Our new commercial washing machine

Hi all;  
Ahh the new year... almost spring … time to throw things out, like that worthless broken washing machine and spend $ you hadn't planned on spending...on your new washing machine...
Yup , our front loader washer bit the dust this month, fancy electronic thing, that never really got MY work clothes clean. And it balled up pet hair and inserted it under the weave so no matter where you were you ALWAYS brought the kittys with you.
35 years ago I bought a used set of Kenmore washer /dryer from a friend, maybe 5 years old at that time.
It's now 2019 (omg) and that old dryer is still chugging along same as new.  The washer died a number of years ago.

We replaced it with a front loader. Seemed to work OK , definitely used less power & water.  We thought we did good...Ha,  think again.  They bolted steel and aluminum parts together... it corroded and broke the drum off within 3 years... on to the next washer. We tried to go back to a top loader. WOW talk about suck up power!  My inverter was groaning, cooling fans running, all just to wash a load of clothes... back to the store that one went... brought home another top loader , same thing different brand... I think they make them all in in one factory...  So we ended up buying a front loader again $800! At least it did not suck up power.  It has lasted maybe 4 years. Now it is junk!  Four years ? Really !

Our good friend is a massuse. She washes more oily towels than anyone we know. Her towels are always clean and fresh. We asked her what to buy.
No debate about it, just go buy a commercial Speed queen. Simple really , its what they use in laudramats !!! They last and last !  Locate a dealer, pay the price and never need to buy another.  

Speed Queen model TR3000 WN  
Analog switches...no built in water heater .. The only electronic switch is the power switch.  No fancy lights / bells... just a good old washer like grandma had. Nothing conservative about it. Uses lots of water ... amazingly clothes seem to like this??  as ours are clean again!! They claimed it used lots of electricity as well.   Wrong ! it maybe used 15 amps 12vt during spin out! And the clothes really spun out almost dry! Our previous front loader (energy star rated !!!) used 30 amps , and the clothes were not almost dry.
We have only had this a week, our cloths are already cleaner with less cat hair than ever before! We are convinced we finally got one that will do the job rite and last for years. Only time will tell for sure.

Funny thing is it was only $100 more than what we paid 4 years ago for the front loader.

After going through 3 modern wash machines in 10 years I called it quits. I bit the bullet and bought a manual Speed Queen. LOVE IT!!! I've been using it for maybe 5 years now and am still in love with it. I expect to love it for many more years.

Prior to going through a number of those modern computerized washers, I had an old Kenmore Heavy Dury. It was well over 20 years old and still going fine when I moved and didn't take it with me. Those old Kenmore heavy dutys where great. But alas, the ones sold nowadays aren't anything like those old machines.

I'm off grid too. And I will never, never, never buy another washer with a computer.

I looked into a buy-it-for-life washing machines and these are what comes recommended as the best.
I couldn't afford the best,  but I could afford used and that's what I recommend  to anyone who is good with their hands.
I only retired my bullet proof old school washer and dryer,  to save money on water and electricity.
They are pretty indestructible,so I have them put away for when the "new" ones die.
That is the cycle for me,  poor,  but hands on,  so I live off the leavings of my financial betters.

Hopefully I will have fully trained my daughter by the time I age out of DIY work !

Hey William;
I think your putting your old machine in the barn under a tarp is a very smart idea!   Your new machines may suddenly need replacing and all you will have to do, is bring the old ones back in !

I love my Speed Queen set!  I was lucky enough to find a barely used set locally.  An older lady got sick of replacing her modern "efficient" washer and dryers every 5 years, and bought a Speed Queen set.  Then she moved to assisted living 2 years later, and her son cleared out the house.

I like the mechanical controls, no computer to break.  When I was shopping for a dishwasher and a kitchen range, I asked for mechanical control models and I was told they don't even make them anymore.  Already I have had the dishwasher repairman out to fix the computer controller and it's only 2 years old.  

