Zanussi-Electrolux ZWD 16581

...tell.

OUR ZANUSSI-ELECTROLUX ZWD16581W

I am not sure when Zanussi and Electrolux became one but hopefully this merger will not have had a detrimental affect on their products. This washing machine has a 7kg load and 1600rpm spin speed both of which are an improvement on my old machine. It is the usual front loader and has a jet system. My other quibble is it is only B rated for energy efficiency and I wish this was better. ...
...not have any spare cash to play with.

Initially I thought the machine might be a little large for the space I have in my kitchen but it fits nicely. However it is a little bulkier than some machines so measure well before buying. It is a cold fill only and very bright white in colour. I hope it stays this way but only time will tell yet again.

There is a powder and softener dispenser drawer at the top which need regular ... more

SOME BACKGROUND

I had owned my previous Zanussi washing machine for quite a few years and they had been pretty trouble free ones. Well at least in the washing stakes. However, after last year's flooding, things started to go wrong. Whilst we had been waiting for the insurers to pull their fingers out our old Zanussi had been operating in rather damp conditions, to say the least. When the engineer called to repair my machine he explained that this Zanussi washing machine did not like damp conditions. Barmy for a washing machine, I hear you say, and I quite agree. However that was the truth of the matter. The circuit board had given up the ghost.

The engineer repaired the machine for the reasonable price of £50 and then wrote a letter for the insurers to say that he could not guarantee the repair due to the flooding etc. Our insurers kindly agreed to pay for a replacement washer and so we began looking around for a suitable one. Finally after much searching in the shops and on-line we decided to go for a Zanussi as our previous one had been so good. However our new one had a few bonuses.

We bought our new Zanussi through a cash-back site and Asda direct and so the price was very good. I think we paid around £330. There is one problem which I guess was from Asda. The edge of the drum is just slightly bent out of shape. This is so small that we had been using the washer a few weeks before we realised it. As the washer had been in its packing waiting to be fitted for a few months I decided it was too late to complain to Asda and thought we would chance it. At present this does not affect the performance at all and only time will tell.

OUR ZANUSSI-ELECTROLUX ZWD16581W

I am not sure when Zanussi and Electrolux became one but hopefully this merger will not have had a detrimental affect on their products. This washing machine has a 7kg load and 1600rpm spin speed both of which are an improvement on my old machine. It is the usual front loader and has a jet system. My other quibble is it is only B rated for energy efficiency and I wish this was better. Still we were stuck for the price as we did not have any spare cash to play with.

Initially I thought the machine might be a little large for the space I have in my kitchen but it fits nicely. However it is a little bulkier than some machines so measure well before buying. It is a cold fill only and very bright white in colour. I hope it stays this way but only time will tell yet again.

There is a powder and softener dispenser drawer at the top which need regular cleaning to prevent problems. At floor level there is a filter which you should really clean at least once a month. However it does depend on your amount of usage and the type of washing. Obviously fluffy items that shed pile will soon block the filter.

To select your wash cycle you simply turn a knob. This will enable you to select spin or drain only, hot cotton washes, economy washes, silk and much more. Once you have turned this knob to select your wash cycle check everything before you start the programme. I say this as there are one or two oddities. For example one of the more delicate wash programmes sets the temperature to 60 degrees which is obviously way off the mark. However most of the programmes give you the option to amend the spin speed, temperature and if the wash load is light, medium or heavy soiled. However there are one or two which will not let you amend. Still there are so many choices it is easy to avoid these. I guess though that the above problems would make it an unsuitable washer for anyone who is partially sighted.

If you wash using a programme that will only let you use one of the slower spin speeds it is possible to select spin only and use the maximum spin speed.

Temperatures range from 60 to 30 degrees and it is possible to wash using cold water. The instruction manual is comprehensive and I suppose will ex plain the many alternatives. However as usual I just dived in and found the controls relatively easy. Once you have selected your wash cycle you will need to press the start button. Once you do this the machine locks and can only be opened at those times in the cycle when the machine is not full of water. It is possible to delay the start of the wash but I have not use this yet.

A digital display show the timings and the amount of time left in the wash cycle or programme.

At the end of the wash the machine makes an audible bleep a few times and repeats this for a while. My other machine did this and it was possible to turn this function off. Probably I could with my new machine but I find it useful especially if you are doing a few loads and waiting to peg them out.

OVERALL

We looked at various machines especially in the Zanussi range and found this fitted our needs best. There are only the two of us but as we wear uniforms there is a fair amount of washing. We have a couple of dogs and do wash their bedding in the machine also. Our duvet fits in this sized drum quite easily.

This machine is much quieter when in use than my old one. That used to rattle away and dance a little. This one is quiet as a mouse.

The manufacturers recommend that you run a maintenance programme occasionally and I will if I remember. As I line in a very hard water area this is important.

I think that perhaps the odd flaws with the programming temperatures may have caused this machine to be more reasonably priced. For the features it offers it was very competitive after all.

However once you have been warned to just make sure of the temperatures and spin speeds before pressing the start button I cannot see any problems. We have been using this machine about two months so its reliability remains to be seen. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for reading
© Eiley 2008 

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