OK, first let's check the dryer's performance:

I'd hitch the dryer up to a short run of vent line and run it direct out a window, or even in a pinch just vent one load directly into the house. It's not good practice to vent indoors, but one load won't do any serious harm. The point of this is to determine if it's the long vent run that's at fault. While you're at I'd replace any corrugated plastic vent line.

Then I'd run a a "typical" wash load through and see what the comparative time on the dryer is with a short, unobstructed vent. For the purposes of testing it would be great if you can actually recall times on a particular assortment and re-test exactly that.

If using this jury-rigged setup improves dryer peformance, then you know that it's the very long vent line that's causing the problem. Correcting that would fix it. And if your vent line path has to go down, and make bends it needs to be even shorter. Thirty feet sounds extremely long in the first place, and running down doesn't sound good either! And running it setup this way would also help you determine if your vent line is clogged.

Now, about load size and weight ... have you ever weighed on of your loads to see it weighs? I have an older Asko and can fit about 11 lbs of stuff. Perhaps you could post the inventory of a couple of typical loads to check to see if you are overloading.

Then on to soap, how much are you using? Since you are on city water call your water deptartment and find out how hard it is, so the amount of soap can be reviewed. I have nice well water and I use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of detergent per load. I use a non-HE plain jane P&G powder. I have never had much luck with liquid detergents, and I have no experience with the ones you're using, but if you even think you have a suds problem, you may very well be right. As a general rule you shouldn't see much, if any suds, if you look at the machine during the wash phase. It's helpful to actually measure your dosing with a set of measuring spoons.

How do your clothes feel, when they're done? Soft and clean or stiff?

Next, I'd review what you are using for your spin speed. Don't be afraid of high rpm speeds for many things (like jeans, towels, sheets etc.) Spinning the water out is more efficient than evaporating it out. I only reduce my rpms below 1200 for loads of perm press or silks. Leaving too much water in the stuff (whether intentionally or accidentally can lead to poor dryer performance.

And finally, though this is easy, have you checked your pin trap drain? Sometimes something will get stuck in mine and it messes up good draining.

It certainly is possible that you might have an individual lemon machine, but two lemons would be way over the odds.

My (much older) Askos are vented higher than 36" more like 50+, and I've never had a problem.

I hope these suggestions may help.

Molly~

I am guessing that since you have your dryer stacked and are running the vent down several feet to the floor, that is the root of your problem. Hot air rises, and though the dryer will push the air out the vent, it is struggling to go down.

You also have a rather long vent run. Your is 30' and the Asko manuals specify a maximum of 20' straight line venting, subtracting 4' for every bend.

I think you need to either change your vent arrangement to lessen the length, or look into a fan-assist unit to help draw the vent. As it is, I believe your problem is not with the dryer, but with your venting. As you note, the dryer is reaching the proper temperature; it has to be something else.

We have the cheaper T701 dryer and it dries quickly and completely, but have a vent run within the requirements specified by the manufacturer (about 12' with one bend).

Incidentally, how you plan to clean such a long vent run?

Housekeeping -

Thanks for the quick follow-up.

I'll give your recommendation a shot at some point later tonight or tomorrow -- and will be as scientific as possible regarding amount of clothing / drying times, etc. Getting the dryer out of the closet again will be a real PITA (as I mentioned before, the doorway to the closet is a couple of inches wider than the 24" of the unit, and it has about an extra foot or so of depth, and a little play on either side once in the closet) -- but it will be worth it if I can identify the problem.

The 30' number I gave was purely an approximation based on how long I'd expect it to be based on room dimensions, etc -- it may be longer, it may be shorter.

On the detergent amount, the fill line is probably a couple of tablespoons. I could try measuring it out exactly with a tablespoon for sure.

The clothes are definitely not stiff when they come out of the dryer -- if you look at the source water hardness chart for the US, my area falls into the soft category. I actually pulled up a couple of detailed water reports online for my specific area, and while they list all sorts of levels of water contaminants, they don't list calcium or magnesium -- so it looks like I'll have to make a call to the water company for the 'official' hardness, though I speculate it's definitely on the soft side since I believe the system is fed by local water.

As for the spin speed, lately, we've taken to spinning the load an extra time (and sometimes 2) before tossing the clothes in the dryer (and always at 1200) -- just to ensure that the clothes are as dry as possible before hitting the dryer.

Oh, and IÂll check that pin trap when I get home just to be sure  but I donÂt think itÂs clogged.

Spewey -

I appreciate the response.

