Two years ago, I got my very first brand new washing machine and dryer. Before then, we had always bought a used replacement whenever the current one became irreparable. So not only were they my first new models, they were my very first matched set. I studiously researched brands and models for quality, value, durability, service, and feature sets. It took a couple of months for me to finally make a decision, a luxury I didn't usually have since I had previously bought replacements when my current one was hopelessly broken and need dictated a speedy purchase.
I was delighted with my choice. My washer was very advanced. Everything was electronic with myriad choices for fabric type, wash speed, extra rinses, soaks, water temperature, wash length...it goes on. Plus, the wash tub was huge. I could wash a comforter in it easily. Boy, I loved that machine. The matching dryer was similarly high tech. It would tumble at the chosen temperature and speed until a measurement of the internal humidity indicated the clothes had reached the desired level of dryness.
When we were here the Summer before last, we went to a lot of appliance stores and researched the cost of buying new appliances here versus bringing our existing appliances down. We found washers and dryers to be pricey, and I used that as a rational reason to bring my existing set with us. But really, I was emotionally attached, and there was no way I was leaving them behind.
You can probably guess it didn't take long for me to start having problems. The first time I tried to wash something, I noticed that the machine wouldn't fill all the way. It would fill halfway up and just stop. Chuck did some research and discovered that almost all American and European models (the only ones he could find information for on the internet) have a "safety feature", supposedly to prevent flooding. There is a timer on the length of time allowed for the machine to fill. Heaven forbid they just use a float valve. Like most houses here, our water comes from our tinaco (water storage tank) on the roof and is gravity fed. We don't have enough water pressure to accomplish the filling of the machine in the allowed time.
While Chuck attempted to find a way to circumvent this "feature", I discovered that I could get more water into the machine if I washed everything on warm. That brought water from two sources into the machine at the same time, letting me get at least enough water into the washer to do a larger load. And then...I quit getting cold water.
Having had several old washers, and just being a smart kinda guy, my Beloved has become pretty good at washer repair. He traced it to the most likely problem: the valves. Chuck looked at the part online. GE lists it as a $58USD part. Youch. But when our friend Juan took us to the appliance part store, we discovered that GE is Mabe here in Mexico, and they sold us the replacement part for $140MXN (about $13USD). Feeling pretty good, Chuck returned home and replaced the valves. That wasn't the problem. But...???? The valves are always the problem when you are not getting either hot or cold water. We decided it was time to call a repairman. In the meantime, Chuck switched the hoses for me, and I did medium loads.
The first repairman had no idea, and left without charging us for the visit since he couldn't repair the machine. The second was a plumber/electrician named Regulo that our friend Scott brought to us. He also could not find the problem, but while he was here he noticed we were having problems with our water heater and promptly repaired it. Then, because he was here, I had him add an electrical outlet in the living room. So even though he couldn't fix the washer, I'm glad he came. He also gave us the phone number for Service Leyla, an appliance repair place.
I called Service Leyla and scheduled an appointment. Surprise, surprise, an actual tech showed up at the appointed time, a rarity here. The tech and his assistant traced the problem to the circuit board, which was showing signs of corrosion. He said he would have to call around to find a price on the part, and would call us when he knew anything. He charged us $150MXN for the diagnostic visit, and said he would apply that fee to the actual repair if we had them do it. How surprisingly American. When he didn't call for 10 days, I called back. They said they were still trying to find the part. I could see where this was going to end.
In the meantime, laundry had really piled up. The ability to wash only two towels at a time really extends the laundry cycle. We finally loaded up our mound of durable laundry and took it to our favorite lavanderia. Our laundry lady was surprised to see us. I explained to her that my machine was broken and laundry had been piling up. She immediately told me she had a great repairman and offered to send him to our house. I don't have enough Spanish words to explain to her the whole story, or tell her that we have already had several repairmen out, plus I really like and respect her and didn't want to turn down her offer of help, so we arranged for repairman number four.
