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ApplianceGuru.com: The Samurai Appliance Repair Forums > Do-It-Yourself Appliance Repair Help > The Laundry Appliance Repair Forum > Will Staber washer work with low water pressure? |
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| Will Staber washer work with low water pressure? | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21st, 2009 06:43 am |
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1st Post |
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Aermeister Merit Apprentice Appliantologist
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Does anyone out there in Samurai land have experience running a Staber washer on a gravity-flow water system? After a decent interval of mourning for our late lamented ancient Whirlpool with suds saver, my wife and I search for a new washer. We like what we hear about the Staber: minimal water use; horizontal axis but with bearings on both sides of drum (instead of hanging from one bearing like most front loaders); ease of customer service. We live in the boonies in an owner-built home. Our water system is an old model D602 Aermotor windmill, pumping from our 180' deep well into a 1000 gallon cistern, which is buried uphill from the house. Gravity water flow gives us five to eight PSI water pressure in the bath/laundry room. Therein lies the rub-a-dub-dub. Staber says their machine requires a minimum of 20 PSI to function. I talked to a couple of local self-proclaimed appliance gurus who say ANY modern washing machine needs at least that much water pressure to work. We talked to two different Staber phone service techs. One told my wife the water shutoff valve needs 20 PSI to open. (This sounds like a crock to me. Doesn't a solenoid open & close the water valve?) The other Staber tech said the valve should not be affected by low pressure, but it will just take a long time for the washer to fill, and the drum will be spinning the whole time, unnecessarily wearing out washer parts and your clothes. It takes 3 minutes to fill a five gallon bucket from the washer faucet, so I can't see that it should take an onerous amount of time to fill the machine. Our old Whirlpool worked on this system for years. Any of you grasshoppers or Appliantologists have experience with low pressure water systems? Have you used a Staber or other washing machine, and have you had to put in a pressure pump just to run them? Your assistance would be appreciated. We are getting sick of going to the laundromat, and want to buy a washer that will work on our water system. By the way, how come when I go to the "Staber Store" section of this site, the page is blank? Last edited on Wed Oct 21st, 2009 10:14 pm by Aermeister |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21st, 2009 09:32 pm |
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2nd Post |
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graybadger Chief Apprentice Appliantologist
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Samurai advised that they have a production delay and was waiting for them to get their act together. I asked them and they said it was because of a motor change and the economy causing a delay in getting parts from suppliers- getting 5-10 widgets when they used to be able to order 100. I don't know. It worries me, but I've got one on order & based on the design, if I have a set of spare parts, I guess I take my chances. Can't help you with the water pressure question. If anybody else has input on Staber, we're all ears.
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| Posted: Wed Oct 21st, 2009 10:09 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Aermeister Merit Apprentice Appliantologist
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Thanks, Graybadger. In our research, we talked to folks at Backwoods Solar in Idaho, who list the Staber in their excellent renewable energy catalog. Or did. Since their 2009 catalog came out, they have apparently decided to quit selling the Staber, due to supply problems. Which also worries me. According to this ostensible authority: http://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/wordpress/low-water-pressure-and-washing-machines/ the issue with low water pressure is that most modern washing machines are controlled by computers that are programmed to abort the cycle if water fill exceeds a preset time limit. While our good ol' Whirlpool suds saver just sat there patiently filling, meditating on the T'ao, these allegedly more efficient Millenial Generation machines appartently have a video-game attention span. The phone line tech at Staber told me that their machines don't have this kind of computer, and they would wait for the water to fill to the proper level no matter how long it takes. Staber says a typical water use is 5 to 7 gallons per cycle, and our system fills a 5 gallon bucket in 3 minutes. So I still can't see why our gravity system should be a problem. Last edited on Wed Oct 21st, 2009 10:17 pm by Aermeister |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 22nd, 2009 12:09 pm |
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4th Post |
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Budget Appliance Repair Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology
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The problem you're going to have is with the water valves that allow the water to come into the machine. It is true that the Staber won't care how long it takes to fill to the correct level but I doubt the water fill valve will operate correctly at that low of water pressure. You think the solenoid is actually opening and closing the valve, but that is not truly how an appliance fill valve operates. The actual water pressure is what opens and closes the valve and you supposedly need at least 20-30lbs water pressure for them to operate correctly. The solenoid is actually only operating a plunger that opens or closes a bleed hole which then lets the pressure equalize on each side of the diaphragm inside the valve so that it opens and lets the water flow thru. When the plunger closes off the bleed hole in the diaphragm the water pressure then close the valve. I believe, if the water pressure is too low the valve may not close fully and may leak water thru and fill the machine when it is off. But, then again you might get lucky and have everything work ok.............. Last edited on Thu Oct 22nd, 2009 12:11 pm by Budget Appliance Repair ____________________ William Burk (Willie) Willie's Budget Appliance Repair Eureka, CA 95501 |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 23rd, 2009 03:22 pm |
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5th Post |
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Aermeister Merit Apprentice Appliantologist
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Thanks, Willie. We used our ancient Whirlpool Model LPA4505W0 with suds saver for years in our gravity-fed system. Did this machine have the style of fill valve you describe? If so, it would seem like the Staber ought to work. If we get brave and plunk down a grand plus for a new Staber... or any machine, and discover that it won't work on our low-pressure system, I suppose we could plumb a small pressure pump and pressure switch into the pipe feeding the washer. Would we need a pressure tank as well, or would it work just to have the pump pumping straight into the fill valve?
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| Posted: Sat Oct 24th, 2009 11:14 am |
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6th Post |
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Budget Appliance Repair Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology
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If you old Whirlpool worked the Staber should in theory work just as well............ all of the fill valves have been constructed in the same many for as long as I've been working on appliances, (24 years). It might be a good idea to turn off the water faucets to the washer anytime it's not being used just to be safe.
____________________ William Burk (Willie) Willie's Budget Appliance Repair Eureka, CA 95501 |
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| Posted: Tue Oct 27th, 2009 06:25 am |
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7th Post |
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Aermeister Merit Apprentice Appliantologist
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Hi Willie. We probably bought our old Whirlpool machine about 24 years ago when you were a noviate appliantologist. It was then undoubtedly old enough to vote. So, even the old outmoded held-together-with-baling-wire washers back then had this same style of fill valve? I suppose I could take the fill valve off the old machine and dissect it in the name of Science... I
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| Posted: Tue Oct 27th, 2009 10:54 am |
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8th Post |
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Budget Appliance Repair Fellow, Academy of Sublime Masters of Appliantology
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I've worked on older washer, ones from back in the mid to late 60's and they all had the same style fill valves.
____________________ William Burk (Willie) Willie's Budget Appliance Repair Eureka, CA 95501 |
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