Dross: The vibration that I'm concerned about is the vibration at full speed. There is another type of vibration that occurs during ramp-up...its noisier upstairs close to the washer in that other type, but doesn't shake the house as much...this doesn't concern me as I understand that its a resonance frequency being passed through and the suspension is in full tilt trying to even things out during that period...

Its after it passes through that brief phase and reaches full speed and continues shaking for ...maybe 5 minutes during final spin that I'm concerned about...

I did your glass of water test and sadly, the water in the glass on the dryer moves noticeably when I jump on the wood floor in front of the dryer.

The washer dryer are on the second floor. The first floor has a concrete floor but the second floor is only a wood framed house. There are tiles in the bathroom and under the washer/dryer, but I don't know what is under the tiles. Note that right now the washer is not directly on the tiles, it is on top of two 3/4 inch sheets of plywood. The wood makes no difference, better or worse, than when it was directly on the tiles.

I'd never really thought about it before, but the placement of the washer/dryer area are pretty well central in the second floor, that is, as far away from a supporting wall as would be possible.

Bytehoven: in response to your suggestion about a concrete pad, since its so far from a supporting wall, I'm not certain how much concrete I could safely pour.

I guess the real solution is to redesign the house and put the laundry area close to an outer wall. Another solution might be to remove the tiles in the laundry area, get an architect or structural engineer to add as much of a reinforcement to as many supporting beams as is possible.

But I sure wish that I knew the details of the 'redesigned' shock absorbers, and whether a retrofit would help original Duets.

I just wish that there was a way to select "low" spin with more cycles. Right now what I do is a "normal" or "whitest whites" wash with "no spin", followed by a "drain/spin" on low.

marc: Regarding the concrete pad, a 59" x 30" x 1.5" pad took (4) 50 lb bags of concrete. So, you have 200 lbs of pad, which should not be a challenge for the floor.

The idea is to make the area where the machine legs make contact with the floor as rigid as possible. The more rigid, the less the machine can move to generate momentum, as it wiggles with the spinning load.

It is possible the concrete pad would only be marginally better, but it made a big difference for me. Although the 8300 was pretty well mannered on the normal flooring, and slightly better with an extra 3/4" plywood base. The pad simply filtered out the last vibrations that were finding a harmonic in the structure. Now the only issue I have if the groaning water pump, which is also quieter with the concrete.

Keep in mind, removing the concrete pad would not be too much trouble if it did not solve reduce the vibrations. You would have a decent period in which you could easily chisel the pad into a couple of smaller sections for removal.

good luck

marc, it does sound like a floor problem. Somthing rigid and broad (like a concrete pad) will help spread the rythmic pressure from the machine across a wider area. I honestly don't know whether the rubber pad you ask about would help. - DR

marc

Your comment, "Based on this theory, I believe that what is needed is a "softer" suspension within the washer if placed on a wood floor. More energy would be wasted in the form of the tub moving off axis, and this energy would be absorbed by the softer shock absorbers, instead of by the floors flexing" is probably true. Some months ago I put a link on a washer discussion site that connects to a paper about this problem in washers that showed that FL washers need to have a "soft" suspension during part of the spin cycle and a "hard" suspension during another part of the spin cycle. It may be that the new WP 'gap damper' shocks accomplish this but it had been difficult to get much information out of WP on this.

I have a WP Duet 9400 that goes into a resonance vibration during one point on the spin up but that has no vibration at the highest spin setting. I think it is an out of round drum that is causing this. Part of your problem might be a spongy floor but another part might be the washer itself. Before spending a lot of money on concrete pads and rubber pads, is there any way you could have the washer moved to somewhere where the floor is 'solid' and see if it still vibrates as before? If it does it is not the floor but the washer.

A rubber pad, perhaps sandwiched between two layers of 3/4" plywood on the floor and one layer of 3/4" plywood between the washer legs and the rubber pad would damp out some of the vibration frequencies but probably not all of them. Some people have reported having good luck with thick,and heavy, pads they got from Tractor Stores.

Good luck with whatever path you take.

Update: Apparently the 8500 product link has been pulled from the Whirlpool website.

One additional thing that I'd like information on is stacking the duet set. I think that there is a possibility that more weight might reduce the vibration...I can't see it making it worse...

