Sorry that it did'nt get fixed today. Hope all goes well tomorrow for you, fingers crosed.

Hugs Björn

Pinky, this is awful! I hope I never have issues with mine . . .

Thank You Bjorn, and Lizzie.

I just think the washer gods are against me, and want to see me using a rock.

Last summer I went thru 3 new washers, all from Sears, before just buying what I should have to begin with.

I have the worst of luck...if we eat out, you can bet while everyone's food will be perfect mine will be burnt, raw, or spoiled.

If we go for a delicious ice cream cone they will run out of chocolate for my order...

Once a patient at the clinic had a heart attack in the parking lot, I did what needed done along with his wife while we waited for an ambulance..the man lived and still does 14 years later..but I kneeled and couldn't possibly move while doing chest compressions, I thought I felt pain in my knee..ended up being a screw on the ground that went thru my knee, I ended up in the hospital for 4 days from infection.

These are not exagerations..lol...I'm doomed.

LOL

Wanted to mention. .yesterday when I pulled the washer out to clean, didn't want service comming and finding dust bunnies..I found white very soft powdery stuff on the floor around the center of the washer...it actually looked and felt like talc powder, very smooth and soft. It was not stuck to the floor..I cleaned up about one cup of this stuff. I have no idea what it is..but its not detergent also there's no smell to it.

Wow mamapinky I am glad you can still laugh. We'll collectively begin wishing that little cloud that us following you to go away. Only sunshine for you today!

Is the powder perhaps paint?

Nope ..no paint...it has me stumped.

I have a load of darks in washed and filled with rinse water as per the techs orders..hope its not to late when they get here.

I've also been noticing sheets are comming out it a twisted mangled mess all the time now..didn't happen before.

Ok now you have me a leeetle bit worried, mama! My sheets also come out of my speed queen top loader very tangled. Like I just have to stand and untangle for quite a while. Please don't tell me something's wrong with my beautiful machine.

Washing sheets sweety in a TL can be done without tangeling..make sure not to wrap around the tub..mine has done this even before I had a problem, if I'm not careful on loading them the proper way. Its been an ongoing problem with TL'ers forever. I'm sure your Queen is just fine....mine is having issues because I'm jinxed. Lol

Mommy, load the sheets like mama says. Just drop them into the tub in kinda' a loose wad. Do NOT wrap them/ wind them in around the agitator. Wrapping them around the agitator puts way more stress on the fibers besides tangling and causing more wrinkling.

Thanks...but I do! I kinda put one sheet in a loose wad on one side and the other sheet likewise on the opposite side with pillow cases in between. And o my the twisted and tangled mess.

You can imagine I hate when that happens..not only is it pulling and stretching my sheets, but I imagine the body soils locked in that tight tangled mess so I untangle them and rewash. It doesn't happen all the time for me, but occasionally it does happen. This is probably the only thing I doht like about TL'ers..but I've heard too many people complain about piling with sheets in a FL'er..I'd prefer the twisting. LOL.

I JUST GOT A NEW SPEEDQUEEN WASHER LIKE YOURS AND I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. MY WASHER IS ONLY 3 MONTHS OLD AND FROM THE BEGINNING LOADS WOULD GET OFF BALANCE. I AM CONSTANTLY HAVING TO REBALANCE THE LOADS BECAUSE THEY SHAKE VIOLENTLY. MY WASHER ITSELF IS BALANCED. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED. TODAY I NOTICED SOMETHING BLACK COMING FROM UNDERNEATH MY WASHER. THE PLACE I PURCHASED IT IS OPEN TOMORROW. I HAVE LEFT A MESSAGE. WILL KEEP YOU POSTED. DID YOU EVER GET YOURS FIXED?

No my Queen was never fixed..after many parts were installed..ok thats a lie. After I think 6 new parts installed it solved the off balance problem but had a new problem. It was the setvice men's fault. They didn't know what was wrong so they kept throwing parts at it until it was fixed but in the process they broke something else.

First thing service should look at is your balancing ring..actually look around under the washer and see if you see any white powder. Ifyou can pop the front cover off and look at the floor of the machine..look for a white powder.

I'm sorry this is happening to you. Is it off balance for every load? Mine was.

