Pretty sure HE is required by law now:
And the point of high efficiency is that they do the same job with less waste.
I know, but as an AMERICAN , I want choices. ;)
The more water the better it cleans!
I don’t know, I was looking for articles on the HE thing being a government standard, and found plenty of people complaining about regulations and how the new washers and dryers aren’t as good at cleaning. Now, with a moldy smell problem in my washer, I can’t exactly stand up and say they’re wrong, but most of these people also cited light bulbs and low flow toilets as government overreach. And my experiences with LED bulbs (not CFLs, those are terrible in the long run) has been uniformly great. First thing I did when I moved to my new house a couple years ago was run through it and replace every single incandescent bulb with LED. And there are 2 bathrooms ergo two toilets in the house. One is old, probably from the 80s, and “high flow”, and the other one is newer and low flow. The low flow toilet is better in every way. My mother has 2 toilets at her new place which are both also from the 80s and they are also terrible. Turns out dumping 3 gallons (or thereabouts) of water into the bowl is not a successful recipe for flushing, and toilet design is actually way more important.
My issue with LED is it was largely unnecessary to mandate these. Between the rebates and common sense, the market was naturally pushing the old ones out the door and overtime these were being replaced. It would have got to the point where it wouldn’t even make sense to manufacture it anymore… in that setting you don’t have to blame an overreaching government for taking away something… they just helped push the rest of us to adopt it early with rebates on LED. Instead… we have what we have now.
If it’s better and the cost is affordable, even with subsidies, most will shift without being pushed.
It absolutely is government overreach. As @lordkosc said, as consumers we want choices. One choice should be non-HE, but our nanny state government won’t allow us that choice. Sure, have your low-flow toilets if that’s what you want, but those who want high-flow toilets should be able to get what they want too.
Hahahahahhaha, you lost me, man.
It would be like if I was giving a lecture about Voltaire while I had a big dollop of mustard on my nose. Sure I might have some good points and information but man, you can’t stop staring at that mustard. That’s what happens to me when someone says we live in a nanny state.
But in this case the mustard is Voltaire. Or vice versa. :)
I have a backyard light fixture that eats lightbulbs. When I used incandescents they lasted about two weeks. The LED has been in for months with no problem.
I have a vanity mirror fixture that does the same. It even ate a few CFL’s though more slowly. I’ve switched to LEDs in it, finally. Gotta love instant-on brightness, power savings and longevity all in one.
Back on topic ;)
After extensive washer/dryer shopping this weekend, I ordered a Speed Queen top loader and electric dryer. Seem to both be built sturdy and come with a 5 year parts and labor warranty standard. Had to go to a mom/pop store, as no big box place carried the brand. I didn’t want anything HE, as I like to see water actually wash my clothing.
Washer
https://speedqueen.com/products/top-load-washers.aspx?mn=AWNE82SP113TW01#build-your-own
Dryer:
https://speedqueen.com/products/dryers.aspx?mn=ADGE8RGS113TW01#build-your-own
April update, I am late with pics, but here they are!
Before and After !
Sears Kenmore Dryer 1967 and Maytag Washer 1995
SpeedQueens
Look @ that water level! 2 inches from the top! :D
I understand that the drain is an issue, but having the washer on the right looks wrong somehow. Is it just me?
:D
It has always been this way, even the delivery guy said they almost never have to reverse dryer doors!
That’s so weird! I never thought of doing laundry the other way… backwards.
I’ve always had the washer on the right until this last new set. Now the doors are aligned so that they need to be dryer on right (one of the doors isn’t swappable).
Oh wow. So it’s true. Someone told me long ago that Kenmore’s lasted forever. I’ve owned a Kenmore set, but they only made it about 15 years. Probably because “they don’t make 'em like that anymore”.
Cripes. I was 7 years old when that thing was made.
The dryer still worked, it just wouldn’t shut off or turn on due to the door switch being broken. So I fixed that with a 2 inch steel pin that I slid up to where the door closed sensor switch broke off and some duct tape to keep it from falling inside the machine, that you can see on the front of the old dryer. :)
I can only imagine the power it used. We are waiting to see how much we saved on the next power bill. :D
Also this dryer had a scent bottle , this was back before fabric dryer sheets were invented! It would disperse a drop or two of scent to your dryer load. It still had the original bottle in it, it was bone dry obviously.
See bottle with tiny hose.
Another interesting fact, the dryer was hard wired directly into the wall box. So I had to install a outlet for the new 4 prong cord on the SQ dryer.
I saw this on CBS the other day. Very cool. Hopefully someone will make a good museum from this collection of washing machines.
That’s annoying. I’m not aware of any high-end front-load washers & dryers made in the US. Our recent, expensive Sears models were basically just re-badged LG (if I recall correctly). I haven’t googled, though… maybe they exist and I’m just ignorant about them.