The question I have is, what exactly is in the Stacker kit? I'd imagine that it would be attachments to keep the dryer in place on the back. But I saw some discussion, either on this site or elsewhere, whereby someone was indicating that the stacker kit was just a bit of plastic that goes on the top of the washer and didn't serve much purpose.

Called Whirlpool service today to get a new dial/knob for the Duet Sport dryer, which cracked & came loose. Based on the serial number, they said the washer already had an updated dial. Should've asked if there were any other "updates" on this set I should know about, especially since they had me on hold for 20 minutes to get the warranty department. Oh well. She didn't have any information on the 8500.

marc_boucher,

I have the 8300 washer/dryer set stacked. It was a fiasco getting the stack kit. I had to order it directly from Whirlpool and it took about two weeks "over night UPS". It was $20.00. The kit consists of two metal brackets that attatch the backs of the machines together (bottom of dryer to top of washing machine) through two tiny slits on the washer and then two screws on the dryer. The stack kit is exactly like the set for the regular size DUETS, but a little bit smaller. In my opinion, Whirlpool could have easily made the openings to match and gotten away with one stack kit to be universally used for both. I don't even know if they carry them in the store or not. I do believe they are neccessary, although my local Whirlpool repair guy said that you could get away with putting some of that rubber stuff that keeps carpets from slipping between the two and they would stay in place. I've never tried it.

Having them stacked DOES NOT (for me) cause any less vibration/banging issues.

I am about ready to return the set for the "new and improved" 6-point suspension system (Lord willing) of the 9150 set. I hate doing this... I am not looking forward to the hassle at Lowes. Any advice?

mbqb

hiker56: I don't think I'll pursue the suggestion to move the dryer to somewhere solid to test for the several reasons: It would require moving the Duet washer down a flight of stairs, which means moving people, test, moving again. Furthermore, I live in a condo in which my main floor is up one level from the street, the main floor has a concrete base and my upstairs a wood base. When it vibrates, its not felt much on the 2nd floor containing the washer, its felt far more on the floor below...which means the vibrations are transmitted through wood support beams, to the concrete floor of the main floor, up through the wood floor and onto the furniture sitting on that floor. Thus moving it to the main floor would involve the need to ask my downstairs neighbors what they feel :-). Finally, I don't think the washer has a problem because it doesn't move at all itself, its just the vibrations transmitted through the structure.

bytehoven: Instead of pouring concrete, what do you think about one of those large concrete patio tiles (if I can find one large enough to fit the washer?) I realize its not as optimal but the cost and time might make it worth the effort.

I'm thinking that short of rebuilding the floor, what I might try would be a 3/4 inch cowmat placed on top of the tile floor, and a large concrete patio tile on top of that, with the washer on top of the patio tile. Or the neoprene pads...which actually cost less than a cowmat...

Marc: Someone suggested using one of the pre-fab concrete pads for an exterior air conditioning condensor.

Whatever you end up trying, make sure it's secure to the floor and does not rock or flex.

good luck

I've jumped ship!! I went back to Lowe's and it actually turned out to be my 90th day with my DUET sport set and I exchanged/returned it for the full size DUET 9150, they honored my 10% discount from the first transaction, our refundable $75.00 delivery fee, our extended warranty and in the end we are only paying about $200.00 more to have this much superior set. When I went to the appliance dept., I told them that I had spoken to customer service and they had said that there would be no problem returning the set or transferring the 10% and everything went very smoothly. They worked with me to my satsfaction and I was SO appreciative because I was really dreading the whole return thing at 90 days since I had been told so many things about what was policy. Thanks Lowes!

What can I say about the full size DUET set compared to the SPORT set... IT'S AWESOME!! It is so nice to see "Made in Germany" on the sticker inside of the door instead of "Assembled in Mexico" as on the SPORT. The salesperson said that they have not received any new SPORTS 8300 or 8500 so he is wondering if they might not disappear altogether.

Uyenster, bytehoven and any others who are considering exchanging the SPORT set for anything else, I strongly recommend you do it NOW. I am SO happy I did.

