Whirlpool Duet WFW9400 and 1st Floor Laundry

16 years ago

I just replaced a two year old Maytag Neptune 6500 with the Duet 9400 washer and dryer. Just wanted folks to know that I have a first floor laundry over a finished lower level and had significant vibration issues with the Maytag washer as well as a extremely noisy pump. The Duet units are a significant improvement. Very little vibration is transmitted to the floor by the washer--I am amazed. Clearly the revised susension works. It is a big improvement over the old Neptune. The dryer is also quieter with virtually none of the thumping I had with the Maytag. Thanks to all of you on this forum which has been very helpful in my decision making.

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Comments (6)

sb-laund
16 years ago
Cangrats on your purchase.
We own a 9400 also. Would like to hear your opinion on performance of the machine.

Ours is on a second floor and we have no vibration issues, even at extra high speed spin.
Only concern has been effectiveness of rinsing. Water level of rinse /spin is more than water level when wash goes through rinse during normal wash cycle.Cycles we use most of the time is bulky and delicates and handwash because of the higher water levels. Using Sanitary cycle, especially for towels has been a bone of contention because of the water levels during wash and rinse.

Not wanting a whole lot more water, even a gallon or two more would make a differance in the wash/rinse performance.
crooks101
16 years ago
Noticed your comment about water rinse levels. I just replaced an older (around 2000 Bosch FL) with Miele W4800 washer. A big difference in water rinse levels. The new Miele seems much less effective and like you noticed it most on bulky cotton loads. Definitely a 'bone of contention' with me. What I have been doing is not loading the big Miele with a full load to get better rinses. Of course, this defeats the supposedly energy/water saving (just like double flush on low flow toilet). And have cut Tide HE powder to 1 tbs or less already.

Hope this is not a trend for for Jan 2007 or later machines across all brands. I had been wondering if the Whirlpools machines has the same issue- seems so. Not ready to dump the Miele just yet, but been missing my old Bosch more each day (actually still have it, just would have to renege on sell to a friend who wants old set).

I have soft water (perhaps to extremely soft- hard to know), but when I shower it seems to take a lot of water to rinse soap. I expect low water level in new machines are not different. I think they need to give a user an adjustment if they have soft water or prefer better rinses, IMHO. I always set the Mile to the extra rinse by default, but it is only three rinses. The older Bosch was four.

I don't like this new trend at all.
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I have a Maytag Epic MFW9700SQ1, a sister machine to the WFW9200. Note the '1' after the SQ in my Epic's model number. The '1' represents some type of a revision in the way the machine is engineered. My Epic has the same problem as your Whirlpool with an extremely loose suspension that causes extreme wobbling whenever I try to wash anything. There's no way I would be able to wash anywhere near a load the size that's suggested in the Epic's User Manual. The only time my Epic spins smoothly is when there's nothing in it except water. I can shake the drum easily by hand when empty. When I have a load of laundry in the drum, it actually sinks about 1 1/2 inches. When ramping up and down for spinning, the drum assembly wobbles so badly that it hits the inner sides of the machine and also hits whatever is under the assembly - pump, etc. My Epic is level; that's been checked by a service tech and that's not the problem. It doesn't shake or walk (it's on a very sturdy floor) - just the horrible drum assembly wobbling. Maytag repair has replaced the springs, shocks, and electronic control board. None of these have made any difference at all. I had one service tech state that there was an unrepairable problem with the suspension and authorize a replacement. Maytag insisted on a 2nd opinion. The 2nd service tech claims that this is the way the Epic is supposed to work so there's nothing wrong with it. He did say that Maytag received complaints about vibration issues, so they redesigned these machines with a looser suspension. That's why the drum assembly wobbles so much. I don't know if he was just feeding me a line, or what. All I know is my Epic does not wash as much as it's supposed to, and my machine is getting a lot of wear from the drum assembly wobbling around and bouncing off of everything on the inside. Home Depot would not take it back. I bought an extended warranty. I'm going to use the extended warranty to charge up a small fortune in repair bills as I see fit, and run this Epic into the ground. And then, GOOD RIDDANCE!!! Am I disgusted? Heck, yeah!!! My Maytag Epic woes are linked below. BTW, I have an LG Steam Tromm 2487 in another home - it works like a dream! I'm kicking myself for buying the Maytag Epic. I wanted the Maytag brand to semi-match the Atlantis dryer which still works well. I'm wishing now that I'd bought a non-steam LG. Another lengthy thread on the wobbling issue with a Whirlpool Duet (sister machine): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/laundry/msg1023225028142.html Here is a link that might be useful: My Maytag Epic Woes
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zelmar
16 years ago
powersb and sb-laund

I'm interested in the vibration issue since my laundry is located on the second floor of an older home. Do either of you have your machine on a pedestal?
sb-laund
16 years ago
hi zelmar

My laundry room in on a second floor. Flooring material is lino over 3/4 inch plywood. Floor joists are 16inches of centre. We do have an I-beam there but not sure of location in relation to the laundry area. The washer is not on a pedestal. If you are concerned about surface scratches, note that the silver/diamond dust model has a painted steel top not porcelain. Be sure to enquire which model colour has a porcelain top.
powersb
Original Author
16 years ago
I do not have the units on pedestals and was told to aviod them if I wanted to ensure the absolute minimum vibration.
zelmar
16 years ago
Thank you for the replies. I wanted to increase storage in the laundry room but wasn't all that keen on spending the extra $ for the pedestals. It's helpful to have good reasoning behind a final decision.

Whirlpool Duet WFW9400 and 1st Floor Laundry

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sb-laund

crooks101

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Whirlpool Duet WFW9400 and 1st Floor Laundry

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sb-laund

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