Corrosion Outbreak on Whirlpool Machines

Some of these front load machines have aluminium (Al) spiders connecting the spin drum to the drive pulley.
Aluminium is corroded by, amongst other things, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) otherwise known as ‘bleach’, Sodium carbonate, Sodium percarbonate, (these later two I found listed on the contents of a popular laundry aid), sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) (this one is sometimes used as a stabiliser in ‘bleach’ but I did not find it listed on the two containers of ‘bleach’ I found in our house).
To demonstrate what ‘bleach’ can do to aluminium just find a piece of scrap aluminium, without any coating, or remove the coating and let it sit in air for a couple of days to develop the naturally occurring oxide coating, then put one drop of ‘bleach’, straight from the bottle, onto the aluminium and leave it overnight. The following morning you should have a nice little pile of corrosion products on your aluminium. This is what can happen to aluminium components in your washer, albeit at a much slower rate because the ‘bleach’ is diluted.
To check if any of your laundry products are harmful to aluminium perform an Internet search for the material safety data sheet for the chemical concerned (e.g. Sodium Hydroxide Material Safety data Sheet).
I know these spiders are fitted to some ‘Kenmore’ (manufactured by Frigidaire) machines, some Frigidaire machines sold under their own name, and some GE machines. Very likely there are many others. Additionally any aluminium component in the water area is susceptible to the same corrosion.
This information has been passed to Sears and Frigidaire.
Sears advise that the information ‘will be passed to the appropriate departments’ but have refused to pass any further information on to us.
Frigidaire have assured us that they use only the best quality materials and that they will pass on the information to their design engineers, the very people who would have specified aluminium in the first place. Hardly re-assuring.
My wife and I have two Sears 'Kenmore' washing machines built by Frigidaire.
I recently had to tear down the old one (8 years old) because of bearing failure. Nothing to fantastic there, those bearings take one heck of a pounding. In addition to the failed bearings and failed 'spider shaft' seal, likely caused by the bearing failure, the brass sleeve on which the lips of the seal run was scored, by the spring in the seal, rendering it unserviceable.
What I also found on dismantling the machine was a build up of a deposit, resembling powdered detergent that had got damp and 'clumped' adhering, quite strongly, to the spider (a shaft [of steel], and aluminium hub with three spokes) which attaches to the stainless steel inner drum and the driving pulley. This ‘deposit’ would not flush away, as powdered detergent, being soluble in water, would have. I took my pressure washer to ours but still did not get it completely clean. Whereupon I discovered that the aluminium portion of the spider was quite heavily corroded towards the centre with almost no corrosion towards the outer third of the spokes.
At first I thought this was galvanic corrosion caused by the steel of the shaft and the aluminium of the hub. There is quite an informative paper on Galvanic Corrosion, use ‘Yahoo’ and search for ‘UN1001 Reactor Chemistry and Corrosion’ and open the link that gives ‘un1001_Galvanic Corrosion’, the authors are Lister and Cook. The ‘deposit’ though had me puzzled until I researched corrosion of aluminium and discovered that it is normally corroded when immersed in an aqueous solution with a pH value below about 4.0 or above about 8.0 (nitric acid is apparently an exception). Common household bleach (sodium hypochlorite NaOCl) is a strong alkali. I placed a drop of bleach, straight from the bottle, on an undamaged section of a spoke from my spider and a drop of vinegar (acid), which my wife favours, on another arm and left them overnight. The following morning there was nothing left of the vinegar and no signs of damage to the spider. Where the bleach had been was a small pile of a whitish powder, which resembled the ‘deposit’ and was also, for the portion immediately adjacent to the spider, quite difficult to remove.
Numerous detergents are alkaline, they have to be or they would not work, also alkaline are numerous other laundry aids. Reference to the ‘contents’ labels on the containers and the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on the Internet will give more insight. In addition to ‘bleach’ I have found sodium carbonate and sodium percarbonate in laundry products in our house. Sodium hydroxide, which is sometimes used to stabilize ‘bleach’, is also strongly alkaline, and corrosive to aluminium, it was not listed however on the two ‘brands’ of bleach I found in our house.
For some time prior to the bearing failure my wife had been complaining of a ‘moldy mildewey smell’ coming from the washer and leaving an odour on our laundry, particularly the towels. After I rebuilt the washer, new drum and spider, they are not available separately, together with new bearings and seal, it ran a lot quieter, no surprise, but here is the kicker, according to my wife ‘no smell’. Conclusion, the only thing different is no ‘deposit’. Now does the ‘deposit’ itself cause the ‘smell’ or does it collect undesirable compounds that cause the offensive aromas? I don’t know but it is certainly ‘food for thought’ particularly when I found two references on the Internet to people stripping their washers down and getting ride of ‘deposits’ which cured their ‘smell’. The odours, I fear, will return unless the owners alter their laundry habits.
To see what corrosion of aluminium can do perform an Internet search “Why Kenmore Front Loading Washers Fail” and watch the short video. I do not agree with the comment that it is galvanic corrosion between the spider and the stainless steel drum, should this have been the case one would have expected the spider to be corroded adjacent to its connection to the drum, that is at the outer end of the ends. Neither do I believe the deposit the gentleman showed to be caked detergent for the reason stated above (mine would not flush away).

