Indesit

...But my washing machine, the Indesit W113, has been put through a lot in its time with me, and is still working well so I thought it was time to sing its praises.

Rewind 18 months, and one morning I found myself with a washing machine full of sopping wet clothes. Okay, sounds normal? Well yes, washing machines are often full of sopping wet clothes, but sadly when the washing machine simple fills up with water and 90 minutes later drains ...
...retail price of the Indesit W113 was [at 17/10/02] £279.99 - but a quick search online found several retailers offering it with discounts of up to £60, so it is worth shopping around.

For more details of this model and others in the Indesit range:
http://www.merloni.com/Indesit/catalogue/en/main.jhtml?countryCode=UK&x=35&y=6  ... more

I felt the need to write about a faithful friend of mine. I'm not housework obsessed, nor normally do I find a household appliance that interesting that I'd want to write about it. But my washing machine, the Indesit W113, has been put through a lot in its time with me, and is still working well so I thought it was time to sing its praises.

Rewind 18 months, and one morning I found myself with a washing machine full of sopping wet clothes. Okay, sounds normal? Well yes, washing machines are often full of sopping wet clothes, but sadly when the washing machine simple fills up with water and 90 minutes later drains itself having done nothing in between, it's not quite the result you're after. Hubby had a fiddle with it when he came home, and concluded it had sadly washed [or not] it's last load.

My one requirement for another washing machine was simple - it had to be cheap. So, out came the free-ads, classifieds, and local papers and there it was. 'For sale: Washing machine. 1 yr old. In good working order. Buyer collects. £50 ono'. Bargain! [In fact even more of a bargain as we actually got it for just £25]

The first hurdle for the poor machine was getting it into my kitchen. Living in a first floor maisonette at the time we got it meant it being hauled along a garden path and up 15 odd stairs. Now I wouldn't recommend dragging a washing machine across a concrete path , turning it sideways, upside down, and letting it fall backwards down a few stairs as suitable treatment but it met the challenge well, and eventually made it to my kitchen in one piece.

Installation was easy. The instruction manual had basic diagrams and info regarding connection to the water supply, and the positioning of the drain hose. After that, it was simply adjusting the front feet to ensure that machine sat level, or no more than a 2 degree incline, and it was done. [Note: if installing from new, there would be transit screws, spacers and plastic plugs to be removed/fitted but the manual covers this too].

Features
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Now this machine is by no standards hard to operate, but compared to my previous machine which simply had an on/off button and one knob, this one initially seemed somewhat more complex with it's 3 buttons, and 2 knobs. Anyway, I had a good look, starting from the left and working across...

Firstly, the drawer:
One drawer, and three compartments within. 2 of compartments are for the detergent [powder, tablets or liquid can be used] The first one is only used if a cycle with pre-wash is set. The middle, main, compartment is filled for all washes. The third compartment is for fabric softeners if required.

Secondly, the push buttons:
Anti Crease - this button only works on a few specific programmes, and isn't exactly what I thought it would be. I presumed it would offer a delicate wash/spin cycle, but what it actually does is hold the wash load at the rinse stage, allowing you to then drain the machine and remove your clothes without spinning, or forward the programme on to a quick spin.

Extra Economy - this reduces the amount of water used in the rinse cycle on any programme, so it's ideal if you're only doing a small wash load.

On/Off - turns the power to the machine on/off. This button if used mid cycle though doesn't cancel the programme you're using, it just pauses it.

And finally, the knobs:
Temperature control - this allows you to set the temperature of your wash independently of the chosen wash programme, and the temp range is from a cold wash to 90 degrees.

Programme Selector - needless to say, this is how you choose your wash cycle and consists of 10 programme starts with varying features and differing lengths.

Functionality
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So, kinda knowing what I was doing [or bluffing so as not to admit to my hubby that the operation of a washing machine could foil me] I decided to do a wash...

Using the machine did turn out to be very easy. Simply put your clothes in and shut the door. Select the wash programme and temperature, add the detergent/softener and turn on.

Ultimately, the hardest thing with this machine is deciding what programme and temperature to choose, but even this is aided by a list of suggested programmes and temperatures to suit specific types of clothes displayed on the front of the detergent drawer. [It's also in the paper manual, and in the PDF manual you can download from the website should you misplace the original]

The length of time for a wash varies immensely depending on the chosen settings. On programme 8 at 30 degrees you can complete an entire wash/rinse and spin programme in just 30 minutes. In contrast, selecting programme 1 with warm pre-wash and 90 degree main wash you are looking at 2hrs 45 minutes [and longer if you use a cold water fill only and require the machine to heat the water from scratch].

The 30 minute 'daily wash' as they call it is a handy feature and for small and not heavily soiled loads it's quick and economical. Equally the 90 degree with pre-wash is handy and caters for the other end of the scale, filthy dirty whites that you'd be otherwise bleaching, but it's the least economical wash you can get.

