Do you think there's something wrong with your particular Duet?

Our Duet is incredibly gentle on clothing. That's one of the things that has really impressed us.

I do have a lemon, yes. Over the years on epinion.com, I've seen several other complaints from other owners that have the same model. I've had a warranty but it has not helped. Now, in addition to the excess wear, I the machine shoots in a drop of cold water at the beginning of the cycle, then all hot water, so I'm getting more shrinkage than ever. I'm not sure if this has always been the case. But the ironing is horrible. I have a regular clothing dryer, and everything needs to be ironed. Before having that machine, I would iron a few times a year and now it's daily. I've seen some posts on different forums about people being unhappy with their Samsung for the gentleness issue, so I wanted some feedback. I won't buy another duet or a maytag now after this experience. Thanks for your reply.

Wendy

I've had LG for nearly a year now and am very happy with them. Before we bought ours, I learned from a repairman for another brand that LG was going to servicemen who only repaired LG and who had trucks with nearly all the parts they could need (he said they'd still have to order a damaged panel, but pumps and motors and hoses and such would all be available when they made the call. His friend was working our area and he was hoping to go to work for them as the need grew because the benefits were so good. i suspect your area is a large enough population center to merit similar treatment. I can't tell you how it's working out here though -- I haven't needed to call them.

Lascatx,
Is your LG the smaller of the 2 models? On board heater? Are the cycle times long for the "normal" wash? Does it get the odors out of the clothing? I sound picky here, I know. The Duet is very energy efficient and gets out perspiration while it ruins my clothing. Maybe I just want too much. It is a reliable workhorse. If the cycles are decent (I have the 40 min on mine for less soil), water consumption is good (our bill went down) then I'd run out and grab it. Someone that had an LG said his bill went up and it had long cycle times. He may have had an older model. I don't see him but we had a discussion about front load machines. I guess I'm moving to my new house with my old one for now, afraid to make a mistake. Then, I'll have to take the plunge. I cannot measure how many of my clothes are ruined. Now, since they are already faded, it's the shrinkage from the hot water. It's a tough decision to make and I don't want to spend too much money, yet I'm not sure how many garments I can afford to lose. Thanks for your reply. -Wendy

I have a duet that is 5 years old and I hated it. But after doing some adjustments with the water so that a decent amount comes in now, it's not toooo bad. (I ended up using the bulky cycle - just to get enough water to actually wash the clothes - for a couple years until I learned from another post on this forum how to adjust the water by turning a little screw on the pressure gauge inside the machine on the top right rear.)

Another big help was finding out last year that the hot and cold hoses were switched when they were installed. (By the guys from the store where we purchased the machine.) You might consider checking your hoses because your problem with the hot water sounds just like what was going on with mine.

mayart,

The hot and cold supply lines were also reversed on our Duet during the installation. Since we were running mostly warm water cycles we didn't notice the problem until we ran a cold cycle and hot water filled the drum. (I'm sure that there are many Duet owners that are unaware that their lines are reversed.)

That was done by the same Sears install team that forgot to secure the drain hose to the drain pipe. That resulted in a small flood in our laundry room when the drain hose propelled itself out of the drain pipe a month or so after the install.

They also cracked one of the plastic trim pieces on one of the selector dials.

Ugh.

wendykarla - something to take note of is that any high effecient washer that spins out at 1,000+ rpm is going to wrinkle and ball your clothes up - most of the time it's just a matter of adjusting the spin speed to be lighter on your clothes.

If I was to buy whatever washer / dryer I wanted I would probably get the GE 8900 set with the smart dispense pedestal (something else to make us all a little lazier, what could be better!?). It comes with the steam dryer which will help take out the wrinkles you incur with the higher spin speeds and about any other option that can come on a washer / dryer.

The Guru has Spoken

Here is a link that might be useful: The Appliance Guru Reviews and Commentary

theapplianceguru, can you explain how a fast spin leads to clothes getting balled up? I would've thought balling up happens during agitation or tumbling.