Repairman number four showed up the next day. Chuck dutifully showed him the machine and explained the problem we were having. He looked at the washer and made lots of hmmmm noises, then told us to buy a Whirlpool 12 kilo washing machine. No charge for the visit.
Of course, since the beginning of all this, we had been considering either buying a new washer or putting a pressure system on the house, just so I could do a full load of laundry. So every time we were in a store with appliances, we would poke around the washing machines. Recent events changed drastically what I was looking for in a washer.
My first concern was one that would fill completely. A lot of people I talked to either had pressure systems installed or live in much taller structures than us, so their tinaco is much higher, and so is their water pressure. This did nothing to alleviate my anxiety. I really didn't want to buy a new washing machine and still have a fill problem.
Finally, I ripped open the plastic package of paperwork in the tub of one of the floor model washers at Sam's Club. Interpreting technical information in a foreign language really tests your fortitude, but we finally figured out that the washing machine we were looking at requires between 34.5 and 689.5 kPa of water pressure to function properly. Problem solved! Or at least it would be if we had even the vaguest idea how to relate kilo Paschals to any form of water pressure measurement we know.
Chuck did a lot of research on washers, flow rates, gravity pressure, heights, pipe diameters, and still we were clueless. Finally, he emailed our friend Bryan in Texas. Bryan is a very smart guy and a mechanical engineer. Bryan asked us all sorts of good questions, gave us good information, and had us measure the flow rate at the washing machine water outlets. We took an empty five-gallon garrafon and discovered that we had a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute on the cold tap and 2 gallons per minute on the hot. After all that, it still came down to a leap of faith.
My other concern for a new washer was to get one that was as mechanical as possible. No circuit boards. We found one that still had a pretty good feature set, including an end of cycle buzzer, but still employs old fashioned dials, not electronic buttons: the complete opposite of my treasured, but dying, washer.
We had found a likely washing machine to buy, but I was still dragging my feet. I hated the uncertainty of the whole water pressure/machine fill thing. I wanted a definite answer. I can be very obstinate. I could still take most of the laundry to the lavandaria and do my delicates in small loads at home. And then my washer stopped powering up altogether. The corrosion had advanced. The machine was dead. As a last ditch effort, Chuck took the circuit board to the parts place. No go.
It was time to bite the bullet. But rather than paying the price at Sam's Club, we went to Remates Paola, the scratch and dent place where we bought our refrigerator and air conditioner. There we found a similar model to the one we were looking at, but with a few more features. After a little bargaining, we got it for $1000MXN less than the one at Sam's Club.
The washing machine was delivered (two hours early) the next day, while I was gone. By the time I got home, Chuck had it completely installed. I helped him finish leveling it, and we tried the first load. I spun the dial around to a regular wash cycle. Then I stared at the machine for almost 20 seconds trying to figure out how to make it start. I had gotten very used to the push button electronic start on my old washer, and I couldn't find a button anywhere. Finally, I remembered to just pull on the wash cycle dial. Duh.
Chuck and I stood there, holding our breath, waiting for the machine to fill. A few minutes later, the water shut off with the machine just barely a quarter full. I was just about to start uttering some very unladylike phrases when Chuck pointed out the load size was set to extra small. Oops. So I reset the load size and restarted the machine...and it filled all the way. It took forever, but it filled!
I have been doing laundry non stop and that end of cycle buzzer is really great. The new machine works like a champ, and I am very happy. I had to laugh when I realized we ended up with a Whirlpool 12 kilo washing machine.
Things I have learned:
- An electronic washing machine in a non climate-controlled environment next to the ocean is a bad idea.
- Leaps of faith often work out fine.
- Anything can be an adventure.
Author's notes:
Regulo is a great plumber/electrician. He speaks decent English. You probably can't have a deep conversation in English, but his knowledge and understanding of plumbing and electrical related words is impressive. He does good work and cleans up after himself. The charge for the water heater and new outlet, including parts, was $600MXN. His home number is 983-5734. His cell is 669-120-7948.
