Thread: Kenmore 417.42142100 front loader creating holes in clothing

Is there anything we're overlooking? Can this washer be saved?

This may sound weird, but are you sure its your washer making these cuts and not your dryer?

If your sure its your washer, I would physically check for sharp spots in your tub and all inside your washer assembly.

Do you use bleach in your washer?

Someone asked if front loaders require more service than top loaders and you said no. It seems that the service calls for front loaders are often more expensive and offer fewer DIY repair options because of their electronics. Is this accurate?

The electronic parts are higher yes, but I'm seeing far less problems with the electronics as in previous years. I also recommend buying an extended warranty for at least 3-5 yrs. in you have a large family and use your washer daily or many times a day.

I'm looking at buying a extra-large capacity Whirlpool water hog washer (WTW5821SW or WTW5820SW) which use knobs instead of pushbuttons. Would it be possible for semi-handy DIYers to keep these styles in good repair (assuming, of course, we buy the repair manual and parts from you)?

Yes, these are basically less expensive to repair and more DIY friendly.
Here is a good Whirlpool model:

Whirlpool 3.2 Cu. Ft. 10-Cycle Super Capacity Plus Washer - White



The average life of most appliances now is only 8-15 years.

Jake

Originally Posted by Jake

This may sound weird, but are you sure its your washer making these cuts and not your dryer?

Pretty sure. The holes have appeared in things that haven't ever been in the dryer in addition to things that are mechanically dried. There is an off-chance that the air dried things had defects that mimiced the other damage, but the probability seems minimal.

Originally Posted by Jake

If your sure its your washer, I would physically check for sharp spots in your tub and all inside your washer assembly.

I grabbed an old pair of panty hose and gave the washer and the dryer a rub down.

The dryer inspection only revealed a minor amount of lint caught in the crevices. No snags or sharp edges. Is there anything else I could look for before eliminating the dryer as our serial cutter?

The washer drum is smooth. I only got a minor snag behind the door seal down where the drum and the containment tub meet. The edge of the plastic tub ranges from rough (bumpy, raspy) to sharp. It seems like the rough edge might cause a wayward piece of clothing to linger near the crevice longer and maybe get pulled in between the drum's smooth external edge and the tub's sharp lip causing a cut? Just a theory.

The water inlet's plastic edges are also sharp, but seems more like it would make a lengthy jagged tear rather than the small usually clean cuts most common here.

The only other possible canididates are little notches in the base of each of the three "speedbumps" (bad substitution- what are these called?) in the drum. They're deep and not remarkably smooth, but somehow the hose never snagged on them.

Originally Posted by Jake

Do you use bleach in your washer?

No bleach, no fabric softener, no bleach alternatives or pretreaters- just standard detergent in lower quantity (I know it's not manufacturer recommended, but sometimes you have to live dangerously ).

Thank you for the quick response!

adrienne

It seems like the rough edge might cause a wayward piece of clothing to linger near the crevice longer and maybe get pulled in between the drum's smooth external edge and the tub's sharp lip causing a cut?

Yes, this seems logical to me as well.

Now to get a tech. back out and let him or her see where its snagging may be difficult if they have been out there numerous times.

If I was you, I would go to the Sears store where you purchased it from, then explain everything to the store manager, They do seem to help their customers out that have been having ongoing appliances issues, that don't get resolved.

The only other possible canididates are little notches in the base of each of the three "speedbumps" (bad substitution- what are these called?) in the drum. They're deep and not remarkably smooth, but somehow the hose never snagged on them.

They are called baffles. Unless they are loose, they should be ok.

Jake

There was a Service Bulletin to replace baffles in Frigidaire Made Kenmore Dryers about 4 years ago reason from resulting in concerns that you have shared.

Originally Posted by citizengeek

Hi-

I found your site at 3 AM this morning and am AMAZED at the comprehensive nature of it.

My 4 year old Kenmore front loader (one of the more basic models) often has put tiny little cuts in our clothing since it was about 1.5 years old. We called Sears service and the tech told us that they were caused by overloading the wash.

Reading different comments on the Internet relating to the washer and it's sister model, it seemed like this was a unavoidable defect.

Having given the matter far more attention since his expensive and fruitless visit, it looks like I actually get more cuts with smaller loads where the items are allowed to fall forward toward the seal.

I've gotten into the habit of putting important items in mesh bags, darning the other holes in the evenings, and loading the washer in such a way that it packs the rear of the drum and keeps the items far from the door and the drum seal. It slowed the number of cuts, but didn't eradicate them entirely.

However, with an infant creating nasty situations, I find myself forced to run partial loads- which usually end in more small cuts than normal.

In one such small load, the washer tore an eight inch gash in one of the polo shirts my husband wears to work last weekend. It's progressed to giant shark bites.

So, Sears seems unresponsive as the design causes the cutting and these are now "older" models. It seems like the replacement of the drum, the seal, or any other part would be futile.

I'm ready to give up hope on this and all other lower-end front loaders (I can't afford to spend over $1000 on a new one- nor can I afford F11 service calls). I really love the efficiency, but can't handle the ongoing expenses (service calls, damaged/destroyed clothing, etc.).

Is there anything we're overlooking? Can this washer be saved?

Someone asked if front loaders require more service than top loaders and you said no. It seems that the service calls for front loaders are often more expensive and offer fewer DIY repair options because of their electronics. Is this accurate?

I'm looking at buying a extra-large capacity Whirlpool water hog washer (WTW5821SW or WTW5820SW) which use knobs instead of pushbuttons. Would it be possible for semi-handy DIYers to keep these styles in good repair (assuming, of course, we buy the repair manual and parts from you)?