Inexperienced engineers + short sighted management + Raccoon consumers (mesmerized by shinny things)= This

I usually buy kenmore appliances because I can get repair parts. I had a Maytag washer in perfect condition except for an oil leak from the transmission. In order to replace the $0.25 o-ring, I'd have to buy $270 in special tools, so I junked the otherwise sound machine.

Buy Korean, Samsung or LG and forget the problems and all jibberish. Like the Japanese the Korean industry is commited to basic quality by Demming. Just that simple.

Put me on the list of people with 30 year old Maytags that are still running fine. I did have some leaks years ago and replaced all the rubber parts in the washer, so I expect I'm good to go for another 30 years. If I ever do have to replace this set, it will be with a Staber, which I hadn't heard of before, but which I am now sold on.

For the expected life of appliance consult the trade magazine Appliance they make each year a survey of consumer good with minimum live, average, and maximum life. When you see that you realty realize that the products are design for Short life.

Dad bought our current washer a maytag top loader on Junuary 17,1972 the year I graduated from high school. It is still working.

Seems everyone here just accepts the explanation of Galvanic corrosion but there is a more plausable mechanism for corrosion of AL.
First galvanic corrosion would be biased toward the location of the connection while the picture shows the Al assembly to be evenly and severely corroded (I also don't see any corrisponding corrosion on the adjascent Steel which there should be). That's the key clue that it might actually be caused by a substance that is cleaning the protective oxide coating off the AL surface allowing rapid oxidation of the underlying metal and eventual rotting of even heavy cast parts. Al normally forms a very thin oxide layer which seals out oxygen from the bulk metal thus protecting it.
Many detergents are alkaline and can remove this oxide layer readily. As evidence look at the care instructions on any pot or pan made of Al. It clearly does not recommend washing in a dishwasher because the detergent will cause Al pitting and corrosion due to its alkaline PH.
I think the Author should take a close look at the detergent he/she is using. Perhaps a switch to a more carefully tested major brand could save this from happening again. A home brew or dollar store detergent might in fact be the root cause. (does the user manual make detergent cautions)
Care to experiment, put some mercury and AL together in a bag, the AL will be mush in days. I'm not saying the Author has any mercury but other substances do the same but slower

Just for the record the Whirlpool front load machines are made in Germany. I bought a BOSCH front load washer and it has so far been trouble free for 6.5 years with 7 people in my house. By the way, the Bosch machines are made in the USA.

WOW! What response! Let's wake up. Planned obsolescence... creates a lot of jobs, doesn't it. You just got to love those ivy-league, secret society card-carrying, Wall-Street bean counters! I'm feeling sorry for this poor
planet. The amount of waste is bringing tears to my eyes. What in the H_ _ _ are we doing?

If you have a maytag neptune front loader you can now change your bearings instead of the expensive $450 outer tub. Search for 'neptune bearing' for more infomation. Your neptune will get loud in spin cycle the the bearings are starting to fail. You will want to replace these soon after you hear them...

I had this failure with a machine that was only 3 years old. I don't remember if it was this brand or not, but the failure was identical. I purchased it through Sears. I had thought it might be because of the magnesium content in the spider. The warranty deal was no deal at all... I would have had to pay for the labor, so instead I replaced the whole unit with a new one for $50 more than they quoted to fix the used one. I may still have the corroded spider in my shed.

