Layers of Protection in the AWNA62 Speed Queen Washer

3 Layers of Protection

The new Speed Queen AWNA62 Washer has 3 layers of coated protection on the steel cabinet. These layers protect the machine from rust and keep it looking good for years to come. The full metal base of the machine adds extra strength, stability and noise reduction.

Life Time Warranty

The steel outer tub is completely coated in enamel. It is garranted for the life of the machine. That protects you from rust eating a hole through the outer tub of the machine. The stainless steel inner tub also is garranted for life. The stainless steel finish on these inner tubs actually get smoother through years of use.

Warranties

Speed Queen are so confirdent with their new model machine they give the new owner a full 2 years labour and parts warranty. They are so confirdent with their gearbox assembley, they give you an extra 3 years parts only warranty on the gearbox, bearing and seal. That is a total of a 5 years on the gearbox.

Speed Queen Washing Machine cut away

Quality Testing

These machine are built to stand the test of time. Speed Queen thoroughly test their components they have put into these machines. Not only have they been thoroughly tested in the factory, they have been used in the harsh environment of laundry mats all over the world. All the main drive train components including the motor, clutch and brake assemblies, the gearbox are all the same components in both the coin operated laundry machines and the AWNA62 Washer.
Now with this quality and warranties it should be an easy decision to purchase one of these machines. I have been servicing these machine for over 20 years and believe they are the strongest top loading washing machine in the Australian market.

To buy one of these machine in Mackay and Central Queensland contact me Rod Swan on 0408776405

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

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My washing machine  fault finding list

I am going to give you some tips before you call a service mechanic and you can call me, if you live in or around Mackay, Queensland, Australia. Some of these questions maybe obvious, but you would surprized how simple things happen some times. The last thing you would want is to do is pay for a service call when it was something you could have fixed yourself.

• If it is dead all together, check that the power point is turned on. Plug a small portable appliance eg: a hair dryer into the power point to make sure there is power there.
• If it has no digital display or lights on it,  turn the knob around to different positions fill, drain or spin to see if there is any life in other parts of the cycle. If the machine won’t fill with water but it will drain, then you know the problem is in the filling of the machine. The reverse maybe the case.
• If you do have a digital display or lights and they are on, on most machine you can advance or put the machine on a drain or spin cycle and try it there.
• If the machine will not fill, check to see if the tap is turned on. Turn off the tap, take the hose off the tap and with a bucket under the tap – turn it on. If the water supply is not the problem then it will be in the machines filling valves or filling program.
• If the machine won’t drain, check your drain hose for kinks and blockages. Start the machine on a drain cycle and see if you can hear the drain pump working. If you can not hear the drain pump or only a slight hum the pump will be jammed or faulty.
• If your machine drains but won’t spin, check to see if the lid switch and out of balance switches are operating. If those two switches are Ok, check inside the bowl for obstructions. Don’t try to turn the bowl by hand because the brake will be engaged. If you put the machine on a spin cycle can you hear any noise. Depending on the machine the fault for this could range from a belt to gearbox, bearings, motor, or timers and electronics.
• If your machine has a digital display, it maybe displaying a fault code or sequence of lights record these for when you report your fault to a serviceamn.

From these tips, if you haven’t fixed the machine yourself you will be able to give the service mechanic a better idea of what is wrong with the machine before he or she arrives. Some other information that will be helpful to the repairer is listed below. Apart from the obvious Name and Address and telephone numbers.

1. Type of washer, eg Top loader or Front Loader.
2. Brand and if possible the model number.
3. The size of the machine.
4. Age of machine.

With this information and fault detail from the list above the mechanic will probably have a good idea of what the problem is on arrival, helping him or her with bringing parts and saving time therefore saving you money. Now you are ready to call your sevice person. If you live in or around Mackay, you can call me Rod Swan 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

Every Mum’s got a Whirlpool

When I was a young apprentice that seemed to be the case, ” Everyone’s Mum has got a Whirlpool Washing Machine.” The very popular Whirlpool Company ran a very successful advertising campaign. Although there were two other major brands in the large automatic market place, Whirlpool washers were very popular.  Even after years of washing these machines were brought into the workshop for a complete overhaul. As an apprentice it was my job to completely dismantle these washing machines and replace worn gears and bearings, clean and lubricate and reassemble. These were a very mechanical machine. They had a system of coils and cams which change the operation of the machine from wash to drain and then spin. These were an Australian made machine.

