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Old 15th September 2011, 12:15   #2371
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Every city has its good service centers and bad. My experience in South Delhi has been excellent with IFB and horrible with Samsung Appliances. LG monitors and TV have been attended to promptly.

My conclusion is, that there is no uniformly bad or good service centre for any Manufacturer. All have excellent one at some place and BAD ones at other. Find out who has the best service network in your neighbourhood and get their products for a trouble free ownership.
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Old 20th September 2011, 16:27   #2372
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Looking to buy following things. Just tell me what brands do you recommend.

1. Toaster (Budget >1K)
2. OTG (Budget 4-5K)
3. Water Purifier (Budget 7-8K)
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Old 20th September 2011, 16:47   #2373
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR View Post
occasional hiccups - like failure to spin dry at random.
I also have a IFB WM (lemon) and by coincidence my WM failure seems to sync up with BaCkSeAtDrIVeR's WM. If you go back on the pages, you could see that I had made similar complaints on the IFB WM and the service offered.

Off late, failure to dry issue is happening more often apart from the usual nerve-wracking dancing scene. The complaint that I raised was closed by the service franchise without any reason.

As BaCkSeAtDrIVeR stated, there is no higher-ups in the service chain to whom you can complain. There is no email/feedback system that customers can write to IFB management on the WM issues.
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Old 20th September 2011, 17:32   #2374
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by creative420 View Post
Looking to buy following things. Just tell me what brands do you recommend.

1. Toaster (Budget >1K)
2. OTG (Budget 4-5K)
3. Water Purifier (Budget 7-8K)
Morphy Richards for toaster and OTG. Have been using a Morphy Richards OTG for past 4 years and its served me well without any issues.

Why dont you opt for a Microwave Convection Oven (Cook + Grill + Bake)? You can get a good one for around 7-8K (21lts)
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Old 20th September 2011, 17:37   #2375
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajakumar View Post
As BaCkSeAtDrIVeR stated, there is no higher-ups in the service chain to whom you can complain. There is no email/feedback system that customers can write to IFB management on the WM issues.
Right. I am in Chennai, and my IFB top loader detects the required water quantity at 1 on a 1-16 scale. Uusally the auto-detect will set the water level around 14 or 16. Off late, it shows only 1. We have to manually adjust the water level to 14 ot 16 everytime. Filed a complaint, and the service agency called up to say that they wont come coz, my AMC got expired!! After verifying my AMC dates, I called them the next day just to find that they will not attend my machine!! Called up IFB chennai office, spoke to some 3 ppl, and managed to file a complaint . They sent one guy, who told that he will replace the circuit board within 10 days. Also he verified the AMC dates and informed that 9 more months of coverage is available. Phew!

But then, he did not turn up in the next 10 days. I am going to complain again.


Frankly,, no brand offers best customer support.
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Old 20th September 2011, 17:52   #2376
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamdiesel View Post
Why dont you opt for a Microwave Convection Oven (Cook + Grill + Bake)? You can get a good one for around 7-8K (21lts)
It just doesn't do as good a job as your OTG does. That's what my friends tell me. And just checked that I can get a 28ltrs OTG of Morphy for 5K compared to 11K for a Samsung Convection Oven. I hate my food re-heated in microwave anyways, prefer gas any day.
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Old 20th September 2011, 19:00   #2377
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by athanedar View Post
Need suggestions on buying a dishwasher. No budget as such.
However I have following requirements :
1. Easy to operate
2. Should be adapting to indian type of cooking dishes
3. Dishes should be sparkling clean
4. Should consume reasonable water and electricity

Any personal reviews would be helpful
Hi athanedar,
I own the LG LD-2152WH dishwasher (DW) since the last 2 years (MRP 30K, I acquired it for 28K), so I guess I can speak on this subject with a little bit of authority.

Before I begin, since you are contemplating buying a DW, I assume that you are already familiar with what it looks like, how it works, and hopefully you might also have used one sometime.

Most people I have met are absolutely unfamiliar with DWs. They only know the 2-legged variety. Inspite of it, I have managed them to invest their hard-earned money in this wonderful device (No, I am NOT a dishwasher salesman, nor do I work for any white-goods manufacturer. I'm a regular software Joe.) So, in case you do not know anything about DWs, feel free to say so, and I will explain all these things in greater detail. For now, I will assume you are quite familiar with DWs, and only give you point-to-point answers for your queries.

1. Easy to operate:

In the LG DW, its a 2 button affair. Power on, choose wash program. Period.

