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It surprises me how the US loves their top-loading washers. Here in the UK, there isn't the complex (though interesting) "transmission": the drum has fins to ac

by Liftyee 13d ago

It surprises me how the US loves their top-loading washers. Here in the UK, there isn't the complex (though interesting) "transmission": the drum has fins to act as both agitator and spin-dryer. This means it's just a boring belt drive between motor and drum (or direct drive, for newer machines.)

emmelaich 13d ago
Top loaders are higher capacity and cost less. And open air drying is preferable to machine drying.
- aidenn0 13d ago
  Top loaders also act as spin dryers...
  - olyjohn 13d ago
    Front loaders also get moldy and stink because they have to be sealed up so tightly. If you're not there to immediately pull out the clothes after the cycle, you're screwed. And in a small laundry room there isn't always room to let the door stay open to dry out the inside.
    - gmac 13d ago
      In my experience with front-loaders, all of these are non-problems. But my understanding is that top-loaders are always inefficient: they have to use a lot more water, because the clothes have to be submerged, and thus they also have to use a lot more energy to heat it.
aidenn0 13d ago
Mainly it's just everybody grew up using top-loaders, though it's also easier to get clothes in and out of a top-loader than a front (unless you have a huge machine). [edit]Oh, and also the up-front cost of a top-loader was about $100 less when I last bought a machine. I've used a front-loader now for years and the only thing I really miss from my top-loader is that I could just leave the lid open for it to dry out. The door of the front-loader is perennially in the way if you leave it wide open, so we have to prop it open to prevent mildew.
- jacquesm 13d ago
  It works well but takes up more space because you can't stack washer/dryer, in Europe apartments and houses are a bit smaller so if you can save a square meter then that's good.
  - ssl-3 13d ago
    Stacked combo units with a top-load washer on the bottom definitely exist[1]. Whirlpool makes them by combining washer assemblies from Clyde, Ohio and dryer assemblers from Marion, Ohio. (It's not necessarily the most convenient way to do things, but it is also not a fiction.) [1]: https://www.whirlpool.com/laundry/laundry-sets/stacked-laundry-centers.html https://www.whirlpool.com/laundry/laundry-sets/stacked-laund... [scroll down]
    - notpushkin 13d ago
      An apartment I’ve rented in Vietnam had a top-loader with a drying program. I think it put a stream of (cold) air through the clothes while spinning somehow, and IIRC the clothes were not completely dry at the end, but definitely closer than just after a spin. (I think if they’ve added a dehumidifier to the process it would work just as well as a standalone dryer!)
      - Animats 13d ago
        Makes sense in Vietnam's climate.
- ssl-3 13d ago
  I once had top-loader in the bathroom of an apartment that I lived in by myself. Leaving the lid wide open was a pretty great way of living life. I'd shed my clothes to take a shower and just toss them directly into the washing machine. When it came time to start a load it was a simple matter to put some soap in and push start.
- wing-_-nuts 13d ago
  I dunno why anyone would want a front loader. If the seal fails, you have water on your floor. If the machine fails during the wash cycle, again, no way to easily get your clothes out without getting water on the floor. If a top loader fails, neither of these things can happen.
chiffre01 13d ago
It's my understanding that top loaders are less prone to breakdowns.
- stronglikedan 13d ago
  and leaks, since there's no door seals to wear out
- hedgehog 13d ago
  The primary failure I've observed in washing machines that get a lot of use is the drain pumps which are probably similarly (un)reliable across designs (we only have front loaders so not sure).
  - wpm 13d ago
    Clutches can wear out too, everything will still work but the washer won't really agitate well.
- electroweak 13d ago
  I can agree: my parents bought a top loader and dryer in 1975 ('Made in Newton Iowa") which was used a few times a week for 30 years and now once a week for the last 21, as far as I know without repair. Now held by a family member they still look like the day they were delivered due to the porcelain enamel used instead of the painted metal that disintegrated on my second front loader. I've managed to repair my 3 front loaders through an average of about 8yrs each, so far. I've joked with my wife that if I see that washer by the side of the road I'll carry it home on my back.
ssl-3 13d ago
We have those types here in the States, too. They're very common. We even have several different domestic manufacturers of them to pick from. (As an aside: I don't throw rocks at your house.)
xattt 13d ago
A big issue with side-load machines is the buildup of mould over time unless you are meticulous with maintenance. I’ve adapted over the last decade l-and-a-half and learned to keep the door open, but the unease is everpresent that a cat might decide to nap in the washing machine on a particular day…
- userbinator 13d ago
  I suspect it's due to the amount of water they use (or lack thereof) which leaves a lot more residue along the drain path, along with the horizontal drum that tends to trap rising water vapour attempting to escape. Leaving the lid on a top-loader open after use is natural; the water evaporates upwards, and they use enough water to wash themselves clean too (at least the older models do.)
- surfaceofthesun 13d ago
  I wish these machines would just stay slightly open when off. I leave mine open when it's not in use and haven't had an issue. If it makes you feel any better, our cats have never gone inside the washer. They're much more interested in sneaking behind the machine. I will note that when I forget and leave clothes after a wash for more than a day, they do get a slight mildew smell. The same thing happens with the top loader at my in-laws. Another wash gets rid of it in both cases.
brudgers 13d ago
One advantage of top loaders is that they don't have handedness. So wall and door and air vent and water tap location don't fight against appliance door swing...also the distance between door jambs can be a meaningful number of inches narrower. This will be more of a factor to any degree that US appliances tend to be larger than their European counter-parts (and my WAG is that's the case). In part because in the US, front loaders are a more premium product. [edit: side note -- issues with fitment are a substantial problem for retailers, returns are expensive].
userbinator 13d ago
They're cheap, effective, reliable, very easy to service[1], and parts are also readily available. I'd only choose a side-loader if I was extremely squeezed for space and water. [1] There are multiple YouTube videos of these machines being completely disassembled very quickly, as well as repairs.