You're right on the specs (well, the spec actually says 22' -- but that that can be lengthened if you use 6" or 8" venting [not sure on my vent dimensions]). I ended up checking the spec right after my post to see if it was in there (guess I should have done that before-hand ;0)...

As for the cleaning issue -- I'm a first time homeowner and I had a real crazy time with my builder (6 months+ behind schedule), so some of these more subtle issues escaped me. I checked installation requirements on just about all my other major appliances, etc... but I guess I just figured a washer/dryer are a washer/dryer, and that the plumbers and HVAC guys would know how to do it. Hence the wrong drain height, etc... I've learned my lesson there. So yeah, I'm not sure how I expect to clean the venting out...

So I think I might be able to go rogue one night (well  there is no condo association yet, since the project is still underway and my builder has control  so it might not be a big deal [yet]), hop up in my attic and alter the venting situation if it comes to that. There's an area where I could theoretically drill out a hole in the side of the attic,...

If you can get into the attic, why not vent it through there and directly out, skipping a detour to the first floor? Spewey is right, down vents kinda go against the forces of nature! His suggestion of a fan assist is also good. (You can buy inline dryer vent booster fans, though I don't have a manf. name at hand.)

Regarding moving it out of the closet. I wouldn't if I didn't have to. I would just sneak behind and above and attach a jury-rigged vent pipe to what you have and let it rise up, over and out w/o moving the machine for the test. Pretty isn't what you're working on here, good testing is!

Also you may find your vent line to be something other than the recommended smooth metal pipe. You'd be surprised to hear what builders will try to get away with as reported here. We've heard of builders who simply vented to the attic or crawl space and let it go at that. Since you can feel the vent outside you're already ahead of the game.

I hope you can get to the bottom of this. Your machines should, in theory, be making you a very happy camper not be a lingering source of misery. Life is too short for unhappy washdays!

Molly~

Molly -

I can definitely get into the attic -- it's just a matter of how easy it will be to get that hole drilled out (I know for sure I'll have to go through siding, etc -- not sure what other materials) AND how easy/difficult it will be to connect up the venting to where the existing vent connection is in the wall of the closet (since it's in between walls and likely shoots downward to the first floor from the closet). It could end up being a really messy job...

As for pulling out the unit -- unfortunately, it has to be done, at least partially, to get my hand back there to disconnect the flexible pipe -- the closet is *that* tight. My builder didn't cover the installation of the units, so I had to do that part myself -- having pulled both out on a couple of occassions now (over a 4" lip on the drip pan mind you!), I'm much more familiar with the process than I ever wanted to be at this point ;0. When I first installed the units six months ago, I didn't bother to read the directions and failed to remove the shipping pins -- and then I also found that I couldn't get enough clearance over the pan to properly lock the leveling washers on the feet -- so that was a really fun day struggling to get it in the closet, then having to pull it back out. At least I had help then, as opposed to the other time I took them out to lower that drain pipe.

In any event -- I will hopefully have some positive results soon.

Thanks again for the help.

-e

Molly -

Looking around and thinking on this a bit, it seems that the best solution (presuming that this *is* a venting issue) is to go with the dryer booster. I found the Fantech models with a quick search, and the RVF 4XL seems like it will fit the bill (making the assumption that I have 4" duct work). My HVAC guys and/or builder probably should have taken care of this particular issue from square one, but for $140, it will probably be a lot easier than climbing around in the attic, drilling holes in the wall, etc, etc.

For reference:
http://www.fantech.net/dryer_boosting2.htm#3

I'm going to have to do a little double checking, but the vent should actually be in the top portion of my basement wall. Fortunately, my basement is unfinished, so this should be a fairly straightforward installation, involving running a little Romex, etc. But I will be sure to run some tests on the current install, and fully consult the documentation on the booster before I go forward with anything.

Thanks again...

-e

Molly,

Housekeeping has given you a worthwhile test to try which makes sense to me. I would start with that.

Good luck

Lots of talk about vent runs and all, but the one thing that struck me about your posting is that sometimes your unit only runs for 15 mins. and thinks the load is dry but it isn't. If you were having a problem with a long vent run, logic would dictate that your dryer would be drying for a LONG time before it gave up, not the other way around.

My bet is that you have a defective moisture sensor.

Quick follow up with a bit of new information.