I had the courage to open the 9150 up and look at the new suspension inside (thanks bytehoven for the hint on the number 4 and up in the model number having the new suspension, Whirlpool also confirmed this) and WOW! It's like comparing a Pinto to a Mercedes. There are four heavy duty shocks (not like the wimpy 3 in the SPORT) and a much heavier weight inside towards the front, those were the basic things I noticed and the pump runs in a different direction not so close to the front and side. I did not see any of the advertised sound deadening insulation that is supposed to be inside though... BUT it is MUCH quieter than the SPORT and does not pulsate and continue to pump after the water is gone. I hardly notice any sound while it is working. I don't mind having this set until Whirlpool rectifies the insulation issue (if they ever do), but I COULD NOT live with myself had I kept the SPORT with all of its issues in our home. Another great thing is the capacity... WOW again! I can fit so much more in it than in the SPORT. It is just a much better machine all around and I can SEE the water as it comes in and there seems to be more of it. It has many more features than the SPORT and the cycle times are shorter.

The BEST thing for me is that I have been able to get it leveled directly on our linoleum floor which is on wood over our basement in our kitchen laundry room... no plywood reinforcements, nothing shakes and I have them stacked. But I have to say that when I put it in it's place I made sure to center the two legs that run parrellel to the joists, over those joists, and then from beneath in the basement, I hammered two 2x4's between the joists that run under the other two feet. I didn't do it because I had to, I just wanted to do the things that I wished I had done with the SPORT but never tried. I also followed the advice on the thread that talked about leveling your machine to the floor and not to a bubble level, because I know that our floor slopes about a quarter of an inch in one direction and it's great. Aside from the leveling, I believe maybe the programming is also better too (or maybe that's a function of the mechanics), but it does not fuss like the SPORT and doesn't bang going in and out of the wash/spin cycle. It just never stayed level. The guys who delivered it said that in the early years the DUETS had problems similar to the SPORTS, but over the years the kinks have been worked out. I agree, I didn't like being the guinea pig for the SPORT.

Well, that's pretty much it. Thanks for the discussion. You guys helped me decide on a lot of stuff.

mbqb

mbqb: Thanks for the update.

I have also considered the 9150 as a potential upgrade, but I have been trying to avoid giving Whirlpool any more money. Even $200 is more than I care to give them in addition to what I have already spent. I'm inclined to ante up the extra $200 and get the 3200 or the 500 series Bosch.

You confirmation that the 9150 does not have the Quiet Wash Plus sound material is just more bad news, although perhaps the machine is quieter due to some other design considerations.

Last but not least, the disappearance of Jon_m from the thread, confirms for me how little Whirlpool really cares about what we have to say. It's a shame.

I wish you the best with your new machine.

I am wondering, does the 90 day return clock began again with your new 9150?

cheers

Hi,

I was just checking on the whirlpool website, and it seems to me that the 8500S is back again. Not shure why, and here's the link with filter for FL:

http://www.whirlpool.com/catalog/category.jsp?N=200000116&cat=115

bytehoven

I would imagine the 90 day return policy starts over again because they re-rang the whole purchase and my receipt makes no mention of the returned items. I really used your experience in dealing with the whole return, ie. the transfer of the 10% and all. I was immediately credited the next day when they took away the old set and replaced it with the new.

I too had some misgivings about staying with Whirlpool, but I had to stack the set and I have a friend who has this set stacked and is completely satisfied with it. So I sort of stuck with what I knew. Also, like you, I had to stick with Lowe's stock. I have always had Whrilpool appliances too and the repair people always recommend it as best and easiest to fix. One thing I can say is that I do believe the SPORT set's doors and hinges are more solid than the 9150's, but the inner workings are more important to me. I was tempted by the Samsung/Maytag sets, but the price and unsure reliablity kept me away. The 9150 set was what I really wanted from the very start, but we couldn't afford it, but since the time I purchased the SPORT set and with the credit of the other set and Lowe's marking down the 9150 washer $100.00, it didn't seem like such a big leap. The salesman also said that if they get marked down again within the next 30 days (jon_m says they were phasing them out?) I would also get back whatever that difference would be.

jon_m, yeah, it sure is odd that he disappeared from here. I purchased my Whirlpool SPORT set soley on his
recommendation. I just have to believe that his heart was right in trying to advise us on a new product that he truly believed in and he didn't know all of the issues that were going to transpire and maybe he was advised not to communicate with us anymore or he would lose his job (for revealing too much?). I have no idea, but the Whirlpool tech who came to my place said that Whirlpool is a very powerful company and does not bend to the little man very much anymore... and now they own Maytag.

mbqb

I just had my duet sports put in (stacked, 2nd floor) last week and after 5 loads, we love them. Granted, time will tell, but the units are much quieter compared to my old 1-piece stackable unit. The time to wash/dry is less too since the clothes come out drier.

andersog

Welcome!