by Liftyee 13d ago

emmelaich 13d ago

Top loaders are higher capacity and cost less. And open air drying is preferable to machine drying.

aidenn0 13d ago
Top loaders also act as spin dryers...
- olyjohn 13d ago
  Front loaders also get moldy and stink because they have to be sealed up so tightly. If you're not there to immediately pull out the clothes after the cycle, you're screwed. And in a small laundry room there isn't always room to let the door stay open to dry out the inside.
  - gmac 13d ago
    In my experience with front-loaders, all of these are non-problems. But my understanding is that top-loaders are always inefficient: they have to use a lot more water, because the clothes have to be submerged, and thus they also have to use a lot more energy to heat it.

aidenn0 13d ago

Mainly it's just everybody grew up using top-loaders, though it's also easier to get clothes in and out of a top-loader than a front (unless you have a huge machine). [edit]Oh, and also the up-front cost of a top-loader was about $100 less when I last bought a machine. I've used a front-loader now for years and the only thing I really miss from my top-loader is that I could just leave the lid open for it to dry out. The door of the front-loader is perennially in the way if you leave it wide open, so we have to prop it open to prevent mildew.

jacquesm 13d ago
It works well but takes up more space because you can't stack washer/dryer, in Europe apartments and houses are a bit smaller so if you can save a square meter then that's good.
- ssl-3 13d ago
  Stacked combo units with a top-load washer on the bottom definitely exist[1]. Whirlpool makes them by combining washer assemblies from Clyde, Ohio and dryer assemblers from Marion, Ohio. (It's not necessarily the most convenient way to do things, but it is also not a fiction.) [1]: https://www.whirlpool.com/laundry/laundry-sets/stacked-laundry-centers.html https://www.whirlpool.com/laundry/laundry-sets/stacked-laund... [scroll down]
  - notpushkin 13d ago
    An apartment I’ve rented in Vietnam had a top-loader with a drying program. I think it put a stream of (cold) air through the clothes while spinning somehow, and IIRC the clothes were not completely dry at the end, but definitely closer than just after a spin. (I think if they’ve added a dehumidifier to the process it would work just as well as a standalone dryer!)
    - Animats 13d ago
      Makes sense in Vietnam's climate.
ssl-3 13d ago
I once had top-loader in the bathroom of an apartment that I lived in by myself. Leaving the lid wide open was a pretty great way of living life. I'd shed my clothes to take a shower and just toss them directly into the washing machine. When it came time to start a load it was a simple matter to put some soap in and push start.
wing-_-nuts 13d ago
I dunno why anyone would want a front loader. If the seal fails, you have water on your floor. If the machine fails during the wash cycle, again, no way to easily get your clothes out without getting water on the floor. If a top loader fails, neither of these things can happen.

chiffre01 13d ago

It's my understanding that top loaders are less prone to breakdowns.

stronglikedan 13d ago
and leaks, since there's no door seals to wear out
hedgehog 13d ago
The primary failure I've observed in washing machines that get a lot of use is the drain pumps which are probably similarly (un)reliable across designs (we only have front loaders so not sure).
- wpm 13d ago
  Clutches can wear out too, everything will still work but the washer won't really agitate well.
electroweak 13d ago
I can agree: my parents bought a top loader and dryer in 1975 ('Made in Newton Iowa") which was used a few times a week for 30 years and now once a week for the last 21, as far as I know without repair. Now held by a family member they still look like the day they were delivered due to the porcelain enamel used instead of the painted metal that disintegrated on my second front loader. I've managed to repair my 3 front loaders through an average of about 8yrs each, so far. I've joked with my wife that if I see that washer by the side of the road I'll carry it home on my back.

ssl-3 13d ago

We have those types here in the States, too. They're very common. We even have several different domestic manufacturers of them to pick from. (As an aside: I don't throw rocks at your house.)

xattt 13d ago

A big issue with side-load machines is the buildup of mould over time unless you are meticulous with maintenance. I’ve adapted over the last decade l-and-a-half and learned to keep the door open, but the unease is everpresent that a cat might decide to nap in the washing machine on a particular day…

userbinator 13d ago
I suspect it's due to the amount of water they use (or lack thereof) which leaves a lot more residue along the drain path, along with the horizontal drum that tends to trap rising water vapour attempting to escape. Leaving the lid on a top-loader open after use is natural; the water evaporates upwards, and they use enough water to wash themselves clean too (at least the older models do.)
surfaceofthesun 13d ago
I wish these machines would just stay slightly open when off. I leave mine open when it's not in use and haven't had an issue. If it makes you feel any better, our cats have never gone inside the washer. They're much more interested in sneaking behind the machine. I will note that when I forget and leave clothes after a wash for more than a day, they do get a slight mildew smell. The same thing happens with the top loader at my in-laws. Another wash gets rid of it in both cases.

brudgers 13d ago

One advantage of top loaders is that they don't have handedness. So wall and door and air vent and water tap location don't fight against appliance door swing...also the distance between door jambs can be a meaningful number of inches narrower. This will be more of a factor to any degree that US appliances tend to be larger than their European counter-parts (and my WAG is that's the case). In part because in the US, front loaders are a more premium product. [edit: side note -- issues with fitment are a substantial problem for retailers, returns are expensive].

userbinator 13d ago

They're cheap, effective, reliable, very easy to service[1], and parts are also readily available. I'd only choose a side-loader if I was extremely squeezed for space and water. [1] There are multiple YouTube videos of these machines being completely disassembled very quickly, as well as repairs.