What is the average span of washing machine these days any way? I grew up with a harvest gold model worked very well with only minor maintenance from 1975 to 1989. That seems an impossible dream these days.

Sorry to have so many questions, but you (my new hero) seem to be one of the few people with knowlegable answers and a generous spirit.

Parents with infants view their washers as mission critical. It's nice to know that you have such a great forum for assistance.


Many thanks-
adrienne
Indiana

Hi Jake-

We called Sears as you recommended and the managers (store and sales) were both really helpful and put us in touch with a Sears resolution center.

Those representatives offered to pay the cost of a service call and labor if we would pay for replacement parts. This is an exceptional deal, but as we'd already talked to a repairman who told us there was no fix (a replacement seal or drum container wouldn't help any), we felt that this would be a waste of our time and Sears. Plus, we would have to keep sacrificing clothing at the great altar of Kenmore if the fix didn't work.

We opted to buy the very model you recommended at Best Buy during the weekend after Thanksgiving sales. (This was good for us because we get rewards points at Best Buy!)

For everyone's general information: The online price was $20 lower than the in-store price, but since we had the printout on us, the in-store sales people lowered the price to match. Between that and picking it up and installing it ourselves, we saved over $60.

What repair guide works with the Whirlpool WTW5530SQ? (My husband's already referring to it as the "washer Chilton's.")

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. We hope others will learn about your wonderful forums:
http://babytoolkit.blogspot.com/2006...repairman.html

Thanks again!
adrienne

Hi Dale-

We're some of those rare freaks who don't worry if our washer and dryer match, so our dryer is a much older almond colored Whirlpool one. I'm sure this is a bi-product of my own cheap nature, but I rationalize it by saying "No one cares if a weed eater and lawn mower match." Maybe people do. I just hate replacing anything that is presently operable.

The has a molded drum, so there aren't any baffles at all.

Thanks for the update though. If my dryer was the machine eating the clothes, I would be heartbroken to wrongly expell a perfectly good $700 washer instead. As it stands, we still have the old washer in the back of the garage just in case the cuts start reappearing.

Thank you for your help!

adrienne

Originally Posted by citizengeek

Hi Jake-

We called Sears as you recommended and the managers (store and sales) were both really helpful and put us in touch with a Sears resolution center.

Those representatives offered to pay the cost of a service call and labor if we would pay for replacement parts. This is an exceptional deal, but as we'd already talked to a repairman who told us there was no fix (a replacement seal or drum container wouldn't help any), we felt that this would be a waste of our time and Sears. Plus, we would have to keep sacrificing clothing at the great altar of Kenmore if the fix didn't work.

We opted to buy the very model you recommended at Best Buy during the weekend after Thanksgiving sales. (This was good for us because we get rewards points at Best Buy!)

For everyone's general information: The online price was $20 lower than the in-store price, but since we had the printout on us, the in-store sales people lowered the price to match. Between that and picking it up and installing it ourselves, we saved over $60.

What repair guide works with the Whirlpool WTW5530SQ? (My husband's already referring to it as the "washer Chilton's.")

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. We hope others will learn about your wonderful forums:
http://babytoolkit.blogspot.com/2006...repairman.html

Thanks again!
adrienne

Hi adrienne,

I'm glad you saved alot of money getting that washer at Best Buy, I use the rewards card too for computer stuff I buy their.

I'm not able to locate a repair manual for this model yet, sometimes when they are brand new, it takes awhile for the repair manual to come out.

Thanks for your nice blog post.

Jake

Hi citizengeek! I was so happy to find your post on this forum, I was really starting to think of myself as the unluckiest person I know: I bought a Kenmore front loader about 3 years ago, when I moved, and had an appliance guy that came out and hooked up our washer and dryer. I asked him about the front end washers/dryers. He said they are definitely worth it if you can afford them. He said, as far as the front end loaders, the best brand was Kenmore. So far so good, I must admit I was happy with it for the first two years, but then it started 'tearing up' my clothes, especially the thinner fabrics, like silk. I got it fixed meanwhile, but it still goes off from time to time, so I must be really careful what I put in there.

Originally Posted by Jessie99

Hi citizengeek! I was so happy to find your post on this forum, I was really starting to think of myself as the unluckiest person I know: I bought a Kenmore front loader about 3 years ago, when I moved, and had an appliance guy that came out and hooked up our washer and dryer. I asked him about the front end washers/dryers. He said they are definitely worth it if you can afford them. He said, as far as the front end loaders, the best brand was Kenmore. So far so good, I must admit I was happy with it for the first two years, but then it started 'tearing up' my clothes, especially the thinner fabrics, like silk. I got it fixed meanwhile, but it still goes off from time to time, so I must be really careful what I put in there.

Was wondering how you got it fixed?

My washer started tearing up our clothes a few weeks after the shock absorbers were replaced. The tech only changed the front ones since the connectors on those broke. I was going to ask him to replace all of them seeing that he had ordered four but since it was a warranty repair I thought maybe he was only authorized to change the ones that were damaged. I've since called for another service call and the repair person said that he's never seen anything like it. He said that he repairs mainly LG's but that my Kenmore HE3t should pretty much be the same since a front loader is a front loader. He went ahead and inpected it and found nothing that could or would tear clothes. I told him about the shock replacement and that it didn't happen till after the replacement but he still don't think that had any bearing on it. He checked my dryer and found nothing wrong and when I showed him the tears he mentioned that dryer tears generally leave a distinctive mark and seeing that my clothes does not exhibit that he ruled out the dryer (I also told him that we've seen the tears before the clothes were put in the dryer).

I know this thread is pretty old but I'm hoping that someone might have some insight. Thanks in advance!