In the Siemens, there is a rotary dial for temperature selection. So it might be 2 buttons plus a twist of the knob.

IFBs also come with a knob, but I haven't observed the panel in detail. But I don't think it will be any more easier or difficult to operate than a LG or Siemens.

2. Indian cooking adaptability:

All DWs are good at cleaning out the grime and slime left behind by our "Indian" delicacies. This is because cleaning dishes in a DW is a chemical process, not a mechanical one as used by the 2-legged DW.

That said, the LG comes with foldable "tines" (lines of pointy wires in the wire basket that point upwards so that you can stack dishes vertically between them). This helps when you need to load large cooking utensils like "kadais" or frying pans. Folding the tines gives you a large flat surface area to hold these big utensils. Look for this feature when you buy.

Another point to note is that aluminium and copper utensils cannot be cleaned in a DW. The former goes black, the latter green. The strong chemicals in the DW detergent react with these metals. Stainless steel is accepted, and so is silver. Glass utensils come out dazzling. For cooking utensils, the best solution is to replace all copper/aluminium utensils with non-stick cookware. These are cleaned very well by the DW. (Inspite of this, once in a while, my wife still cleans the aluminium pressure cooker in it, along with a few sundry copper items and claims that it doesnt make much difference. She claims the quality of aluminium/copper also matters a lot. So it's upto you to an extent.)

3. Sparkling clean dishes:

If you use glassware like we do, then just one word: ALWAYS.

Our 3 year old (ordinary quality) glass dinner set still shines like new. Heck, even the SS tumblers/glasses we use for drinking water shine like new. Unlike the scrub-pad used by the maid which leaves zillions of scratches, there is nothing to rub against the surface of the utensils. Even ten years down the line, dishes will sparkle like new. You will probably get bored and tired of them, but they will still shine.

There is a setting that you MAY need to do a few times at the beginning to achieve this shine. DWs use a "shine" liquid (essentially a surfactant) to make the wash water bead and roll off the utensil's surface during the drying process. You can control and set how much liquid is used in a single wash cycle. If the liquid used is insufficient, you will see the surface of glass utensils looking cloudy. In such case, you have to increase the supply of "shine" liquid using the given control mechanism. Its a bit of trial and error, but once you get the right setting, you will never need to change it again (unless the water quality changes).

4. Water and Electricity consumption:

This is the best part. Contrary to popular opinion, a dishwasher is cheaper to operate and maintain than a housemaid, and these words come from experience. It consumes very little electricity, and very little water.

LG claims that the DW model I have consumes 17 lts of water in one wash cycle. One of the main reasons for this is, DWs re-use water, something like a fountain. Water is sprayed upwards on the dishes, falls back down and goes back to a reservoir through a filter, from where it is again sprayed upwards. Therefore, water is discharged from the DW only
when it is completely murky (as decided by a sensor in the DW).

As for power, the max. power rating for the LG is 2200 watts. This is expected, since it has an in-built water heater. But the heater operates only 10-15% of the time. Once the water is hot, it switches off, leaving only the water pump to re-circulate the hot water most of the time.

My guess is, if you use the DW once daily like we do, then you will not consume more than 50 watts of power in a month. I did not find my DW greatly affecting my power bills.

For the record, I have a 42-inch plasma (280 watts), an LG front-load washer-dryer combo (6 kg), an LG DW (2200 watts max.), a 165 liter refrigerator and a 3-litre Bajaj water heater. My power bill does not exceed 1000 bucks a month.

I hope I have been able to answer all your queries to your satisfaction. Feel free to ask me any queries that you may have regarding DWs.

Note:

The LG LD-2152WH has now been discontinued by LG, since it is a belt-driven model. They have now launched 2 "direct-drive" models which are costlier than this. Try to get your hands on the older model if available anywhere, since you will get it at a massive discount. I recently purchased one for my mother from Croma for 22K. It was a "display piece" from their Aurangabad showroom, the last one they had. I inspected it on delivery, it was great. Works like a charm. My mom is happy, and so am I.

Cheers,
Bullitt.
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Old 20th September 2011, 19:43   #2378
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by msdivy View Post
Our 5.5 year old, 310L Whirpool stopped cooling, but the interior light works. So on Jul 19th, registered a complaint by calling their toll free number. On Jul 20th, their Engineer visited and told that 'Core-Board' has to be replaced and he will place an order. The story begin here. Today is Aug 22nd and there is no sign of core-board. The in-charge of the service center says the Whirpool facility in Pondicherry doesn't have it and he is trying to get from other service center. I don't have any option except to wait, while the fridge just stand there. Any clue on this?