Today I called the place I purchased it at 2.5 mos. ago. Told them I want this washer replaced, not fixed because if black oil is coming out the bottom who knows what else is wrong. They told me I had to call Alliance. Have to say customer service at Alliance who makes Speed Queen was very disappointing. took forever to talk to someone. By the way, while you are waiting on hold they keep reminding you of how great their customer service is. Waited for about 15 minutes and then the call stopped and all I got was a dial tone. Had to call again and wait at least 10 minutes or more. Felt the customer service guy was uncaring and asked to speak with another customer service rep. He just let me go through another 10 minutes of holding for another rep. Told them I wanted it replaced, said they couldn't. No one showed any empathy. Never said, I am sorry you had such a long wait on the phone, or I am sorry you are having problems with your washer that is less than 3 yrs. old. . Told them that had been through an ordeal with my 92 yr. old mother who has dementia who I take care of. She had the stomach flu and had to do a lot of laundry. No one seemed to care. I mentioned your case and another I found on the internet of similar problems to mine. What was the response? The tech rep said that he didn't think that was too bad since they have sold thousands. That didn't make me feel too good. They told me to call back the place where I purchased it and have them send out someone to fix it. I don't want it fixed, I want a new replacement washer. I don't want to go through what you went through. So I called back the place where I bought it and they are treating me great. They are trying to squeeze me in tomorrow and are going to take the washer to see what is wrong and leave me a loaner replacement. In the meantime, I called the Attorney General to see if they could advise me since it seems like I should be able to get a replacement for a defective washer that is only 2.5 mos. old. They are going to talk to Alliance for me. The sad thing is, I have a relative who owns a appliance repair business and around 20 yrs. ago she recommended a Maytag washer and dryer which were very good and still made in the USA. So I called her to get her advice on which one to buy which would last the longest. She recommended Speed Queen. Also I have another relative who purchased one and has had no trouble. But after hearing your story and one more, it makes me wonder. I have the same model as you. I wonder if there is a flaw in this model. Very concerning as it was quite expensive. It seems like Alliance who makes and warranties the washers should care more about the customer service they deliver over the phone or at least train their tech guys to be more caring. That's another thing, when you call it is very confusing what number to push to get to where you need to talk to someone. They never offer a customer service choice. I was so disappointed by the customer service response that I thought they hired out their reps. But no, when I asked, they said they are in the same building as the CEO. Should have asked to speak to the CEO. Will keep you posted. By the way, the place I purchased my washer and dryer from are trying very hard and I do appreciate their caring. It seems like Alliance should back them and take care of them especially since they are an authorized rep. I am hoping that I just got a bum washer, they will replace it with one which will stand up to the reputation I have been hearing about.

I just got my first SQ after 2 Maytags that each lasted 20 to 22 years with no problems. My mother-in-law always had SQ through the 60's to the 90's and swore by them. She had a family of 4 logger sons and 1 daughter. She did all of their work cloths plus the regular laundry and no problems. I hope to get as many years out of this purchase but will probably not be around to enjoy it.\

After a few loads my machine is still shuddering a bit on the spin. We have measured and made sure the machine is level but were wondering about the self leveling back legs. The front needs to go down some but my husband can't see where there is any more room on the feet to do that. How do we start all over with leveling this machine and how does this self leveling work. Our salesman is just that.... and was of no help when it came to resetting these legs to try to take away the shudder. It is not a huge shudder but it is noticeable to me and could probably be helped if we had a bit of direction. Thanks.

Self-leveling rear legs are typically adjusted by tilting the machine forward so both rear legs are off the ground, then setting it back down. Simple as that.

If the front needs to be lower ... that is, the front legs screwed further in ... and they're already in far as they'll go, then there's no further adjustment on the front short of taking the legs out.

Really, it's not so important that the machine be absolutely bubble-level. A smidgeon off won't cause a problem. The concern is that the weight be equally supported at all four corners ... that is, the machine doesn't wobble when "rocked" crossways from left/rear to front/right and from right/rear to left/front.

Are the back self-leveling legs independant from one another and if the floor is different on one side from the other .....will they compensate? We will be leaving the front alone as it stands now but wonder how the front legs ever got screwed in so far and why. We are talking about 1/8 inch here on both sides from the front to the back with the back being lower on both sides. But as you said it is more important that the machine does not wobble. We will work with this and try different things. Thanks for your time and info.

While I am here I may as well ask you about when my machine is agitating, is it normal for the outer tub to move counter clockwise by a few inches with each agitation?

nandi: Are the back self-leveling legs independant from one another and if the
floor is different on one side from the other .....will they compensate?"

Yes, that's the point of the self-leveling feature at the back.

The outer tub rotates during agitation? Or the inner drum/basket? If the outer tub, no it should not rotate progressively either CW or CCW. It may wiggle forward and back a little and move around somewhat off-center within the outer cabinet but is anchored by springs to limit/control the movement.

