Need some advice on purchasing Washing Machine

[Tejas01]

This will be my first washing machine and I am truly clueless what should I look for. Need your help with some pointers. Following are some details if they help.

1. Top load machine for a family of two.
2. Weight- between 6-7 kg. I mean I don't know. Will 7 kg be too much for 2 people. We will be primarily using it for washing heavy clothes like bedsheets, curtains, recron pillows. I was thinking of getting 6.5 kgs if in case there is extra load. 7 kg just to be extra safe.
3. Which brand to look for? No idea. LG seems fine. Any brand which has a better service record. I have had bad experiences with big brands like Sony, Hitachi, IFB. So will be avoiding them. Samsung, LG have been good for me. My 2002 Samsung refrigerator still going strong.
4. Most important- I live in an area where the issue of corrosion is significant. So any company which offers durable electronics will be preferred.(Seems LG already got a head start here with corrosion proof and inverter tech.)
5. Availability of spare parts.
6. I live on 4th floor and the main water tank is on the 8th floor(terrace). So I am assuming there shouldn't be any issue with water pressure. In summers it may create some problem when water supply is reduced.
7. Budget 15,000-18,000.
8. Can i get a heater in top load models? From what I searched for, didn't find any.
What are the other things I need to look for? Do I need to get a wheel tray? I mean I am looking at a possibility that I might have to move the machine during summers when water supply and pressure is low.
What are the demerits of not having the required water pressure?

 

[socrates]

I will try to answer point wise
2) 6.5kg (ideal) or 7 should be just enough. You will always find something to wash in it. What I don't do is wash my shoes in it. Believe it or not some people actually do that in the same washing machine.
3) LG ( thought last one was a big disappointment) or Samsung is good in Mumbai. I would have opted for one of these but when we went in for a new one in the beginning of this year we got a shock that in top loading they dont make machines with option for hot & cold water. Our entire plumbing in our house is ithe provision foe hot & cold inlets for the machine. So we bought an IFB which had this provision.
4) & 5) Parts should not be a problem for LG & Samsung in Mumbai.
6) This should not be a problem either, there should not be any problem in water pressure. I have only one floor above me & then terrace with the water tanks, I never had any problems.
7) Should fit you budget.
8) Answered above.
Any stand will increase vibration & hence noise. Where would you want to move it again in your house. I didn't understand this point.🤔. Just ensure that the machine is on level ground. Many machines have a built level meter or you can use a spirit level to check the same. Usually the demo guy checks this for you & does the needful. Like putting some padding if necessary just like wth refrigerators & cupboards. 😁

 

[socrates]

BTW way was your bad experience with brands like Sony, Hitachi, IFB washing machines? Any inputs on IFB washing machines is welcome

 

[lucifer]

Any specific reason to prefer top load to front load?

 

[Tejas01]

@socrates So which model did you go for?
My experiences..
Sony- two Sony bravia tv's from two relatives went kaput. The replacement part costed one of them ~50k. Another tv from my masi(Another Bravia costing 1 lakh at that time also went kaput. The damaged part was too expensive to replace. She brought another Bravia.. yeah she is Sony fanwoman).
Hitachi-my aircon ripped the life out of me whenever I needed it to work. As mentioned, I live in area prone to corrosion so it underwent corrosion leading to gas leakages and refill every year. And their CC number never worked. So this year when both my uncle and mine ac were being repaired, I found that his LG ac(he got it from his daughter in law who got it 2 years after me.) had blue fin coating to prevent corrosion. I was like, a relatively small company like LG can study Indian weather conditions and give suitable protection, big companies like hitachi can't do such small things. They charge insane amount just in the name of brand with pathetic service.
IFB- my masi(yeah the same one who got bravia) gifted her 2 year packed wm to my younger mama for use. It was good for features, but once you set the cycle and if you had some more clothes to put you would have to wait till cycle in complete. This was a deal breaker as my mama has this habit of throwing clothes anywhere and when he found them to put for washing, the machine was busy with cycle. Next came the PCB damage whose tantrums knew no bounds. The PCB was no longer available. My mami had it, sold that junk and got a semi-auto m/c. Life is peaceful now.

My uncle living on 3rd floor had water heater in top load machine from Whirlpool. But two weeks ago, the drum got damaged. The reason cited was that the heating element melted the plastic needed for stabilising the drums which finally gave way. So he told them to remove the heating element. The drum was of plastic though.
I also looked for LG front load which had heating element costing 24,000 on Amazon. Any idea of price difference in LG showroom?

Sorry for the long post...

 

[Tejas01]

@lucifer space constraints.
My kitchen is relatively small and the piping arrangements, drainage are made in kitchen. Going for front load would mean it would obstruct the space for opening the fridge(fl m/c and fridge would be opposite to each other). My dad is very volatile when it comes to adjustments or changes in status quo. Hell would break loose if he finds he has to do some adjustment opening the fridge or grocery items.
But main reason is cost... My dad would have closed this chapter if I told him that wm costs more than 20k. The fact that I mentioned 15k, so atleast he was open to suggestion.
But... there is a sign of hope. My dad prefers washing clothes in hot water, so now it depends if the absence of heating arrangement could make him think about getting a FL m/c. But cost is a factor. If I can get LG FL m/c in 20k, may be he could agree.

