Are the newest Frigidaire and Kenmore washers bigger?
They look the same but the capacity is now listed as “3.1 cubic feet I.E.C.”. They’re the same. A top-loading washer with a 3.1 cubic foot wash basket would have an agitator that displaces about .4 cubic feet. Thus, 3.1 – .4 = 2.7 cubic feet actual capacity but the equivalent capacity of a 3.1 cubic foot top-loader. How much water does it use? At least 1/3 less than the typical top-loader uses to wash the same load (approx. 25 gallons vs approx. 40 gallons). How long does it take? The longest Cottons/Durables cycle with an extra rinse takes about an hour. But my top-loader only takes 45 minutes and the washers at the laundromat do the job in under a half-hour. Where’s the advantage in that? Front-loading washers take longer to wash and rinse your clothes but the final spin removes so much moisture, the extra time will most likely be made up in the dryer. In many cases, the clothes will dry in less time than it took to wash them but the overall wash and dry time will be about the same o