If you look inside the time line of these companies I bet you will find that they have been thorough some sort of six-sigma design by committee movement. This design for six-sigma implantation will coincide with the beginning of their poor product design decision. This is due to the “team” relying on dysfunctional tool for decision making instead of a good engineering staff. That along with a very short design cycle that doesn’t allow for proper product testing you have a recipe for failure. I will personally take a product designed by a few competent engineers over a six-sigma design team any day. Remember a camel is a horse designed by committee.

Have we ever wonder why the world do not buy any "MADE IN USA" products?
Most of us will just blame it on cost - but then how do we explain the sales of Mercedes, Porches, Rolex, etc., which are all made in countries with very high standards of living?
Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, etc., all have assembly plants in China but do we see any complains on their products?
Hey America - just wake up!!!

I repair TV's and many times you cannot get any parts. It looks like all parts go into new sets and nothing for repairs. A $1,000 or more TV that is a year old and cannot be repaired happens all the time.

I was lured into buying a new KitchenAid dishwasher based on our experience with KitchenAid machines in two prior homes. Well, the new KitchenAids are simply re-badged Whirlpool machines. Noisy, flimsy, and (this one) has needed repair service three times so far (only three years old)! Ugh.

The central problem is often that these companies are transferring designs without a lot of controls on the process or validation of the product and then selling them branded under their own names.
It's quite likely that the manufacturing process and materials were altered when it was outsourced to China. Sadly US vendors didn't learn from the US Military's experience with remote validation of outsourced manufacturing. It's likely too late to fix this for most.
Corning had/has this problem with Pyrex and licensed Chinese factories started substituting and altering the process recipe to shave costs which unfortunately altered the temper quality (or even eliminated all tempering)! Exploding Pyrex in ovens is the well-established result. Testing samples sold here shows why. It was clear the sophistication in glass making wasn't transferred or their licensees gambled they could pull off the con.

As noted, the Staber is what to get. American made, stainless, no electronic displays, extremely efficient. With cheap stuff not only is it the pain of replacing it often, but the aggravation.

I bought a new GE Refrigerator and Stove a few years ago. Within two years the plastic parts were breaking. When I asked GE how the world leader in plastics could not make appliances that last I was told the appliance group does not use GE plastics as they are to expensive! Needless to say my GE appliances have been replaced with a different brand and GE is "off the list" when I need an appliance.
Once there was a time when American Made meant QUALITY.

When you read in the articles like this, "Cost Initiatives" or "Cost Cutting", read... take product material cost out by using cheaper materials and parts, eliminate features and parts. Instead of innovation, very smart people make very stupid decisions. A good example fo this is General Motors. They took cost out and produced junk for a long time, now they're making some pretty good products. Do they have enough customers left?

I run an appliance repair business on the side via craigslist. I assume that this audience is DIY more than most. I have to tell you that there are lots of people out there who would rather buy new than spend 130-150 to repair. I beleive that Whirpool is giving us what we wanted the last few years. I spent a lot of time removing perfectly good appliances (> 2 years ago) to replace with pretty stainless steel wrapped ones. People were changing them out because they were the wrong color. Not so much any more. People appear to be more interested in how long it will last these days.
That front-loader repair, takes (me) way too long to do for the profit btw.

Had extended warranty on Maytag top of line front load and they have put in as many replacement parts and labor as the cost of the machine. Now I know why to renew the warranty it will be cheaper to buy new one. As you have all stated we live in a planned obsolence society. Here is an American company doing it right "Staber" not cheap but you can fix it yourself with basic tools and skills. You will have to go to the laundromat for the king size stuff. This going to be my next machine

Perhaps someone should start a website to communicate durability information to consumers? You couldn't take rely on advertising revenue however since that would either cause a conflict of interest (real or percieved) or could put business at risk when a poor rating was given. Oh I forgot this already exists, its called Consumer Reports!