How good or bad other brands like Samsung, LG are in support? Next time I will go for one with better support & spares.
*Update*

On 26th August 2011, the service engineer replaced the non-working core board. The charge was Rs 1200.00 for the part & Rs 280.00 for the service.
2 hours after he left, the alarm started beeping and we had to switch off the fridge. I filed a complaint again. The service engineer visited again and said, the part is faulty again and we have to *wait* for the part.

The engineer again visited on 17th Sep 2011 and informed that the fan is faulty. He replaced the fan for Rs 450/- and fridge is cooling now. But the ‘Alarm’ light is blinking continuously.

I asked him if the core-board & fan is for the right model. He assured that its indeed for the right model and asked me to ignore the ‘Alarm’ light.

For far for past 3 days, the fridge working but with ‘Alarm’ light blinking. So far so good.
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Old 21st September 2011, 08:57   #2379
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bullitt View Post
Hi athanedar,
I own the LG LD-2152WH dishwasher (DW) since the last 2 years (MRP 30K, I acquired it for 28K), so I guess I can speak on this subject with a little bit of authority.

Cheers,
Bullitt.
Thanks Bullitt for the great review of your personal experience with dishwasher.
I have extensively used dishwasher in US and it worked like a charm. Hence was looking for the same in India. Your review is helpful.
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Old 21st September 2011, 09:59   #2380
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bullitt View Post
Hi athanedar,
I own the LG LD-2152WH dishwasher (DW) since the last 2 years (MRP 30K, I acquired it for 28K), so I guess I can speak on this subject with a little bit of authority.

After reading your experiences, even I am thinking of getting one. The prospects of getting rid of the dependency on maid is just too tempting.
However, can you please let us know the running cost of the device? Cost of softening salt, detergent and the shining agent? Are they easily available in India? How much time does it take to complete one cycle of cleaning?


Regards,
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Old 21st September 2011, 13:44   #2381
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by amohit View Post
After reading your experiences, even I am thinking of getting one. The prospects of getting rid of the dependency on maid is just too tempting.
However, can you please let us know the running cost of the device? Cost of softening salt, detergent and the shining agent? Are they easily available in India? How much time does it take to complete one cycle of cleaning?

Regards,
It was exactly this line of thought that drove me to buy a DW as well as a front-loading washer-dryer combo when we shifted into our new home. Since we were setting up shop and wanted to buy a bunch of appliances (as listed in the previous post), we went bargain shopping for a package deal which included the DW. At that time, E-zone gave us the best deal with a flat discount of 8% on the e-zone tag price (not MRP/MSRP) of all appliances included (cash payment). Now, to answer your queries:


1. Running cost:

As mentioned before, if you use the DW once a day (at end of day) like we do, you shouldn't see an increase of more than 50 units max. in your electricity bill. (We are a family of 3; me, wifey and our 2-yr-old bundle of mischief.)

To elaborate on the "end of day" usage, the dishwasher is quite a spacious device, and can accomodate ALL the utensils used by a typical family of 3-4 people during the day for cooking as well as eating in a single load, if loaded smartly. Therefore, once an utensil has been utilized, we simply rinse it and put it in the DW. This is done right from the morning cup of tea to the last plate used for having dinner. After dinner, once the last plate has been stashed away in the DW, the detergent is loaded and the DW is turned on and left to do its job while we enjoy TV or go to sleep. Come morning, there's a freshly cleaned set of utensils ready to use. And yes, DWs are fairly silent, the only noises are some faint splashing noises and a gently humming drain pump.

Sometimes, if we have guests over for lunch, we run two loads, one post-lunch and another post-dinner. If we have dinner guests, then one load at night, and the other the next morning.

Our total household electricity comsumption (with all the devices listed in my previous post) generally ranges from 220 to 280 units a month, depending on the season. (The rainy season sees increased use of the dryer in the washer dryer, which uses quite a bit of power; hence the variation in usage.) You do the math.

The capital expenditure apart, I found it costs about 300-400 bucks a month to operate, including electricity and consumables.

2. Cost and Availability of Consumables:

First things first. A kilo of detergent lasts 1.5 - 2.0 months. A kilo of salt is required once every 3-4 months. And 200 ml of liquid lasts about 20-30 days. This will help you figure out running expenses based on the costs given below.

