[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by harry10

Can someone recommend one with a least 23L capacity minimum... I am open to any good brand which is reliable and long lasting.

Reliability is as yet unknown, but I looked around and was instrumental in two of my friends purchasing this from amazon. Excellent oven with a plethora of preset options. Both of them are happily churning out one dish after another. The icing on the cake (apart from baking delicious cakes ) was the effective price we got - ₹11,xxx/- during the festive sales.

It now retails at ₹14,490/-; still VFM.

[BenjiRoss]

Originally Posted by harry10

Our 8 year old home microwave stopped working yesterday so need a new one urgently. Can someone recommend one with a least 23L capacity minimum. FYI I am using a IFB one at my office since last 1 year which has been working great. Though I am open to any good brand which is reliable and long lasting.

Microwaves are usually simple machines to fix. It's usually the motor or the magnetron or a fuse/wire that commonly fail.
In 2008, my IFB stopped working and required a magnetron change out of warranty.
This 10 year old IFB had a motor failure in 2017 and I hurriedly bought another IFB. The installation person fixed the old microwave in a day - it needed another motor. So I ended up giving away the old one which was working well after the motor change.
The new IFB stopped heating and needed a magnetron change under warranty. Took 1 hour to diagnose and fix, but 12 days for the spare to
arrive! Overall have had mixed luck with IFB.

[Thad E Ginathom]

LG has been getting praise for customer service on the AC thread. Same for me with microwave. First visit was delayed due to Chennai flood stress on their resources, but spares were obtained and fixed within 24 hours.

A word for Grundfoss A-S-S... Their pumps are expensive, and i was never that keen on their customer service. They left me with a drip that caused a rusty mess. Things don't often improve with outsourcing! However, in this case, they have.

The guys came to fix an issue, said that they would certainly fix my drip, but wanted to take the pump to the workshop for a full service and told me it would be as-new.

It was returned looking super clean and, with new bearings and seals, sounding even quieter. However, observation showed a drip coming from another place. On calling the engineer, he listened to me and looked, but said he had to watch for a while. He told me the leak was not where i thought, but some seal had not been fitted correctly and it would have to go back to workshop overnight.

Of course, they could have got it right first time, but, according to my philosophy that it is not making no mistakes, but in how they handle them, that marks a company, they are doing well.

Oh... And the guy had an engineering degree.

[auto-one]

With a small family of three members, I was looking for a washing machine with a capacity of around 6 kg with an intuitive UI and a big display . Initially I was planning to buy a front loader for the superior wash quality and features,but taking into consideration the possible higher power consumption
( compared to the top loaders ) and my overall requirements, I decided to buy a top loader instead.

During this buying process I came across certain facts related to top loading washing machines and would like to share my observations which are as follows:-

1) It is better to buy big appliances from an offline store due to the warranty and installation factors involved. I had a horrible experience with an online giant retailer ( I will share this experience soon ) and have realized that these online retailers are not quite equipped to solve the customer complaints .

2) I visited both small and large offline stores and observed that Croma and Reliance Digital stock the latest models.Also their sales personnel are well informed and polite.

3) Of all the stores I visited, Vijay Sales was the worst when it came to product availability and staff attitude. I was recommended to by a 7 kg machine by one of its salesman, simply because they did not have the 6 kg model of a particular brand. Their staff seemed to lack product information and were least interested in selling.

4) Front loaders usually have bigger displays, but the lower end models either have a small display or are not intuitive. Only the the top end models have both, a bigger and intuitive display.

5) Top loaders have a small display and are not feature rich. Only the higher capacity models - 9 kg and above have better displays.

6) Top loaders below 6.5 kg do not have some essential features like an intuitive UI.

7) Here are my Brand wise observations- ( Top loaders only ) :--

A) LG -
Overall built quality seems to be average.Neither cheap nor premium.
The company offers feature rich models ( 6.5 kg on wards )
The machines are usually reliable and all the models have an inverter motor.
They usually have a simple design
The display colour is usually Green ( Top end 11 kg model has a nice premium bluish - white display )
Pricing is usually competitive and varies from store to store.
The 6.2 kg model has two variants - one with six water levels, the other with ten water levels.
The jet spay model has been discontinued.
I found that the earlier generation models had a bigger and better display.

B) Samsung -
Built quality seems to be better than LG. Even the glass top looks sturdier.
Their machines are over priced.
Display colour for mid to premium models is icy blue while it is red for lower end models.
Surprisingly , the latest Digital inverter models do not have a dedicated soak program. The 'intense wash' program does include soak facility, but is is only for a limited time and cannot be customized.

C) Whirlpool -
Their machines feel sturdy and have an excellent built quality.
Even the design looks premium and eye catching.
They offer machines at a competitive pricing
Some models offer hot wash option.
Agitator is used in most of the models.
Display colour is green and the UI is all about icons and is not intuitive.
I have been told that their machines offer the best wash quality among the top loaders.

D) IFB -
This company offers big display in many models ( imitating the front loader cousins)
Built quality and fit-finish is average to less than average
Horrible after sales support has been reported on many online stores. This service issue was echoed by some salesmen from the offline stores.

E) Godrej -
To its credit, this company offers the most innovative displays in their models . First it was the Eon series, now the Eon Allure . Premium models have big futuristic looking displays, but sadly the UI isn't intuitive.
Fewer stores stock Godrej machines.
As informed by some salesmen, reliability of the motors ( and the machines ) is doubtful so is the after sales support.

F) Panasonic -
Their machines come with a great eye catching design.
Fewer stores stock Panasonic machines.
Many models are over priced.
Only the higher end model ( 8 kg ) has an intuitive UI.

