Tried, Tested and Proven

This is the Speed Queen slogan and it is so true,”Tried, Tested and Proven”
Speed Queen has been in business since 1908. You would think they have learnt something about building washing machines and clothes dryers in that time. Even in the last 30 years that I have been servicing Speed Queen Washing machines they have proven themselves over and over again. Speed Queen has been using the same tried and tested design drive train which includes motor, drive belt, clutch and brake assembly and the gearbox for the last 30 years.

Cut away drawing of the Speed Queen Washing Machine

A customer who came to my workshop this week had a 25 year old Kleenmaid washer. The Kleenmaid which is the rebadged Speed Queen machine had given them a long and faithful service, but was now not worth repairing. They didn’t want to buy an inferior machine. Because Kleenmaid has gone out of business Mr & Mrs Customer could not buy another one. They could not find anyone selling the Speed Queen washers in Mackay until they found out I had them in stock. Once they had a look at the new Speed Queen AWNA62 Washer in my workshop, they were convinced that was the machine for them. I delivered and installed their new Speed Queen AWNA62 washer the same day.

Other manufactures have had comparable machines in years gone past. These machines include Malleys Whirlpool, Simpson, Hoover and Maytag, but over the years these machines and manufacturers have been bought out, deleted or just totally changed their designs to a low cost inferior machine. Now those manufacturers use designs with small direct drive DC motors or plastic planetary gearboxes. Speed Queen on the other hand, realizing the quality of their design has kept with it through their whole range, from the coin operated laundry mat machines to their military style push button machines and their domestic model.

If you would like to see how to operate the new Speed Queen AWNA62 follow this link.

To buy a new Speed Queen Washer now, you can ring me on 0408776405 to arrange a delivery.

Or send me an email to rod@andergroveapplianceservice.com.au and I will reply ASAP.

What does that Energy Rating Label mean?

To find out what the label actually means, I went to the website on the label and they explain it fairly well. Below is a copy of the explanation from the site www.energyrating.gov.au

The Energy Rating Labelling Scheme is a mandatory scheme for a range of appliances, these currently include:

•     Refrigerators
•     Freezers
•     Clothes Washers
•     Clothes Dryers
•     Dishwashers
•     Air Conditioners
•     Televisions.

When offered for sale, these appliances must display a label that shows the star rating and other useful information about energy consumption. The label gives the appliances a star rating between one and ten stars. The greater the number of stars the higher the efficiency. It enables consumers to compare the energy efficiency of domestic appliances on a fair and equitable basis. It also provides incentive for manufacturers to improve the energy performance of appliances.

The Energy Rating Label was first introduced in 1986 in NSW and Victoria. It is now mandatory in all Australian states and territories and New Zealand for refrigerators, freezer, clothes washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and air-conditioners (single phase only) to carry the label when they are offered for sale. Australia also applies a mandatory label to televisions.  A mandatory label is proposed for adoption in New Zealand on 1 October 2012.  Three phase air conditioners and swimming pool pumps may carry an energy rating label if the supplier chooses to apply for one.

The Energy Rating Label has two main features that provide consumers with the following information:

The star rating gives a comparative assessment of the model’s energy efficiency.
The comparative energy consumption (usually kilowatt hours/year) provides an estimate of the annual energy consumption of the appliance based on the tested energy consumption and information about the typical use of the appliance in the home. Air Conditioners show the power consumption of the appliance (kW or kWh/hour).

The Star Rating of an appliance is determined from the energy consumption and size of the product. These values are measured under Australian Standards which define test procedures for measuring energy consumption and minimum energy performance criteria. Appliances must meet these criteria before they can be granted an Energy Rating Label.

There is a calculator on the website, if you have the Brand, Model Number, and type of appliance, the calculator will give you that machine’s energy consuption. Here is the link to the Calculator.

Do You have a Miele W502 Front Loader Washer which goes out of balance regularly?

Miele Washing machines with the Model number of W502 or similar can develop an out of balance problem when they reach the 5 year age. Of corse this will depend on how many loads are going through the machine per week. This may also depend on the size and type of load typically put through the machine. This is not a manufacturing fault with the washing machine, it is just a maintenance issue which needs to be rectified after a certain amount of use.