As for wrinkles, sure, clothes are going to look more wrinkled right after a fast spin. But for those who use a clothes dryer, the real question is whether the wrinkles will come out in the dryer. We spin almost everything at 1400 RPM, and after drying the clothes are no more wrinkled than they were when washed in a 640 RPM machine. And we don't have a steam dryer.

When I first got a FL, I also had problems with clothing coming out of the dryer wrinkled. The solution for me was to use a lower heat setting on the dryer. If I used the highest heat setting (as I used to use with my old TL), the clothing gets hot very quickly and dries so fast that the wrinkles are baked in. The clothes get too dry too fast.

If the clothes have a chance to be tumbled while they are both warm and damp, the wrinkles sort of steam themselves out of the clothes. A "gentler" drying process lets the clothes steam and tumble long enough to work out the wrinkles. I often use the very lowest heat setting (Delicate), and I haven't noticed that it takes longer to dry. I haven't timed it, but it doesn't seem any longer to me. Jeans and cotton knits in particular come out quite smooth when dried on Delicate.

CMC

I have to second the dryer as being part of the culprit. Now your hoses maybe switched and that is definitely something to check, but hot water generally will not shrink your clothes. I have a Danby and I can pick my wash temp, it has a heater. I wash my whites at 200, hasn't shrunk one thing in over 5 years. I accidentally washed some light clothes that I normally do on 100-120 at 160 as I had washed sheets right before. No shrinkage.

I always dry on delicate. If I dry on regular, then I have problems.

Also, I don't know how much you put in your washer at one time, but if you over load it, it will give you more problems and cause more wrinkles.

With any washer FL or TL, you should never try and squeeze as much as possible in there. You need to leave room for clothes to move around. I'm hoping that is not part of your particular problem.

Some FL users experience more wrinkles out of the dryer in part because they leave them in the machine for some time after the cycle ends. Forgotten is the fact that there are now 2 "loads" worth of clothes from the old TL days weighing twice as much and setting in wrinkles.

Use the wrinkle guard option or run the touch up for 6 minutes to smooth things out.

buy the extended warranty.......always.

Hmmm....I have a 5 year old Kenmore version of the Duet and I've been very happy with it - none of the problems you describe. Overall FL seems much gentler on the clothes than when they got twisted and tied up around the agitator in my old TL. I also have a newer Frigidare Affinity at my weekend lake place. I have noticed more wrinkling with that one - must have faster spin speed. I've just selected a slower spin speed and that's taken care of that problem. I rarely wash or dry with hot water or high heat.

Don't know if you are still looking. My LG is the larger (well, it was then) steam washer. The new model is a bit larger still. We need to be able to wash comforters and sleeping bags, otherwise the smaller one might have been fine for clothing. It is a steam washer, so it does have an on board heater. It gets smells and stains out. The only adjustment I have made is that I sometimes add vinegar to whites with tomato based stains -- even though I am using the same detergent and both machines are HE.

I think the LG wash times are pretty normal for the FLs. I use the perm press more than the "normal" -- main difference is a lower spin speed as far as I can tell. The normal cycle runs about 54 min without any extras. An extra rinse adds 13 minutes. The quick wash is either 21 or 23 minutes, and it works well for clothes with light to normal soiling. It is possible to get a wash cycle around 2 hours or maybe a little over if you are using the sanitary or allergene settings, an extra rinse, prewash, etc. That isn't normal laundry though. Most of the time, we would be using the quick wash or the more average length cycles -- a little over an hour since we usually use the extra rinse. I had an HE TL and it seemed to run a bit longer than conventional TLs, but since this machine washes more at a time, I don't think it takes longer to do a mountain of laundry. It seems easier, actually.

Thank you for all of your replies. I have been unable to get on the internet and I will not get my Fios account until next week. I will try and reply to each post:I'm not sure how to differentiate my replies from the posts now, but I'll try. Apologies if this is difficult to read.

MY REPLY TO MAYART
Thanks for this suggestion. I haven't tried this yet. There seems to be enough water in the washer, but it's the hot/cold that could be mixed up. It does initially shoot in two or 3 squirts of cold, then all 100% scalding hot. We turn down our water heater and adjust amount of water coming out of the machine.