I think that you should start a thread detailing your GOOD experience with the SPORT set. Not everyone has had a bad one and there should be a positive thread from satisfied customers like you. I am so glad that you like your machines. There are many good things about the set. They just did not work out for our family, but that doesn't mean that others, like you, aren't satisfied.

Thanks for writing and sharing your good news.

mbqb

I agree with mbqb, let's have more people writing that have had good experiences with the Sport set.

The 9150 is going to stay around for awhile. It is being used as the price point filler since the 8500 won't (if ever) make it to market now.

Has anyone tried emailing Whirlpool Jon? I really think it is a shame that Whirlpool decided to use this forum as an advertising device then disappear without explanation. Also, I always wondered if Jon was authorized by Whirlpool to be here...? or he was just gung-ho about a new product and thought he was doing the best for his employer. Hopefully, this didn't come back and bit him in the butt.

I think that you should start a thread detailing your GOOD experience with the SPORT set.

But do bear in mind that the total number of threads on the forum is limited, so that starting a new thread scrolls an old thread off into oblivion. In the old days we used to have 'standard' threads for each machine or machine family, in which all discussion of that machine would go, in order to limit topic fragmentation and thread disappearage.
Even in the absence of such a standard thread, it is always better to post in relevant already-started threads than start a new one. - DR

Thanks dross,

Yeah, it would seem appropriate to list both good and bad experiences with the SPORT on THIS thread... some positive experiences would be nice to give readers a balanced opinion though.

mbqb

mbqb: How is the 9150 working out?

Regarding readers getting a balanced perspective... readers are best served by hearing any/all information about the product, good & bad. IMHO, it's not a matter of maintaining any form of balance, rather letting the chips fall where they may.

I would certainly be more forgiving of Whirlpool's errors if their customer support was designed to help owners. Well, they do provide help up to a point, but then any of their mistakes are beyond any reasonable buyer's remorse program.

I hope you have better luck with your new 9150.

Hi all i have a question regarding the duet 9150 whasher dryer i'm receiving the units this comming week and whant to here from user how have these units on the pedestal, are you happy or is it making the machine verry unstable and more noisy i know that these machine are prone to vibration in the spin cycle but i will be installing them in the basement concreate floor so vibration isue should not be a problem i have not order the pedestral so far but i'm very intersted to do so for the convenience and the perfect fit under the cabinet wall unit

bytehoven

The 9150 is doing well. I really like that I can fit more laundry into it and that I have a soak cycle, but like I stated before, the door hinges are not as sturdy as the SPORT and I'm okay with that. The main thing is that I don't notice it as much as the SPORT set, meaning there are not occassional alarming sounds prompting me to run into the kitchen and see why the machine is banging, or why the pump continues its annoying drone. Our dog used to bark everytime it went into/out of its spin because she thought there was someone at the door. The 9150 set seems to blend into our home better and not constantly call attention to itself. Everyday that I had the SPORT set I was weighed down with the knowledge that I knew that I wasn't satisfied with it and I had to get something else, I don't feel that way anymore. I'm sure that they will not last forever, but for now I feel that my situation is resolved.

I washed our sleeping bags in it, not all at once, and they came out nice.

I hope that you will find a solution that will bring you satisfaction to your liking.

nk_3

I do not have the set on concrete, or pedistals, I have them stacked in our laundry closet in our kitchen, on a linoleum on wood floor above our basement, so I cannot give my opinion on what they would be like on a solid concrete floor or on pedistals, but I do know that the newer 9150's have the new 6 point suspension in them which should help with any vibration problems. If the model number ends in a 3 or a 4 it has the new suspension in it (ie. GHW9150PW3 or 4). It's also on the outside of the box that it comes in and also inside the door. The salesman took me to the back and we looked at them together and he put my name on the ones that I would have delivered to me.

mbqb

mbqb: Thanks. I appreciate your additional feedback on the 9150. I have just a couple more weeks on my Lowes 90 day window, so I am still working thru mu decision.

