Boba1, thank you I just saw your comment. Glad to know that!

I'd vote for the LG 3900 or the equivalent Kenmore as the LG got a very favorable technician review on YouTube. I don't know what you are needing to wash but 4.5 cu.ft. equals about 25 lbs. of laundry. Can't speak for various comforters, though.

Thank you whirlpool trainee! :)

Yes I’m sort of leaning in the direction of the 4.5’s anyway, I think that that should be more than enough capacity, especially now that I know it holds about 25 lbs! I should hopefully be purchasing around early February so we will see which one has the best price then.

I'm still struggling with the Bravos (7 years now) and I'm really not sure what I'll replace it with...It will have a deep fill option and not dumb down (mix with cold without my permission) the warm and hot settings, that much I know ;0)

But my experienced (middle aged) service person here for another reason did tell me one day that he thinks somehow LG has actually 'gotten it right' when it comes to energy efficient well performing machines. My nephew and his wife, expecting a baby, had just purchased an LG set and I'd had some concerns that he had laid to rest.

Here's the review I meant

Thanks again whirlpool trainee I will check it out!

morz8, yes I sure did struggle with my Bravos as well. I kinda regretted choosing that washer. But yes I do keep hearing pretty consistent kudos regarding LG these days! Wishing you luck! :)

Kevin, I once owned a LG that had a capacity of either 3.5 or 3.7 cu; a queen sized comforter fit pretty well in it, so I would think a 4.5 cu would be more than large enough to handle your needs. Before you settle on an LG, read about the water hammer issues carefully.

Thank you armjim! Yes the 4.5 should be more than adequate for our needs! And I just looked at that water hammer post...yikes! Looks like it’s not with all machines and if it is it’s a matter of getting the right hoses and other necessary parts??Am I correct on that??

doreycrouse yes that was EXACTLY why I slightly preferred the Kenmore’s over the LG’s for that auto soak feature! And didn’t know Turbo/Accela-wash features only use one rinse! That’s kinda disappointing actually! :(

Well, the default may only offer one rinse (plus the high-speed spin spray rinse), you can add up to 3 or 4 additional rinses. So don't be disappointed.

Oh I’m a spazz....of course I forgot it has an extra rinse option!

I don't know how soon you need to do this but I got crazy great Black Friday deals on my Kenmore. My washer had been leaking slowly for a few years and the auto temp on the dryer quit working so I needed to time dry. Both things I could deal with. But 55% off on Black Friday made me jump. I got both washer and dryer for less than one cost. Really watch for those deals if you can. Kenmore always has a sale. They are made by LG with slightly different options. When we bought another house that closed the beginning of December I just left the ones we bought the year before with the house because they were stacked in our basement. Then bought new for our new house. They are 4.5 and plenty big. I wouldn't go bigger. I've washed king quilts no problem and queen down comforters. The one thing is the more things you add like the prewash and extra rinse add to the time. It can be a long wash. Presoak doesn't add time it just lets the clothes sit in the first water longer? I am totally happy with my Kenmore and would (and have) recommend them. I don't have the steam but never had it so don't miss it.

My old tablet won't let me edit and I mention to ad a picture so

Thank you Cheryl everything you said is really helpful! As of now there doesn’t seem to be much great sales going on but I’ll keep my eye out! What was your experience with Sears? I’ll admit I’m a bit leery about them with their business not being so good now but maybe I’m being silly. I do like the options/features on the Kenmore slightly better than the LG. But Costco currently has a great deal on the 4.5 LG and the Kenmore is currently more expensive.

PS: Thanks for sharing the photo....I love your laundry room! :)

These are now 2 years old. I would just go for your best deal. I've never had a problem with sears. I actually bought these online and then picked them up.. didn't have to deal with Black Friday shopping. All appliances go on sale a lot. It's great if you can get them on sale and not have to pay the price if they go out before.

You also can't beat getting things from Costco. I wouldn't buy a tv anywhere else

Hi all! So took longer than I anticipated, but we finally settled on the LG WM3900 FL washer and it’s matching electric dryer from Costco! While I kinda really wanted the Kenmores with the soak feature that the LG doesn’t have, I was willing to let that go since this was the best deal/price we could get! Should arrive early March sometime (a bit longer than I wanted to wait but willing to wait since the price couldn’t be beat).

Looking forward to the new set! Thanks to all for your valuable input! :)

Congratulations!! Hope you will provide us feedback. I also hope the new machines will make some of the burden of laundry for your son a little lighter.

