Cons: Water remains in dispenser drawer and door gasket.
The Bottom Line: Based on my experience so far, I would recommend it because it is quiet, gentle on the clothes, has 4.0 c.f. capacity, and saves water.
cgkel's Full Review: General Electric WCVH6800J Front Load Washer
I started to casually research new washers about a year ago, when our 5-year-old Maytag Performa started to whine, throw oil, and leak water. The transmission was failing. We decided not to repair it, but rather use it until it quit. That happened recently.
Why did I chose this GE Front-Load Washer?
I have been looking forward to the benefits of a front-loading machine. The main reason I selected this model is that it is rated as a Consumer Reports Best Buy, per their 2009 ratings. It is in the second position on the list of front-load machines that they tested. The Samsung model that was first on the list cost $600 more. Its rating was a notch better for vibration, but the same in all other categories.
Does it vibrate too much?
The amount of vibration is quite acceptable and considerably less than we had with the Maytag.
How do you operate it? Is it any different than using a top-loader?
Similar to any other washer, the wash cycle is selected via a dial on the front of the machine. The usual options to add a pre wash or extra rinse cycle, or to change wash water temperature, spin speed and / or soil level, are located to the right of the dial. The water temperature for pre wash and rinse cycles is always cold.
There are only a few minor differences from using the old top-loader.
With the top-loader, I often chose the cycle, set the water level, and let water run in while still collecting and adding laundry. With the front-loader, you must add clothes first, shut the door, press the power button, select settings and options, and then press the pause / start button to begin filling. It selects an appropriate water level automatically.
The detergent and other additives are put into a divided dispense drawer at the top left corner of the front of the washer before or right after you press the pause / start button.
How can I add in another piece of clothing if the wash cycle has already started?
You simply press the start / pause button and wait for the door to unlock. You will hear a click and the "door locked" indicator will turn off. Then you can open the door, add laundry, close the door, and restart by pressing the start / pause button again.
What wash cycles are available?
The washer has nine cycles to choose from, as well as level controls to make further adjustments for soil level, spin speed, and wash temperature.
Whites: For light to heavily soiled white cottons, household linens, work and play clothes.
Colors / Normal: For light to heavily soiled colorfast cottons, household linens, work and play clothes.
Stain Wash: For heavily soiled colorfast cottons, household linens, work and play clothes.
Active Wear: For active sports, exercise and some casual wear clothes. This cycle is good for fabrics that include modern technology finishes and fibers such as spandex, stretch, and micro-fibers. Delicates : For lingerie and special-care fabrics with light to normal soil. Provides gentle tumbling and soak during wash and rinse.
Handwash: For items listed hand-washable with light soils. Provides gentle rocking to mimic handwashing action.
Speed Wash: For lightly soiled items that are needed in a hurry. Cycle time is approximately 30 minutes, depending on selection options.
Drain and Spin: Drain and spin at any time.
My Cycle: Press to use, create or modify a custom wash cycle.
How long do the various wash cycles take to complete?
The regular laundry settings that I use most take about an hour. But the times vary from as little as about 30 minutes for a quick wash up to about 3 hours for a stain wash cycle. The time requirement will change if you change the soil level, or if you add a pre wash or extra rinse by pressing the buttons to the right of the dial.
More Options:
Lock: You can lock the controls to prevent any selections from being made, or you can lock the controls after you start a cycle. Children cannot accidentally start the washer by touching pads with this option selected. Delayed Start: You can delay the start of the wash cycle for up to 18 hours.
Basket Clean: This cycle uses bleach or other washing machine cleaners and more water to refresh your washer. The manual recommends that you use this cycle once a month to reduce odor and residue buildup inside the washer.
What do you like about this washer?
The first neat feature that I noticed was that there was no water level selector. I closed the door, pressed the power button, selected settings, and pushed the start / pause button. The door locked and tumbled the clothes back and forth once. Then it automatically added the amount of water required for the load. There is no guessing, and it uses way less water.
Then I was pleasantly surprised to find that it runs much quieter than the old one. I like that! It is a nice plus since we have an open floor plan.
The digital time readout is nice, too. As I click through the various settings (explained above), it adjusts to show how much time is required to complete the cycle. And if I check back later, the readout is displaying how many minutes are left to complete the cycle.
Another great feature is the button on the front of the washer that lets you select low, medium, high, or even off, for the signal / buzzer. I love this feature!
What other differences have you noticed?
Instead of beating the clothes around with an agitator, the front-loader tumbles them. So they are repeatedly lifted out of the water and dropped back into it in a movement similar to hand washing.
I am still amazed at the difference in the clothing as I move it to the dryer. Instead of being tight, twisted, and wrinkled, it is a nice fluffy pile of clean laundry. I used to shake the wrinkles out of each piece as I threw into the dryer. Now I just transfer them and start the dryer. Nice!
I have also noticed that the clothes dry faster, possibly because the spin cycle is more effective. We bought the matching dryer at the same time, so both units are new.
And, last but not least, the amount of lint left on the dryer screen has decreased to about 5 or 10 percent of what it was with the old washer.
What Is the Energy Guide Rating for this Washer?
This washer earned the Energy Star symbol for efficiency. On a scale of $10 to $71 usage per year for similar models, it received a rating of $15 estimated yearly operating when used with an electric water heater.
What about the mold problem that is common to front-load washers?
I have only had the washer for a short time. I hope to avoid the mold issue by following Consumer Reports' advice. They recommend drying out the washer and leaving the door open between uses to avoid mold. That makes sense to me.
In this washer, there are two places where the water stays at the end the cycle. It lies in the various compartments in the dispenser drawer, and forms a puddle in the bottom of the gasket around the door of the washer. Mold could easily develop between uses.
I have found that it takes very little time and effort to dry out this washer. The dispenser drawer will usually drain itself into the gasket around the door within a few minutes after the washer stops. If not, I open the drawer to get it to drain.Then I grab a micro cleaning cloth, about 11 by 15 inches. I dry the window and the bottom of the drum first because there is very little water there. Then I lay the cloth inside the fold of the gasket for a few seconds to soak up the puddle that collects there. After that, I wring it out and hang it over the top edge of the washer door to prevent the door from latching if it is accidentally closed. All together, it probably takes about 30 seconds.
The other way to handle it is to use the basket clean cycle. Prevention makes a lot more sense to me.
How much did it cost?
Consumer Reports listed it at $900. Our local appliance dealer's list price was $799, and we applied for the $100 rebate GE is currently offering on this machine. That will bring our cost to $699.
Durability:
It appears to be well built. I used the average rating because I do not yet know how well it will hold up.
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