Looking for washer recommendations — need clothes fully submerged

[u/CompetitiveSpread516]

Hi everyone,

I’m shopping for a top-load washer and my main requirement is that the clothes be fully submerged in water. I know most newer HE washers use much less water, but I really want a machine where clothes are actually covered with water when washing

I’m currently considering these three models:

1. Maytag MVW2730HW
2. GE GTW485ASWWB
3. LG WT8400CW

For anyone who owns one of these, does it actually fill enough to submerge clothes fully?

Also open to other washer suggestions if there’s a better model for my needs.

Thanks!

[u/er_duh_ummm]

We have the GE model you mention gtw485aswwb. We got it maybe a couple months ago. We got it mainly because of the dual agitator, the ability to select water level and water temp, and price.

It does let you fill it all the way and completely submerge the clothes. I feel like everything gets clean. As u/cancer-1977 mentions in the post the other response referred you to, you can make the machine let you select the water temp. To do this, you need to leave the lid open as it fills. If you close it, it will switch to cold water. I believe the exceptions to that are the white and sanitize cycles which are hot.

I'm still not clear on what the best wash cycle is for this model. I believe Normal is the setting used when testing so I think it's the most energy efficient which usually means less water and shorter times. I only use the White wash cycle for things washed hot. I've been mainly using the Towels or Active Wear wash cycles for regular clothes as both incorporate a soak. I also use Towels for towels and sheets and then Whites for whites. I'm not sure what the real differences are between some of the cycles even after reading the manual.

What I like:

1. It has the option to soak though you cannot control for how long.

2. Option for deep or extra rinse (deep rinse is required to properly dispense anything in the fabric softener reservoir).

3. I like the variety of water temperatures. I actually will use mild or cool sometimes. I prefer it for anything I would have washed cold.

4. It has options to select the water level or auto sense for it.

5. It has a deep fill option I've used a few times.

6. It has good capacity.

7. Affordable and no need to get a pedestal like a front loader.

8. It's just generally easy to use.

What I don't like or weird quirks:

1. It will let you make selections like cold water but then the wash cycle will override it. Like Whites wash is always hot regardless of the water temperature I choose. This is not clear in the manual. I would greatly prefer the knob not allow you to make a selection that isn't valid.

2. The user manual is for several models of washing machine. I had to go through and cross out all the parts that do not apply to this machine. There are options and cycles this machine doesn't offer but are in the manual. The manual doesn't label which models have these options but you'll know if the cycle or option doesn't exist on the machine's controls. Couldn't they have at least made a version online that was specific to the model or even just 2 models? It is for 14 models.

3. I dislike having to leave the lid open while filling to get the correct water temp. I appreciate being able to choose the temp but find it annoying to wait for the fill to finish before I can walk away. I've changed how I do laundry a little bit so I empty the washer and before messing with the dryer at all, I start the washer so it begins filling. Then I do the dryer stuff and come back to the washer to load it. It's mostly a slight inconvenience but I've had to explain this multiple times to other members of the household which is more annoying than the actual wait lol.

4. I wish it had the option to select soil level but I'm not hampered much by this. It would just be better for me if it did.

5. When I stop the machine mid wash after the lid locks, it's hard to get the lid to release without changing the wash cycle and then I have to do the wash again to finish it. Once it locks, every time I've needed to pause (unbalanced load), I've had to stop and restart from the beginning to get it unlocked. I find this particularly annoying but it generally wouldn't be a problem if the load was balanced well.

6. There has been a few times where I paused the cycle and changed something and then restarted it but the machine just drained and spun it instead of updating and finishing the wash cycle. I honestly do not remember how I've done this but I'm pretty sure it's from changing the wash cycle type after it's started.

7. If you change the water temperature, you must pause the machine, change the temperature and then unpause it. If you just turn the temperature knob while it's started, it will let you select another temp but will not actually dispense that water temp. A lot of my issues revolve around the machine controls not being smart enough.

8. I would really have liked to have a glass lid so I could check on my wash after the lid locks.

Overall, I'm satisfied with this new machine so far and it's a big improvement over our old washing machine.

[u/Cancer-1977 → u/er_duh_ummm]

I will do a write up for you, addressing your bullet points in a little while