I tend to opt for an in-between programme, usually a 40 degree wash taking about one and a half hours - the performance of this setting seems to be suited to most types of clothing and I've yet to shrink, stretch, dye, or in any way damage any article I've washed this way.

The maximum load weight for a standard wash is 5kg, with delicates and economy washes suggested at 2kg. Now if you're anything like me, that means very little - I rarely use scales when I'm cooking let alone for my washing. The manual gives some approximate weights as a guideline, but I guess it comes down to common sense and a bit of trial and error.

I've succeeded in cramming a large settee cushion into my machine with no ill effect, and the same goes for a double duvet. Then again though, I suppose given the fact that the machine only cost me £25 I wouldn't have been heartbroken if it had have decided not play so to speak.

The efficiency of the wash does mainly come down common sense - matching the wash load and weight with the most suitable temperature and cycle. Don't expect the 30 degree 30 minute wash to bring filthy dirty clothes up like new because it's not likely to happen.

Although this machine doesn't have the most extensive of programme options, there is basically something to suit all types of wash load. The spin speed in 1100 rpm, and although this cannot be changed as such, some programmes execute a 'delicate spin' rather than the full speed action, and of course with the anti crease button you can bypass the spin altogether if you wish.

Should you put your washing on and realise you've set the wrong programme, you simply turn the knob clockwise to the nearest reset/stop point, denoted by a black dot, and wait for 5 seconds. That cancels the programme so you can start again.

Don't attempt to fool the machine and advance the knob to a different setting without first stopping at the reset/stop point because it won't have it, and will simply advance itself back round to where it was - a handy safeguard though if you have kids or a partner that like to fiddle! Another safeguard, although one I'd imagine to be standard these days, is that the door will not open if the machine is full of water.

‘Other Stuff’
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So, you know how it performs but I guess you wanna know the 'other stuff' now huh? Well as I said earlier, I didn't buy this machine based on anything other than the price so didn't really know what to expect. But if you're wanting to make a somewhat more informed decision...

Cosmetics
My machine is white, and as far as I know this model only comes in white. The dimensions are what I'd consider to be pretty standard - 85cm high 59.5cm wide 52.5cm deep. The buttons/knobs are clearly marked and neatly spaced across the top of the front of the machine, and the on/off button has a red light to denote power to the machine.

Energy rating
Overall, the machine is a class: B although individually it's
Wash performance class: A
Spin efficiency class: C
Could be better, but could be worse.

Durability
It recently survived another move - this time being less than carefully hauled back down the 15 odd stairs, once again unceremoniously dragged along a concrete path, dumped on a van and transported at high speed to a new house. It's been sat in the garden, dragged into the kitchen, dragged out of the kitchen and back into the kitchen, where hopefully it will remain for years to come. The only battle damage it's sustained is a small crack on the top plastic surface. The performance of the machine though has not been hindered in any way.

Manual
There is loads of information available both in the paper manual and PDF download. It’s easy to understand, and covers plenty of ground [including ground that probably doesn’t need covering such as empty pockets before you put clothes into machine, etc etc]

Guarantee/cover
If you register the purchase you'll get a free 1yr guarantee on parts and labour, and a further 4 yrs functional parts cover. [I haven't been able to test the service offered as I didn't have the machine from new and so haven't registered it. BUT, so far, it's not required any servicing from outside sources]

Help
There are phone numbers in the manuals for the parts/servicing and general helplines should you have any difficulties with your machine. [I have no comment on this service as so far, pleasingly, I have had no reason to use it]

Issues
I was going to say faults, but that makes it sound worse than it is so I opted for issues instead, of which I have a couple.

The machine doesn't like low water pressure. My old home had quite low water pressure most of the time and this resulted in the machine taking an absolute age to fill up for example the 90 minute cycle taking well over 2hrs.

The other thing - it’s quite noisy. Not in the terms of you needing to shield your ears and run for cover, but you might find it gets on your nerves a bit if you are using the machine a lot.

They’re probably both things that you’ll have to put up with on many models of washing machine though, hence classing them as issues rather than faults.

Final Thoughts
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Well, I think I've told you all I can. So to sum up, overall...

I love this washing machine. It's simple to use, and still going strong after a year and a half in my care [and a year with a previous owner] and pretty frequent use. There is adequate choice in programmes to ensure you get good results in whatever type of wash you are doing - ultimately, it does what it should. Not a top of the range model, but equally not a top of the range price.

The recommended retail price of the Indesit W113 was [at 17/10/02] £279.99 - but a quick search online found several retailers offering it with discounts of up to £60, so it is worth shopping around.

For more details of this model and others in the Indesit range:
http://www.merloni.com/Indesit/catalogue/en/main.jhtml?countryCode=UK&x=35&y=6 

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