Took apart my 3-year old front load samsung washer, it had started vibrating violently & was leaking. Turns out they use counter weights inside on the outside of the drum, plastic filled with concrete. Well a few bolts loosened, one broke and this alignment pin thats part of the outer drum broke off. (hence the water leak) Its just 9 months outside of the warranty. “technically “ it could be fixed. For about as much as another. I wondered why it was so rediculously heavy. Damn junk. spent half the day researching. Still dont know what to get, not another samsung though.
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My ex bought a front load washer, I’m not sure what brand, a few years before she was my ex. The dryer was a hand me down from her parents, so it was sentimental to her, so it stayed. I’ve replaced the belt a couple times and a heater element, but other than that, it ran like a top. Both jobs took me a whopping 30 or 40 minutes.
About a year after we got divorced, the washer started vibrating and leaking. 5-years old? From the rental real estate we own, I had a independent appliance repair guy, a family, we used for two generations, point being we know the guy personally, he’s not just a service guy we use. When I called him up for the repair, he told me I was nuts if I repaired it. He said it would cost more than replacing it with a new top loader. He pointed out that water flows downhill, so you never want an appliance that holds water that opens from the side. Also, the front loaders are barely held in place in the front by whatever rollers, and the entire strain is on the shaft/seal that goes out horizontal in the back. And again, if you think of the weight of the water, it’s always out of balance.
Again, I was a bachelor at the time. I went to a used appliance store in a lower economic place in town, a really nice looking well kept place, and I bought a fairly basic washer for $165 that was guaranteed for a year. I don’t remember what brand, and it was old when I got it. Never had to put another nickel into it. I hope I don’t jinx myself with the story, that was 11 years ago.
The front loaders are a fad, they look cool, and everybody wants to buy one to keep up with the Joneses or the neighbors. The top loaders just makes sense, and the engineering in me always says “function over form.“
do your laundry at your neighbors for a few days, and go on craigslist and buy a used top loader!
As always, my two cents, hope it helps.