I too have noticed a lint problem... and it's the least of the many problems I've encountered with my Kenmore [*****] Calypso washer.
I bought mine when they first came out. My old Kitchenaid had busted a rubber joint (I found out later & repaired myself for under $10) and I was desperate to get clean clothes again. In an effort to be Green-concious, I bought the Calypso, hoping that I'd save water and electricity, and still have the washer-tub capacity to wash an occasional blanket or other bulky item. The front-load washers of the time had little doors on them, and would hardly wash enough.
The problems that I noticed were immediate and numerous. First, the flow of water over the clothes came out like it would from a waterhose - a half-inch stream of water which failed to moisten most of the clothes, and mostly fell on the center tower in the tub. Only a normal or extended cycle would adequately get them moist enough.
Next, the shaking that this washer does drives my downstairs neighbors nuts. Even with a "load" of a pair of socks, the washer gets seriously out-of-balance. Not enough to trigger the OB sensor, but enough to shake the building. And so the washer walks away from the wall as it goes through its cycles. I have found it more than a foot away from its installed location at the end of a cycle.
As for the bleach dispensing? Well, it does it late in the wash cycle. Poorly. If the items are sensitive to getting spotted with bleach, I don't dare put bleach in the dispenser, as I get speckled items.
Oh, and the temperature selections on the machine are a joke. Yes, the wash temperatures are more-or-less accurate - Hot, Warm, Cold. But there is NO difference between "Cold" and "Tap Cold" even with freezing-cold water entering the pipes. And the "Warm" rinse is a complete lie - under no conditions does the rinse water cycle EVER use hot water to warm the cold.
With a more rigorous or full-tub cycle, I've also noticed quite a bit of water on the floor below the washer. I presume it's spashing out of the tub somehow (maybe it's the actual cause of the multiple remarks about a moldy smell for some who own this machine).
Back to the question about "lint". Yes, I see it. A lot. I have a cat. The Calypso does not remove much of the cat's fur, nor does it remove the lint that my old machine easily took out. It's not a matter of the amount of detergent. It's lint and/or other unfiltered "dirt" that is floating about the recirculation system, and detergent doesn't show up as black specs on white clothes.
I've modified the water-flow system so that it now sprays over the clothes (a change I'd noticed in later models). Oddly enough, my own modification has roughened a plastic surface which helps spread the stream of water out. That surface now acts as a lint-trap, and I have to clean that every load now.
I've been back to the ***** dealer, and explained the many problems I've had with the machine. They've taken my name, number, etc. and told me they'll have someone contact me. But I think waiting over a year for them to call is a little long.. don't you?
On the bright side, I've not had a water pump go out, nor does my machine seem to suffer the "moldy smell" problem that I see some have had.
Nevertheless, I'll never buy another Kenmore product. EVER. I'm looking for a front-loader with a large door and top-loader capacity. |
Member Since
05/23/2004
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