I've had a Kenmore front loader for 15 years that has been a great washing machine. It originally cost about $600 in 2001, and has just kept on chugging. Right at the moment, it is dripping a bit from the bottom from a leaking outer tank, but not enough leakage that it doesn't dry out between uses. Since it's on a slab, not a big issue, but I expect to be replacing it within a year or so, Can't really complain about that length of service for what we originally put into it. I'll be looking for another front loader, this one has gotten our clothes clean without damaging them with minimal water use. No smell, but we leave the door and the soap drawer ajar between uses so that they dry out inside. Yes, it does vibrate, but it doesn't rip out pipes and walls or walk around, just makes some noise on fast spin. I haven't got enough money to buy a washing machine that doesn't make any noise. And yes, there's a certain amount of luck involved with any major appliance purchase, and I'm well aware that we've been lucky with this one. Lemons do happen. But you can take a lot of the doubt out (except the probability of getting a lemon *smile*) by doing your research up front. Good luck!

So I called Whirlpool. The WP rep, Chris, stated that the 84 degrees I experienced for "hot" is "not that far off" from the target temp, which is 90-100 degrees. He said, "Today's detergents dissolve better in cold water." I did not argue this statement, but it's NOT true. Nothing dissolves "better" in colder water. This is a principle of physics that's not going to change. I pointed out that the temperature I got when selecting "hot" in this machine with "6TH SENSE technology" was not by any stretch of the imagination even warm. He suggested that if I want hotter water, I should turn up my hot water heater. Well, THAT suggestion made me mad! I said, "Do you realize how WASTEFUL of energy it would be to turn up the hot water heater, especially my tank heater, and have unnecessarily hot water running in every tap in my house, just because your washer is designed to mix cold water with the hot?!?" He also said that a technician could come check the machine, but if it is working "as designed," I would be charged for a service call. All along I have sympathized with asolo's annoyance, but at this point I am even more annoyed than he is. I was so annoyed I forgot to ask what the target temp is for "warm." I mean, the cold water in my tap right now is 77 degrees! The description of ATC "6TH SENSE" gave me the impression that it works in a much more sophisticated way than it really does. It sounded to me like the machine senses the temperature and adjusts the hot and cold inflow. But it seems like it simply draws from each tap in some proportion, which has changed recently to favor more cold. So I did some more experimenting. I turned off the cold intake to the washer. I then ran the hot tap in my laundry sink till it was hot. I had to run OVER 2 GALLONS before it ran hot. I immediately started a load choosing "hot" as the temp. The wash cycle ran just fine. Toward the end of the wash cycle, however, the machine tried to draw water from the cold, and when it couldn't get flow, stopped and flashed "F 20" error code. I turned the cold back on, but had to cancel the load to get out of that state. It took a few minutes longer than usual to cancel the load. So bottom line, "6TH SENSE" or no, I get MUCH HOTTER in-the-tub temps if I run the hot tap first, and close the cold intake during the fill for the wash cycle. After the fill, I reopen the cold intake so that it will be set to rinse. The fill takes only a couple minutes, so this isn't too bad. (Disclaimer: This is how my CURRENT model of the Whirlpool Duet 9400 functions; there's no guarantee that other makes, models, or vintages will function the same way.) I would not be surprised if a few years from now, the govt requires the manufacturers to program the machine not to work if it can't draw from the cold intake. All of this experimenting has reconfirmed something I had learned in the past with my old top-loader: Hot water cleans much better than cold, with NO additional wear or damage to most fabrics.

It's fall and I just saw the SealMaxx add. I have a court restraining order to keep me 1 mile away from any Lowes, Home Depot, or Menards--I don't do home improvement well! The add made me think, despite whatever it said, I thought, YES, for 25 years I don't have to do anything but sit on the deck drinking Margaritas and listening to Santana. So what the heckIÂll call and get an estimate. They could not give me an estimate over the phoneÂthey had to "see" the deck. When the salesman got there, in suit and tie, he had a clipboard, calculator, and measuring wheel. He looked at my deck and said "oh!" Although I donÂt have any curves, my deck does have some angle points. I watched him start to measure, and measure, and measure, and measure. Finally, he said well I think I will just take an average of each dimension and asked if that sounded good to me. Really I told him, itÂs just a rectangle and a triangle. He measured the rectangle as the base of the triangle, rather than the longer length, and he measured the height and base of the triangle and multiplied them together; added the numbers and said there. Now, I know he is not the installer, but if he is selling this stuff, shouldnÂt he have a simple understanding of geometry and the formula for the area of a triangle. Furthermore, if this stuff is priced by the square footÂI could have given him that number over the phone and saved us all a lot of time. Finally after he showed the price, he was unsure if it could be done this year; when we set the appointment there was no problem getting it done this year. Actually I said I would prefer it be done in next summer. So for the big close, he said normally he would need 1/2 down now as a deposit to hold a place for next summer--he could accept a little less. I asked for a copy of the warranty when he first arrived, and again as he was doing the estimate, he assured me he would give me oneÂI never got one. I want to quote a statement on the back of the estimate: "If the cleaning process is more difficult than anticipated, requiring extra time and labor there will be an additional charge, not to exceed 15%." I will never sign an agreement with this clauseÂthey sent someone out to look at it, give me a quote and move on donÂt hide a 15% up-charge based on feelings. And, what is the difference between "time" and "labor," and how is each measured, a different value for time and different value for labor? Ok, done with the sarcasm. Bottom line. I read with great interest all the posts, I wish I lived near Kevin so he could actually come out and do my job! However I do feel mislead on the deck staying "like new color," granted my interpretation of the advertising materials (wondered why the salesman was pushing the stain every time I told him I liked natural). Kevin has convinced me my interpretation/perception may be in error. ItÂs not maintenance free. ItÂs expensive. I think I will just hire someone every 2-4 years to refinish it.

Even though those pots hold on to some water at the bottom, they still have those holes above that small amount of water. So the air supply to the roots isn't cut off, as it would be with a pot that had zero drainage holes whatsoever. And it still allows water to drain freely, preventing any salt or mineral buildup in the soil. As long as those roots have access to fresh air, they won't suffer from "overwatering." As you can see, these plants were grown in those pots in the nursery. They are used to the tips being in that small amount of water and grew just fine. It's not like they were just transferred to those pots before being shipped out to the stores. I would say that roughly 90% of its root mass is above that reservoir, taking in more than enough fresh air to maintain proper root functions. There is no need for concern from using these types of pots. The first year that I had mine, it lost almost all of its leaves over the winter. But it grew many more news ones throughout spring, and fully recovered itself over the summer of the following year. Ficus alii is no stranger to shedding its leaves. Especially when being moved into a new environment. I still say that your plant is healthy, despite losing some of its leaves. I would, however, refrain from pruning any more bare branches. Having bare branches doesn't necessarily mean that those branches are dead. They will send out plenty of new leaves, given enough time. If any bare branches remain in the summertime, then feel free to prune those away as needed.