If the inner drum/basket, yes it may rotate slightly (aka indexing) for a while until the brake settles-in.

The machine is spinning with no shudder and the indexing is still happening and I measured 5 to 6 inches with each agitation. I am happy with the agitation and the cloths are clean and not tangled at all. Is this amount of indexing something to worry about and can I, or should I do anything about it?

Did you discover what the white powdery substance is? I am finding the same thing along the top rim of my washer (the top 2 inches which don't get filled with water.)

@emma darling,

That may be mineral residue and/or laundry soil residue. What's your water condition? You may need to increase your detergent dosage to properly handle it.

My water is slightly hard. Is there a possibility that some of the salt water solution in the balancing ring has leaked out and the white substance is what is left behind after the water evaporates?

To clarify: the white substance comes right off on my finger when I pass it along the surface of the drum. I don't have to rub hard or anything like that.

Also, mine is a pretty new washer. I have only done about a dozen loads in it.

Emma,

I have a Speed Queen washer TL and have this issue. As best I can tell from reading posts on this forum over the few years, it's soap scum, of all things. Apparently, detergent manufacturers add a little soap in their formula to keep sudsing down. It can also be minerals in the water, and laundry soil residue as dadoes says. It's probably a combo of all. I got the ring after a few loads when I first got the machine. If you scrub it off like you would a shower door, it does come off. I don't bother with it anymore.

Thanks, Sea Sea. So you also only have the substance at the top of the drum past where the water fills? Unlike my bathtub, the white stuff comes off without any effort. My main concern is that something is wrong with the machine. The incompetent (or perhaps immoral) delivery person removed the shipping brace and left it on the truck and transported it to my basement without it. (I see that people sell them on ebay.) I have no idea what damage having it there would prevent.

When i read mamapinky0's post that she found a cup of white powdery stuff I thought that maybe she has the same issue.

Balance ring leaking, no.

Detergents have ingredients to sequester mineral content of the water and flush it away with the laundry soils. There shouldn't be any residue if the detergent dose is sufficient to do both aspects of the job. I have a private well, no water softener. I use a proper dose of detergent, no residue or scum line.

Damage to the machine causing the residue, no. Removing the shipping brace before moving the machine to your basement does not necessarily cause damage unless the fellow lost control and dropped it. Were you watching the move and saw that happen to cause your concern? Was he rough or violent in moving it around? I've moved washers both topload and frontload 10, 40, 200 miles without shipping braces with no resultant ill effect or damage.

Yes Emma, just above the water line. Dadoes suggests that proper dosage of detergent helps to prevent this from occurring. I have to slightly UNDERdose due to my soft water conditions and drain pipe issues with the strong pump my model of Speed Queen has--perhaps that's why I get the residue just above the water line. Mine is not like MamaPinky's (rip) under the washer.

In any case, this is not an issue me for me. My washer is clean otherwise. I have scrubbed it off in the past, but it returns within a couple wash cycles, so I've moved on. Not a worry. For me at least.

Edit to add: You might be seeing residual factory dust from the manufacturing process. Mine didn't come with a from the factory residue, but I've read of others who did have it. I was told to wash a load of old rags in hot water and detergent for the first cycle in case there was an residue in my machine.

Thank you so much Dadoes and Sea Sea.

Dadoes: I was not watching the men move in the machine (I was busy dealing with the mess one of the men made by getting water all over the floor when he disconnected the hoses.) I certainly have no reason to suspect that the machine was mishandled/treated improperly. There was no cosmetic damage. The white stuff doesn't look like the mineral deposits I have on one of my bathroom sink faucets in that it comes right off and there just seemed to be so much of it after doing just one load after removing it.

Sea Sea: just curious how much detergent you use. My water is somewhat hard but I don't want to put in more detergent than necessary because I too am concerned about suds overflowing my standpipe.

I use half cup powder detergent. I should be using more for optimal cleansing, but my conditions can't handle that. If I've done a pre-wash before a main wash I have to reduce main wash to 1/4 cup of detergent or else it's suds up and down the wall, all the way to floor. I've had to hang over the dryer with towels to catch the suds before more damage occurs. My SQ is a full fill. Not sure what Speed Queens are filling with these days.

Liquid detergent is no more than line 2 on the cap and again, if I have done a pre-wash first, I have to reduce detergent to line 1 for main wash. Hope that helps. Hard water will give you some wiggle room. I'm naturally soft water, so I have zero wiggle room on dosage.