I did notice a way to slightly improve the 8300 pump noise. It's regarding the gray drain hose that comes off of the pump and works it's way up and out the back.

My pump hose was not seated in BOTH of the plastic retaining clips at the bottom of the machine. It was only in the clip closest to the pump. By feeding a little more hose into the machine thru the hose clamp at the back of the machine, I was able to get the hose into both of the lower hose clamps.

When the hose was just in the front clip, the hose was touching the right side of the machine. The hose has significant vibration during dry pump phase and at a couple of other times. When the hose is touching the side wall, the noise is transferred into the metal and amplified.

The pump is still way to loud, but the hose tweak did make a slight difference.

Thanks again for your 9150 comments.

cheers

RJ
...

Thanks for the responce mbqb got the duet 9150 this wendnesday WOW what a diference from the 28 years old maytag the spin cycle is so fast there is almost no water left i can see why the dryer takes less time to complete his cycle, very please so far especialy with the loading capacity from the previous machine .
Has for the pedestal my wife decided not to take it she is only 5 feet tall and prefer using the top of the machine as a folding table. The model version i got is
GHW9150PW4 so it is the new revision with the improve suspension system and so far there are none too a litle vibration in top spin but i'm on concrete so it is the best setup for these machine .Also the noise level is very low you only here the clothing tombling in the water in the wash cycle the only time you here more noise is in the spin cycle and when the pump is running wich is not that loud especialy comparing it with my old maytag

This forum has been a wonderful resource as I made my purchase decision. I have a couple of questions that I hope someone can answer.

After much deliberation we purchased the sport duet 8300 because it was one of 3 options that would fit in a 31" deep closet with bifold doors.

I now understand the many complaints about the noisy and long running pump. Thank goodness I can close my doors and block most of the droning noise. Does anyone have a solution? Does the length and/or sagging of the hose contribute to the length of time the pump runs without any audible movement of water through the hose?

The second question I have is about the dryer. The duet sport dryer seems to get very hot on the sides and warm on the top. Is this normal? Perhaps I didn't notice this in my old house with my gas dryer in the basement. I don't have gas in the new house, so had to sell it :(

Now if I have to leave my bifold doors propped open to cool the dryer I will hear the washer pump.

By the way, our Lowe's salesman has been great to work with and very knowledgeable. I have only 2 days left of my 7 to be able to return these no questions asked. But then if I did, what other choices would I have but to go back to a TL?

Thanks,
Mar05

mar05: I have a feeling the pump noise is voltage manipulation, which I hope to test soon.

I say this because there are times when the drum is obviously as empty as other times, the pump is running, but the pump runs smooth and quiet. It's almost as if the moments of oscilation are a result of the pump being turned off/on during some cycles.

I plan to hook a volt meter in the pump circuit to see if the voltage is being manipulated.

Other than making sure the pump outlet hose is properly seated in both lower hose retention loops, I have not found anything which can make the pump quieter.

After my HE2 was first set up, it walked out of position quite a bit even though it was level and seemed to have all legs firmly planted on the floor. I both posted on this site about the problem, and I called Sears to have someone come check it. We discovered that the delivery men had not tightened the lock nuts on the legs (I will mention, BTW that these were not actual Sears delivery men, but someone that had been contracted out--I wouldn't do that again). The repairman tightened the nuts and the machine stopped all walking. Never budged a mm after that.

I should have left well enough alone, but there was some rattling in the front that I thought would be alleviated by adjusting one of the legs. Now the HE2 is walking again, and I can't seem to adjust anything to get it to stop. I have tried the instructions located on one of the threads for distributing the weight (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/laundry/msg1200402032412.html), but it hasn't helped.

Can someone offer suggestions? The right front leg seems to stay in place and the machine seems to pivot counter-clockwise around it.

P.S. I'm also having a hard time telling which way to turn the legs to make them go in or out from the washer. I know that sounds silly, but when making small adjustments it's hard to tell which way the leg is going. I thought I had it figured out, but maybe not.

If you take out the drawer on the HE2 and are looking from the inside, would that mean that clockwise turns would make the leg longer? I'm going by the old "lefty loosy, righty tighty" idea, only since you make the adjustment from the back side of the leg, I assume it would be the opposite.

Help would be appreciated! Thanks.

1st: Use a level to see if your setup is level front-to-back and then side-to-side. Keep in mind you have to 1st level the stand, and then make sure the washer is level "on the stand".

