I purchased the
Whirlpool WTW5600SQ washer after my
Fisher & Paykel GWL10 broke down for the fifth time in five years. The problem once again was a tiny twig that got stuck in the pump. Of course I wasn't able to get anyone to come fix the washer for a few days and ended up having to go to the laundr-o-mat to wash my clothes. This repair was the last straw. With two small children, there are bound to be tiny bits of stuff that get into the wash. The Fisher & Paykel was just too sensitive. Over 5 years I could have purchased another one of the machines with the money I paid in repairs. Of course the appliance store that sold me it was still in love with the F&P and they never had the same problems I did.
Anyway, I went shopping for a new washing machine. My only requirements were it was a top loader, would not be a Fisher & Paykel and I could get it the next day. I also knew I couldn't spend a lot of money on the washer as I had invested over $1400 in the Fisher & Paykel that my husband had been opposed to.
I ended up picking the
Whirlpool WTW5600SQ because it was a top loader, it had a good variety of wash cycles, water levels, and temperatures. AND, it could be delivered the next day. The appliance store was excited to get my broken Fisher & Paykel as they were planning on fixing it and one of the guys that worked there were going to get it. Good riddance in my opinion -- they didn't have to pay $175 to get the twig removed.
The WTW5600SQ has four dials you use to control Load Size, Wash Temp, Extra Rinse, and Wash Cycle. The wash basket is a porcelain on steel wash basket.
Load Size
The WTW5600SQ doesn't automatically determine your wash load size, so you need to turn the Load Size dial to Extra Small, Medium, or Super/Plus. For in-between loads, you can put the dial in-between (e.g. Small/Medium or Medium/Super Plus). With a family of four, I usually keep the dial on Super Plus.
Wash Temp
The WTW5600SQ offers four temperatures to choose from: Cold, Cool, Warm, and Hot. The Cold, Warm, and Hot temperatures have "Auto Temp Control" which is supposed to automatically sense and maintain a uniform water temperature by regulating hot and cold water.
Extra Rinse
The WTW5600SQ has an automatic Extra Rinse for all cycles. Just turn the dial to "On" and you'll always get an extra rinse. Since we have sensitive skin in my family, I always keep Extra Rinse on.
Wash Cycles
The WTW5600SQ has four cycles with several options with each cycle: Normal, Casual/Permanent Press, Delicate, and Hand Washables. The Normal and Casual cycles have high and low agitation, Delicate has low agitation, and Hand Washables has intermittent agitation. Within each cycle, you can choose different load types for the wash cycle depending on how soiled your clothes are. Normal offers the most wash time options with Super (18 minutes), Heavy (16 minutes), Reg/Heavy (9 minutes), Regular (9 minutes) and Light (6 minutes). Super is for our heavily soiled loads and gives you the longest wash cycle. I usually just keep the dial set to Normal and Super. I've used the Hand Washables cycle for my daughter's super sequined dance costumes and they came out clean with all of their sequins intact.
Laundry Woes
The WTW5600SQ and I seem to have a difference of opinion what constitutes a "full" load. Every time I do a load of jeans, the machine goes out of balance and starts making a loud thumping noise. I usually ignore it but my husband doesn't care for the noise (and you can't hear the TV when the washer is banging around). So I have to move things around, only to find out that didn't work and it's still out of balance. The only thing I've found is if I do more frequent, smaller loads, the machine doesn't go out of balance.
Noise
I find the sound of the spin cycle very loud on the WTW5600SQ -- even when I haven't overloaded the washer. I had a repairman come out to listen to it but it didn't make the noise. I was having my oven repaired by the same repairman and the washer made the loud spin noise again, so he put in a new collar for the basket. I can't say it's noticeably quieter, I think it's just a noisy machine. I haven't been able to find the description of the WTW5600SQ on the Whirlpool website to see what kind of sound package it has. I expect it's the standard because it's no where near what I'd expect from a "QuietWash". Since the washing machine is in the kitchen, I can't run it while we're eating. I tend to avoid running it while watching TV in the family room as the noise travels to there.
Manuals
The manuals were generic "you have a washing machine that may nor may not have these features" manuals. The User Instructions were only 8 pages including the cover and the limited 1 year warranty page. There was also a double-sided page Washer Cycle Descriptions sheet that showed a different control panel than the one I have.
My Dream Washing Machine
I don't know if I will ever be satisfied with a washing machine as I really do not enjoy doing laundry. I like having clean clothes, just not doing the work to wash the clothes, dry the clothes, fold the clothes, and put them away. Until a washing machine can do that, I guess I'll just have to stick with the WTW5600SQ.
Although, I was walking through Sears the other day and saw the new Kenmore Oasis Canyon (!) Capacity washer with the see through lid and stopped to take a look. And the steam dryer -- never iron again -- was intriguing. A salesman tried to chat me up, but I knew there was no way I could come home with a new washing machine (my third in 7 years) without a lot of grief so I just walked on by. sigh...
Next time I'm in the market for a washer and dryer I think I will wait for a friend to buy one first and then try it out at their house first to see how noisy it is, etc.