Oh I certainly will provide feedback! I have a good feeling they will be a MUCH needed improvement for our family....cross your fingers!

Looking at this model as well. How good a deal did you find at Costco?

Got the set for $1,499.00 (Well....$1,519.00 with a stacking kit).

https://www.costco.com/lg-wifi-enabled-4.5cuft-front-load-washer-and-7.4cuft-electric-dryer-with-optional-pedestals.product.100476249.html

Costco including installation which includes new hoses for washer and dryer with new cord. Also includes haul away of old appliances. Two year warranty instead of one (4 year warranty if you use their citi credit card).

My fairly new LG is nice but it never gets the water hot on any setting. It’s 70 degrees on the normal cycle and the high 80’s for the extra dirty cycle. LG said this was normal. The service guy said the same. (The washer is close to the water heater, too.) it’s very, very frustrating when dealing with illness and other times when one needs HOT water.
Does anyone have a washer where they’ve verified the actual temp and found it to be HOT?

Larissa yes it’s an amazing deal!

But I sincerely hope my water will get hotter than 70-80°! I need the water to be extra hot too for sanitizing certain articles of clothing of my sons.

J Arnold, what is your washer's model? Normal is the energy star cycle and thus cool temps. Extra dirty cycle doesn't tell me the particular cycle I need the real cycle names from the control panel that you use). Also, when using Heavy Duty and Whites Cycle, select the heaviest soil level so the heater has a chance to raise the temps (unless your model doesn't have an onboard heater, which is why I need your model number).

Boba1: it’s a LG washing machine, model #WT7200C.

My Maytag front load has an extra hot setting and doesn't dumb down the temps like most. I get true temps from water heater with extra hot. Also has on board heater.

J Arnold, thank you for providing your model number. Since this thread was about front loaders, I made the assumption your machine was a front loader and am glad I asked for the model number. Since your washer is a top loader, that's a whole different approach. And because it's a top loader, the temperatures are going to be significantly dumbed down to achieve energy star certification. As has been indicated to you, the temps you are experiencing is how it's supposed to operate. And your machine doesn't have an onboard heater. There have been some higher-end top load models with an onboard heater that provides steam, which helps raise water temperatures. Whirlpool and Maytag used to have several top load models with this feature, but that's dwindled down. And their latest models just introduced, non of them have steam or an onboard heater. An onboard heater and hotter wash temp potential are two of the biggest reasons I will only have a front loader. LG does offer one top load model with onboard heater, steam, allergen, and sanitary cycles---all offering hotter water. It's the LG WT7900HBA. Otherwise old-school Speed Queen TC5000 that doesn't dumb down temperatures. Otherwise, a front loader with onboard heater.

Thank you so much, boba1, for the info. It is very much appreciated.

They’re HEEEEEEERE!!!! 😃

The LG 3900 W/D set arrived a little after 9AM this morning! So far they’re wonderful! Running a Normal cycle right now and very pleased w/it so far!! W/TurboWash selected, no extra rinse & extra high spin, the cycle is 53 min long.

Going to run my son’s things on Sanitary or Allergiene next and will do a Bedding cycle for his stuffed animals and our queen comforter later! :)

They’re the quietest set I have ever owned so far....cannot believe how silent they are compared to sets I’ve owned previously!

And forgive the appearance of my currently drab laundry room. There was a wall cabinet behind the W/D that we took down on Saturday so we could stack these. Now our hope is to design the room around this stacked LG set! :)

PS: The washer just went into final spin and I have it on extra high spin speed as I type this. It’s unbelievable how quiet they are! :D

Do you have a way of measuring the water temperature you are getting with your new washer?

Congrats on your new washer and dryer. I have L.G.’s that are about 7 years old. Still going strong (knock on wood). They really are quiet machines, I think it’s because of the Direct Drive system. Hoping you enjoy using them for many many years to come. Here’s a pic of mine, I bought the red ones because they were on sale. My guess is they weren’t selling many of the red.

Jerrod, not that I know of at the moment. I know it does have an internal water heater and a steam feature.

Thanks jalarse I do like your red LG’s...they sure look sharp! But unfortunately red was not an option for this particular model. :(

I currently have the Bedding cycle going,...in which my son’s stuffed toys are “taking a bath”! Lol! :) , I selected TurboWash, cold water wash, & 3 extra rinses...cycle time was 1:27 I believe. Yes it sure is a loooooong cycle when more that 1 extra rinse selected. And despite that, I really wasn’t sure how this was going to go, but so far it’s an absolute champ with these stuffed toys! It spun them out perfectly and with ease! :D

Aww, what cute toys. Congratulations on the delivery finally!!!