Miele W502 Front Loader Washer

The Miele front loading washing machine like many other front loaders has a pair of shock absorbers which support the bowl. These shock absorbers work similarly to the shock absorbers in your car. As the clothing in the washing machine is moved around in the bowl, the shockies absorb that movement so that it is not transferred to the outside of the machine. Without these shockies in the machine, it would have to be bolted down to the floor so that it did not vibrate the machine to pieces. The manufacturers have worked how much absorption is required to keep the machine still without having to bolt it to the floor. When the shock absorbers become worn, they don’t absorb the movement of the load anymore and so the loads go out of balance more regularly.

The manufacturers of front loaders like Miele have a couple other components which also help with the vibrations.

1. They also use springs which the bowl hangs off of and suspends the bowl so that the shock absorbers can do their job.
2. The manufacturers build weight into the machine by adding either concrete blocks of like in Miele case cast iron. This weight is placed around the outside of the bowl and this softens some of the vibration and counterbalances and imbalances in the load of clothing.
3. The speed control between wash and spin is critical to distribute the clothing around the inner bowl evenly. If this was not achieved all the clothing would be on one side of the bowl and would throw the bowl out of balance.

Miele Shock Absorbers

These components will not be able to compensate for the load when the shock absobers are worn. It is time to have them replaced. A front load may go out out of balance on a rare occasion usually if you have one heavy article with the rest light article, but it should not be going out of balance regularly. If the worn shock absorbers are left too long the severe vibrations could cause problems to the rest of the machine. On the early model W828 the severe vibration would actually cause the electronic to fuse which turned into a real expensive repair.

If your Miele front loader is going out of balance call your local Miele trained service mechanic to replace the shock absorbers or as Miele calls them “Friction Dampers”. It is a relatively straight forward job for a Miele trained serviceman and will most likely carry the spare parts in his or her van stock. Here in and around Mackay call me Rod Swan on 0408776405

]]> http://andergroveapplianceservice.com.au/washing-machines/out-of-balance-miele-washers/feed/ 0 http://andergroveapplianceservice.com.au/cooking/miele-generation-6000-appliances/ http://andergroveapplianceservice.com.au/cooking/miele-generation-6000-appliances/#comments Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:03:36 +0000 http://andergroveapplianceservice.com.au/?p=237

A new range of Miele Appliances will be arriving in Australia last quarter of 2013 according to James Wells who has written an article for the latest Current.com newsletter. The new range is called Generation 6000 to take over from Generation 5000 which was launched in Australia in 2008.

“The new premium range of appliances will be sold by premium specialists that know how to sell these products and we will continue to align ourselves and invest with these premium partners,” David Woollcott told Current.com.au at the Miele’s head office in Gütersloh.

“Each category within the Generation 6000 range of products features genuine Miele-exclusive technology which offers real consumer benefits that can be demonstrated in-store to deliver that ‘wow factor’ during the sales process,” he said.

Among the innovations introduced to the Generation 6000 products which are expected in Australia later this year are:

- M-Touch: a new digital touch-sensitive user interface with modern ‘wiping’, navigation and scrolling functionality driven by proprietary software that is incorporated across all key product categories including ovens, steam ovens, microwave combi ovens and coffee machines

- Colours: the opportunity to introduce selected cooking appliance packages in colours other than the traditional stainless steel

- PyroFit: this new technology provides the ability to conduct pyrolytic cleaning without having to remove the side racks and telescopic runners

- Australian Cooking Programs: Miele has introduced automatic cooking programs that have been specifically created to achieve perfect results with Australian ingredients for Australian palates

- Multi-Steam: this technology uses multiple steam outlets to achieve a faster and even more effective generation and distribution of steam

- Popcorn Microwave Feature: the new larger capacity microwave with 40-centimetre turntable features a dedicated automatic ‘popcorn feature’

- Con@ctivity 2.0: New Miele rangehoods feature ‘Con@ctivity 2.0’ which automatically communicates with the cooktop to operate at an optimal level

- Gourmet Warming Drawers: re-positioning of warming drawers to ‘gourmet warming drawers’ emphasising the ability to cook at low temperatures

- Cup Sensor: new built-in Miele coffee machines feature Cup Sensor which automatically adjusts the spout to different height cups.