Posted by mayart (My Page) on Sun, Apr 26, 09 at 10:03

*****I have a duet that is 5 years old and I hated it. But after doing some adjustments with the water so that a decent amount comes in now, it's not toooo bad. (......water by turning a little screw on the pressure gauge inside the machine on the top right rear.)****

MY REPLY to the GURU
Thanks Guru. I'm so afraid to make another mistake because I'm now unemployed and have been sick (but it's nothing life threatening).

Posted by theapplianceguru (My Page) on Tue, Apr 28, 09 at 21:34

wendykarla - something to take note of is that any high effecient washer that spins out at 1,000+ rpm is going to wrinkle and ball your clothes up - most of the time it's just a matter of adjusting the spin speed to be lighter on your clothes.
************
If I was to buy whatever washer / dryer I wanted I would probably get the GE 8900 set**********

MY REPLY to Posted by suburbanmd (My Page) on Tue, Apr 28, 09 at 22:27, Bigdogmom, and appliancedude:

I'll fool around with the dryer. It's a normal sized dryer, so I should not overload it, and I need to use the lower temps. I'll fool around with this a bit.

REPLY to Gibby3000: Thanks. I know I have a lemon but now getting the nerve to end my relationship with it if nothing else works.

Reply to Posted by lascatx: I was planning on getting the smaller model, if I got this machine. Now I'll have to figure out what to do. Too bad I can't take 2 loads of laundry into a test area and try it before buying. I may even put off buying if I try the others suggestions and they work. For now, I've become accustomed to my clothing being ruined, but not the shrinkage.

Thanks to all for your replies. I'll try to keep current with the replies while I'm waiting for verizon to connect me to the internet.

-wendy

(My Page) on Mon, May 11, 09 at 21:21

I think the LG wash times are pretty normal for the FLs. I use the perm press more than the "normal" -- main difference is a lower spin speed as far as I can tell. The normal cycle runs about 54 min without any extras. An extra rinse adds 13 minutes. The quick wash is either 21 or 23 minutes, and it works well for clothes with light to normal soiling.**********

wendykarla, do you shake out each piece of clothing before putting them in the dryer?

I learned that little trick when I was using conventional washers, and it really makes a big difference in the amount of wrinkles of clothes when they come out of the dryer, even using the high spin speed on the washer. I can tell the biggest difference when washing and drying jeans.

Dryer sheets help too, especially when the weather is very dry, not humid. I do virtually no ironing.

Frigidaire is the number one retailer of front load laundry in America. They have been doing it the longest, and I think they give you one heck of a machine. They are also priced the best. As far as wash time goes it will be about the same as most models, the difference comes in the dry time, which is about the same as the wash time.

My FL Samsung 338 spins at some 1300 RPM and my clothes do not end up in a ball up knot or wrinkled mass at the end of the wash cycle. In fact, my clothes are less wrinkled with this W/D set than they have been with any set Ive used. I could wear my clothes right out of the dryerÂbut I suffer from OCD so I iron everything, including my sheets, before I put them away.

My experience thus far with the Samsung is very positive: gets clothing very clean; extremely quiet; gentle on my clothes; large capacity; offers many wash options including a warm rinse cycle, a steam clean, a quick wash cycle of 34 minutes and a rinse only option. It has a delayed start so I can load the machine at night and have a load ready for the dryer as soon as I get up in the morning so I get a jump on the laundry chore.

The steam clean really works to get out stains. I thought it was a gimmick until I tried it on a bunch of towels that a full container of cola spilled on; it happened during our move when we were without a W/D for a week. Not only were the towels stained, but very stinky. I didn't expect the towels to come clean, but the steam feature got both the stains and the smell out. It also has brighten up my whites (I can't use bleach due to allergies and psoriasis) to the point that my husband actually noticed.

I donÂt like to dry my clothes bone dry and this dryer allows me to dry my clothes to the point where there is just a tab bit of moisture left in them without my having to babysit the machine. All I have to do is lower the temperature on the machine to med low and set the timed dry to 40 minutes and the clothes come out just like I like them.

