Auto Sensing water level feature in today's washing machines

AprilSun

AprilSun

Senior Member
Why do they have to put a computer in everything? I had to purchase a new washing machine last week and I don't like it already! It has the Auto Sensing water level feature in it but I couldn't find any that don't and believe me, I've been looking online for weeks but still couldn't find one that comes without this feature. One person does not have a full load of laundry each time plus, my water is hard and I have to know how much water will be used before I put the detergent in unless I want suds coming out of the washer. If they want to put this in washers, then give us the option to turn it off and do it manually. Do you like this feature? I guess there's some truth to the ole saying "You can't teach an ole dog new tricks" but I guess I will have to adjust to it.
 

Technology is good...but it is running amok in so many of our consumer items. There are countless examples of where "simple and basic" is far better than a lot of this new "Gee Whiz" stuff. It's great when it works, but if it fails, it almost costs more to fix it than it is worth. My pet peeve is new cars....the manufacturers seem to be more concerned about putting Entertainment and Internet/Cell phone features in some of these cars than providing affordable and reliable transportation.
 
AprilSun said:
Why do they have to put a computer in everything? I had to purchase a new washing machine last week and I don't like it already! It has the Auto Sensing water level feature in it but I couldn't find any that don't and believe me, I've been looking online for weeks but still couldn't find one that comes without this feature. One person does not have a full load of laundry each time plus, my water is hard and I have to know how much water will be used before I put the detergent in unless I want suds coming out of the washer. If they want to put this in washers, then give us the option to turn it off and do it manually. Do you like this feature? I guess there's some truth to the ole saying "You can't teach an ole dog new tricks" but I guess I will have to adjust to it.
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I just recently bought a new washer, went to set the load size and ...WHAT? None there..
I thought, this will not work but, now I've got used to it and don't even notice any longer..

Also had a new dishwasher installed..could not get the dishes clean for about 2 months so one day I had a repair man working on fridge and I asked him to look at the dishwasher..well come to find out the filter was dirty...simple....I probably need to read the book instead of just pushing a different button.

I understand about the cars, Don....mine will sync with my cell phone and I can just tell it who to call and talk while driving but there have been times when I open my sun roof that I have to manually push down on it from the top to get it to close....
 
AprilSun said:
Why do they have to put a computer in everything? I had to purchase a new washing machine last week and I don't like it already! It has the Auto Sensing water level feature in it but I couldn't find any that don't and believe me, I've been looking online for weeks but still couldn't find one that comes without this feature. One person does not have a full load of laundry each time plus, my water is hard and I have to know how much water will be used before I put the detergent in unless I want suds coming out of the washer. If they want to put this in washers, then give us the option to turn it off and do it manually. Do you like this feature? I guess there's some truth to the ole saying "You can't teach an ole dog new tricks" but I guess I will have to adjust to it.
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Only thing I can think of is, wait until the machine fills to what it's going to, then add detergent based on how full the machine is of water.
 
April, for small loads maybe add only half the soap. You can check to see if it looks soapy enough a minute or so after it starts. If it's a front-loader like mine, you won't be able to add more soap but it should give you an idea for future loads. I usually run full loads but every once in a while I may run a small one, just got used to guesstimating.
 
AprilSun said:
Why do they have to put a computer in everything? I had to purchase a new washing machine last week and I don't like it already! It has the Auto Sensing water level feature in it but I couldn't find any that don't and believe me, I've been looking online for weeks but still couldn't find one that comes without this feature. One person does not have a full load of laundry each time plus, my water is hard and I have to know how much water will be used before I put the detergent in unless I want suds coming out of the washer. If they want to put this in washers, then give us the option to turn it off and do it manually. Do you like this feature? I guess there's some truth to the ole saying "You can't teach an ole dog new tricks" but I guess I will have to adjust to it.
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I bought one of the new washers a few years ago . . . NO WAY . . . kept it about a week and then returned it for a standard type.

This is just so typical of corporations and manufacturers and designers today who have NO understanding of the value of "leaving well enough alone".
 
I bought a new front loader that I've had for years now, been very happy with it. It has the water level function and I think it's good because if I put in one towel or sweatshirt, there will only be so much water used. I always have used the new low suds liquid detergents and have good results, no complaints here. My first front loader with the water level function, and it's gotten my clothes clean so far, no oversudsing.

