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I’ve just spoken to a couple of local repairers about my LG WM-1485FHD washing machine that has all the signs of failing bearings after 3 years of about a wash a day. They all said that they had never repaired an LG, so didn’t want the job, but were suprised that the bearings had gone after only 3 years.
My question is this: how long do bearings last on average and what causes them to fail sooner?
I ask because this is the fourth set of failed bearings that we have had in our washing machines, all at about 3 year intervals. We are in a hard water area, but I use normal powder, not liquids. The floor isn’t particularly level, and the machine is under a work surface and is therefore only roughly level. We do have a tendancy to stuff the machine to withing a handsbreadth of full, but it’s not more than the 6kg load limit. I’ve also washed duvets in it. Any of these factors guaranteed bearings killers?
Re: How long should bearings last?
Do read this…..
Re: How long should bearings last?
If you wash once a day, that=365 per year x 3years =1095 washes. If you only washed once a week, it would have lasted 21.5 years, Because manufacturers cannot equate for individual users, eg load variations, mixed fabrics of light and heavy (towels, jeans….shirts tee shirts) wrong spin speed. it is difficult to produce a machine of quality, at a competitive price. If the machine is installed on a completely even surface, (concrete) and is used in accordance with the manufacturers loading conditions, weight, and spinspeed then it should last between 1000-1500 washes depending on which manufacturer, before components start to fail. usually the first component to fail are the brushes.
These are my own findings after being in the trade for 25 years. other comments are welcome.
regards loneRe: How long should bearings last?
Hi ftl,
Also have a look at this article and also this one
Both load size and spin speed do have an effect on lifespan we find unless, as lone points out, the machine is built to take it but then you pay for that sort of quality level.
K.
Re: How long should bearings last?
Thanks for all of the replies.
So:
LG not so great when it comes to washing machines.
Fast spins and large drums may be more trouble than they are worth.
Try to build up enough washing to do a few, big loads per week rather than lots of 1/2 loads to save on wear and tear.
All good food for thought, cheers.
Re: How long should bearings last?
as opposed to quality merloni stuff?
honestly, u admit u flog it, then slag it off
lg stuff is some of the best stuff around
the unfortunate part is that people want cheap and because of nasty imports(ie merloni) thats what people are getting
lg machines started off quite expensive, and were found to be sturdy and reliable, but they had to do something, basically because the machines werent selling, hence introducing cheaper components leading to cheaper retail prices
be fair to the manufacturer, look at the bigger picture…. u ever wondered why miele are the price they are? or why a lot of the independents gathered together and came up with the ise? (admittedly ive never come across ise yet, but ive heard theyre built on experience, not price, and that they are reliable)
go and buy an indesit, or a hotpoint…. and while your down the shop, we’ll open a thread just for you, cos believe me, youll be singing lg’s praises when you watch one of merlonis babies jump all over your kitchen, flood you out and explode!
when will people realise that they are at most times, their own worst enemy, quote – “i paid £150 for that and its only lasted 2 years”
just read the posts about hotpoint, and hopefully u’ll see my point
hope this helps someone, somewhere
Re: How long should bearings last?
ftl wrote:Try to build up enough washing to do a few, big loads per week rather than lots of 1/2 loads to save on wear and tear.
Hi ftl,
No, if you read through those articles as well as others you will find that large loads can be the problem. The trick is to optomise the loading and not overload.
Overloading is probably the single biggest cause of problems people have that you can do something about yourself. 😉
K.
Re: How long should bearings last?
Hi kwatt,
By ‘big’ load I meant 3-4 kg with a handsbreadth free at the top of the drum so the clothes can move, not tightly packed. I’ve never understood how the max limit can be 7kg, you’d need a crowbar to pack 7 kg of clothes in the drum! I just meant not to do washes of a couple of shirts and a pair of trousers too often, since lone commented that you’d get about 1000-1500 washes out of the motor brushes.
helo_75,
Simply paraphrasing the linked article that seemed less that complementary about LG. Been very happy with the LG and would be getting it fixed if I could find the darned receipt – still in the parts only part of the warranty.
As it is, will probably get a new Bosch since the repairers in the area are quoting £200-£250 to fix the LG, and one didn’t want to touch it because he’d never worked on an LG before.
As for Miele and ISE, I’d love to have the cash spare for one 🙁
Re: How long should bearings last?
Ah okay.