 

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[igloo]

Few models of whirlpool top load have heater inbuilt.
Bosch one has provision for seperate hot n cold water so you can connect geyser pipe directly.
LG n samsung are best for service n repair but samsung have higher fault rate imo, mostly their display n sensors go crazy over time.
Front load saves water n power.

 

[shashankb]

Bro I know budget is tight , but dont go for Top-load . You will simply waste money and do not get cleaner clothes as good as Front load in my personal experience . Front load is best I believe

 

[Tejas01]

LG 6.0 Kg 5 Star Inverter Fully-Automatic Front Loading Washing Machine (FHM1006ADW, White, Direct Drive Technology): Amazon.in: Home & Kitchen

LG 6.0 Kg 5 Star Inverter Fully-Automatic Front Loading Washing Machine (FHM1006ADW, White, Direct Drive Technology): Amazon.in: Home & Kitchen

www.amazon.in

This costs 24,000. How much price can I expect if I purchase from LG showroom?

Buy Latest LG Washing Machine Online at Best Price in India

Best Washing Machines in India: Compare & Buy LG Washing Machine Online. Choose from semi/fully-automatic, top load & front load washing machines.

www.lg.com

This one is TL which I am thinking of getting.

Amazon.in

 

[Tejas01]

Can anyone having LG or experience with LG w/m clarify one thing? Are their drums sealed permanently like in Bosch, Siemens or they have modular arrangement wherein you can replace the drum in case if there is any fault and not like replacing the entire assembly which is almost equivalent to getting a new w/m.
Also, how is their heating mechanism?

 

[Tejas01]

I will try to answer point wise
2) 6.5kg (ideal) or 7 should be just enough. You will always find something to wash in it. What I don't do is wash my shoes in it. Believe it or not some people actually do that in the same washing machine.
3) LG ( thought last one was a big disappointment) or Samsung is good in Mumbai. I would have opted for one of these but when we went in for a new one in the beginning of this year we got a shock that in top loading they dont make machines with option for hot & cold water. Our entire plumbing in our house is ithe provision foe hot & cold inlets for the machine. So we bought an IFB which had this provision.
4) & 5) Parts should not be a problem for LG & Samsung in Mumbai.
6) This should not be a problem either, there should not be any problem in water pressure. I have only one floor above me & then terrace with the water tanks, I never had any problems.
7) Should fit you budget.
8) Answered above.
Any stand will increase vibration & hence noise. Where would you want to move it again in your house. I didn't understand this point.🤔. Just ensure that the machine is on level ground. Many machines have a built level meter or you can use a spirit level to check the same. Usually the demo guy checks this for you & does the needful. Like putting some padding if necessary just like wth refrigerators & cupboards. 😁

Thanks for your detailed reply..
Sorry for not being clear in the earlier post. I initially thought of moving the m/c from the kitchen through the hall to 1st bathroom which has an additional tank. So in summers when there is sureshot cut in supply from BMC, I thought of running the machine from the tank instead of direct supply, but that would be really cumbersome. Also, if there are some wheels you can clean the area occupied. Kitchen is entire marble so I am sure it will leave permanent stains if not cleaned regularly. How do you manage with cleaning?
Can you share your experience with top load m/c wrt its cleaning ability, power consumption and maintenance. Many people on this forum in other threads and this have suggested to go for Front load given its advantages over power,water and cleaning ability. While I could get try to get FL m/c, space could be a constraint. I really need to use the measuring tape to estimate the space taken by the FL m/c.
Also with IFB, many suggested not to go due to its poor after sales support.

 

[socrates]

We have separate niche for the washing machine. It was made taking into account the then machine in use plus a few inches on all side with ample space to open the top. I can sneak the vacuum cleaner tube at the bottom to remove dust or remove the entire machine to clean that space. We have had tvs whirlpool, Samsung & LG & now IFB. All top loading as theres a fear of water stopping when machine is in use & clothes getting stuck in the machine. Incase of top loading can remove clothes & wash by hand using an alternate sources of water. The machine is outside the bathroom (with a power socket next to it) so water splashing, the inlet & outlet pipes are led thru holes in the wall to the bathroom.
Never used front loading so far but they should be better as they work at a higher rpm. Especially the direct drive ones.

 

[shashankb]

Are their drums sealed permanently like in Bosch, Siemens or they have modular arrangement wherein you can replace the drum in case if there is any fault and
Also, how is their heating mechanism?

I do not have a in-depth idea about the modular arrangement , but in LG it is called Direct drive motor mechansim . It means the drive motor connects directly to the drum . This reduces vibration and energy loss as I know .
LG has built-in heating . Takes cold water inlet(single inlet for water) , heats the water( you have option for temperature setting)

 

[Tejas01]

@shashankb Thanks for that... I was aware of DD being a brushless motor leading to less vibrations and low power consumption.
What I meant was companies like Bosch, Siemens, Whirlpool use sealed drums. So in case if any part to ensure the working of the drum goes bad, you have to replace the entire assembly instead of the the faulty component. This becomes problemtic post warranty as replacing a faulty part is much cheaper than replacing the entire assembly(almost like getting a new machine). There were also lawsuits filed against the first two companies in EU for such malpractices and they had to revert back to older arrangement. Sorry, if my use of wordings caused confusion.
LG does not use sealed drums as per my knowledge, but not sure hence I asked here.
I would have posted links from other forum here but I think it's against rules. 🙂

 

[igloo]

Its not sealed in my LG front load atleast brought 9yrs ago.