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If the water is not hard, the frequency of descaling can be reduced but not completeley eliminated. Even if you get soft water, it will have chlorine and some salts. Plus, descaling helps remove the residual soap deposits as well.

I have been using a Bosch washing machine for 6 years and a dishwasher for 9 months. Haven't used a descaler ever and both machines have never caused any issues.

My earlier LG washing machine was never descaled in 11 years. Current LG is a year old not planning to descale it either.

Depends on your water quality too I suppose. My Bosch dish washer outlet strainer got completely choked due to scaling and I had to use serious elbow grease to open up the pores of the filter due to the calcium deposits on them. Since then I installed a whole house water softener and have not seen the issue after that. I have purchased the descaler powders and dish washer cleaners which one needs to run on empty cycles but haven't really used them recently.

I have purchased them recently as well after I thought I saw something in my water, but didn't use them. However, I went to get my water tested and they didn't find anything in the water. They even asked me if I had bought RO water to get checked as TDS was so low. I only have a couple of sediment filters through which my borewell water passes as we used to get very fine clay/dust in the water before that.

But this water supply is only for the last 4 years. Our washing machine was used on Chandigarh supply water for 2 years before that and there weren't any issues there either because our water supply was good enough to drink straight out of the tap.

That's why I asked earlier that is it necessary to use descaler if your water is not hard.

I use white Vinegar for descaling atleast twice a year even though Mumbai water isn't hard. I buy a litre bottle and dump half in the drum and half in the soap section and then run the 90 degree wash program with soak option.
Reason for using vinegar is twofold. As an acid it removes limescale and secondly it's antifungal so gets rid of the black moldy stuff on the lining and the smell

I am looking to replace my existing manual washing machine with an automatic one. looking to get the top loading one so that its easy for my better half . Is top loading one better or the front loading one?

Any other points that i need to keep in mind?

Budget : within 20k, but if required can stretch.

Can you suggest which one should i go for?

How is top-load easier? One still has to reach down into the drum to remove the clothes.

My perspective on this is limited. I have only used a top-loader once in thirty years.

Friends,
I have an IFB washing machine, roughly 7 years old.
The drum stopped rotating so called for the authorised IFB technician to have a look.

The guy came after 2 days.

I was in office when he arrived, and on checking, told us that the circuit board looks conked and will need replacement @ 3k. We agreed to it.
Next day he came with the board and replaced it, but there was no change. So he starts checking again and said, motor gone and will need replacement, and that he will come with it next day.

My wife informed me that the motor will cost 6k, and if the new board it also required, then another 3k (600 back if the old motor is given to them). I immediately called up that technician and asked him to put the new parts order on hold as I was not willing to spend 9k on a 7 year old machine.

Next day I called a known electrician to check the motor.
He checked and confirmed motor was absolutely fine, and the issue is the carbon brushes. He asked us to source it from IFB itself as heavy duty carbon is required for the washing machine DC motor (front load).

I called up the technician, who clearly refused, saying carbon is not sold by the company and the entire motor will have to be replaced.
I was perplexed. From what I understood, carbon brushes are external parts of the motor and can be easily replaced without the need to open the motor. But IFB will not supply these, which costs maybe not more than 500 a pair, but insist that customer replace the entire working motor for 6k.
I went back to the electrician, who was able to source a general purpose same size brushes from the local market for 150 bucks but he clarified that these may not last long. Since there was no other way, i went in for this fix couple of weeks back.

Any suggestions ? The only way I can see is for me to exchange this machine till the time it is in working condition, but if there is a way for a more reliable fix, I would prefer to not spend on a new machine.

It needs to be of that exact size. I searched a lot for IFB one's but no luck. The number mentioned on the brush was 0912.

Though personally I am averse to LG but my in-laws got an LG top loader recently for around 18 or 19K and it does the job well. Since LG is a good name, I think long term performance should be at par with other good known brands.

We personally have an IFB front loader for more than 20 years now :D and we are happy with it. I would keep myself away from Samsung front loaders because I have heard that the cast iron tri-stabilizer arms are exposed to water which makes it susceptible to corrosion.

I would also like to know. Common sense tells me that it will be easier to take out washed clothes from front loader, esp since they are heavier due to water soaked in. But is loading a top loader any easier than the front load ones?

You can try amazon. They sell carbon brushes for washing machines. A casual search yielded these results:

https://www.amazon.in/s?k=carbon+bru...b_sb_ss_i_1_12

Check, if anyone suits.

Regards,
Saket

I would recommend a front loading for two reasons. Front loaders consume about 40% of water used by top loaders. With the growing water crisis and a washing machine being a long term appliance that you would keep for at least 10 years, it is better to go for front loader. Also the front loaders due to their washing action, provide a better cleaning compared to top loaders.

As Thad has pointed, even in top loaders, one has to bend down to remove the clothes from the bottom. So, please do not make your buying decision on ease of loading or unloading.

I think that the Siemens brushes would do, as IFB is an older version of Bosch and Bosh and Siemens WM are practically same mechanically.

Just check the old brushes against the image
https://www.amazon.in/Homely-Durable...s%2C286&sr=8-5

A very elderly person, orone with a specific back problem, might find it easier to use a top loader. For others, loading/or unloading with front loader and basket is very, very easy. Mine is slightly raised on a brick platform which makes it even easier!

Before coming here, I thought of top loaders as the dinosaurs of washing machines: only to be found as fossils! But they seem to have held on in Asia, as I have seen them in Singapore too. They do seem to be cheaper. Anyway, I am happy to have left them in the 1970s!

Top Loaders dominate the USA market also.

Thank you for the suggestions & recommendations, while i would also like to get the front loading one, we did check out both types at a local showroom and wifey wants the top loading one. Have not decided on the brand yet but will finalize it soon.

Zaveed