- I've been using *way way way* too much soap. Probably about 4 times the amount that I should. I measured out exactly 2 T and put it in the cup I've been using for soap measurements, and clearly my approximation skills are awful. Also, after checking the manual, it appears that 'Sani' is the only cycle that uses prewash soap -- and according to the manual, using soap during any of the other cycles that don't have a prewash can cause excess sudsing and could 'damage the machine'. Clearly user error here... and this would certainly explain the occasions where the door won't pop open. Maybe it could cause the lint to be soap laden and clog up the lint filter in the dryer too?

- The pin trap had a penny in it, and some other grime. I've cleaned it out now. Not sure if this really has a bearing on anything?

- I opened up the front of the dryer to inspect the fan -- everything seemed pretty clean there, so I didn't bother to pull it out and clean it.

- I always clean the lint filter out after every load, but I took to it with soap and water and really scrubbed and rinsed it out.

- I assumed incorrectly where my external vent was located. After doing some more investigating, the vent I assumed was for the dryer, is actually the vent for my gas fueled hot water heater. Yeah -- whoops... So... I'm going to have to hop up into the attic tomorrow to see if I can figure out where the vent in the wall really goes.

- I disconnected the vent from the back of the unit, and have put a load of cottons in the dryer -- on program 'Extra Dry'. There were some suds on the washer door, so I ran the clothes through an extra rinse cycle to get the excess soap out. I don't know the actual weight of the load (there was one heavy cotton blanket mixed in with the rest of the stuff -- I didn't do the load -- my girlfriend put it in there, and she wasn't aware of the testing I was about to do [cycle: Heavy - temp 120]), but looking at the dryer from the side, it was half full with the clothes put in there loosely. Other than the closet turning into a sauna (good thing there's no wallpaper in there ;)), the program has been running for 20 minutes at this point.

So we'll see what happens when the program terminates... and I'll follow up with some more info at that point.

Thanks again for everyones comments and feedback.

Test Results --

After 1 hour and 19 minutes on the 'Extra Dry' cycle, the dryer shut off -- an auto dry cycle has never run this long in the past. The big blanket was dry (or very very close to it anyway), and the other clothes were slightly damp (including one heavy sweatshirt), so I removed the blanket, cleaned off a thick layer of lint off of the filter, and ran another 'Extra Dry' cycle. It was 1:30AM at this point, so I wasn't able to time it due to exhaustion, but when I opened the dryer door, I was happy to see that the clothes were actually dry.

Since I've seen this sort of thing happen with large blankets on other dryers before, this probably wasn't a totally fair test of the sensor... but the results are definitely promising and more satisfactory than what I've seen in the past.

I will run a cycle of permanent press cotton blend stuff through tonight with the vent disconnected to see if I experience satisfactory results with the dryer again.

Hopefully I can get a handle on where my in-wall venting goes as well, as it certainly looks like there's a problem with my vent situation.

2nd Set of test results -- *far less* encouraging than the last run...

I washed the following load of cottons on Normal Plus at 120 w/ the appropriate 2T of detergent. I did not run any extra spin cycles -- just performed a straight transfer of the clothing over to the dryer. The vent remains disconnected from the wall. Load as follows:

4 pairs of khaki pants
7 t-shirts
5 pairs of boxers
3 pairs of socks

The washer was full, but not packed in super tight. The dryer looks around half full from the side when I loaded it.

I initially set the load to 'Dry' (P2 - one step below 'Extra Dry'). The cycle ran for about 50 minutes. When I checked the load out, it was still quite wet. So I set it to 'Extra Dry', cleaned the lint filter, and ran it again. The next run lasted for about an hour before the machine stopped -- and the clothes still weren't dry -- though I removed one of the pairs of pants. Here it is 45 minutes later, and I'm now checking it out again (total time 2 1/2 hours+). The khakis are mostly dry (and so I'm removing them), but the other clothes are still damp. So I've now pressed Start yet again, to run another 'Extra Dry' cycle.

This is a pretty sad state of affairs... In the opinions of the experts, have I overloaded? Or am I looking at some defective machine(s)?

Comments appreciated.

Is the machine pretty warm/hot when you stop it mid-cycle and open the door? I don't know, but if it's hot like a dryer should be and the clothes are tumbling properly (assuming your belt isn't snapped) and a substantial amount of hot air is coming out of the vent in the back, then something definitely isn't right and it has nothing to do with your vent run.

You have the spin set to 1200 rpm, and at that speed your clothes shouldn't really be "damp" but quite light and with hardly any moisture left. I read in some posts here that someone with your model washer wasn't getting a good spin and had to have it repaired because the clothes were wetter than they should have been. But for a 2.5 hour dry time, they would have to be pretty darn wet. I spin at 1,600 rpm and the clothes are practically dry out of the washer.