Every consumer dishwasher I've encountered has been more of a dish rinser.
Commercial dish washers have the up to git r done, actually blasting food off of plates in less than 5 minutes.
They also last, and are built to be serviced.

I installed  a "new" one at our church, now I have the old one.
I'm not sure about power and water consumption, 'cause it has a blown fuse , one of many projects that still need doing.

I hate the new washing machines.  My first washer was an old whirlpool and it was used.  We had it for a long time before it stopped working, and when it did my husband fixed it with a 20.00 part and it worked for several more years.  I think we had it about 15 years and she was an old girl when we got it. Then we got a very fancy 1000.00 GE washer with all the bells and whistles, we thought it would last for ever.  It stopped working less then a month after we bought it.  Home Depot wouldn't take it back.  GE fixed it for no charge, but it was so new on the market it took a month for the repair guy to get the part.  A brand new 1000.00 washer in the laundry room and I'm doing laundry at the laundry mat.  We had that machine fixed 2 or 3 more times before we finally gave up on it. I think it was about 5 or 6 years old.  When it died we couldn't afford to replace it at the time so I was going to the laundry mat.  My father-in-law thought he would help us out and took my son down and bought us a washer.  Super nice of him, but I am 5'2" tall and I can't reach the bottom of the washer.  Even a stool doesn't help. I have to use one of those grabbers, or ask one of my kids to unload the washer. It is a real pain.  It is about 4 years old now, and making sounds it just shouldn't be making.  I'm not working now, so with my luck will probably die soon.   When it comes to washing machines, the old saying they don't make um like they use to fits like a glove.

The old Kenmore heavy duty dryer finally gave it up recently.  It warned us back in early June that the end was near.
I went online and searched. The same outfit on the east coast that I bought the washer from, had the best price and free shipping to my door!
Done deal I ordered it. Of course there was a delay with shipping due to Covid. No problem right... famous last words...
By the second week in July they still had not shipped. Shipping was slow the first time...
The Kenmore decided that 40 years of work was enough and she quietly passed away...  Sad , but it was time and hey its summer who needs a dryer when you have a cloths line...
I started thinking that maybe taking the trailer to Missoula and paying a bit more might not be such a bad idea...
A few calls later I confirmed that the price was very similar in Missoula but they did not have them in stock!  Dang hate when that happens!
I called Spokane (equal drive for me) They did have the model I wanted in stock ... but add on the drive, plus Washington sales tax and shoot it got spendy.
Then I asked got any bent and dent???   Well No we don't BUT we have a bent and dent store out on sprauge ... here's their number  give them a call.

So I did.  They did not have the model I was wanting. A basic analog machine with real dials and no computer...
What they did have, was the next model up.... hmmm whats the difference I ask??  
Well it is the exact same guts as the other model, 2 extra settings on the wash cycle and OH instead of the 3 year warranty this one has a five year....
Well shit , just how much is this machine and how bent and dented is it?  The model I had wanted was $916... this model was $1016 new.
But with this horrible disfiguring scratch it is $649!  Plus tax for $707 !!!
The "horrible" scratch was on top in sight maybe an inch long.... think we can live with it.
Long battle getting the old one out and the new  one in and working but ultimately the job was done and the new dryer is in place and working!
Of course as its high summer. We only tried it out one time and are now hanging things on the cloths line again. Who wants a hot gas dryer running when the sun is shining and its 90 degrees outside!  

If your tired of computer control laundry machines that do not last.  
Spend the money and buy a speed queen set. There is a reason that it is the brand most often found in a laundromat...  

How do you all like the Speed Queen 6 years later? Is it using too much energy? We are looking into getting one and I'm wondering about the long term energy costs

Hi Sunny;
Both Speed Queens are working great.
No issues at all, other than needing to clean the intake screens on the washer once a year.   (gravity water small artesian)
I recommend this brand to anyone needing a new washer or dryer.

Three years on a front loader
Four years on the replacement front loader.

After six years with the Speed Queen top loader, my clothes are clean, and the machines are like new!