I have to say that when I was younger I always thought more was better, and used to overuse detergent and everything else. Now I use a little more than half with no problem.

I'm not a big fan of all these computerized gizmos, especially the new cars, but I've come to accept them since I can't do anything else.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies! At least I know I'm not alone on how I feel about it. This HE detergent is doing the opposite with this machine as it was with my old one. I put my machine on pause today and looked inside, and I couldn't see any suds but I was using more than I did with my old machine. I was having to purchase the HE detergent for my old one because that's all I could find. With it, it would suds too much. Obviously, it's all going to be "trial and error" and probably error. As of now, I'm not too happy with my new machine but that's all I can find.
 
I'm aware of these and don't really like the idea although I don't have one. I try to be very careful with water usage. I have a stacking unit in my apartment. The water level has a number of increments and I watch the water and turn down the level when I feel there is enough water for the load.

I wonder if these self sensing washers might use more than I would or do they seem like they fill to the right amount. That would be my main curiosity.
 
Kitties said:
I'm aware of these and don't really like the idea although I don't have one. I try to be very careful with water usage. I have a stacking unit in my apartment. The water level has a number of increments and I watch the water and turn down the level when I feel there is enough water for the load.

I wonder if these self sensing washers might use more than I would or do they seem like they fill to the right amount. That would be my main curiosity.
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I could be wrong but from what little I've used mine, it seems like it is using more water than my old one. I talked with a friend last night and she has one of these and if she doesn't stand and stop it when it has filled, water runs over in her floor. She said it overflowed on to her floor when she just started it and went off and did something else. So after that time, she has had to stop it from filling so it wouldn't overflow again. I'd take that sucker back if it was mine. Oh well......
 
AprilSun said:
I could be wrong but from what little I've used mine, it seems like it is using more water than my old one. I talked with a friend last night and she has one of these and if she doesn't stand and stop it when it has filled, water runs over in her floor. She said it overflowed on to her floor when she just started it and went off and did something else. So after that time, she has had to stop it from filling so it wouldn't overflow again. I'd take that sucker back if it was mine. Oh well......
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Thank you for this information. If I buy a mobile in a park, there is a good chance I will need a new washer. And now these seem to be all that is out there. I wonder if the original idea was to stop people who just fill the washer for what is half a load. Many people are wasteful. I get it. I'm just not sure this is the answer. It's like the washer police. And I don't like it.
 
Another example of it using more water than my old one did is, I have a cat and she has a bed. I need to wash the cover on it sometimes and I wash it alone. My old washer, I just put the water level on low and it did fine. With this one, I had to use the Auto Sensing and it fills completely up and there was no way to stop it. I checked the manual and there was nothing about it filling with too much water. Now I wish I had just took a chance and bought a used one.
 
Well, I returned this washer today. It didn't matter how little I was washing, it filled completely with water each time. I tried this many times and each time was the same. It got so old I decided I was going to return it and purchase a used one and that's what I did. Before I did this, I checked the reviews of other models and brands for an exchange and there were too many people having problems with the auto sensing feature. This is what made me decide to get a used one. I didn't feel comfortable keeping the new one and it not working correctly from the first time I tried it until I returned it. Plus, after reading all of the problems others were having with new ones, I still didn't feel comfortable purchasing one of those. I would rather take a chance on a used one than a new one. At least I won't be out of as much money with the used one as I would have with a new one. One of the guys who picked up the return asked me why I didn't like it. I told him what it had been doing and that I had purchased a used one. He says "That's good. This one wouldn't have lasted 5 years. The old ones last from 20 to 30 years." I told him how long my old one had lasted and that was 34 years, and he says, "See there". I've tried my old one and it works as it should!
 
April Sun and others ~ what brand washers are you dissatisfied with? I need a new washer and dryer and don't know where to start looking. I have heard too many bad things about the new "electronic" machines.
 
RubyK said:
April Sun and others ~ what brand washers are you dissatisfied with? I need a new washer and dryer and don't know where to start looking. I have heard too many bad things about the new "electronic" machines.
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If you are located near where there is a Sears store that will be closing, you might want to keep watching for a sale there. Most of these closures will be taking place around April, so sometime in March there may be some good bargains on Kenmore appliances. Check today's prices on their web site, then you will know if/when they are offering a "real" bargain.
 