Below is a Miele video demonstrating the new automatic cup height adjusting spout.

For all your Miele service requirements in the Mackay area you can call me Rod Swan, Andergrove Appliance Service on 0408776405

A New Niche Asko Washing Machine

The W6888 Asko Washing Machine has improved spin structures and higher rinsing levels to remove more detergents after the wash cycle. The new Asko washing machine targets skin allergy and asthma sufferers.

Mr James Vogdanos, national product manager at Asko Australia, said the W6888 meets the criteria stipulated by the Swedish Allergy & Asthma Foundation and that the Australian Asko Head Office has partnered with the National Asthma Council of Australia.

“The use of hygienic materials like twin stainless steel drums with Smartseal means we have improved our hygience through the removal of areas and materials that could habour bacteria,” Mr Vogdanos said. “The main area of improvement is the level of rinsing combined with materials that cannot harbour either bacteria or detergent build up.”

A washing machine specifically for allergy and asthma sufferers is the latest niche appliance release from ASKO, which last year unveiled the Alfresco Dishwasher. Mr Vogdanos said it was imperative to tailor appliances to different users.

“We will continue to launch products that cater to niche groups. The outdoor segment, for example, could see a refrigerator or a rangehood introduced. An outdoor kitchen, apart from the barbecue, should replicate what you have indoors.”

This information was taken from an article written by Patrick Avenell of the Current.com.au newsletter. The concept here sounds good by using extra water in the rinse cycle will help to remove more detergents from the clothing. I am not sure how longer spin cycles will help because the current models already remove most of the moisture out of clothing. Eliminating positions where mould or bacteria could hide is another good initiative.

I can not help you with anymore information about these machines, best bet is to consult your local stockists. For advise and repairs to your out of warranty Asko washing machines in the Mackay area you can call me on 0408776405

Why do Australian Speed Queen Washers have a neutral drain pump

Firstly, what is a neutral drain pump? The system I am describing is where after the wash or deep rinse, the machine passes and then the washing machine proceeds to drain the water out before going into spin. The reason for this is while the water is draining out, the lint and dirt that is suspended in the water also drains out. Once most of the water is gone, (a predetermined time has elapsed) the machine will go into spin. If that makes sense to you, the next thought would probably be, every machine would operate that way.

American Style of Washing

In America they do not have the problem of lint being left on the clothes. Speed Queen is an American designed and built machine and when they built their washing machine with a belt driven mechanical pump, the pump would start to pump the water out immediately when the machine went into spin. They did design a slippage into the belt, but that was mostly to put less load on the motor. The belt would slip and the spin bowl would pick up speed gradually until most of the water was out of the bowl. Most American ladies of the house use a clothes dryer to dry their clothes. This is why American dryers are the same size as the washing machines. Any lint left on the clothing from the washing machine is blown off during the drying process.

Australian Style of Washing

Australian ladies of the house prefer to hang their washing on the clothes line outside to dry in the sunlight. There are pros and cons for that argument which I may cover another time. When the clothes are first brought out of the washing machine the lint that is left in the creases or folds are not immediately visible. If this clothing is put into a dryer the lint is blown off the clothing and is caught in the clothes dryer’s filter. When this same clothing is hung out on a clothes line, even though the clothing is stretched out the lint remains and dries along those crease lines.

Kleenmaid was first to introduce Australia to Speed Queen Washing Machines

Although Speed Queen had been bringing washing machine into Australia for the coin operated market for a long time, Kleenmaid was first to introduce Australians to the Speed Queen machine in the domestic market. Of coarse they had been re-badged with the Kleenmaid name. Kleenmaid had built up a fairly good reputation initially by importing a Brazilian made machine, based on the original Whirlpool washing machine design. Then when Kleenmaid changed to importing the American Speed Queen washing machine they had a huge backlash. I was a service agent at the time around 1985 and it would have cost Kleenmaid and Speed Queen a lot of money to come up with a solution. They went through a number of different modification kits before they came up with a solution. The end modification kit involved changing the timer, complete wiring harness and putting an electric pump into the machine. The complete modification kit would take about 1.5 hours to fit.