I cannot find it, but there is a button sequence to obtain water temp in sump of LG front loaders. It waws simultaneous holding down temp button and one other button. Tis was on older front load models, but it still may be applicable for this model too. It's on here somewhere.

I have been eagerly awaiting this update! You love them?? I have a toddler so I'm very interested in the S's... steaming stains, sanitizing, SILENCE lol

boba1 thanks I did some searching myself but couldn’t find what you were referring to. I will keep looking and if you find the temps let me know I’d definitely be curious.

HU-816193171, I do love them so far! I find them to be extremely quiet! My previous washer had a drain pump that at the time was a little noisy but I didn’t think was so bad. But compared to this LG it sounded like a jackhammer! Lol! We washed a white towel we used as a rag with all kinds of stains and schmutz (sp?)on it in the Sanitary cycle last night, came out gleaming white with not ONE stain on it! Used the steam option as well on that cycle.

But the more you want to steam, sanitize, remove allergens, etc, and the more options you select, be prepared for LOOOOOOONG cycle times! The Sanitary cycle I did last night with steam, 3 extra rinses and even w/TurboWash selected, was 2 hours and 35 minutes long! The Bedding cycle I am doing now for our poly-fill queen comforter, in which we selected steam, 3 extra rinses and even w/TurboWash, is 2 hours and 44 minutes long!

Also, and while this is a minor thing (at least to me), I am now noticing that when you select TurboWash and Steam option at the same time, it will NOT use the TurboWash spray jets in the wash portion of the cycle. The Bedding cycle I am doing now I selected steam and TurboWash. It is not washing with the spray jets, but the 2 Bedding cycles I did last night without selecting steam, it did use the spray jets. I selected steam with the Sanitary cycle last night and no spray jets while washing. It also seemed to use VERY little water while washing in Sanitary, which you wouldn’t notice as much if the jets were on.

Alas, everything came out fine, like I said the white towel used as a rag was sparkling! Therefore, so far, it’s not a huge deal, as it doesn’t seem to compromise cleaning performance, just something people may want to know. I hope all this info is helpful.

But as of this moment, absolutely love the set! :)

boba1....I found this on LG’s website:

https://www.lg.com/us/support/help-library/cycles-front-load-washer-CT00000305-1337797444134

I am running the Allergiene cycle now with our bedsheets, pillowcases, and my sons bibs, bandanas and shirts he got wet. 2 hours 5 min....Steam is standard and cannot be deselected in this cycle, and I selected 3 extra rinses and TurboWash. This cycle does NOT allow you to select wash water temp and soil level...it does it for you??

An hour in and the washer finally added a little water to the drum. Before that, (the first hour) it appeared to ONLY be tumbling in steam (did this in the Bedding cycle I just did when I selected the Steam option).

The clothes appeared to be “slightly damp” the last 15 minutes/half hour of “steaming”, and it appears it’s and that’s what seems to have got the clothes “damp” but ONLY that. Then the water came in....and very, VERY little of it I might add, and didn’t tumble that long at all!

Now that I’ve found the above link, I’ll most likely be using the Sanitary cycle w/out Steam for my sons clothes, and Allergiene once in a while for bedsheets, pillowcases, and dusty curtains.

One thing I’ll say, While my Frigidaire Affinity was small and moldy, it was very straightforward! I’m feeling like I should’ve taken a washing machine mechanic course before buying this new LG....lol! It’s all good though....it truly is light years better than the Frigidaire Affinity in all aspects (capacity, cleaning, etc). and that does make it worth it! It’s just a matter of figuring everything out and what will suit our needs best! :)

I think I might have remembered. Push soil level buytton and spin speed button at the same time and it should show rpm spin speed while it's spinning. During a wash cycle portion of the cycle, pushing soil level and water temperature displays the temperature in the sump in C, not F.

Very nice! Very happy for you! Costco is the way to go for sure!

The Sanitize and Allergen cycles are very similar in the fact that they use VERY low water levels. This is so that the heater has to heat less amount of water and can assure the higher temperatures. That little bit of water coming in at the end of the wash is likely the bleach dispenser.

If I remember correctly, the combo of buttons to push is delay wash and the temperature button at the same time. Whereas delay wash and spin speed does the tumble speed in RPM.

Of course the TurboWash does one true deep fill rinse like I mentioned earlier. My point was that it eliminates one of the deep fill rinses to save time. Adding an extra rinse negates some of this, but rinsing I'm sure is superior considering the spray rinses and deeper water level as well.