This is a send up of the old Whirlpool adds by Dave Hughes.

The original Whirlpool Company was bought out by Simpson which was then bought by Email Pty Ltd. The old design Whirlpool washer was replaced by a Simpson designed machine and was then rebadged as a Malleys Whirlpool. That design has now been discontinued as well.

The present day Whirlpool machine available in retailer’s shops is an American design and built machine. Although the American Built machine has some of the same features the gearbox and motor assembly is completely different machine. The motor has direct drive rubber coupling to the gearbox. On the other end of the motor directly fitted to the shaft is the drain pump. It is quite a unique design. When the motor drives in one direction it drives through the gearbox giving agitating movement to the agitator. At the end of the wash cycle the motor is paused and then it turns in the reverse direction and this drives the pump to pump the water out of the machine. The gearbox sit in a neutral position. After a set amount of time the motor is paused again. Then when the motor starts up it goes in the same direction as pump out, but this time the neutral pack disengages and the clutch picks up the inner bowl and begins to spin. This design is used in all the Whirlpool manufactured machines including the new Maytag Machines which now come out of the Whirlpool factory.

I doubt if there are any of the old Australian made Whirlpools left still working in homes around Mackay, but if they are and you want it repaired give me a call. As for all the other styles of Whirlpool washing machines I also repair those so give me a call if you live in the Mackay District on 0408776405

This add was done by Bert Newton & Molly Meldrum

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.

Fisher and Paykel the Brand

Fisher & Paykel Washer

The Fisher and Paykel brand which comes from New Zealand is commonly referred to as F&P. Fisher and Paykel is a large company in New Zealand and has a large range of products including it whites goods range. The company was founded in 1934 by Maurice Paykel & Sir Woolf Fisher and they imported products from  Crosley Appliances, Maytag and Pilot products. In 1938 they began manufacturing their own Kelvinator washers under licence with the introduction of import tariffs. In 1956, their manufacturing was moved to a purpose-built factory in Mount Wellington, Auckland.

Fisher & Paykel began exporting to Australasia and East Asia around 1968. In the 1980 the company became more focus more on research and development and this resulted in the development of the ECS direct drive motor assembly washing machine and highly-automated production lines.In 1989, the company opened its first overseas manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Brisbane, Australia. In 1992 Fisher & Paykel entered the European Market and by 1994 was exporting to over 80 countries. Fisher & Paykel Appliances Ltd was listed publicly in 2001, following the separation of Fisher & Paykel Industries Ltd into Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd and Fisher & Paykel Appliances Ltd that same year.

Fisher & Paykel has acquired other manufacturers over the years to improve and expand into other markets and these include:

• In 1955 a Duneden electric oven manufacturer call H. E. Shacklock Ltd.
• In October 2004, Dynamic Cooking Systems Inc, a United States manufacturer and distributor of cooking appliances.
• In June 2006, the Italian cookware business called Elba from DeLonghi

Fisher & Paykel Appliances announced the closure of three manufacturing facilities in Dunedin, New Zealand, Cleveland, Australia and Huntington Beach, USA on 17 April 2008.

Fisher & Paykel Appliances currently manufactures cooking applinces, smart drive washing machines, clothes dryers, refrigeration products and dishwashers including their famous dish draw. A large number of Fisher & Paykel products utilise microprocessor and brushless DC motor technology  to improve efficiency. Fisher & Paykel now holds over 420 patents and based on it’s innovative design, particularly in the areas of usability and environmental awareness. Even with these patents it appears many other manufacturers are following in Fisher & Paykels design strategies with the brushless DC motor technology.

Fisher & Paykel Dish Draw

Since Fisher & Paykel first came to Australia, I have been a fan of their products and innovation. I have been servicing their products since the first washing machines came to Mackay. Although some products have given me a headache at stages I believe for the most part their products and well made and worth the investment. Most of the information I researched for this post came from Wikipedia. For service to your Fisher & Paykel washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers and cooking equipment in Mackay area call me Rod Swan at Andergrove Appliance Service.