Speed Queen in Australia

Since the demise of Kleenmaid Australia, other companies have started importing Speed Queen machines into Australia without re-badging them. If you buy one of these machine you will not have a problem with lint because of the lessons learnt since the mid 80′s. Speed Queen is one of the biggest manufacturers of laundry equipment in the world, from domestic to coin operated and the large commercial equipment.

Speed Queen Washers in Mackay

For information and advice on the latest models of Speed Queen Washers and Dryers available here in Mackay, you can call me Rod Swan on 0408776405

Most common faults in Dishwasher

• Not Draining: This is generally caused by too much food left on dishes eg. fish bones, fruit seeds, stringy vegetables, etc. A quick rinse under the tap will remove most of this problem and result in a cleaner wash. Other things seem to find their way into the dishwasher as well. Bits of plastic including straws, bread clips, bottle caps and labels which can all end up in the drain pump. Some of these objects can find their way through a filter and into the drain pump and jam it up.
• Blocked or kinked hoses: This fault can also be caused by many of the things I mentioned above. Also hoses, particularly the non genuine extended drain hoses can kink if not installed correctly. These kinks sometimes may take months before they actually cause the water from draining out.
• Wash pump not working: This fault can also be caused by the above objects going through the pump filter and becoming lodged in the wash pump. If the dishwasher is not used for a couple months, sometimes the seals in the pump can glue together. In this case the pump needs to be pulled apart and unjammed. The capacitor for the wash pump could also fuse, stopping the wash pump motor from starting.
• Water leaks: Another common problem in dishwashers. This can be caused by numerous faults, from a split or perished hose, pump seals, loose door latch, faulty pressure switch causing the machine to overfill. Another reason is over sudsing. This is usually caused by too much detergent. I covered this in an earlier post.
• No lights: This can be the most expensive repair. First obvious thing before you call a serviceman, make sure there is power to the dishwasher. Easiest way to do this is plug a small hand held appliance into the dishwasher’s power point. If that appliance works, then the fault is in the dishwasher. Most common cause for an electronic board to fuse, is our North Queensland cockroaches. They love dishwashers because they are warm and dark and have food and water in them. Their urine is very corrosive on electronic boards. The easiest way to prevent this fault is, every 2 – 3 months, spray around the dishwasher with a good surface spray.

These are the most common faults and some of these you may tackle yourself. For the others call a trained dishwasher Mechanic. If you live in the Mackay area call me on 0408 776405

Dishwasher Leaking

This is one service call I see regularly in Mackay, North Queensland but I am sure it would be happening all over Australia.

• The customers complaint: can be one of a couple things. The most common one is that the dishwasher just pumps all the time and won’t do anything else. This is because most new dishwashers are fitted with a safety float switch in the base of the dishwasher. When the dishwasher leaks for what ever reason the water fills the base of the dishwasher and activates the float safety switch. The float switch turn off the rest of the machine and turns on the drain pump. The drain pump only empties the inside sump of the dishwasher, not the base. As a result the dishwasher will continue to pump until that base is manually dried out.
• The fault: could be a leak from a split hose or leaking seal in one of the pump. Another more common reason is the dishwasher is over sudsing. If a dishwasher has too much detergent for the amount of soiled dishes in it the dishwasher will generate suds on the top of the water which leak over the lip and into the base of the dishwasher. This may take a number of loads before there is enough water in the base to activate the float switch. Some time the water will evaporate out of the base before the float switch is activated.
• The remedy: is usually caused by dishwasher users who use the tablets. There is nothing wrong with the tablets. The fact is they are designed to wash a full load of dirty dishes. If the dishes are rinse clean before they are placed in the dishwasher, there is not enough oils etc. for the detergent to act on. To solve this problem is easy, leave more soil on the dishes?  Well that would work. My solution, cut the tablets in half. You can do this even if you have bought the tablets with the red ball in the middle. I suggest putting the tablet on a cutting board and with a carving knife, cut it in half. You will get twice as many loads out of a box full of tablets and still have a clean wash.