2nd: Once you are level, you can make sure the front feet of both the stand and washer move/flex evenly, if they move at all.

After this if the machine still walks, you might need to upgrade the floor so it does not flex as much. I have tried both an extra sheet of 3/4" plywood under the washer/dryer, and a 1.5" thick concrete pad under the washer/dryer. The concrete works best for me.

good lcuk

Update:

I ended up letting the return period on my 8300 go by, as we decided to keep the washer.

Other than the issues I have mentioned, the machine has continued to be very good to us... (knock on wood).

I made one last mod to the pump to help it be a little quieter. I took smaller pieces of the slate gray foam for insulating pipes, which I had placed along the front bottom edge of the machine, and wedged these small pieces along side the pump mounting bracket. This appears to help muffle the pump motor & impellor vibration. The foam insulation is not any where near the motor so it can't affect the airflow to the motor and cause any over heating.

I also used some of the foam along the sides and between the washer/dryer to prevent small items from falling into the cracks. It works nicely.

cheers

RJ
...

Here is what I found.

The pump is noisy because it is running out of water. When this happen the water that is upward past the pump in the drain hose come backward to the pump. The pump get loaded again and push the water out until it get unloaded. The process is repeated until the pump is turned OFF.

If there was a check valve past the pump, the noise will probably be significantly reduced. Another solution could be to have the drain hose to only going down after the pump. Both of these solutions will required modification of the machine and possibly voiding the warranty.

To minimized the noise I did the following:
Added insulation in the front bottom panel of the washer (3 screws to remove).
Added foam pipe insulation cut in half lengthwise around the bottom of the washer and floor.
Wrapped rigid plastic drain hose inside washer (from pump to back of washer) with "Armaflex Insulation Tape". This prevented the noise of the pump to be transmitted to metal cabinet of washer to create a metallic vibration noise. I got this tape at Lowes in the plumbing dept.
I removed the back metal panel and I added piece of this tape to the two horizontal cross-brace. This prevented vibration of the back panel from metal to metal.

After these easy modifications, the noise from the pump is significantly lower (more tolerable but still there).

montr... Very nice. I'll have to try the insulation on the inside of the kick panel. Also interesting tip on the back panel.

Thanks

I bought a duet sport a couple of months ago and am getting a d5 error message. Any ideas?

I cannot find any info of D5. All the error code are F# (# is a number). However there is the 5d. Here is what is 5d:

SUDS LOCK (OVERDOSE OF DETERGENT DETECTED DURING THE WASH CYCLE)

If suds are detected continuously by the pressure switch during the drain or spin phases, the washer will fill 4 liters of water and during 5 minutes the unit will rest without tumbling, the water will be drained and it will try to spin or drain again.
Possible Causes/Procedure
If too much detergent was used:
- Run the unit through a RINSE/SPIN cycle.
- Run a NORMAL cycle without adding any detergent,
This should clear the unit of the excess detergent.
1. Check the drain hose and make sure it is not plugged or kinked.
2. Unplug washer or disconnect power.
3. Check wire harness connections to the drain pump, pressure switch, and Central Control Unit (CCU).
4. Check/clean drain pump filter of foreign objects.
5. Plug in washer or reconnect power.
6. Check drain pump.
7. Check the pressure switch.
8. Verify CCU operation by running a Diagnostic Test or any cycle.

Thanks so much! I have had a hard time judging how much detergent to use, so I bet that is my problem. I will adjust that and see how it goes.

I am trying to get information regarding the dimension specs of the sport duet. According to the dimension guide, a closet door needs to have rather large vents in it. Does anybody know what this is for? Or what constitutes a closet vs a small laundry room?

We are converting a back stairwell into a small laundy 'room' and I will not be able to put vents in the door.

Also, the specs show a 12 clearance above a stacked unit. I might have a problem with this as well as there is a sloped ceiling (staircase above). Does anybody know what the large is needed for?

