DIYbanter - Fisher and Paykel Ecosmart Washer Noise

On 27 Feb 2007 19:40:10 -0800, "pc" wrote:

This is a really good washer. I've had it several years. All of a
sudden it started making an intermittent squeal while running. It's
pretty loud.

At first I figured it was a weak water valve vibrating, so I closed
the water taps while it was filling (I don't know if the pump was
running at this time.) Still got noise.

Different brand but my pump never runs until after the washer fills.
In fact nothing is running then except for the valves and the water
level float is ready to turn off the water.

Then I noticed it making noise when just the pump was running and it
wasn't filling.

So it's probably not the valves. Was it agitating then?

Later I noticed noise when it was filling with no pump, so I grabbed

It fills both when the pump is running and when it's not?

the tub and kept it from moving. A long shot (the noise sounded like
it was fluidic in nature), but the noise was unchanged.

I'm relatively mechanically inclined, but this one is bewildering.

The only quibble I have about the unit (noise aside) is that sometimes
I want to wash something for a long time in really hot water --
perhaps to shrink it. This machine, having an Energy Star rating,
won't allow that.

You can't just start that part of the cycle again? If not, that's the
problem with very-automatic things, they don't let you do what you
want.

But anyhow, first I was going to say that it doesn't have to agitate
to have the effect of being in really ....Oh, it's not th etime, it's
the very hot water. So just run a hose from the sink, which is
probably even next to it, so you can use a short hose, and fill it
with hot water, and let it sit. Agitating won't make a difference.

But for that matter, it's not washilng or sittilng in water that makes
things shrink. It's the dryer! Not sure of which, but it is either
drying it after it is dry, or drying it on hot or very hot. It's
probably the use of hot air on something that is almost dry. Or maybe
you could shrink something that hasn't been wet at all. I don't know,
and most people wouldn't know because people don't spend time drying
things that are dry. They dry things that are wet, and when they
overdry them, they shrink.

Otherwise, I think it's a really good washer.

Suggestions?

pc