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10/07/2011
2nd time in 7 years our HE4 110 (Whirlpool) front load $1,200 washer is throwing an F code. This time F2. The cycle starts but will not finish and is difficult to stop the cycle and get it drained and door open. A circuit board replacement fixed it the first time, and now (1 year and 8 months later) it appears to be circuit board issue again.
1. Smell: According to the repair person, liquid HE detergent manufacturers removed phosphates from the product and made up for it with animal fats that turn rancid after awhile and can even destroy the drum bearing.
Although the book and DVD that came with the machine say use "X" amount of detergent, the service guy says that's way too much and to use only a table spoon at most of powder. I've done that and the smell got better. A year ago I changed to 7th Generation HE liquid detergent (again limiting the amount per load to about 1-2 tablespoons), because it is plant based surfactant. The laundry smells even better.
The repair person said if cleaning the machine to use cleaning tablets and/or vinegar, but not to use bleach as a cleaner.
2. Machine Quality and Repair Issues: I think the first repair after about 5 years ownership cost $350 for a Sears Protection Agreement (1 year) which allowed a parts & labor repair up to $500 or a $500 refund toward another washer. A local repair person told me he couldn't repair the machine for $350 and it was a good machine that should be repaired for that price.
Now, I'm seeing reports of spider failure due to incompatibility corrosion of the aluminum to stainless steel construction and also inner drum screws wearing through the plastic outer washer drum.
Now that the last Protection Agreement has expired, I'm not sure I want to pay for another to replace the circuit board and then later have my 2nd floor laundry flooding the house because of a drum leak and then have to replace that also.
I'm going to have to look into the inside and/or consult Sears and/or my local appliance repair person to determine if spider, bearing or drum failure will likely be an issue on my machine before I put any more $ into this apparently poorly designed, but expensive washer.
Below you can read previous posts and comments about this topic. The discussions on this page has been archived 1 time. Select a discussion and read the feedback here.
(Archived Oct 14, 2009)Kenmore HE4T Washing Machine Complaints
Kim from NC
Feedback:
By DL1052MCD
By Sheryllynn44
He said to rid the washer of the smell and soap residue I should run a cycle on hot with no clothes and 2TBS of automatic dishwasher soap. This worked great no more soap scum on the inner flap and best of all no more smelly laundry. Hope this helps you. Laura (11/04/2006)
By Ann29
By Lisa
By Deide
I was delighted to find out that my favorite detergent is HE compliant. It's Nellie's Laundry Soda and can be purchased online or at some health food stores. You use very little of it and my very allergic family has had no problems since we switched to it. It uses sand, not just soap, to clean and it rinses clear, even in very hard water.
After this load completes, I will fun some through with vinegar and washing soda in lieu of bleach. I hope I luck out with this unit. My heart goes out to those who are frustrated with theirs. A washer is a significant purchase. (01/08/2008)
By Lorna
So I purchased tablets called "Affresh" at Home Depot for $6.99, threw one in an empty normal cycle, then washed a load of clothes in the next load, and lo and behold, no smell. Apparently you do this same empty-load cycle w/a tablet once per month so one package will last you three months (as there are 3 tablets in each package).
I have also heard that Tide HE is a bad detergent to use which could be exasperating the problem. My sister switched to Wisk HE and says her laundry is much better. So I'm throwing out the Tide HE and buying Wisk HE along with these once-per-month tablets and hopefully going to save the $2,000 I was going to spend on an LG machine. Jan in Phoenix (02/03/2008)
I have discontinued liquid soaps, as I saw more mildew in my dispenser when I used them (they're slimey to begin with). I also rarely ever use fabric softener as Downy produced tons of mildew and slime in my dispenser. I switched to using Snuggle once in a blue moon, I normally use dryer sheets.
This has significantly cut down, but not stopped the problem, I'll catch a whiff of mold, but I'm not seeing it build up in dispenser or boot anymore. I really think the liquids promote the slime and mildew. I've also been told by repairmen that the detergent companies have us using about 2-3 times the amount of soap that would already work which is bad for our environment, clothing, and wallet. I use a large tablespoon of powder detergent and the same for the fabric softener (if I use it at all.) and I have two boys and their clothes do get clean. Good luck. (04/15/2008)
By RVG
By je11634
The board was designed for the European market and I think the lower US voltage has a lot to do with this problem. The contacts begin to carbon up from constant DC switching. Again, follow the instructions in the fixitnow.com website to repair. Be patient about removing the plastic covers and the circuit board from the plastic housing. Replace all 5 relays on the board just to be safe. When you remove the old relays, be careful not to damage the wire connections on the board. The board itself is high quality, so you can dismiss comments about poor solder joints and edge connections coming loose. It's just worn out relays. You can get new ones from Newark Electronics part numbers 24C0595 (3) and 35K4530 (2).
In total, the repair will cost you less than $30 which is a lot cheaper than spending hundreds on the board. As to why Whirlpool didn't use solid-state relays (which would outlive the mechanical components) for this application? That's because Whirlpool was able to cut at least $10 off the HE4T mfg. cost. Guess they measure mfg. costs a lot better than customer satisifaction? (11/16/2008)
By Kenmore HE4T (Whirlpool Duet) F11 Errors
Mine is white and it should be right in the middle on the bottom. Turn the cap a hard left and pull out the plug. Be prepared with lots of towels, because if it is clogged, there will be on out pour of water and it will stink. It made me gag a few times. Just clean that off that cap-plug and put it back in. If that doesn't fix it, take off your drain hose and flush it out good with a pressure washer or a hose, making a strong stream, and that may help the problem.
Also, just another tip. Pull back the rubber stop at the bottom that meets up with the drum after every cycle. Especially if you have kids. This machine likes to eat socks. If they go under that rubber stop and are not removed, they will eventually fall down under the drum and go into the drain system. You can then remove them by pulling that cap off and cleaning it out as I described above. I hope this helps somebody. I paid $80 for the advice and for a service tech to come show me what was going on. Now I check that drain every couple of weeks to make sure that it is clear. $80 is a lot of money for something that literally takes 5 minutes and no expertise at all. Just need a socket wrench or a very small wrench. (02/08/2009)
By Amy
By turtle09
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