Kslv:

I have a Miele washer that also has a recirculating spray pump. I have the machine plugged into a Kill-o-Watt meter which allows you to measure the amount of electricity an appliance is using. I have the meter set to show amps so that I can tell when the heater is turned on.

Several cycles on the machine have a 140F wash, but it also has a sanitize cycle. One of the things I can see by using the meter is that the washer will not use the recirculating pump in any cycle until the water temperature is near the set point. Once the setpoint is near the recirculating pump will operate for a few minutes, but eventually, it will stop and let the heater come on again. This on and off pattern will repeat several times until near the end of the wash.

What I think is happening is that in order for the sprays to work, the water must be pumped out of the drum and up to the spray jets. Taking the water out of the drum where it is being heated will cool down the water so that it will need to be heated again.

Perhaps the reason your sprays do not work during the wash in your sanitize cycle is so that the water can be heated to a high temperature without interruptions

Enjoy your new set, it looks nice.

Just noticing now my posts aren’t being posted in their entirety and being cut off! Sorry about that!

Doreycrouse and boba1, yes, it is the temp and delay start button at the same time. I ran a sanitary cycle again today (w/TurboWash) and the max temp it seemed to reach was 63° Celsius/145° Fahrenheit. The wash wasn’t quite finished but almost, I checked it again, and the temp went down to 57°C. Why would it go down?

Despite that, everything came out great....again! :)

Jerrod, I have heard amazing things about Miele! I wish they made a bigger machine for my son’s needs and were less expensive, and I’d be on it! But, so far I’m perfectly happy with my LG’s. :)

But that all makes sense about the jets not working during Sanitary, they barely squirted water during wash....and I was wondering why. But what you said about the water cooling down and not heating is probably why. Thanks! :)

It seems that many washers might not heat all the way to the end of the wash. I know with mine the last heater cycle seems to end around 7 minutes before the end of the wash. If it is near the end any more heat probably won't make any difference. Perhaps try running the sanitize cycle with the soil level set to high and maybe the temperature may get a little hotter than 145F. Anyway, your results seem to be good and your clothes are getting clean.

Jerrod, yes the results are great!

I did select heavy soil but I also selected TurboWash. I think next time I won’t select it. I am learning as I use this washer, that while TurboWash is a terrific option, it may not be suitable for all cycles....and that a TINY bit of water and mostly steam isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the results are proving that!

Although I may pause the washer after washing is done, then select TurboWash for rinsing purposes, as those spray jets are excellent to have on during the rinsing! :)

Can you change your selection mid-cycle? Or are you going to do a separate rinse?

If I’m home, I can change it mid-cycle. If not, yes I can do a separate rinse later....I didn’t think of that. Thanks! :)

Soooooo a year and a half later…and while my LG 3900 FL washer is in general a wonderful washer, it unfortunately has gone from extraordinarily quiet on high spin speed to sounding like a helicopter landing on my house! I started noticing this a few months ago, when it did this sporadically (and thinking it was a few unbalanced loads) and now it is SUPER noisy on final spin all of the time. Even the spins between the rinses are somewhat noisy too!

Also, my son is disabled and is incontinent and drools, so he wears bandanas for drool and sometimes wets through his clothes. I had always exclusively used the Sanitary cycle for all his clothes with “bodily fluids”, and it used to get these super soiled clothes super clean! But recently, I’ve been noticing his clothes coming out smelly….just didn’t smell anywhere near as clean as they used to be!

And another thing, I’ve had other front loaders in the past, and I’m quite amazed at how LITTLE water this particular machine uses! Particularly on the Sanitary cycle! My past, smaller front load washers used more water than this enormous capacity washer does!

Anyway, I switched my son’s clothes to the Bedding cycle with the steam option (also, uses shockingly little water….for a Bedding cycle at least!) and while it’s a little better, I still notice a faint smell on his clothes when they come out of the dryer. I use Kirkland powder detergent…one tablespoon for 1/2 load and two tablespoons for a full load (and FYI…it’s very hard to fill this washer completely full…even with the laundry my son generates….it is HUGE!!! It’s definitely one of the pros of this particular washer!)

Also, I put white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser and sometimes mix Kirkland fabric softener with the vinegar.

Anyhoo, thought I’d report back and see if anyone has any advice/input regarding these issues. Maybe I need to use a different/better detergent?? Thanks in advance! :)

I don't know Kirkland detergent but 2 tbsp may be too small of a dose for a full load. Try upping the dosage.

I’ll try that. Thanks!