Thanks

The issue of ventilation should not depend on the size of the room, instead it is an issue of the ability of the dryer to exhaust air to the outdoors from inside of the house. Houses are generaly not air tight structures, the larger they are the more small cracks and gaps allow them to equalize the pressure with the outdoors. A tightly sealed small room will not allow for airflow through the dryer vent, as a bare mimimum you would need at least as much free airflow going into the laundry room around and under the door as the size of the exhaust hose. Idealy you would want a much less constricted airflow, I suspect the Whirlpool recomendations, are for a worst case situation, engineers tend to look at worst case (small closet off of a small tightly sealed laundry room, etc) . The second issue you will have is heat in the small laundry room, The Duet Sport dryer does get hot on the sides, this will greatly heat the air in a small room.

Ike

Just another saga about the deception and misinformation by Whirlpool.DH and I decided months ago to purchase duet sport 8300 after much research and using WP website info and the excitement of those on this site--including jon m(WP employee/plant).We felt thesewould work well in the laundry area of our undercontruction home. We ordered these from the military exchange early Sept current spec at exchange advertising quiet wash plus and 6 point suspension. These were delivered mid Sept to be installed this week.I was just browsing around this forum and started to get concerned by some of the issues with misinformation and noise and vibration.Quiet appliance are important to us. I callWP and was told no quiet plus but there was quiet wash which by website definition is a sound pad on front panel and there was 6 point suspension(which is still on site). Now DH is curious so goes to home site and takes off panel--surprize--NO PAD!!!!.Another call to WP--cust serv supervisor does research and tell us the pad should be there and we needed to call for service and they would install it for us and insisted 6 point suspension even though call to sales insisted only 5.???????Today service call-the guy told DH to buy a piece of rigid insulation to stick in the front panel and even gave us some tape to use! Said he didn't know anything about any pad.Also 5 point suspension --3 bottom 2 top! DH insisted on install to give it a chance see if any problems. I really have my doubts and I am really disapointed in the current inf I have recieved from WP-are they full of it or do they really not know what they are talking about-sad!!! We have 90 days to return for any reason.The military exchange is going to be contacting WP about the the info they had been given concerning the washer-we'll see if the federal govt has any influence!!LOL I plan to call Darlene in customer service and let her know info was wrong again and what the service guy had to say. I don't like the fact that I didn't get the product as advertised and I think WP should be held accountable for their deception..Oh well I will keep you all posted after I doe a few loads and give it a "spin". Thanks for listening

So...the big question for us original Duet 9400 owners who put these big machines on 2nd floors, because nobody warned us not to (hey...the instruction manual even says something about how to install them in motor homes!) is...WILL THERE BE A SERVICE/RETROFIT SUSPENSION KIT TO HELP US WITH VIBRATION????

I guess I am one of the lucky ones. Last Saturday, an HE4T washer and HE4 dryer were delivered and installed in my 3rd floor laundry room. I made sure that the weight of the washer was firmly seated on each leg, the washer was level from front to back AND side to side and that the lock nuts, for each leg, were as tight as possible. I am happy to report, that after doing 2 loads using the 1300 RPM spin, I did not experience any vibrations or walking issues. Even the pump did not sound as loud as what I experienced with the 4 year HE3T I sold before I moved.

I doubt very much if Whirlpool will issue a retrofit suspension kit.

Well-as a followup--we gave the sport a try-the pump was like an old steam engine chugging along at various times during the cycle-way too loud- not to mention tne excessive vibration. laundy room is at end of hallway and door was closed and I could still hear chug chug chug!! Needless to say it will be returned but what do I replace it with--looks like the frigidaire Affinity will definitly fit in the space and I haven't seen too many negatives on this site-I would love a bosch but dont think it will fit in space--depth wise.Or am I fooling myself and all FL have loud pumps--any insight would be helpful!

Askonaut here, still searching for a moderately-priced FL pair (stackable + heated washing + gas drying) for my son and DIL. I read the Sport threads and the Affinity threads and am wondering if anyone can tell me the advantages/disadvantages of the Sport 8500 vs the Affinity 7000, and possibly what else I should be looking at. Thank you!

OK I picked up Consumer Reports yesterday and how wrong they are. Especially putting the Frigidaire ahead of the Sport is insane. Furthermore my mistake purchase of Frigidaire 2940 is soon out the door...sold last night and a course the question "why are you selling them" . Well ya know what fibs are! LOL. It appears CR tested the 8300 but im sure the washing results are the same. Really the 8500 model is superb and other than the pump noise I have zero complaints. It is off the kitchen on the 2nd floor and that reason is key to the purchase.

