[Thad E Ginathom]

Flooded LG washing machine...

One technician gave us tale of woe that we had to go LG because only they have the parts. Our AC guy took it away, took it apart, dried out the motor (high-up components did not get wet) and dried everything out. Returned to us in a few hours

[Ashokkp]

Hello

I am planning to buy a dishwasher(finally!!!) and have a few questions;

1. Is it effective for stainless steel plates/vessels OR is it better to switch to ceramic?

2. We are a family of 5; Is a 14 place setting enough ? We use utensils efficiently.

3. Is the self-cleaning function real handy? Is lack of this feature a deal breaker?

4. I am zeroing in on LG mainly due to the long warranty offered(10 years). Am i choosing wisely?

Help...

Regards
Ashok

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Flooded LG washing machine...

One technician gave us tale of woe that we had to go LG because only they have the parts. Our AC guy took it away, took it apart, dried out the motor (high-up components did not get wet) and dried everything out. Returned to us in a few hours

It is the same as cars. ASS will want to replace, and the FNG will use other ways incl the great Indian Technology known as Jugaad.

[Thad E Ginathom]

But now I really, really want to get rid of my suicide-dancing LG machine.

Oddly, I find that it is not to bad when washing a full load: I suppose it is able to distribute it around the drum better. Washing one or two items, though, invites disaster and I am fed up with it. I've had enough.

Post Chennai flood, I have dozens of things to wash. Many full loads, but some smaller too.

Somebody told me yesterday that all front-load washing machines vibrate. This is utterly wrong. Top loaders all but disappeared from the British market long, long ago, and not one of the fully-auto machines I've known in the past, once levelled with a builder's spirit level, had this problem. Some of them stood on wooden floors: this machine would destroy one!

My longest-lived, best, washing machine was a Bosch (but it cost about GBP600 over a decade ago) but I'm rather off German companies at the moment, so will probably head for Panasonic.

[sgiitk]

Thad; One other reason why Europe went off top loaders, is space. Many homes have both a washer and dryer (a washer-dryer will only take half load for drying). Now with front loaders they can be stacked, one on top of the other which is not possible with top loaders. Essentially, Europe is Front Loader, US Top Loader and Japan Twin Tub.

[SchumiFan]

Checked out two dealers around Thiruvanmiyur. Might finalize on Bosch. Its 7KG machine seems VFM compared to LG's similar model.

Also while the direct drive seems a good tech, I am going to have to put my trust on the old, reliable one of the belt system.

What is shocking though is the price they are quoting for the old machines. A mere 1000-2000.

Thank you for everyone's inputs on the topic. It made the decision process easier.

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Please use a voltage stabiliser to bring down the voltage to acceptable levels. The mainboard cost me 10k for replacement; the machine itself was 24k back in 2011. Other than this expensive repair done few months back, it has been working fine.

Thank you Gannu_1. Will ensure I buy that as well for peace of mind. This is an old house as well and I am not taking any chances.

[Gannu_1]

Guys, specifically those using the Siemens/Bosch machines, please check if the input voltage from the socket is higher than 240V. The machine is intended to be operated within 220-240 V. Anything higher and the mainboard and the components will be damaged eventually. We moved to a new apartment last year December and the mainboard conked out within 10 months and the Bosch technician suggested this has happened due to the input voltage being 245 V, sometimes peaking out at 250 V! He showed it to us with his DMM.

Please use a voltage stabiliser to bring down the voltage to acceptable levels. The mainboard cost me 10k for replacement; the machine itself was 24k back in 2011. Other than this expensive repair done few months back, it has been working fine.

[Pallavi]

Please find my answers in line

Originally Posted by Ashokkp

Hello

I am planning to buy a dishwasher(finally!!!) and have a few questions;

1. Is it effective for stainless steel plates/vessels OR is it better to switch to ceramic?
It is effective both on stainless steel and ceramic vessels. Stainless steel vessels have a better shine when washed in the dishwasher than by hand. Be careful with plastic though. Unless they are marked dishwasher safe, avoid loading them.

2. We are a family of 5; Is a 14 place setting enough ? We use utensils efficiently.
Yes.. it should be sufficient. On days with too much load, run a second load.

3. Is the self-cleaning function real handy? Is lack of this feature a deal breaker?
Almost all dishwashers saw were self cleaning and yes it is handy

4. I am zeroing in on LG mainly due to the long warranty offered(10 years). Am i choosing wisely?
LG 10yr warranty is not comprehensive. Leaves out a lot of components. Make sure you read the fine print before you finalize the purchase.

Do consider other brands like IFB and Bosch before you decide. The price difference is too much to ignore.

We used our IFB dishwasher for 9 yrs before moving onto Bosch, mainly due to the service issues in Bangalore. If Mumbai has better IFB service folks, do opt for it. The 9+yrs of our experience with the IFB dishwasher has been totally hassle free.

[nareshov]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

...
Please use a voltage stabiliser to bring down the voltage to acceptable levels. The mainboard cost me 10k for replacement; the machine itself was 24k back in 2011. Other than this expensive repair done few months back, it has been working fine.

Was your model an India-specific model? i.e. Did it have a "IN" suffix?

...
We knew from the beginning that our imported products would be good for the urban consumer, but if we wanted to tap into the top 200 cities in India, we would need to make changes to our foreign models. I'll share two examples. Voltage fluctuations are common in India and we could have sold the product with an external stabiliser, but we realised that the consumer wouldn’t accept this. So we incorporated an internal stabiliser (this is a modification that most multinational home appliance companies have made for the Indian market). Second, clothes don't dry easily in the monsoon. That is when consumers feel the need for a powerful dryer. We ensured the machine we built in our Chennai factory had high drying efficiency.
...

from http://forbesindia.com/printcontent/41669

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by nareshov

Was your model an India-specific model? i.e. Did it have a "IN" suffix?

Yes although the internal stabiliser addition might have happened with the recent versions. Ours was from the launch versions.

[TheTeacher]

One big downside of upgrading our 9 year old Whirlpool washing machine: higher electricity consumption. When we lose power the apartment generator kicks in and supplies max of 1 kw to each apartment. Our washing machine runs comfortable within this limit. I see that the newer front-load machines are 8-10 amps. This could be a real downer, for sometimes we are on generator for hours together, sometimes for a few days back-to-back, and wifey has a minimum of two wash loads a day that she does.

[Ashokkp]

Pallavi

Thank you so much. Very enlightening. I too checked out Bosch at a friend's place and they vouch for its reliability.

Regards

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Go to any plumbing shop with these and ask for a "reducer" attachment. One end will screw on to these the other end will be narrower to allow a normal garden hose attachment.

I have a feeling that these are high pressure units, so do not know how much water will come out at normal pressure.

Originally Posted by thenomad

Something like this is what you have to scout for in the local hardware shop. Show a picture of what you are looking for. Its not that common to find this as people barely use threaded attachments for garden hose fittings.

I saw this on AliExpress but they don't have one with the right diameter. Perhaps take a pic of this and check with a local hardware store. Thanks!

[nareshov]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Yes although the internal stabiliser addition might have happened with the recent versions. Ours was from the launch versions.

Attachment 1452093

Ah, I think mine might not be that recent either. Which stabiliser did you end up with? What specs to look for?

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by nareshov

Ah, I think mine might not be that recent either. Which stabiliser did you end up with? What specs to look for?

I went with a locally manufactured unit Naresh. Searched for V Guard but didn't find a dealer around so settled with this one. This has a 2 year warranty and shows the output voltage through an analog voltmeter. There is a time delay of a minute or two after turning the unit on.