If you feel you can check for a leak in the dishwasher yourself Ok, but it maybe advisable to call a dishwasher mechanic just to make sure that the dishwasher is not leaking from somewhere else and drain the sump. Remember there are a lot of electrical connections under the dishwasher as well as water, not a good combination. If you have drained the water and checked for obvious leaks try the dishwasher again with half a tablet and see how it goes. If in any doubt and live around Mackay call me for a service call on 0408776405.

Miele Dishwasher have a huge range of Fault codes.

Miele dishwashers all have electronic controls with sophisticated software, the dishwashers have a number of sensors in various rolls. Measuring amount of water coming in, water clarity while washing, temperature, water pressure in the pump, motor speed, and others. Because of this, a Miele dishwasher is able to tell a repairer a fair amount of information if the repairer has the right tools. This makes repairs by the home handyman almost impossible.

With this particular fault, the machine was draining initially, then filling with water as it is supposed to. Then when the wash pump was supposed to start there was nothing. The pump motor was seized and not washing. For this job the dishwasher has to be dismantled and the wash pump motor removed. The wash pump motor assembly has to be dismantled and then if the impeller can be turn and freed the motor assembly should be able to be reassembled and refitted to the dishwasher. This can happens if the dishwasher has not been used for a long time, say 6 months.

This may sound fairly simple service but not recommended by the home handyman. The wash pump motor is in a confined space with 4 hose connections, water heating elemnt wiring, pressure switch connection and wiring, capacitor fitting multiplugs for the motor and diverter valve all have to be removed and reitted to the wash pmp motor assembly.

For the cost of a service call and an hour,s labour it is worth calling your local Miele service agent to carry out this type of repair.

If in Mackay area call me, Rod Swan on 0408 776 405

The ASKO History
An enterprising young Swedish farmer named Karl-Erik Andersson in 1950, set out to build his mother a different kind of washer. One with superior cleaning power and reliability that could heat water, spin, and even boast durable, state-of-the-art, stainless steel drums. A unique, energy- and water-efficient machine that would reflect a farmer’s love and respect for nature.  A washing machine like no other. So the young farmer built his amazing washer, surpassing even his meticulous mother’s high standards.He was so impressed with his creation he decided to share it with others. Today Asko as the company is now called is an international corporation. Asko appliances claim to still do a better job of cleaning with a fraction of the water, electricity and detergent of other machines. Asko manufactures a full range of washer, clothes dryer and Dishwashers, even an outdoor dishwasher, but I am not sure weather it is available in Australia.

Mackay
The Asko washers and dishwasher are very popular here in Mackay, Queensland as well and I have been serviceing them for the last 20 years. Overall the appear  to live up to their reputation of being a quality product.

Front Loading Washers
The front loading washer has a unique feature where part of the front panel assemble is attached directly to the moving outer bowl. The most common arrangement is the outer cabinet is fixed and the opening for the door is attached to the out bowl by a rubber bellows. Asko’s design removes this bellows which can cause faults as the bellows can wear with so much movement. The rest of the machine’s components are similar in design.The main drive motor is a DC Brush motor connected to the drum by a belt.Some of the common faults are jammed and fused drain pumps, brush wear on the drive motor and cockroaches in the electronic board. The last one can be an expensive repair. A fault I found on one model is the plastic just seemed to be crumpling away. The compound of the plastic appeared to be breaking down in a 5 year old machine. This is similar to the fault I have written previously about in the Fisher and Paykel dishwashers.

Dishwashers
The Asko dishwasher is a very solid machine with very few mechanical faults. The most common by far is drain pump failure. The pumps can be replaced with the universal UNI 12 Pump. The other major problem as with all dishwashers and their electronic boards are our North Queensland Cockroaches.

Here is the tip of the day for any brand Dishwasher

♦Spray around the outside of your dishwasher every 4 – 6 weeks with a good surface spray to keep the cockeroches away.

If you are having service issues with your Asko washers, dryers or dishwasher in the Mackay area, call me Rod Swan, Andergrove Appliance Service on the number below.