I did peek below the washer by removing the front panel. One question arises. I replaced the shocks on an older Frigemore for a friend and they were not the same as original part. The Duet Sport has those exact shocks that Figidaire is now using as replacements. Who makes them? Just curious and also they could be of better quality IMO.

So you lied about the machine to the person who purchased it from you?

The Frigidaire set is in working order. In my opinion both the washer and dryer have design flaws and the 2nd floor issue was enough to drive me insane. I assume they will be happy in somebodys basement. Issues are as such the last rinse does not fill to where it should be and waits forever to finish the fill resulting in twisted up clothing. The violent shaking and unbalanced spins since these have no sensors to determine such an issue. The dryer gets items stuck in the vanes and if you do not check each load twice you will have a wrinkled undry item that was stuck...also had a rug get stuck and there were only 3 or 4 small ones in the load and it error coded and shut down the dryer. The lint collects around the door seal like no other dryer I used including hair. Particles fall below the lint filter and is a crumb collector. You must unscrew the lint grate to clean the gobs of lint around the sensor and the crumbs below. I am very clean and overly picky and it has nothing to do with misuse. The Affinity I seen is no different either and how Frigidaire can call their dryers "super capacity" is plain wrong! So riddens to the junk and maybe somebody won't care about the results they get.

Whirlpool Duet Sport is sweet all I can say and the pump noise as some complain about is minor and not an issue for me period. Its about time a company thinks about the 2nd floor issue. Thanks Whirlpool!

I'm glad I found this thread! I have wanted a Duet washer and dryer for three years now. We'll be buying a house / condo after the beginning of the year and was basing my desire for the Duet on my father-in-law's set that I've used. Sounds like the Duets were "de-contended" over the years to reduce their "cost" to produce. What a shame. I certainly have noticed FL washers becoming more popular over the last two years or so.

After seeing people mention Bosch in this thread, I've decided to jump ship before I even board it. I've been looking through the Bosch and Lowe's web sites, although there are a number of Bosch dealers here in Anchorage. My two requirements in an appliance are A) Energy Rating and B) Noise. Our Kenmore (really Whirlpool) fridge was actually below the U.S. Energy Guide rating a few years ago. It was almost to the bottom of the energy usage on the Canadian guide, even. I don't mind mixing brands. Just as with employers, there's NO reward in brand loyalty. They can change design or build quality practically overnight to satisfy the holly stockholders.

Now to go try to dig up some 'dirt' on the Bosch white goods. We use a Bosch dishwasher at work (residential level machine) and it's shockingly quiet. The prices are in line with Duet-class Whirlpool goods and the energy use seems quite low (not to mention attractive styling).

Just dropping in my 2 cents worth. We have had a Kenmore HE2t (same as Duet sport, someone correct me if I'm wrong)for about 3 weeks now. So far we are happy with the machine. No problems. As for noise it seems the loudest thing is the drain pump when it's sucking air during the spin cycle, the rest of the time it's hard to tell it's running. But I would say that the pump noise is not as loud as our old TL was. There is some vibration during spin but that is also less than our old TL. Our unit is in a second floor laundry room and I can not hear it outside of the room with the door shut. I also beefed up the floor with a 1 in piece of plywood but I don't know if it was needed in my house. YMMV. Unless something changes over time I would buy this machine again.

I may as well add my 2 cents too, although I've posted this in other threads. Like robertg, I have had my Kenmore HE2Ts for a little less than a month. The pump (I think) is slightly noisier than the rest of the cycle. The machine vibrates within itself (meaning nothing is translated to the house itself) when it is ramping up to full spin, but once it's at full spin, the vibration is minimal. In either case, it isn't enough to spill water from a full paper cup on top of the machine, or to make the cup walk. The machine itself doesn't walk at all. The clothes get clean. Haven't tested the internal heater. We're pleased with the purchase. (Our's is a 100-year old house, with a laundry closet on the second floor, probably about 3 feet from a structural beam)

Another pennies worth for the internal heater. I did one load of dog towels in the sanitary mode. They came out very clean. I did have a brief moment of concern when I noticed a little water (little means about 4 drops) in front of the machine during the cycle. Was this a leak?? On further investigation I realized that the water was so hot that a little steam was coming out of the soap draw and condensing on the outside of the machine. No leak. The water IS hot. I do not consider the little bit of condensation a problem.