There are 2-3 ways in which you can acquire these, the cost varies accordingly.

a. "Finish" brand products purchased from a hypermarket:

This stuff is more expensive, as it is imported from Germany. These are the prices:

Detergent: 1 kg - 300 bucks (required daily in small qty, 15-25 gms)
Liquid: 400 ml - 300 bucks (required once every 3-4 wks, ~15-20 ml)
Salt: 2 kg - 200 bucks (required once every 3-4 mths, 1 kg)

I just noticed that these can now be purchased online on their website.

Previously, availability was a major issue. I used to buy these from Big Bazaar in our area (since online purchase wasn't available then); I worked my way through the entire stock, after which they never re-stocked inspite of repeated requests.

Now, it is still available at Tata Star Bazaar in our area, and they do seem to be maintaining the stock regularly.

So you can probably buy "Finish" products from any of these 3 sources in Bangalore also.

Link: Finish

Note: They have an online discount offer of 200 bucks if you buy all 3 items together.

b. "IFB" branded products (manufacturer is "Dishmatic") from IFB Customer Care (free home delivery):

Dishmatic is an Indian manufacturer, hence the prices are cheaper. So we use this source for our needs. The wash quality is just the same as Finish.

We call up the IFB service centre (which is located about 2 kms away from our place) and place an order. They home deliver in 2-3 days. They will probably not be so enthusiastic to deliver a single bottle of shine, and may take weeks to do so. Hence, the trick here is to order in bulk and hoard.

Since we own 3 DWs in our family (me, my mom and my mom-in-law), we arrange for a sizeable order for 6 months supply of products and place it with them. They deliver the stuff to my place, then we distribute it amongst ourselves. We generally do this exercise once every 6 months. Prices:

Detergent: 1 kg - 240 bucks (required daily in small qty, 15-25 gms)
Liquid: 200 ml - 90 bucks (required once every 2-3 wks, ~20-25 ml)
Salt: 1 kg - 90 bucks (required once every 3-4 mths, 1 kg)

Do note the changes in packaging quantity for liquid and salt. Interestingly, if you consider the Finish online offer, 1 kg Detergent + 400 ml Shine + 2 kg salt costs exactly the same for Finish and IFB.

One important thing we observed is that the DW consumes more shine liquid if we use the IFB variety than if we use the Finish brand liquid.

So now, I'm planning to make my next purchase at Finish online and avail of the online offer.

c. Buying directly from "Dishmatic" and similar companies:

- Dishmatic (Chemisynth/Trisis Corp)

Toiletries,Laundry Detergent Powder,Glass Window Cleaner,Fabric Stain Remover,Industrial Detergent and Wetting Agent,Liquid Laundry Detergent Powder

- Fortune

Fortune Product Range

- Prismat (SciTech Corp.)

SciTech Corporation - Prismat Detergent For Automatic Dishwashers

You can call the manufacturer up directly, and they will surely arrange to have their products delivered to you by courier. Again, this has to be a bulk purchase. I have never felt to need to take this route.

3. Dishwasher Cycle Time:

Depending on the wash program you choose, cycle times vary. But be warned, even the shortest cycle is a time-consuming affair, which is one of the reasons why we use the "end of day" usage model.

Our DW does this:Rinse > Wash > Dry > Cool Dry (Opt).

The smallest wash program in our LG is the "Quick 30" which does not do 3 and 4. As the name says, it takes 30 minutes. Not to mention, you need to wipe the utensils dry once you remove them.

The longest program is "Intensive", takes 2.5 hours or so. Even after that, it goes into "Cool Dry" mode (to cool down the hot utensils inside), which is an optional cycle that runs for an hour or so, or as long as you dont open the machine, whichever is earlier.

We generally select "Auto", in which the DW uses Fuzzy Logic to determine the wash cycle. With a full load, this generally takes 2 hrs, give or take a few. After this, it runs in "Cool Dry" mode and then shuts down automatically. Makes us no difference, since we are fast asleep by that time.

As a rule of thumb, the higher the temperature and the more intensive the program, the more time and power it will consume. But 2 hours is the ball-park figure you can consider for now.

2 additional points from my side:

4. Features to look for:

a. Foldable tines - Offers that additionally flexibility to load big kadais and pans. This is absent in some Siemens entry-level models.

b. Number of spray arms - Our LG has 2 spray arms, one under each basket, and there is a shower at the top. I believe some models from IFB and Siemens come with 3 spray arms too (replacing that top shower), but I haven't seen one.

c. Half-Load - Some (non-entry level) Siemens models come with this option. It allows you to load and wash just one basket of utensils. Might prove useful if you frequently have less number utensils to wash.

