Replacing a Washer & Dryer: Which is best, Top Load Washer or Front Load?

by EzekielDiet.com
Posted on Dec 29, 2024

Ezekiel Diet Note: I’ve been thinking about replacing aging appliances with the idea that we may be in a window of time when there are plenty of affordable appliance deals. But within a year or two we could be in a time of scarcity or plenty of inventory but prices that are double or triple what they are today. This could happen because of war, banking collapse, dollar collapse, tariff wars, hyperinflation, or even an embargo, etc. US made washer and dryer sets are already $3,000 to $5,000. Remove the import advantage and all washer and dryers could get very expensive.

My fiancee’ came with a Samsung washer and dryer set. One problem with Samsung is mold growing on the front load washing machine door washer. That rubber washer can hold a moldy smell even after cleaned with straight Clorox. I looked at replacing the large gray colored door washer, but it required taking the whole front of the machine off, again. It gets a moldy smell that Clorox and even chlorine dioxide tablets won’t remove. But the set is already 15 years old and I’ve decided to just replace them before they die.

What most people don’t know is it’s imperative to run a cleaning cycle on a washing machine once a month (or at least once a quarter) with very hot water. There is a special cleaner (pictured right) designed for washing machine clean cycles that’s supposed to be better than straight bleach to get rid of mold and smells. I’ve also used chlorine dioxide tablets. I toss 4 or 5 in the machine and run the cleaning cycle. Samsung’s cleaning cycle lasted 4 hours using hot water. MayTag only runs 46 minutes on their cleaning cycle. This indicates a mold design issue in some Samsung front load machines.

I have a MayTag set at my cabin that I’ve owned for 10 years and never had a mold issue. And for most of that 10 years I didn’t keep the washer door open to help dry the drum to avoid mold. I haven’t had any issues with that front load MayTag washer and dryer. They just do what they’re designed to do year in and year out.

That Samsung set has had me busy watching YouTube videos, buying parts and disassembling and reassembling them at least once a year. Samsung and LG are supposed to be the worst models.

We were thinking about replacing the Samsung set with a top load washer to get away from that front load washer that can have door washer mold issues.

Top load washing machines come with their own problems. Many new top load washing machines have gotten rid of the agitator and replaced it with an impeller at the bottom of the drum. Supposedly the water moves through the clothes with the impeller verses the clothes moving through the water with the agitator.

The problem is the no agitator/impeller model has a lot of recent purchasers very unhappy claiming the washers with no agitator don’t get clothes clean. Some newer models have a removable agitator but the design is already causing repair issue. Another problem with top load machines is high efficiency, which means the washer uses much less water, so most of the top load wash capacity is never used. You only get the use of half the capacity.

Another issue I see with the top load washers is the clothes go to the bottom of the washer where they stay for the entire wash. The front load machine keeps the clothes tumbling through the water and soap.

And, if we went with an old fashioned agitator we run the risk of the agitator grabbing an arm or leg of an expensive garment and ruining it.

After all this we were back to looking at a front load washer and dryer.

I’ve always liked and had good luck with the MayTag/Whirlpool brand. Maytag is owned by Whirlpool.

I looked at the top recommended models by 25 washer/dryer appliance repair guys. Speed Queen, Whirlpool (which is MayTag), and then GE are the top 3 recommended by the experts. The guys who work on them every day.

A Speed Queen washer and dryer is made in the USA and will last 25+ years and they’re about 33% more expensive than a MayTag/Whirlpool. The largest top load washer capacity Speed Queen makes for home use is only 5.2 cubic feet, verses 7.3 in a MayTag. The Speed Queen front load washers are very expensive (double their top load) and only 3.4 cubic feet of capacity. Speed Queen is getting close to laundromat quality machine and probably plenty of capacity for one or two people.

I can replace the front load set for $2,000 in MayTag and about $3,000 in Speed Queen top load washer and front load dryer. Or, $5,000 for a Speed Queen limited capacity front load set. I went with the MayTag front load washer and dryer and so far we’ve been happy with the decision.

We gave the working Samsung washer and dryer away to an immigrant Christian family. The set was going on 15 years old, but still looked new and working fine. I was glad to see them go. And they were glad to get them.

Here’s the bottom line on washers and dryers… a low end 5 year washer and dryer set will cost $1,000 to $1,500 delivered and installed with all hoses, clamps, pipe, and dryer electric plug. A better brand like MayTag or GE with a 10 year warranty will be $2,000 for a set delivered with parts and installed. And the top of the line like Speed Queen is $3,000 with a 7 year warranty.

However, we’re in a collapsing economy where many people are losing everything or moving and have to sell everything; often very cheap. Checking Craigslist and other local sources for a deal can save you 75% of the actual cost in an almost new, one or two year old washer and dryer set. Know what models are the best and keep an eye out for a deal.

I predict a glut of excess used “gotta sell quick” appliances in the next 2 or 3 years; then probably a period of scarcity for a long time. Get upgraded in the next year or two if your machines are getting old. If you can get a Speed Queen set at the right price you can maybe enjoy a couple of repair-free decades when others are using 5 gallon buckets.

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Replacing a Washer & Dryer: Which is best, Top Load Washer or Front Load?

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