My three weeks (and counting) with a Speed Queen FL AFNE9BSP113TW01
Jeffrey Caban
6 years ago
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Jeffrey Caban
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agolinus2003
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Washing Performance of Speed Queen FL
Comments (23)Seems to use a reasonable amount of water, as you can always see it sloshing around in the drum. Every so often, there are some fabrics or items that seem to retain the detergent suds more than other loads. Then it is a simple matter to flip the "extra rinse" switch on. For a bulky sleeping bag, for instance, we've learned to use the extra rinse, since we don't like any detergent perfumes to remain in the bag. The machine controls are so basic, however, that you must remember to flip the "extra rinse" option off for the next load as it does not reset to a "default" off setting. To counter that, we developed the habit of scanning ALL the control settings (as in all three; big deal) prior to walking away from the machine. Simple, but effective....See MoreWhich speed queens are easier to service? TL or FL
Comments (23)I've used Affresh (not in my own machines). It didn't generate any foam or sudsing and I don't care for the residual scent, but that is not to say it isn't useful for maintenance. Detergent manufacturers are sly on dosing. Measuring caps have markers for Line 1, Line 2, Line A, Line B, etc. ... whatever may be the designations ... per the dosage instructions. The glitch is that the lines are usually impossible to see so the typical consumer blindly fills the cap to some arbitrary level, or fills it full for lack of any visible reference. Also not uncommon that (liquid) detergent is poured directly into the machine's dispenser to the marked Full or Max line, which is wayyy more than is needed. A key point to maintaining a clean washer that your sales guy didn't mention is washing in HOT water, which goes a long way to dissolving/clearing residue accumulation. The glitch there is that, with very few exceptions (SQ may be one), washers nowadays have what we on this discussion board refer to as "dumbed-down" temperatures. Instead of Warm being a 50/50 or 40/60 mix of hot and cold water and Hot being a full-flow of hot, control boards and temp sensors mix the hot and cold flow to target temperatures that may be as low as 75°F for warm and 85°F to 95°F for hot on most of the cycles ... for sure on the designated Normal cycle that majority of consumers pick as their go-to cycle. Warm is the new cold, and Hot is the new warm. Higher soil levels, Heavy Duty, Sanitary, or Allergy cycles are usually required to get a good, hot (or warm) wash. I cannot imagine that 1 teaspoon of either liquid or powder detergent is sufficient. I don't believe that's enough concentration of enzymes and cleaning agents to effectively deal with stains, sweat odor, body sebum, food soils and grease on kitchen linens, grease and grunge from mechanical work, dirt and grass stains from yard work, etc. Consider that while frontloaders certainly take less water than traditional toploaders, there's the same amount of soil in that water (or more in some cases of larger capacity/loads) that the detergent needs to handle....See MoreSpeed Queen Front loaders
Comments (29)Hi armjim, First, let's put the kibosh on thoughts like that! haha. Our TLs are going to hang in there! Fingers crossed. But, I do like to think ahead so I'm prepared in case of disaster. Um, yes and then kind of no, to your question. My reasons for yes are that the SQ FL is a good, solid, well built washer that would likely outlive our TLs from what I've read. So yes I would consider a SQFL, in that sense. The ability to keep itself together for spins is proven. I've had a FL very nearly seriously damage the room it was in because it came apart from itself during spin on a heavy load. That was scary and ultimately, a terminal failure. But, I do hesitate in this sense: It doesn't have an internal heater. Not really liking that. I'm not certain if that would keep me from buying one if needed, but that is a big issue with me. I can deliver 140F water to that washing machine, but with such a low amount of water being delivered, would it stay at 140F? Probably not. And in reality, if we are using high temps to banish unwanted organisms from our laundry and washing machines, 140F is not enough. It helps, but it's not a sanitize environment if we are being truthful with ourselves. We still have to rely on chemicals to do that job. Then, once in a while there is a problem with a SQ. Sometimes there are lemons. And from what I've read, trying to get a repair, or even a sensible or knowledgeable repair can be an uphill battle. That is NOT ok. I don't see any reason for these SQ owners to be given the run around and ultimately, not be helped with their repair. SQ does like to play the "I've never heard of that happening card" with owners and I call bs on that. I don't like that and that alone might be a deal breaker for me. I can't emphasize enough how much that does not sit well with me. One never knows if they are going to get a washing machine that is glitchy or simply a dud. I do think about this because I've been in washing machine h3ll too many times with previous FLs and I don't ever want to be there again. Plus I have a problem lots of other people don't have is that I can't get most of today's w/d into my house due to narrow doorways. A SQ TL or FL will fit into my house. So it has to stay on my list of possibilities regardless of the downsides I mention above. A Miele will fit as will an Asko, but both of those machines can be a similar repair problem if issues come up, not to mention in some cases, financially prohibitive to go through an out of warranty repair. Then the cost of a SQ FL presently. For that kind of money I can buy a Miele, roll the dice on reliable service (we are in an area that service would likely be a problem) and have a quality internal heater inside the machine...see how it's a tough call to make? I hope I don't have to be in that situation any time soon....See MoreMiele Washing Wachine Question
Comments (7)Adding to what Cal said about washing a king-sized down comforter in a W1 model, you can watch this video of a king-sized down comforter being washed in a Miele: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGA0k0Z56FM But, you asked about a quilt. Did you mean a down comforter or were you asking about the kind of quilt that is stuffed with cotton, wool or polyester batting? IME, the batting materials in quilts are much less compressible than down. Down comforters/duvets deflate considerably when soaked. Batting materials don't. The deflation of down allows even king sized comforters to tumble and get cleaned in 2.3 cut. drums as in the Miele W1 models. Assuming you can even shove a batting-stuffed king-sized quilt into a compact washer drum, the quilt is likely too dense and too large to wash evenly in a compact washer. Might fit in a Speed Queen FL model. Best to take the quilt to a display model somewhere and be sure that your quilt fits loosely enough to tumble and get cleaned. On the lack of a heater, that might or might not be a problem if you can place the SQ near the water heater. Depends on how hot you want the wash water to get. Did your readings turn up Jeffrey Caban's thread on how his FL SQ took in hot water (from a water set at 140°F) and how it was able to maintain relatively hot temps during wash cycles? If haven't seen that thread yet, the [Link is here.[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/my-three-weeks-and-counting-with-a-speed-queen-fl-afne9bsp113tw01-dsvw-vd~5193795) FWIW, you might not be limited to the unitized Speed Queen stack. Although SQ discontinued production of the separate (tho stack-able) FL models, some dealers seem to still have a few of the home FL models on hand. For example, I learned last week that a dealer in the city nearest me has one on the floor and two more in the warehouse. When you mentioned Electrolux as an alternative, you were referring to full sized models like the EFLS527/627 rather than the compact EFLS210, right?...See MoreJeffrey Caban
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Jeffrey CabanOriginal Author