mm wrote:
On 17 Jan 2006 18:48:07 -0800, wrote:
(non-Calypso) with a mechanical timer. This and older belt-drive
Whirlpools are designed to pause for several seconds just after the
wash cycle has ended and just before the rinse cycle begins and also
pause another several seconds between the end of the rinse cycle and
the start of the spin cycle.
My old one pauses too. It has something to do with permanent press I
think. Does it pause in other cycles? Just curious.
This pause is different from the cool-down pause for permanent press,
and it happens even during the regular wash cycle.
However, with this washer if the lid is opened during either pause, the
timer will buzz and occasionally whir and make popcorn-like noises
(gears clashing)?. The noises disappear immediately when the lid is
I disabled my lid switch, so it always things the lid is closed. (I
stuffed some paper towel in the hole) but I don't think anything
should make those noises when the lid is up.
closed and resume when it's opened again. The buzzing is not the
normal timer motor noise, which is much quieter. I'm mostly concerned
about the irregular nature of noises
A Sears technician (real technician) told me, over the phone, that
Do you have his assureances in writing? If not, they're almost
worthless? Do you know his name? If not they're definitely
worthless. If you do have his name, he may quit or be kidnapped at
any moment. Worthless again.
This Sears person seemed to have that rare, long-lost commodity -
actual knowledge.
But having his name only makes things someone says valuable if
you subpoena them for your small claims trial. Even then he might
not be able to show up, or he might lie, or he might not remember,
or he might have learned better since he said it, and that's why he
really can't remember.
I am shocked, simply shocked, that an employee of a corporation would
actually lie to the public.
these noises are normal for this model and that they're caused by the
"AC-to-DC transducer" shutting off current to the rest of the circuit
and the power having nowhere else to go. He also said the device could
burn out if left in this condition too long.
And he didn't actually give you good assurances. If you leave the
lid up for too long, something will burn out? That's absurd, and I
don't believe it.
I wouldn't rule it out because this machine doesn't seem to be designed
with as much thought as the 1981 Whirlpool it replaced. For one thing,
if you start the wash cycle in the middle, it will agigate even without
water in the tub (the old one would always fill, no matter where the
washer was started in the cycle). And another detail overlooked: the
lid knocks into the timer knob, which I'm sure will wear out the paint
one day.
I also don't believe that anyone who says in seriousness that "the
current has nowhere else to go" knows what he is talkilng about. How
do you know he was a real technician, and how do you know he wasn't
on drugs?
That part didn't make sense to me, and I thought he merely
oversimplified the explanation in case the customer didn't understand
electricity. He did know about some not-so-obvious mechanical details
about the suspension.
What are these noises, and are they really normal?
Probably not. I've almost never bought anything new. What does it
take to get a service man to respond to a complaint?
The problem is that, In my experience, the best technicians tend to
hardly talk.