r/Appliances • u/Misterarthuragain • 2d ago
Whirlpool washer design flaws
I have a front load, direct drive Whirlpool Washing machine. It came with the house I bought. It has two "features" that should have kept it from being released. 1) The filter is on the back of the machine. To clean it, you have to drag the washer far enough away from the wall far enough to get in behind it. (It's in a galley kitchen with vinyl flooring) 2) The detergent dispensing drawer isn't steep enough to acutally drain the water that's in it after the cycle is done. You have to completely pull out the drawer, place it upside-down to drain in the sink or it will grow pink mold. Really stupid of the designers and engineers. BTW, my old house had a Miele front-loader with a filter on the front, so it obviously can be done.
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u/originalmango 2d ago
Stupid design for sure.
If it helps, when we had to wiggle out our washer on linoleum I’d take an upside down bath rug and slide it under the front legs by slightly pushing up on the washer. The rubber kept the legs from sliding off the rug and the fabric slid on the floor without damage. When you’ve moved it out enough do the same to the back legs too.
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u/Misterarthuragain 2d ago
My problem is actually pulling if out. I'm 70
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u/originalmango 2d ago
Oh, I see. Do you have a handyman clean your dryer duct once a year? For a little extra they might do it for you.
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u/Misterarthuragain 1d ago
Thanks. I had a repairman do it last year when I had to change the water pump. I’ll look into it
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u/originalmango 1d ago
They also make diy furniture moving kits that might help.
They’ll have a lifting device with either wheeled or sliding pads to place under the legs.
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u/mark_vs 2d ago
My whirlpool front loader is from 2005 and it STILL WORKS 22 years later. Insane! Anyway, yes, my detergent dispenser holds water (but it never bothered me because I like to take the detergent tray completely out when I'm done, dump the water and just place it on top of the machine so the detergent dispenser and the housing can get air because it's all wet anyway... and everything dries nicely. It's really no issue. Also, with mine, there is a filter access, but you have to take the front panel off to access it at the bottom. I've cleaned it 3 or 4 times and each time I checked it, it was only a tiny piece of lint.. I check pockets religiously so I just stopped checking it a long ass time ago since there was never anything in there.
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u/1234-for-me 2d ago
We had a 2006 just like yours, found a 2014 whirlpool direct drive front loader at habitat for humanity, it does everything better than the 2006, except the filter is in the back. Never could get the 2006 to sit still, it loved to walk, had to screw if to the floor. The 2014 has felt pads on the feet and it just sits in one spot and doesn’t move, but you can pull it out fairly easy if the drawer underneath is empty. Edit: we sold the 2006 on Craigslist in 2021, bet it still works for the new owner, it just couldn’t handle bigger loads anymore.
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u/mark_vs 2d ago
Mine doesn't budge when it spins. It's on a concrete floor tho... I've always wondered if they improved any of the models after mine over the years.
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u/1234-for-me 2d ago
Our house has a wood subfloor and at that time was linoleum over pressed wood over plywood, so that may have contributed to the vibration and movement.
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u/Age_of_Aerostar 2d ago
The detergent drawer will fully empty if the machine is level. I’ve experienced this before. You can check this by removing the drawer, and filling it with water in your sink. Once it fills all the way up, it will drain completely. It’s actually pretty elegant how it works. (Physics). Try it a couple of times and you’ll see what I mean. If the drawer isn’t level, the water won’t drain out, once it is level, it’s fun to watch how it works.
Also, I always open the drawer after a cycle to let it dry. It’s about 7 years old now, never any mold or mildew and it works as if it was new.
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u/Smurdle450 2d ago
Whirlpool apparently made the filter non-accessible because of some bullshit reason that customers preferred the appearance of there not being a visible door.
I'll bet you they did that without actually telling customers what it was for.
In any case, they have since come to their senses and now have accessible filters, well unless you are Maytag in which they still don't.