Fixing the washing machine.

[BobL]

We have a 22 year old Asko Washing machine. It has been brilliant, it uses very little water and cleans well, - one service call in 22 years for a leaking water pump - can't complain.

But is is showing evidence of rust and lately it has developed a sporadic leak.

After a dozen or so floods in the laundry I decided to have a go at it.

Start by cleaning up mess on the floor and emptying machine.

Internal Access is excellent although it takes 15 star socket screws to get the top and back off.

Layingoin the floor and shining a torch up into its internals I watch and see nothing.

Run QUICK cycle nothing, run it again nothing, run Delicates cycle nothing.

Go have a coffee, come back and there's a small pool (50c size) of water on the laundry floor.

Interrogate SWMBO and then she tells me it only leaks if its left alone for a couple of days.

To cut a long story short after another hour or so of snooping I found the water supply to the softening solution tank has a small leak. One drip every 5 seconds.
The solenoid valve that provides the water to the tank is leaking.
Unfortunately its not a single unit but consists of 3 valves/solenoids that supply water to the Main Detergent, Prewash and the Softener tanks.

Option one : replace entire integral unit- $$$ and mucking about.
Option two: Block hose with black poly irrigation fitting and a couple of clips clamps. (we never use the Softener option anyway) and hope it holds

It took most of Saturday arvo to sort it but option two won out.
I don't think the machine will last for more than a year or so anyway.

[artme]

Mum's first washing machine was a wringer model Pope that served the 7 of us well for many years.

Finally the thing got to the stage where the agitator would rattle around to the end of its run where
it would end with a CLUNK!! The process was repeated as the agitator did the reverse run
Mum lodged a complaint and dad said he would get another machine.

So dad and i took a trip out to near where he had been working where there sat in the paddock a fairly
new version of the same machine. We took this home and proceeded to swap bits and pieces unti we
had a machine that ran perfectly well.

Mum was away during this exercise and when she came home dad proudly boasted that she now had a
machine that would last another 15 years!! Mother was disgusted as she thought that a new automatic
was to be the order of the day.

Said machine was eventually traded for a brand new automatic. In fact we had been such good customers
of the business over the years that the new machine was free!! Wonder if that sort of loyalty is so well
rewarded these days?

[P.W.H.]

When my folks retired to NZ, my mother brought her 40 year old Miele agitator washing machine.
Looks like a stainless steel witch's cauldron on 3 legs with castors, 3 phase. Was rewired to 2 phase,
because that's all we can get here due to single feed 33k line.

Some years later, maybe 20 years ago, they chucked it into the paddock behind their house, I think
maybe the motor gave out ... where my wife found it full of rubbish 10 years ago. Pulled it out, brought it home.
Took the motor off, the gearbox was immaculate and shiny (this thing was exposed, and sitting out in the open!).

"Can you check out the heater?" I checked the heater with the ohm-meter: all good. I wired the heater coils up for her,
turned it on, it works fine. Even the control light still works. The exterior of the machine looks like the day it
was bought..... she uses it as a cauldron for her wool dying now.

Incredible.

[cava]

The ASKO machines of +20 years ago were very good, and you will not get the same durability of the current crop from ASKO.

They are no longer made in Sweden, but in Slovenia by the parent company Gorenje and quality is very suspect in my opine.

Just for the record I worked for them in a technical capacity.

[elanjacobs]

Bought a reconditioned ASKO (the last of the Swedish made models) recently for about $300 on Gumtree as we moved in to a new place and our 30 year old Maytag top loader won't fit in the laundry. Have a look around, you'll probably find something.

[justonething]

You might be able to get it to last for more than a year if you turn off the tapes every time you finish washing. I used to have a similar washing machine which I retired after 30 years of service. The belt used to slip under heavy load and the perforations in the drum were too large so hair pins went through them and ended up jamming the pump. For 30 years, the only things that I had replaced was the belt and a capacitor for the motor. It still works.

[BobL]

You might be able to get it to last for more than a year if you turn off the tapes every time you finish washing. I used to have a similar washing machine which I retired after 30 years of service. The belt used to slip under heavy load and the perforations in the drum were too large so hair pins went through them and ended up jamming the pump. For 30 years, the only things that I had replaced was the belt and a capacitor for the motor. It still works.

Thanks for the info. I'd also thought about doing that but the taps for the machine are located inside a cupboard full of detergents, cleaning products etc so these would have to be taken out before the taps could be turned on/off so I don't think that will be happening. Also its the rest of the machine which is more of an issue than the solenoid itself than I am worried about.

[Bob38S]

I think it's time to shout the missus, and yourself a new one.

It's all well and good to keep something old working, have been guilty of that myself, but life is short. When you get to a certain age it's time to say enough is enough and enjoy the hard earned that you have worked hard for.

Life doesn't have a dress rehearsal and a shroud doesn't have pockets so enjoy it.

Just a thought.