Just a note on delivery: whatever brand you decide on, if you purchase pedestals just be adamant with the installers about NOT turning your machine upside down to install the pedestals. Some manufactures are now starting to go after the dealers about this; nonetheless, many dealers are still turning the machines upside down to install the pedestals because the machines are very heavy and itÂs more convenient to install the pedestals this way.

Some installers will try to tell you itÂs ok to turn the washer upside down with the shipping bolts in placeÂnot true. Turning the washer upside down can damage the tub, knock it out of alignment, or other damage can occur in the process as the machines are very heavy. Even after the Samsung rep went to my local Lowes and told them to stop turning the washers upside down, the installer tried to tell me it was okay for him to turn the machine upside with the bolts in place. When the installer turned my dryer upside down, I made him take it back to the store and I called the Operations Manager for a little talk. (I stopped him before he turned the washer upside down. I made it very clear that if I am paying for the W/D, no one was turning anything upside downÂand I donÂt care if SamsungÂs rep said it was okay to turn the dryer upside down. A new dryer was sent out and it was not turned upside down.

Bottom line: your money; your machines; you have a right to have the machine properly handled.

Samsung 328 was just delivered! I was in Lowes on Memorial day and got it for $718.00, not a steal, but a good price. That being said, I do think you guys are correct that the dryer is really the problem. :(. With the Duet, I washed fewer clothes, then tested the dryer on delicate and by midway in the cycle it was pretty hot. I was still in denial when I bought the washing machine which spins at 12,000 and not the 14,000 that I had, so I hope it's not a mistake. I guess nothing pleases me. The delivery guys would not keep the shipping bolts on until it was in place and I didn't want to fight with them. I'm afraid to use it now, but I'll get back to you. I'll probably need a new dryer though for the shrinkage, but my hope is that this one will not bunch up the clothing as much making a brand new towel appear that it's been used for years. We'll see. Nothing is going too right in my life so I'll try not to lump this together with yet another failure. :). Life's too short to sweat this small stuff, I guess, but "it's all small stuff". Will keep you posted. Wendy

***apologies if this posted twice****

Samsung 328 was just delivered! I was in Lowes on Memorial day and got it for $718.00, not a steal, but a good price. That being said, I do think you guys are correct that the dryer is really the problem. :(. With the Duet, I washed fewer clothes, then tested the dryer on delicate and by midway in the cycle it was pretty hot. I was still in denial when I bought the washing machine which spins at 12,000 and not the 14,000 that I had, so I hope it's not a mistake. I guess nothing pleases me. The delivery guys would not keep the shipping bolts on until it was in place and I didn't want to fight with them. I'm afraid to use it now, but I'll get back to you. I'll probably need a new dryer though for the shrinkage, but my hope is that this one will not bunch up the clothing as much making a brand new towel appear that it's been used for years. We'll see. Nothing is going too right in my life so I'll try not to lump this together with yet another failure. :). Life's too short to !
sweat this small stuff, I guess, but 'it's all small stuff'. Will keep you posted. Wendy

I was going to mention that my LG has a Quick cycle and I think most of them do. 23-25 minutes mostly. The PermanentPress cycle uses the most water. You might want to check the different cycles of the Sammy to see which uses the most/least water.

I wrote about the 328 on another post. Clothing is still wrinkled but less balled up and twisted, but there isn't much suds. Maybe I got another dud. The only wrinkle free FL washer I had was the HE3/Kenmore/Duet model from the Sears Outlet center but it tore my clothing, however, the clothing as perfect and dry right out of the machine.

I used perm press and high and clothing was wetter than with the Duet, just as wrinkled but not balled up. Temperature was just as hot and I thought this would be controlled. I could save up for the steam dryer that was suggested to me (the dryer I have is probably the culprit for shrinking my clothing anyhow), or, should I exchange it for the 338? calgal59 said her 338 gets the wrinkles and dirt out. If you're still reading this Calgal, is it the steaming that gets them out. I guess this is different than the sanitize cycle because it's actually adding steam???

Sorry to keep posting and bothering you guys but now I need to determine if I should trade this one in.

-Wendy