this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2024
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I bought an "analog" washing machine (I can't believe I just wrote that) because of simplicity. The more complicated something is, the more difficult it is to repair, and the more potential points of failure there are.
Buy a used older model if you need a machine. Because it's cheaper, because it is more basic in its components, because those parts are probably cheaper to buy and replace yourself if need be, and mainly because someone is selling it at its age because it STILL works. Anything tied to a circuit board with a processor is a time bomb.
You will not get a washing machine without processor, let alone PCB. Processors also hardly ever fail. It is stuff like the voltage conversion which powers the logic side, the actual power switches for the motor, capacitors or simply stuff that corrodes.
Does an old school washer dryer that runs off timer relays / knobs / push buttons really have a CPU? I ask because that's how mine is and I haven't had to look at the controls but they seem dead simple to me. I get there's different cycles but some simple ladder logic should be able to handle that, no? Half the world runs on simple machines like that.
Nope, it's just a timer-drive. cam triggering switches. The physical cam IS the CPU.
We have reached a point in time where there are adults who think everything that runs through multiple steps must have a microcontroller, because only really really old machines* do without.
*For the most part. I bought a brand new whirlpool dryer late last year, and it has a mechanical timer in it.
Mine has analog dials. I consulted several "buy it for life" communities before I purchased. Anything to cut down on unnecessary complications.
Are there any of these communities you could recommend?
The main one that has served me most well is over on reddit. /r/buyitforlife
What is it
https://www.maytag.com/washers-and-dryers/washers/top-load-washers/p.top-load-washer-with-deep-fill-4.5-cu.-ft.mvw4505mw.html?
https://www.maytag.com/washers-and-dryers/dryers/gas/p.top-load-gas-dryer-with-steam-enhanced-cycles-7.0-cu.-ft.mgd5430mw.html?
Thanks. I have an LG washer and dryer, electric. They seem to work great now but I can't see them working well for years. It's been about 3 years now. My oven is maytag and we love it. Def. Keeping this in mind.
A newer machine however is a lot more efficient when looking at your energy and water bill.
Switching from an older to a newer machine made quite a difference on my monthly bills.
Having a newer machine cost me slightly less money on utilities, and considerably more in washing machine parts.
For me the savings on the electrical bill will be more than what I spent on the machine before the warranty is over.
Doubt.
My electric bill changed by less than $2 per month when I installed an "inefficient" washing machine. It was so little that I'm not sure the washer was the cause. That's $72 over a period of three years. The machine it replaced was just out of warranty and needed a $200 drain pump.
I suspect the diffence here is what we pay for electricity. It is quite expensive in Europe. I pay around 0,35 euro per 1 kWh.
Yeah but washing machines either use a really simple micro controller or a whole load of really complex voltage based logic and control board electronics that even the guy who designed it couldn't fix without a lot of writing notes and doing maths.
There's more to go wrong on an old washing machine and each control board was unique to the machine so tracking down a replacement is hard - a nice simple raspberry pi Pico you can flash over WiFi would make it so easy to switch out one heater for another without too much thought about impedance or upgrade the turbidity sensor without desoldering resistors.
Plus it gives you infinite control over the program cycles allowing you to update up the best wash method for your detergent and lifestyle.
Of course you can only do that with an open source one. I think it's coming, year of the open source ~~desktop~~ kitchen work surface coming soon.
What? Old washing machines just use switches and a cam that's on a timer. Anyone who can read a basic schematic can figure out what is wrong with one.
That's not really true though, the electronics is pretty complex and requires significant work to use different components - I'm sitting next to a pile of dissembled washing machines so i could talk you through a few of the complexities involved in reworking those if you like
There are washing machines without anything more complex than a switch in them. If you really had a "pile of disassembled washing machines" you'd know that.
Nothing to control the motor, nothing to control the heater, nothing to do timing or turn on and off water in and out?
Even a really shitty one has door lock sensor, temperature sensor, turbidity sensor..
Which means logic gates and transformers and things to shift voltages or control power flow.
That's before you even get into the logic of controlled programs or advanced features like weight based energy saving.
A micro controller connected to a few relays and sensors could replace all the complex stuff and it'd cost far less, plus it could tell you which sensor is out. Plus it allows you to do otherwise very complex things like reprogram the current job while it's running or to sync with other devices to limit max power load.