Your units are under warranty, so I would definitely a technician out there and BE PRESENT when he is there so that you can show him what the problem is and have it properly diagnosed. When you make the appointment, ask for someone who has a good track record of servicing Asko units.

I have a 6761 washer and 761 dryer, spin at 1,200 or 1,600 rpm and most often have pretty stuffed loads filled with sweatshirts and jeans and whatnot... my dry times average about 30-40 min on the "normal" dry setting.

sshrivastava -

Thanks for the response.

The dryer does seem warm, and the clothes are definitely tumbling. I think the amount of hot air / moisture coming out seems OK.

From your description, it sounds like the clothes are definitely coming out too wet considering they spin at 1200, and that is really the crux of the issue here it seems.

I just scheduled warranty service for next Tuesday and I will most definitely be there to fill in the repair person. Hopefully I have better luck than with the last guy.

Thanks again for your assistance, and I'll follow up with my results when I get to the bottom of this...

Update...

The repair guy came out, I explained the situation and the steps I've taken, and he wants to replace the drain motor. He didn't run any tests or anything -- he basically just took my word for it, which although flattering, doesn't inspire a lot of confidence at this point. He'll order the part and schedule a follow-up -- hopefully this won't take too long, and hopefully it does the trick.

I've done a few more loads with the vent disconnected. Drying times are better, but I think that it's a result of my running two additional spin cycles once the wash has completed before throwing stuff in the dryer. I'm still definitely not seeing 30-40 minute dry times mentioned by sshrivastava, but dry times are in the hour range, which is a lot more manageable.

Also worth noting, I think I still might have a vent issue. I looked up in my attic to trace the vent run. It goes up from the closet with a solid piece, then hits a 90 degree turn with some flexible metal, that's joined in the middle, before it heads out the external vent on the side of the attic. Well, the joint was messed up when I took a look up there -- the two pieces weren't totally split apart, but were at least half split, so there was definitely some leakage into the attic occurring. I don't know if it's a problem or not, but I also noticed that there is a slight downward pitch from the closet to the outside vent -- as the flexible run is over insulation, but the actual external vent ends up being around a foot below the level of the insulation. Total vent run is probably 15-ish feet + the 1 90 degree turn, which probably puts me right around the max vent run.

-e

Another update -- I'd like to keep the thread alive to warn potential Asko customers, and illicit some more feedback.

The drain pump was replaced by the servicer, and everything (including the vent) was reconnected. Problem still not fixed...

I told the repair guy that the problem was not fixed, and I even faxed his company a copy of this thread, and a summary on the cover sheet of where I thought the problem could still potentially lie.

Furthermore, I hopped up on my roof, pulled the vent cover off, and dremel'd 1/8" holes every 1/8" apart to increase airflow. Note that I ran a cycle with the cover completely off and airflow out of the vent seemed a bit better than with the cover on. Obviously, keeping the cover off isn't an option though as I need to keep a cover on the thing or birds are going to go up there and make a nest or something...

I was on vacation for the first week of March and got back right around the beginning of March. I sent the fax before I left, thinking that the service company would have some time to digest the information and theorize on their own. I called the service company 5 times over the course of 2 weeks or so, and was promised a call back each time. I never received a phone call back -- totally ridiculous! I get the impression that the repair company has basically given up trying to help me.

So about 3 weeks ago I called Asko (April 18th) and spoke to someone who gave me a fax number so that I can send 'repair' history, and so that my case can be transferred to the escalation department. Asko told me it would be 5 to 7 days before I hear back from them.

Since I still hadn't heard anything from Asko as of today, I called back to find out the status of my escalation. Apparently there were no work notes in my customer history about my last conversation, and of course, they have no record of my fax! So after explaining my situation yet again, over the course of a good 30 to 45 minutes, Asko is basically trying to brush it off as a non-existent problem! Unbelievable!

At first the customer service rep was ready to schedule another service company for a final visit, but after speaking to her manager while I was on hold, the manager decided that there must not be a problem with the units because the door of the dryer feels warm and I can hear it tumbling. To me, this certainly felt like a Âlets get rid of this guy kind of diagnosis, and I found it rather insulting. I pleaded my case with questions that she couldnÂt really answer, but they still werenÂt willing to call this a problem.