I was really pleased with Service Leyla, even though they couldn't fix my washer. They do all kinds of appliance repair. The office number is 983-2955. If you don't speak Spanish, you can call the owner, Sr. Mañuel Lizarraga, on his cell 669-110-4524.
Remates Paola is located on Aquliies Serdan between Luis Zuniga and Zaragosa. Everything they sell comes with a 1 year, on-site, repair guarantee. They also offer next day delivery for only $10MXN. Of course, a tip for the delivery guys is always appreciated.
The appliance parts shop is called Chon. It's on Avenida Insurgentes several blocks south os Ejercito Mexicana. Its a white two story building with Chon painted in blue.
I still have my dryer, although if I had it to do over again, I would not have brought it. Most people who have dryers here have gas dryers. Electric dryers use a lot of electricity and make it difficult to stay under the 1000kWh usage to get the discount on your electric bill.
If you are having similar scientific problems, you can email Bryan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it kidding, Bryan!
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|195.229.236.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s i95ilit2 - Unit ConversionsJennifer: I use Microsoft Calculator Plus. This is a free calculator and conversion from Microsoft. Mine sits on my desktop and is used frequently as it is easy. Your kPa conversion to psi is to multiply the kPa by 0.1450377 to get the psi. Thus the washer will work in the range of 5 psi to 100 psi. Your house was at 2 psi thus the problem with the flow rate and pressure. Thanks for the information regarding the washer and dryer. Michael
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jennifer - Unit ConversionsHi Michael,
Thanks for the helpful information. Your converter sounds like a handy tool. How did you get the psi from the flow rate? That really gave us problems. To convert to psi, it is my understanding that we also need to know vertical drop, horizontal distance, pipe size, number and degree of bends in the pipe, and whether it is flowing at full capacity.
We did our best to measure vertical drop, but horizontal distance was more difficult. The pipes are in the walls and we have no idea the path they take to get from the tinaco to the laundry room. We had absolutely no guess about the number and degree of bends. It all made my head hurt.
Jennifer
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|195.229.242.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s i95ilit2 - Unit ConversionsWow! I have not had to do that study since college. You also need to consider any venturi effect, age and condition of the piping for minor blockage, etc. or you could buy a device like this; http://www.professionalequipment.com/xq/ASP/productid.188/qx/enlargeproduct.htm
I am not suggesting you purchase such an item but your local plumber might have it in his bag of tricks. One of the things I was taught in Engineering Skool was to sovle the problem than take time to find the easiest way to accomplish the task. The meters seem the easy way.
Michael
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|195.229.242.xxx |m-d-Y H:i:s i95ilit2 - Unit ConversionsJennifer:
The simple way might be to add a very minor jocky pump to increase the water pressure. Just remember that the system was not designed for the new flow rate so you will empty the tank quicker. This could be monitored by adding a simple water level guage that could cut-off the jockey pump when the water level drops below a certain point. You would want to add an alarm to alert you to the low water level and to suspend your washing activities.
If this become a problem you could then add an additional tank thant would feed the original tank. Now you have to consider the weignt on the structure for the added tank thuis additional structural support might be required. Or you could purchase a 12 kilo washer and sleep better at night!!!! ;-)
Michael
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|SAdministrator |m-d-Y H:i:s jennifer - Unit ConversionsWe actually looked for an assist pump awhile back and discovered that wouldn't work for us. It would have to be a pressurized system or nothing. Luckily, the new 12 kilo washer we bought fills completely with just the gravity fed water and I am busily getting caught up on the laundry.
BTW - if anyone wants to know why taking everything to the laundry lady isn't a good long term solution, you might enjoy reading Nancy's blog entry about it.
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|Registered |m-d-Y H:i:s NancyD - Oh yeah, I am excited!Our slightly bumped and dented washer and dryer arrived this morning from Paola! Very happy girl here!
Thanks so much for your research - I took your advice and got non-electronic models made by Maytag. 13 Kg. Now I have a mountain of laundry to get through, but in some nutty way I will enjoy it.
Nancy
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