You’ll actually normally find (I do) that most modern machines work at their best with an optimum load rather than small loads as they tend to set off anti-balance controls.
On LG the actual machine is okay, the backup not so good, spares a nightmare. Pretty much as I wrote in the article. If they could solve the problems that they have with service, spares availability and info as well as the prices it would be a good buy IMO.
ISE isn’t that expensive. 😉
Miele isn’t too bad at the start of the range, it only gets grim when you want all the whizz bang features, still a good machine though. Very costly for repairs, with all info and parts limited to Miele only is the only real downside.
Thing is, when you say it’s too expensive, work out the cost or potential cost over the lifespan of the machine. The LG just cost you probably the best part, if not more than, £400 for three years. That makes ISE and Miele look like bargains in comparison as you will get at the very least, five years from either, probably a lot more.
K.
Re: How long should bearings last?
I think that some manufacturers are using cheap bearings. I had an AEG top-end model that saw an average of 2.5 washes per week, and its bearings lasted 3 years!
Re: How long should bearings last?
@ Trilobite
AEG is a good Quality machine for the money, The bearings are not usually of substandard materials, The seal is the first part to fail, then lets in the water.
Just out of curiosity how many boil washes do you do!!!
Most engineers on this forum will tell you they have had to change a broken spider (drum support) because it has rotted through, because of the powder not disolving (over use of the 30/40 Quick wash buttons), then blaming the machine. all this build up perishes the edge of the seal letting in water, (as well as the usual overload).Re: How long should bearings last?
Hi lone
If your question was for me, never did 90 deg washes in the machine – no white cottons to wash!. Towels and bedding at 60, everything else 40 with Arial Tablets (more recently Fairy), except for some t-shirts on cold with Dreft Dark.
Could be that I wasn’t using enough detergent – just lobbing in two tablets and we are a very hard water area.
Oddly, the machine only started making a noise after I did a 90 deg powder only wash after reading about ‘maintanance washes’ on this site. Just my luck really – I’m sure it was just coincidental though.
Decided to pick up a Bosch Clasixx (low end) as it’s going to get a hammering anyway due to our new baby. I’ll stick the LG in the garage and slowly strip it down and try and replace the bearings myself, since I was quoted £200 for the job! Hopefully I’ll be finished by the time the warranty expires on the Bosch 😆
Re: How long should bearings last?
Hi ftl
I guarrantee it was a coincidence, not a bad choice of machine, hope you manage to do the bearings 😉 not one of the easiest machines to work on.
regards lone
ps dont forget the boil wash……and clean filter regular 😉Re: How long should bearings last?
Yep, going to put a reminder on my calendar about the boil washes.
For info, I actually weighed a normal wash load last night. 4kg, and that would fill the supposedly 7kg drum to within a handsbreadth of the top.
I also found that Fairy say to use THREE tablets per wash in the Brighton area, rather than the two in the packet that I’ve always used. This info is helpfully printed on the underside of the box… Think I’ll switch back to normal powder rather than having to keep splitting a packet.
I chose the Bosch based on what I’d read around here, especially about the lowish price of spares, and the fact that it’s a more common brand of machine. A little worried that mine is probably going to be from Spain, but I’ll see how it goes. COOP were doing the 1400 spin for £260, which was cheaper than I could find the 1200 spin for (the one I wanted after reading about spin speeds here).
Re: How long should bearings last?
My Hoover Washer Dryer which just turned 5 years old in January has been abused beyond belief.
During one year of its very hard life, it washed everyday for 10 people! Sometimes doing upto 60 loads a week! Thereafter doing washing for 5 sometimes 6/7 people equalling between 25-40 loads a week.
This machine has had several new parts, but this was due to an extremy thicj GIAS engineer being unable to identify a problem.
Unnecesary repairs its had:
Motor
Drum Spider
Several belts
Wash timer x2
drain pumpNeccesary repairs its had:
One set of bearing at the start of this year (previous ones had lasted 4 years of hard labour before they started sounding like concorde running through the house)
Dryer Timer
One new belt after the original snapped
One set of motor brushes.After aproximatley 5808’ish washes, I have to say that this machine has been truly outstanding and as I type this is still working away happily, washing a load of coloured towels on Cotton 60*c!
Thought I’d have a little input.
P.S
from a previous thread where I mentioned a squeak, it was just a suspension leg, which i sprayed a little WD-40 on, good as new!
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