RubyK said:
April Sun and others ~ what brand washers are you dissatisfied with? I need a new washer and dryer and don't know where to start looking. I have heard too many bad things about the new "electronic" machines.
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The one I had was a Whirlpool. My friend has a GE and it is giving her problems with running over if she doesn't make it stop. From reading the reviews of other brands, there didn't seem to be a good brand out there that didn't cause problems with the electronics in them. What I did is, I purchased a refurbished Kenmore. It is an upgrade from my old one that was rusting out but it doesn't have the electronics in it like the new ones do plus it was a lot cheaper and it works great! I hope this helps you with your decision. Good luck!
 
Thanks for the advice Don M and AprilSun. I will watch for sales.

I have a Kenmore washer that was in my condo when I purchased it. It is an 80 Series but I have no idea of the age. It works fine except for a timer that doesn't function properly during the rinse cycle. However each setting has two rinse and spin cycles. If the clothes are not sufficiently wrung out, I manually go to the second spin cycle which works. A repairman said a new timer is $350 plus labor. (Don't know if I trust his judgment.) Now I'm thinking it might be better to fix this washer instead of buying a new one. What do you think?
 
RubyK said:
Thanks for the advice Don M and AprilSun. I will watch for sales.

I have a Kenmore washer that was in my condo when I purchased it. It is an 80 Series but I have no idea of the age. It works fine except for a timer that doesn't function properly during the rinse cycle. However each setting has two rinse and spin cycles. If the clothes are not sufficiently wrung out, I manually go to the second spin cycle which works. A repairman said a new timer is $350 plus labor. (Don't know if I trust his judgment.) Now I'm thinking it might be better to fix this washer instead of buying a new one. What do you think?
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We have a fairly old Amana Washer and Dryer....perhaps 20 years old, and I have fixed a few minor issues on each, over the years. If you suspect the timer is going bad, that is really not a major repair job. I just looked at a couple of online resources I use....RepairClinic.com, and AppliancePartsPros.com....and a timer for my washing machine is about $90.....and there were even a couple listed on EBAY for as little as $30. $350 for a new timer sounds a bit unrealistic, to me, and you might want to call a different repairman. If it takes a repairman more than 30 minutes to do such a job, he is probably fumbling around.

The Only reason I can think of that would cause a timer to be so expensive is if the appliance is so old that the manufacturer no longer supplies the parts. In that case, what few parts remain might very well be very expensive....and in that case, you might be better off spending your money on a new appliance.
 
Thanks, Don. No, he was a lousy repairman, but he did prove to me that the timer was not functioning properly. My Kenmore washer is a Series 80. Someone online said they bought their Series 80 Kenmore in 2002. I moved into my condo in 2006 and it looked almost new (still does.)

Looked at Sears ads and they are having sales on washers and dryers. I figure I just need a dryer at this point if I can find a reliable person to fix my washer. I live alone and do not have any handypeople in my family.
 
RubyK said:
Thanks, Don. No, he was a lousy repairman, but he did prove to me that the timer was not functioning properly. My Kenmore washer is a Series 80. Someone online said they bought their Series 80 Kenmore in 2002. I moved into my condo in 2006 and it looked almost new (still does.)

Looked at Sears ads and they are having sales on washers and dryers. I figure I just need a dryer at this point if I can find a reliable person to fix my washer. I live alone and do not have any handypeople in my family.
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If you can find the model number....it should be on a sticker on the inside of the top lid...you can go to Searspartsdirect.com, and see how much a timer should cost. You might even check with Sears on having one of their people come out to do the repairs....I think they contract with a company called A&E in most parts of the country. However, if it looks like the costs will be more than half the price of a new washer, you might as well opt for a new one. Sears usually stocks parts for about 20 years on most items they sell....but, then, with all the financial troubles Sears is having, who knows.
 
My old one that was rusting out was a Kenmore 80 series manufactured in 84. The refurbished I purchased is a 90 series and I paid $200 for it. The Whirlpool that I sent back was $399 plus tax if that helps you any. I could purchase 2 refurbished for what 1 "piece of junk" cost. The guy I bought the refurbished from has a good reputation for standing behind his products.
 
I was told that I could get a refurbished washer and dryer for about $350.00. There's a place in St. Paul that's been selling refurbished appliances forever. (or almost forever)Have to see if I can find their name and exact location.
 

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