On a related note, one thing that IÂve noticed recently is that items towards the back of the dryer are definitely wetter and donÂt appear to be tumbling right, while items towards the front are dryer (even when all the item types are of the same material, etc) Â she couldnÂt really explain this, except with their one suggestion -- that I must keep the door to the washer/dryer...

If you don't like your Askos, and you can afford to, why don't you just cut the thread short, and dump them and replace them with a set you may like and will cause you less grief? The Miele's are very good units.

Take care,

Jon

If you can, run a wash load before the service person comes. Then you can show the person how wet / damp / dry the clothes are when they come out of the wash.
RWW

I'm honestly surprised that Asko is treating you this way. I had a slight squeaking problem with my unit (when the tub rotated clockwise I heard a little squeaking noise) and they promptly sent someone out to replace several components "just to be safe" and it's now working like a charm.

I have had great experiences with Asko corporate as well as their local authorized service center. I would call Asko again and ask them to send out another service technician -- I mean honestly, if the clothes are coming out wet from the dryer, that's a relatively simple thing to illustrate to a service technician, just show them.

There has to be a fix, and part of it might be to replace the dryer. Asko has replaced defective units under warranty in the past, and I'm sure they will in your case if you make enough noise.

This still sounds like a vent run issue. Have you changed the vent run so that it no longer goes down at all? Have you verified that the total length falls within the published Asko specs, taking into account subtractions for bends? Have you fixed the problem at the flexible joint where you are having leakage into the attic?

If not, I'm guessing the problem is the vent run, not your dryer. A vent assist fan should help.

BTW, while irrelevant to your dryer problem, many of us have found that the Kirkland liquid HE detergent is just too sudsy for use in our front loaders. This seems to depend a bit on your local water chemistry, but you should really think about switching to something else. If you like to buy in big quantities, there are always the big tubs of Sears HE powder, which is pretty popular here. - DR

First off -- thanks to everyone for responding.

aquarius2101 -- Unfortunately, these machines are less than a year old, and I don't have the disposable cash to just toss a $2200 purchase in the dumpster, and make another 2k-ish purchase.

unixisgoodforyou -- Well, if I can get another servicer to come out, I'll give it a shot. Not that I haven't thought of doing this, but half the time, the guy's a no-show and reschedules, or he's way late -- so it's hard to time ;0

sshrivastava -- I'm about to call Asko again, after a running a couple more of their ridiculous 'open closet door' tests. As I predicted (and they were unwilling to listen to), there was no change in performance.

spewey -- Vent run is within spec... I hopped up in the attic and tape-measured everything out a while back. I have 2 90 degree turns of hard pipe (considered 4 feet each) and around an 8 foot or so run across the ceiling area. I did tape up that break in the line a long time ago also.

dross - I haven't really noticed any problems with the Kirkland stuff once I adjusted quantity. Sometimes there are a few little suds on the bottom of the door, but it doesn't appear to be anything major (at least as far as I can tell).

Anyhow, on to my new results with door open.

Test 1 -- full load of colored cotton clothes (almost entirely 100% cotton -- some 95% and 97% cotton stuff)

ran from 9:20 until 10:00 (including 5 minutes of cool down) - clothes still very wet
ran from 10:00 until 10:20 (with 10 minutes cool) -- clothes still wet
ran from 10:20 until 10:45 (with 5 minutes cool) -- still wet
ran from 10:45 until 11:05 - still wet
ran from 11:05 until 11:39 -- fairly damp
ran from 11:39 to 12:27
ran from 12:30 to 1:25

total run time -- around 4 hours for one load! granted, some of this was 'cool down' time that I didn't catch right away, but c'mon, give me a break.

As you can see, this is pretty annoying. I had the dryer set to extra dry, and it kept stopping on me for whatever reason (bad moisture sensor?). Each time it stopped, I opened the door, cleaned the lint filter if necessary, and if there were any items that were dry, I pulled them out, cleared the current dryer setting, and fired it up again.

Test 2 -- 6 cotton towels (100% cotton)

I have the exact breakdown written at home, but I believe I had to restart the load twice, and it took a total of 1 hour and 40 minutes to dry 6 towels.

Pretty unacceptable. I've noticed that with the first load, some items seemed to just collect in the back portion of the dryer, and remained wetter than the other items.

I also have pictures of the load sizes -- maybe someone could tell me if they'd consider the first load overloaded? I find it hard to believe 6 towels is overloading a dryer, but... it's worth having a basis for comparison.

6 towels
colored cotton load

Thanks again to everyone for responding -- as soon as I contact Asko, I'll update everyone...