Thanks Sea Sea. The deep fill goes close to the top - not the last 2 inches though. I use Tide liquid and don't use as much as you do I've never used what the manufacturer recommends and my clothes have come out clean. I don't even go to the 1 on the cap let alone the 2! I know the 1 is just over 3 tbsp. I guess I am confused as to how it can be detergent residue if Im not using so much of it. Oh well! Thanks again for your input!

It is confusing. But I've read of others on this board in the past having the issue, so I consider it a Speed Queen thing. In my other top loading machines from ages ago (I had FLers for 12 years before I got the Speed Queen), the wash tubs had an enamel coating on then. I suspect that the enamel camouflaged this residue and we didn't know it was there. The SQ tub is stainless, and we all know stainless, whether a fridge or a dishwasher, and now the inside of a washing machine shows all residue and marks. I wouldn't worry about it too much. It hasn't affected my laundry being clean and the machine itself, minus this residue line is clean. I think you are good to go. Enjoy your new washer!

Thanks, Sea Sea!

Sea Sea, I have 542 SQ and naturally soft water. i agree with the line 2 for liquid detergents, I use Tide F/G he turbo. And sometimes, now, almost always, it's difficult to rinse. I can't imagine using a half cup of powder, using 2 TBLS I get more suds in the rinse cycles than the wash cycle. It's frustrating especially with towels, using line 1 plus one or two Clorox2 pods, it takes 4 or 5 rinses and still some suds in the rinse! I think next I'll try 2 TBLS and one pod and see how that works.

ETA: Powder is harder to rinse than liquids even using vinegar in the rinse.

I use 1.5 to 2.5 oz (2.5 to 4.5 tablespoons) of Persil liquid depending on load size and soil level. 4 to 8 tablespoons of Cheer powder. Plus I add STPP. I have no appreciable suds in the rinse.

Powders tend to rinse better than liquids IME. Some detergents, liquids moreso than powders, are formulated for surfactants to have an affinity for remaining in fabrics for purpose of resisting future soiling, which is why they're difficult to rinse to the point of zero bubbles.

I wonder if it makes a difference if the detergent is added to the water before the laundry is. I know the directions have said for decades to first add the detergent, then the clothes. Sometimes I'll start the machine (SQ 542) and add the detergent then, other times I put the laundry in, and put the detergent on top of that before I start the machine. I gave up using liquid detergent when I had my first FL in 2001, and have never gone back. My parents use pods, and I found I was not able to control the dosage like I can with powder, but their machine is a HE and it may be my lack of familiarity with it. On my SQ I never use a second rinse, so I am careful with the amount of powder I use so I get a clean rinse (which has FS in it). If I do a load that is less than full, and especially of things like scatter rugs, there is usually a ring left in the tub, but I attribute that to it being stainless steel. As SEA SEA points out, we all know how that is.

Beaglenc, you must have softer water than I do! I accidentally poured a double dose of Tide F&G liquid (line 2 since I had done a pre-wash, should have been line 1) into dh's laundry the other day. The new formula is VERY thin and I wasn't ready for that much to pour out. Well, his laundry was I think, noticeable fresher than usual (his is a challenging task), but I could also detect the odor of a F&G liquid detergent. That means it didn't rinse out quite enough. But, I didn't have a suds mess coming out the drainpipe. They are getting good at Tide with the suds suppressors. If MamaP was here she was probably tell us that's the 'soap' they add to the mix to keep the suds down. Anyways, it's hard to rinse well enough in this soft water.

armjim, I'm not sure if it makes that much of a difference whether you put the detergent in after loading or before. I always put it in first, then start the water, wait a few mins, then add laundry.

As to whether I use not enough or too much detergent compared to others, once, a while back dadoes told me in a thread here I wasn't using enough for my washer. I believe what he says, so I think I underdose by a little bit based on that. I wish I could use what he says is needed, but I need a water 'hardener' to do that :^)

Hi Sea Sea. I've been reading the comments from today and I'm curious about something you said. I'm using a bottle of Tide HE F and G that I purchased a few years ago by mistake. (This is my first washer which uses HE detergent.) Beaglenc mentioned using a Turbo formula. I had never heard of it before. You mention in your post about a new formula. Are you referring to the Turbo vs just the regular HE? If so, that is interesting because I would have thought that Tide would have just added the Turbo to the label w/o changing anything in order to try to claim more market share. If the Turbo is so much thinner than the regular HE, is one supposed to use the same amount? It becomes difficult to know how much to use if people are using different products!!