I chose the LG 6.5 kg model for the unbeatable combination of reliability,features,after sales support and price. Wish the display could have been better and bigger though .
True to its reputation of excellent support, my machine was installed within 48 hours of delivery.
Hope the machines serves me well.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

You could well have done with 5 kg or less. I presume you got LG top loading. Which specific model? I also remember that some LG machines offered BT and WiFi connectivity. Does this model have connectivity?

How do you conclude that front loaders consume more power than top loaders

[diyguy]

I have a 18kg Samsung front load washing machine which I hooked up with a wifi switch that also reports power consumption. Found for our wash cycle of normal wash at full load with run time of 55 minutes, the power consumed in each run is around 0.17 KWH. The last three days has consumed under 0.6KWH. This has surprised me and wanted to share. Will test my dish washer next just to compare and try to figure out if the readings are right.

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by diyguy

I have a 18kg Samsung front load washing machine which I hooked up with a wifi switch that also reports power consumption. Found for our wash cycle of normal wash at full load with run time of 55 minutes, the power consumed in each run is around 0.17 KWH. The last three days has consumed under 0.6KWH. This has surprised me and wanted to share. Will test my dish washer next just to compare and try to figure out if the readings are right.

HI, Do check the following points.
1. Did you change the type of load. Like heavy bed sheets, Jeans or other thick clothes?
2. Was the hot water mode turned ON by any chance and the heater inside started doing its job?
3. If it is not a direct drive mechanism, check the belt tension.

Regards,
Ilango P

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by ilangop

1. Did you change the type of load. Like heavy bed sheets, Jeans or other thick clothes?

Hello, the machine works well and is less than a year old. Our normal cycle is run with cold water and not hot. I wanted to share the efficiency of the machine and will crank it up a bit to check power consumption on other modes as well.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Thanks to you 2 guys, diyguy, and Ilangop. Your discussion opened up something new for me. There is a solar off grid setup here, and was thinking how to put the wm too on the solar set up. Did a small research and found that "energy monitors" are available which tell you the power consumed. Around ₹ 1k on Amazon for 10 amp 230 V unit. But most WMs have 15A plugs. Guess we need higher rated ones.

[tj123]

My in-laws have a Propel branded 1.5Hp treadmill, it’s hardly ever used. We borrowed it and been using for last 10 days and then I figured out that after 15 minutes of moderate usage the motor is heating up and almost smoking.

I called up the service center and they are quoting 13K -14K for permanent magnet DC motor replacement. I am wondering why will a DC motor cost so much and why it is heating up. I have attached a picture of the motor label. Any thoughts on should I replace the motor or get a new unit.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by tj123

I called up the service center and they are quoting 13K -14K for permanent magnet DC motor replacement. I am wondering why will a DC motor cost so much and why it is heating up. I have attached a picture of the motor label. Any thoughts on should I replace the motor or get a new unit.

Before you decide one way or the other, check the motor's inner fan. Even a pump motor will have one fan blade connected to its shaft to suck in cooler air. If the cage is covered with dust or its fan blade is encrusted with muck, it won't be able to cool the armature in your case.

Take it to your FNG electrician who can service the motor. It is in a way similar to the starting motor.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by harry10

Our 8 year old home microwave stopped working yesterday so need a new one urgently. Can someone recommend one with a least 23L capacity minimum. FYI I am using a IFB one at my office since last 1 year which has been working great. Though I am open to any good brand which is reliable and long lasting.

Update on this.
Our Local electrician repaired it and it's working fine now. Same for the geyser in one of our bathrooms. Cost of repair for both is 1200. New ones would have cost 20k for sure. Unwanted expenses saved

[Rodie09]

Originally Posted by diyguy

I have a 18kg Samsung front load washing machine which I hooked up with a wifi switch that also reports power consumption. Found for our wash cycle of normal wash at full load with run time of 55 minutes, the power consumed in each run is around 0.17 KWH. The last three days has consumed under 0.6KWH. This has surprised me and wanted to share. Will test my dish washer next just to compare and try to figure out if the readings are right.

Hey diyguy,

Would you mind sharing the details on the Wifi Switch and the cost. I'd be really interested in such a product if it works with Indian set up, is accurate and durable.

Really want to see how the Dishwasher in my house contributes to the overall bill. Its a 10 year old unit and I suspect its a major power consumer in household.

Cheers!!

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by Rodie09

Would you mind sharing the details on the Wifi Switch and the cost.

Its called 'Sonoff POW' and has two versions now. I have the older Gen devices at home and have ordered the new ones from aliexpress. That is called Sonoff POW R2. Sonoff has many devices for different applications and the POW model for power tracking in real-time and statistical mode.

[auto-one]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

You could well have done with 5 kg or less. I presume you got LG top loading. Which specific model? I also remember that some LG machines offered BT and WiFi connectivity. Does this model have connectivity?

How do you conclude that front loaders consume more power than top loaders

1) Yes, I did consider models of around 5 kg. But I found that they lacked many features like an inverter motor,air wash, tub dry and didn't come with a comprehensive display.
2) I bought the LG 6.5 kg top loader, model T7581NDDLG.
3) I guess only the top end models have BT and WIFI connectivity. My model doesn't have it. Strangely, in the top loading segment, almost every manufacturer offers top end models only with capacities of 9 KG and above.
4) Power ( Electricity ) consumption of top loaders is somewhere between 350 and 450 watts and need a 5 AMP power point. Front loaders, on the other hand, consume more than 1000 watts ( even for a cold wash ) and need a 15 AMP power point. This was informed by the salesmen across different showrooms.