5. Brands:

Your options are (in order of preference, based on quality and availability of A.S.S):

1. LG
2. Siemens
3. IFB
4. Haier
5. Kaff / Faber.

LG: The DWs are made in Korea and imported (mine is). Excellent fit and finish. LG A.S.S is very good and response is prompt, at least in our area. They have separate A.S.S centers for Pune and PCMC areas (I stay in PCMC), unlike Siemens.

Siemens: Good quality machines, though the temp. selection dial feels tacky. I believe even these are imported in India by a company RBS Home Appliances. Only 1 service center for Pune and PCMC, so I had my doubts about service availability. I have heard they provide much better A.S.S support in Mumbai (my cousin there owns a Siemens WM).

IFB: Plenty of sob and horror stories about their A.S.S on www.mouthshut.com. Even the E-Zone Sales Manager was cribbing about their pathetic A.S.S. The crux of the problem is that their entire A.S.S has been outsourced to third-party agencies who are least interested in solving your problems. Enough motivation for me not to touch them even with a barge pole. They do deliver the consumables though, no issues on that front. Maybe thats because they get to earn a commission on the sales.

Haier: Their chinese antecedents were enough to put me off them. To be point-blank honest, I haven't seen their DW, and I never intended to. Feel free to try your luck if you want to. No harm in taking a look.

Kaff / Faber: Again, enough rants on www.mouthshut.com. One of the reviews says that Kaff and Faber dishwashers are actually manufactured by a chinese company named "Midea". These 2 companies only re-brand and sell them. I prefer to stay away. In any case, the A.S.S networks of these 2 companies are bound to be poor. I wouldn't mind buying something cheaper like a cooktop from them, but a DW is an expensive investment, and I believe in choosing the best with maximum bang for buck and maximum peace of mind.

To sum it up, if you are thinking of purchasing a DW, don't. Just go ahead and buy it. It is a decision you will never regret, and your wife will always be grateful (my wife still is ).
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Old 21st September 2011, 14:34   #2382
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Excellent post bullit. I was looking for a good option to surprise my wife on her birthday and this may well be it. Thanks once again for your time in providing a detailed review.
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Old 21st September 2011, 15:24   #2383
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bullitt View Post
It was exactly this line of thought that drove me to buy a DW as well as a front-loading washer-dryer combo when we shifted into our new home. Since we were setting up shop and wanted to buy a bunch of appliances (as listed in the previous post), we went bargain shopping for a package deal which included the DW. At that time, E-zone gave us the best deal with a flat discount of 8% on the e-zone tag price (not MRP/MSRP) of all appliances included (cash payment). Now, to answer your queries:
Excellent clarifications bullit - I was planning a DW and Washer - 100% dryer combo for a long time. Your clarifications really helped.

Pls post some details about the washer- dryer also. Like which model you are using, total time taken to get 100% dry clothes, if there is power fail whether the drying cycle can be resumed and lastly electricity consumption.
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Old 22nd September 2011, 16:44   #2384
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

One important feature I forgot to mention in my previous post was a "height-adjustable" top tray. This helps if you need to load larger dishes in the bottom rack or tall glasses in the upper rack. Most DWs have this, but it always helps to double check before you buy, especially if you use those big full-size steel plates at home.

Quote:
Originally Posted by archat68 View Post
Excellent clarifications bullit - I was planning a DW and Washer - 100% dryer combo for a long time. Your clarifications really helped.

Pls post some details about the washer- dryer also. Like which model you are using, total time taken to get 100% dry clothes, if there is power fail whether the drying cycle can be resumed and lastly electricity consumption.
- Model:

We have the LG F1203CDP (6kg/3kg) Direct Drive model at home. Just sufficient for our needs (family of 3), but definitely falls short for a family of 4. In case you have more members in the family, there is an 8kg/4kg model available too, for some 4-5 thousand extra.

In case you haven't got it, our WM can "wash" 6kg (dry weight) of clothes, but "dry" only 3kg (dry weight).

The main grouse here is that if we are washing more than 3kg of clothes, we need to wash them first, then remove some of them to achieve the weight limit of the dryer, and then run the dryer. After thats done, we remove the dried clothes, load the clothes removed previously, and run the dryer again.