I know Emma. It can get so confusing, and even I sometimes am like, well how much detergent do I use?!

This bottle doesn't seem to have "turbo' on it, but it is HE. Even when I overdosed that load, I didn't have a suds mess up and out the drain pipe. Promising!

As for how much to dose on a new bottle, vs an old bottle, what I do is use the dosing lines that are on 'that' cap, from 'that' bottle. Sometimes the caps change sizes, so your line 1 can now be a line 2 used to be. Make sense?

I'm liking this formula so far. I also like the cap a lot. I've had a translucent Tide cap that is impossible to see the lines because the detergent sticks to the cap. This one, I think from the plastic slickness, coupled with the new thiner formula makes that problem go away--to date. Things might muck up in the future, but right now, I'm a happy camper with this formula. I find it cleans a little better than the last time I had a jug of this. I got it on Amazon from the official Tide section. It had a $3 digital coupon on it, and I bought it to have a back up in case a different F&G liquid I like changes their formula to something that doesn't work well for us. I've been skunked too many times now with all these "new and improved' innovations. I plan ahead when I can.

Just try to find the amount of detergent that gets your laundry clean and also doesn't suds out your drainpipe.

Thanks Sea Sea. I think I do see the word "turbo" on the bottle in your photo - on the right side of the big Tide logo. May I ask what F & G liquid you are currently using? (I know what you mean about planning ahead. Years ago I discovered that my favorite eyeliner was being discontinued so I bought 5.)

Sure. Our laundry challenges and water chemistry clean very well with the ALL free and clear formula sold at Costco. It goes on coupon several times a year. Also, the Kirkland brand free and clean liquid at Costco (our fav). But this new Tide F&G is running at speed with our fav, the Kirkland free and clear.

Smart to buy five of your fav eyeliners! I've done that too. As soon as you find something you like, they go and discontinue it!

Ok, so you see a 'turbo' on my bottle. Good to know. :)

Sea Sea, I'm using the one you pictured. Walmart used to have the small bottles of he turbo but now the he turbo they have is Tide w/Downy F/G he turbo. Which seems to me to create more suds and harder to rinse. I ordered the above from Amazon when all this crazy China virus started.

Emma dosages can be confusing. Mamapinky used to say till the water feels slippery. Which is fine for powders but not so much for liquids. I guess it mostly boils down to your water chemistry, sometimes just a tiny bit over can cause problems.

I tried to find the thread where several people were saying using bleach voids the warranty for one or more manufacturers or that chlorine bleach is a North American thing-I thought it was in one of the Miele threads upstream, but anyway, could not find it. dadoes, I just did a load of cleaning rags for which I used Hot Water and bleach via the dispenser. One thing I keep noticing is that the dispenser seems to add the bleach to the water as soon as the washing action begins rather than the last few minutes of the cycle. I am wondering if bleach in the water for that long is corrosive to the tub or parts. I tend to use the Normal cycle which is about 10 minutes of wash action.

I think it's Bosch who doesn't want chlorine bleach in their washing machines. I know SQ says to use bleach when you think you should, or when cleaning the washer itself, as in an empty bleach cleaning cycle.

I have not used the bleach dispenser on my SQ. I add chlorine bleach to the wash tub in the last few mins of a cycle. This is rare though. I use bleach several times a year, if that.

I've read that Europe doesn't have chlorine bleach on their store shelves and rely on oxygen bleach, which is what I do most of the time.

@ArmJim,

What kind of machine is involved? Some toploaders don't have a timed dispenser, it's just a funnel that directs the liquid into the outer tub where it immediately mixes with the water during fill to avoid pouring full-strength bleach directly onto the clothes.

Diluted bleach shouldn't cause a problem to the machine for a 10-min wash period, although it's on the long side of time for the items.

My F&P AquaSmart has a timed dispenser which normally functions nicely regards to time-of-dispensing ... but I noticed that when I select the Soak function (2-hr soak inserted into the wash period), bleach dispenses before the soak starts. Thus, the load is soaking with bleach for 2 hrs, which I don't want to happen. So I monitor the soak and add the bleach through the dispenser with a bunch of water-chaser at the end when agitation resumes.

After much troubleshooting we removed the tub and found that grease had built up on the outside of the tub and caused the tub to go off balance during the spin cycle. The grease had built up over the years from washing garage coveralls that had been used while working on cars. There are videos on You Tube that instruct how to remove the tub. Filling the tub with hot water and letting it soften the agitator for an hour is critical to pulling the agitator off especially on an older machine. Washer runs like new!