Suburbanmd, I actually did run his shirt through 3 sanitize cycles, so maybe it is the soap. Strange thing, on the 10 year old now broken machine, I only used warm/cold setting & FS. Perhaps the FS was masking the smell. Also, we have a recirculating hot water pump that was running, so basically it has instant hot water. Plus, the utility room is the first stop in the hot water loop. I can also verify this, as I just could not resist the temptation to put my hand in the flow of the water to test its temp. I have a load of linens to do tonight or tomorrow that I will do with the Kirkland HE liquid I have on hand and just let the machine do its thing as you say. The linens are not really that soiled, just one night stay by a guest, but still it will be interesting to see how it does and to check the soap level. Janet, it is ironic you mention your model number, as when the delivery folks first delivered my machine and placed it, husband looked at it and said it was not the right one. Turns out it was the WM2016CW! What I do not understand is why of all the models they took the water plus feature out of my chosen model. Do you find that the towels are actually in any water in the drum or have they absorbed it all? Mine has so very little you have to hunt for it and move them over just to find the frog puddle. Maybe this is quite normal for FL machines and being my first, I am used to the concept of water in a wash. I am still concerned about how it will do on the dog blankets and dog hair. How can it rinse the hair out when there is hardly any water? Only trial will tell. Oh, and yesterday it started leaking slightly from the front left hand corner! I wiped up water several times including when I first got up, and no, the only high water time was when it did the error code while wildly filling. I have read that over sudsing can cause leaks, so maybe this high water level reached that point? Then again, it might be something else. Do any of the FL machines actually spray the clothes to rinse them while they are spinning, much like the TL do? It seems like this would add a lot to rinsing the clothes. Thanks, Schutzhund

When we go a front loader I read of problems some of them had on anything but a concrete basement floor. We had a carpeted sub floor on a crawl space with normal joists. To improve stability I merely cut a 4x8 piece of A-C grade exterior plywood to fit under both the washer and dryer. i figured it would srpeat tha weight over more joists and add stability. We had it installed over the very short napped carpet with ring nails and then put a Hardy board underlayment on both the rest of the carpet and our "island". Then we had porcelain tile installed. This has worked just as we expected and is doable and cheap.

If the washer is adjacent to an exterior wall you'll have less chances of vibration than you would if the washer is against an interior wall. That's because exterior walls are usually more rigid than interior walls because they have to support the weight of the roof and floors. Locating the washer in a corner with two exterior walls is even better. If your house is still in the framing stage, ask the contractor to provide extra bracing in the floor to ensure that it's as rigid as possible. If it's too late for that, and you later find you're having a vibration problem, the floor can be strengthened by laying a 3/4" thick piece of plywood, large enough to support the washer on the floor, and screw it into the floor joists with long screws at 6"-9" intervals. That will provide you with a very rigid floor under the washer. If you're even moderately handy, I recommend installing the washer yourself, in exact accordance with the manufacturer's installation instructions. It's not difficult, just a bit tedious employing the "trial and error" method of ensuring that you've got the leveling feet adjusted properly. You're likely to spend as much time as necessary to get it right, a professional installer may not want to spend the time it takes to get the machine optimally level and flat on the floor. It is vital that the machine be properly leveled and the weight of the machine is evenly distributed to all four feet. If you're unwilling or unable to do the installation yourself, be sure to get a guarantee of satisfaction from whomever you engage to do the installation. If possible, don't pay for the installation until after the machine is installed and you've ascertained that vibration isn't a problem. One other thing, be sure to specify that the shipping struts (or bolts, as the case may be) are not removed from the washer until after the machine is moved up your stairs. Bouncing up a stair on a dolly with the struts (or bolts) removed, will cause damage to the suspension. Delivery people always want to remove the struts while the washer is still on the truck. Don't let them, and insist that they leave the struts with you, so they can be reinstalled if you ever need to move the machine.

George, no, usually no where near a heavy soil. In the final rinse suds are gone, so all is good on that front. I'm going back to 3 Tbps max as I see no difference in cleaning power. Mama, I have hard water but it's on the lower end. New water softener takes care of all of the worries. Also, only use dryer sheets for softening. I'm wondering since the Elux 617 premixes very well if that's preventing heavy suds.