(If the dryer is run with clothes more than 3 kg, the clothes dont dry properly at all. They tend to remain damp.)

Since we tend to use the drier only during the rainy season, we dont mind the extra bit of work.

However, if we are washing only 3 kg or less worth of clothes, the dryer can run as soon as washing is done. The control for the drier is independent from the wash program selector, but we can set both controllers so that the drier will begin as soon as the wash cycle is complete.

- Time taken for 100% dry clothes:

The wash cycle includes a spin cycle, which generally makes the clothes 90-95% dry. To take care of the remaining 5-10%, you run the dryer. Time taken for the wash cycle varies widely, from 30 min to as much as 3 hrs, depending on the wash program chosen.

The drier controller knob has various settings like "Iron Dry", "Cupboard Dry" and suchlike, which I am not very familiar with. We generally use the given "timer" settings, which are 30, 60 and 90 minutes.

30 minutes is good enough for light cotton garments (like cotton kurtas or handkerchiefs). 60 minutes is good enough for most clothes like trousers and t-shirts. Jeans/bedsheets/chaddars take 90 or more.

- Memory:

One drawback in the LG washer-dryer is that the "dryer" function doesn't have any memory (probably since it has a separate controller). The wash programs do, but if the power goes out while the dryer is running, then kaput. You need to start it again. Thankfully, we face hardly any power cuts, and therefore this issue doesn't bother us at all.

- Power Consumption:

Except during season, our WM probably consumes the same amount of power as any other front-loading WM. In fact, I believe the "direct-drive" feature must make it more power-efficient than a belt-driven one.

During the rainy season, the dryer comes into play. And it does consume a fair amount of power. Since it works by circulating hot air through the WM's drum (which subsequently cools down very fast), it needs a powerful heater which works for a fair share of the dryer's running time. My guess is that it must consume at least 30 units of power a month, if not more. Our power bill tends to go up by 200-300 rupees during the rains, to give a fair indication. This increase also factors in increased water heater usage (for bath water), as the solar heaters are incapacitated during the rainy season.

Washer-dryer combos apart, one more possible approach is to buy a front-load WM and a standalone dryer separately, the sum total costs the same. In fact, those who already have a good WM at home can simply buy a clothes dryer. It is available for 15-20K, depending on brand. LG doesn't make dryers, but Siemens (too costly), IFB, Whirlpool, Haier and recently LLoyd have started making them. The advantage here is that you can dry an entire load of 5.5kg/6kg clothes in one go. And I believe they take less time too. IFB even has this "stackable" option wherein you can keep the dryer on top of the WM, thereby saving valuable real estate. The only hassle is that you need to take all the washed clothes from the WM and dump them in the dryer. Besides that, standalone dryers have some special venting requirement to vent all the hot and humid air out. (The washer/dryer combo doesn't need this.)

To sum it up, you have 2 choices. Either buy a washer-dryer combo like me (and mind the load each time you use it), or by a washer and dryer separately (and unload/load clothes from one to the other every time you use it). Take your pick.

All the best.

EDIT: I need to mention here (and you probably know this) that front-load WMs need separate low-sudsing detergent, which is expensive. Money apart, this creates a serious wash quality issue if you live in a hard-water area.

During our initial days in our new home, we used to get borewell water for utility purposes, since the municipal corporation haden't yet sanctioned a water line for our complex. When low-sudsing detergent mixes with hard water, it does not foam at all. My banians used to go from white to brownish-yellow (and lifeless) in 3 months flat. Neither Surf nor Ariel helped (both Rs.200/kg), but Henko worked to an extent (Rs. 135/kg then). I still had to buy new banians every 6 months. Once a month, we used to soak all white clothes in a mixture of white vinegar and water (1:4) overnight, then wash them in the hottest wash program with extra detergent the next day. This used to help keep white clothes "white", to a certain extent.

Now that we have municipal water, the problem has reduced greatly (and we have since reverted to Surf Excel). But if you live in a hard water area, be aware. You will face problems.

Cheers,
Bullitt

Last edited by Bullitt : 22nd September 2011 at 17:00. Reason: Additional info.
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Old 22nd September 2011, 17:56   #2385
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Re: The Home Appliance thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bullitt View Post
5. Brands:

Your options are (in order of preference, based on quality and availability of A.S.S):

1. LG
2. Siemens
3. IFB
4. Haier
5. Kaff / Faber.
You can now add BOSCH to it, launched today.

Bosch Home Appliances India
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