against our will...and directly opposes my pursuit of happiness guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence..

Life could not be simpler

Front loader.

When the machine has filled and just started the wash cycle, open the soap drawer and pour a bucket or three of water into the drawer as that is where the machine fills. It pours right into the drum of clothes and will not drain out until the drain cycle is commenced.

Do exactly the same on a top loader, just pause the wash cycle, open the lid and pour in water. Close the lid and un-pause the machine.

Unless the USA has special machines, they all operate the same elsewhere in the world and this works every time. Never had a machine that works differently anywhere.

I add, if you over fill, it will for sure spit out the excess water and drain to the normal wash level

You must disable the lid lock to do that. Which of course voids any warranty. I live in a rain forest........

And of course the other side of this is the spin cycle. When washing sheets or towels, the drum sometimes 3 of 4 doesn't balance. The AI solution is to fill the machine to the top hoping that will move them around a bit. I've had mine fill 3 times before it gave up. And just sat there. You know this occurs when you check the machine, it is "off" and the clothes are dripping wet.

As my water usage is just under 13% more than it was 3 yrs ago and my partner is deceased, I really can't afford to save this much. Nor can the environment. This one is a Maytag. Previously I had a Samsung, it lasted 6 months before it self destructed.

When we bought our first home in 76 it had a washer and dryer of unknown vintage. The previous owners had 5 children. We had 3 children and sold the house in 2002. Same washer and dryer. The washer never failed, the dryer was far more troublesome. Two belts and a heater coil.

Next topic should be "computer assisted" refrigerators.

Idea is good but to sit around waiting on the correct time to add water and then carry about 8 gallon jugs from the sink in another room to the washer is an awful lot of time and effort. It would be cool to turn the washer on and have it wash clothes like when I was a kid.

Another first world problem.

Why not just pay someone to come to your house, pick up your dirty laundry and wash, dry, press and fold it and return it to you in nice plastic shrink-wrapped packages to your front step, says Marie Antoinette?

You should be happy you don't have to walk down to the village center and pump the well comrade.

Better yet, take your clothes down to the river and beat them on the rocks the way the NE Thai housekeepers did when I was stationed there in the 1960s. They were always clean and didn't seem to show any wear from that treatment.

Its a front loader machine, they all are dysfunctional like that.

The top loader machines work just fine in the normal way.

when I was a child, my mom's washer had 2 drain hoses and we had a 2-section laundry tub. If I recall correctly, the rinse water would fill one side of the tub, and the water-saver feature in the washer would pump this back into the washer for the wash cycle of the next load.

--JMM

It is so sad that in the modern world this is actually a good idea.

I actually have done "pre wash cycles" in a bucket in the back yard.

With the way we are progressing we will probably all be moving into stone caves in a few years. SolarEagle and I will have a problem since it is pretty difficult to do the stone cave thing when you live on flat sand.

I know folks in Australia who live on flat sand and have very cool, (temperature), homes underground. They spend their time mining for opals and daily extend their dwellings. So just think smarter and mine for titanium or zircon and make a new home.

Yeah, but what's that elevation? Sink a shovel in the ground here and you won't break a sweat before you hit water...maybe in the northern part of the state you might find a cave...or cavern...

Water from 12 inches down to the coquina layer at 6'1" (yes, I have measured it). Fresh but rusty water at 18 feet and below. Sulphur but low salt content water at about 280 feet. Salty water starting at about 305 feet. I'm sure there is a lot of water in between. And the ocean is always out there looking for a way to get in. Even with the help of a lot of CR4 postings I'm going to consider an underground cave a bad idea here.

I use the laundromat. First reason was that our well water is so bad. This discussion provides other reasons!

Once again, it is sad that this is a good suggestion.

In addition to other issues if you make a habit of using laundromats down here you will sooner or later get a washer where the previous user washed items covered in beach tar. US wants oil, foreign ships bring oil, foreign ships high pressure wash leftover oil gunk out of ships after unloading, oil gunk washes up on beach, tourist gets towel, T-shirts and swim suit covered in oil gunk, tourist goes to laundromat and transfers oil gunk to washer, local goes to laundromat and ruins a full load of dress shirts by transferring oil gunk from washing machine to clothes. That's the cycle of life in a Florida laundromat.

Thankfully beach tar isn't as bad as it used to be.

Here's one small tip. I'm in the UK so mine's a front loader; after a while it started to stink, and, that started to affect the washing. I tried the washing machine cleaners and white vinegar tricks but they only lasted a short time. Now I just make sure I leave the door (*) wide open every night before I turn in, and everything seems to be OK.

* of the washing machine--smart Alec.

I remember seeing a video of a laundry mat in Saudi Arabia.

Can't find the video now...SE?

It was a cement truck that churned thousands of pounds of clothing with detergent,and then spit them out in reverse.

People were standing in line to get their clean laundry.

Sorry, no delicate cycle.

Amm i think you should put Ariel or Tide, or whatever similar product in the washing machine also put a fabric conditioner/softener, not only water!

So far I have tried slowly pouring a gallon of water on the clothes twice and both times the washer "filled up" to the approximately 12" depth that the sign in the store said the washer could fill up to. Not as good as an old machine but that might be as good as I can do with a modern machine. Without the extra "water weight" during the initial sense cycle I would only have expected about 3" to 6" of water. Big improvement.

Don't worry about getting down wind. My wife is not interested in my little tests. There have been more than two loads of laundry done since this discussion started.

I look forward to the day we can look back at this era, and get a good laugh...

. . . probably cry at the insanity of it all.