At this point I would say call Asko and escalate the issue and make a big deal -- you're under warranty and your dryer clearly is not functioning properly. It's relatively easy to start your load an hour before the technician arrives, and then show him the clothes after an hour's worth of drying -- it shouldn't take more than 40-50 min. to fully dry a load if properly spun out at 1,200 RPM or higher. Obviously if they're still wet when he gets there, he needs to acknowledge a problem.

Your technician also has it within his means to contact his region's Asko service representative to further explain the problem and get Asko to either replace the unit or put forth additional resources to diagnose the issue. When I had a squeak problem that the technician couldn't really hear (but I could), he called the regional Asko service rep who gave him the green light to upgrade several components in the washer that, frankly, would have cost quite a bundle of money had it been out of warranty.

Your photos don't look out of the ordinary to me, although from the 2nd pic I'd say you had stuffed a lot of laundry into your Asko washer -- more than I typically do. But this shouldn't cause you the type of problems you've been experiencing. Even with large loads, my dry times seldom exceed 40 min.

I have a farfetched idea (but i think you're ready for farfetched ideas given the troubles you been through)... open your dryer and see if all the belts are there. My asko woudn't dry because the fan belt between the motor and the fan fell off. So my dryer had heat, the clothes were tumbling, but air wasn't blowing around in the drum.

Logic would presume that if:

• The drum is rotating,
• hot air is blowing and fan is operational,
• dryer is venting properly,
• and dryer is heating to the correct temperature, then clothes must be drying.

Since you've checked the venting, it must be something operational with the dryer.

I know this is a dumb question, but are you sure the drum is spinning right and that the belt isn't loose possibly causing the drum to only partially rotate? I had a snapped belt a couple of years ago -- the dryer sounded normal as if it were tumbling, except it wasn't, and the way I realized this was that the clothes came out wet and only slightly shifted position. It's possible that the belt is loose or not installed properly causing incomplete drum rotation and ineffective exposure of your clothes to the hot air.

Also make sure your heat setting is on normal, not low. I know that's kind of basic, but still... stack the deck in your favor.

Quick update...

Asko agreed to have another service company come out after I told them that the door open made no difference in dry times.

I spoke with the company today, and they seemed very professional so far -- a servicer is headed out tomorrow morning. I'll be sure to let everyone know what they end up saying.

This has been a great thread -- I'm very eager to hear the diagnosis!

Did it work?

If not I think small claims court may be your best bet

Back again... with more bad news.

A servicer from the third different repair company came out at the end of May.

I showed him how wet the load was coming out of the washer, and he said it was OK.

We ran the dryer and he felt the back -- he claims (w/out any measurements) that the temperature is fine. He also thinks everything is tumbling OK.

He recommended that I don't use the 'Extra Dry' sensor program, b/c he said it doesn't work that great. He also said that 'Extra Dry' only uses one heating element, while 'Timed Dry' uses both of the heating elements -- but he wasn't positive regarding that remark.

In any event, his diagnosis was -- "I don't know if there's anything I can really do for you." And on his way he went.

He seemed to acknowledge that my dry times were out of whack -- but provided no solution other than to always use the 'Timed Dry' no matter what I was drying. Not a fantastic solution -- and right now I feel like I have 2k of paper-weights sitting in my closet.

I think that if I cleaned my clothes on a washing board in my bathtub, and then hung them over my shower curtain bar I'd probably end up with more efficient performance. This is incredibly frustrating.

So I once again disconnected my vent, and have the dryer venting into one of those $15 external vent boxes from HD, and I run the units with the closet door open. Of course, this makes no difference in the drying really, as loads still require a minimum of 2 90-minute timed dry sessions to get completely dry.

So I called Asko tonight to tell them that I wanted a refund, and that I wanted to send these lemons back. The best they could do was give me an address to write to, which IMHO is a totally unacceptable response. While the rep was cordial enough, she wasn't particularly useful. So tomorrow I will be writing a letter to the better business bureau, and hopefully I can get rid of these things, recoup my money, and be done with this fiasco and the horrible AM appliance group.

Oh well -- thanks everyone for trying to help. Now it's time to do a little research for a suitable replacement. Any suggestions? ;0

Help from anyone...
I recently purchased the ASKO W6461 and T761. These are the first washer and dryers I have ever purchased. Reading these message boards, I am not extremely concerned with their performance and worried these lemons are going to fail me. Any tips to prevent this or am I doomed? Thanks!

Sue