https://www.speedqueen.com/products/front-load-washers.aspx
Made in America!
Just an update:
Finally figured out the problem as described in the OP: the circuit breaker was shorting out between the meter and the conduit between them. It was a laborious, expensive, and frankly fortuitous set of circumstances that finally resolved it.
I’m not clear about what the electrician meant but something about LG dryers feeding current back through the neutral to “save money on a part”; apparently older dryers did not do this nor most any other home appliance. TBH while i understand some electrical concepts i don’t really grok what’s going on here. Something to do with the “CPU” as was related. Really this makes absolutely no sense to me (they insisted it not only was only the dryer that did this but LG dryers specifically - and in fact the electrician that solved the problem actually just had come from a house with the exact same model of dryer with similar problems)… but when the dryer 220v socket in the wall was replaced every time i started the dryer the oven would beep BAD LINE. Eventually three electricians couldn’t figure it out but one thought the problem was with the current from the meter. Just by accident when the meter company came to check the problem i asked him to check the voltage draw on his voltmeter when i started the dryer… at which point he freaked out and said “I see sparks everywhere!”. That finally pinned the source of the problem down.
Now not only does the dryer start correctly but it feeds into the dryer duct correctly as well.
That is pretty crazy, what exactly was the fix involved?
That is one of the most frightening pictures I’ve seen in a while. Glad you got it fixed.
From what i understand they were running the ground from the circuit breaker back to the meter. This was supposedly “in code” but the weird behavior in the LG dryer sending current back down the neutral was causing the box to energize and then arcing from the conduit between the meter and the breaker box. They rewired the grounds to all be on the ‘same rail’ in the breaker box and then isolated the junction with seals. Still pretty crazy that there were no exposed, damaged or open wires, this was purely an issue with how the circuit breaker was ground and wired into the meter.
Late to the party here, but that main breaker box is a mess! How many breaker panels do you have in your house?
The electrician had pulled the garage breakers out to check on the main breaker, so it doesn’t look that messy normally. The previous owners had created a garage apartment for their adult son and so added some breakers to the main box. In the patio there is a normal breaker box, so two panels.
So. We have replaced our dryer. I didn’t think we needed one. But the wife insisted. Long story short, it probably wasn’t a dryer issue. We recently had our roof redone. When we went to try to clean out the vent to the roof, it was full of roofing crap. Nails, shingle debris and such. Now the new dryer doesn’t dry either. I am now running the dryer without the vent pipe attached. The theory is that the roofers fucked up somewhere along the vent pipe. If the dryer works without the vent attached, the issue is the roof. If that is so, there will be hell to pay.
You can buy indoor dryer vents, they just capture all the lint and you change it out once every few runs.
Yeah, they also keep the water in a holding area. But the test worked. The clothes dried fine with the vent pipe off. So it’s time to call the HOA and give them shit. Nice to be on that side for once.
Anyone able to recommend a compact stackable set for my apartment?
I wouldn’t recommend and indoor dryer vent long term unless you live in a very dry climate - like Florida! ;)
Seriously though, I tried it in my first house with the water trap and the humidity was too much. All that water from your clothes is going into the air. It will work your air conditioner pretty hard.
I had a similar problem after our townhomes were reroofed about 2 years ago. They went through and pulled items going to the roof and replaced some of them. In my unit, they did so with my natural gas vent and one bathroom vent. The problem was they didn’t come into my unit to reseat either to the actual equipment, so I literally went about 3 months before noticing they weren’t even attached. It was EXTREMELY dangerous for the natural gas fumes, as that equipment was essentially right above my bedroom, and that is one hell of a carbon monoxide danger.
The HOA had a very tepid response along the lines of, “well they supposedly knocked on every unit door to check the homes. If you weren’t there that isn’t our fault.”
Stuck with an internally venting dryer (built into the unit itself, not the usual “bucket of water with a hose coming out of it” solution you can get for $15 on Amazon) because of a colossal fuckup on the part of many parties, and it sucks ass. Drying clothes in the summertime is miserable due to the extra heat and humidity it’s pumping into the air.
Was kinda nice in the winter. Like a combination heater/humidifier for the whole place!
When I had a condenser dryer (they’re very common here), I didn’t notice any extra heat or humidity. But then it doesn’t get very hot in London* and we were only using it a few times a week. It was certainly better than drying on a rack, which is what we were doing before.
*Unless you have a newbuild flat. Then it gets sweltering.
Last week, my almost 3 year old washer broken down. After spending a 100 dollars on a technician, he advised me not to try to repair it. The control unit broke because of faulty wiring (it wasn’t solder in like it should have been) and repairing it would be require a new control unit ($325) and labor.
It was a kenmore, so I called them up, and after being on the phone with several people (from Kenmore to Sears), the best they could do was sell me a home fucking warranty, or a 10% coupon for Sears. Since Washing Machines don’t come with warranties anymore, I’m shit out of luck, and I doubt I’ll try to buy a new Washing machine from Kenmore or sears every again.
The sad thing is, that the this Kenmore was built by Whirlpool, so I’m not sure what a reliable brand is anymore. The technician advised against LG or Samsung, and loved his Speed Queen, but ever review I’ve read says the 2018 Speed Queen Redesign sucks!
So, angry as I am, I need to buy a new top loading washing machine that will suite the needs of my family without breaking the bank. Any suggestions? I’m looking for something that could in theory, wash a queen sized blanket. Its not a deal break if it can’t.
Also, it looks like, for today only, there might be a 50 dollar coupon off 250 at lowes, and a few of their washers are on sale.
2017 Speed Queen is great. :)
Washer and Dryer are built like tanks.
What did they change for 2018? Whoa alot, found this:
Thats a 2017 in the video, the model one above mine. He explains what is different on the 2018 model from the 2017 he has in the video.
A lot, according to Consumer reports.
Also saw this:
Damn was I fortunate to have our old washer and dryer die in 2017.
The benefit to possibly still getting the speed queen 2018/2019 model would be to check what the warranty offers.