Thanks for the posting. I purchased a top loading Whirlpool Cabrio 1 year ago. High efficiency job. I don't know much about them so I talked to a friend that owns a repair depot. Front loaders of any brand are out of the question. The first thing to go into the machine is a pair of bearings for the short horizontal shaft that holds the drum/tub in place.
When the seal goes so do the bearings. The whole machine needs to be dismantled to get at the bearings. The seals don't last more than a few years.
I hope this corrosion problem doesn't show up on the top loader.

I was so used to the quality US goods of the 1950's and 1960's that I was totally unprepared for the sloppiness of the mid 1970's and beyond. Starting around 1980, I can't recall a single electronic appliance I've bought that I haven't had to tweak or outright re-engineer in order for it to work properly from the onset, or had a major breakdown after 90 days from purchase. It had gotten so bad that, since 1985, I've resorted to 24/7 operation burn-in for everything I buy. We consumers really don't have much of a complaint because we actually encouraged this sloppiness by allowing ourselves to become a fast obsolescence throw-away society. Unlike most of my peers today, I will go down to board level on many devices to effect a repair and (more often than not) improve the circuit.

It is indeed very sad to see that presently the stupid monkeys equate features with quality. I had an old KitchenAid that I purchased somewhat used, and after 32 years I had to replace it because the timer motors failed, shorted turns in the windings, I think. The corrosion problem in the cast-pot-metal spider assembly is caused by using detergent and waer in the machine. Just avoid those and it will last quite a while.
The real failure is that somehow the general public has been brainwashed into believeing that "there is nothing you can do" about poor quality, and so they just accept that dishwashers fail at 5 years, washing machines at 6 or 7 years, TV sets at one or two years, and computers become obsolete so fast that even the really poor quality ones become outdate before they fail. UNfortunately I know of no means of changing the current mentality, except that it is slightly possible that if this recession continues we may have a very large group of well educated poor people who may all at once get upset about spending money for things that fail quickly. But I am not holding my breath until that happens.

The "best" is still out there. Whenever I buy something, I try to buy the best. This is not as easy as it seems, as discussed in this article. Basically, I ask myself what organization requires "X" product to be bulletproof. For example: washing machine= landromat (since they cannot afford to have a machine go down); dishwasher= high traffic restaurant (Claim Jumper); microwave oven= McDonalds; toilet= visit an airport, stadium, etc. to see what model is being used. The "best" is obtainable, but be prepared to pay.

Yup, I've own a top-of-the-line Whirlpool dishwasher. In the first two years of ownership I had to replace a failed main control board, then the switch panel on the top of the door. Sometimes it just doesn't want to run at all, or fill the tub. The float switch wasn't hung up. The plastic handle broke about the same time. Turns out you can just pull it open and push it close. For $800, I expect a machine to perform better than that. It's a piece of crap. I wish I could still buy a KitchenAid that wasn't made by Whirlpool. They've killed that brand too. The old KitchenAid's were built like tanks and would last for 20 years or more easy. The new ones are cheap plastic or stainless tubs with the thinest possible sheet metal they could roll. I'm so sick of it. Charge double the price if you must, but make it last. I hate the new stuff. I have good Maytag washer and dryer. I don't care if they are not "energy efficient" because I bought them in 1989 when quality still meant something. They have been used continuously since then raising a herd of four kids. I have not even replaced a belt in either of those units. I will not ever buy a new washer/dryer as long as I can keep these going.

This is a well documented occurrence on front loaders, especially those made by Frigidaire and marketed under the Sears name. I had a front loader that I just replaced after 6 years. The machines of today are not like Mom's.

So far my 6 year old top-load Whirlpool is doing fine. Hope it lasts as long as my water heater did. It was mfgrd by State in '87 and the tank finally rusted thru last month. Unfortunately, I was told that State is no longer in business. Go figure...

Peter, Just to let you know, we have been through 2 Sets (Washer and Dryer)of Maytag Machines, 1St Set 21Years, second set 20 years Our 3rd Set is Approx 5 years old and they Maytag/We have Replaced The top Lid Twice for Rust/Corrosion, Both Front Struts were replaced at 4 Years (Failed/Corrsion)and last Month the water pump Impeller Failed and has been Replaced...I'm about ready to package the complete washer up and ship it back to their HQ's the office of the The Chairman of the Board so that they, Maytag,can see what they Designed,Engineered????,Manufactured,I don't Understand, 40 years you can do it right and then disaster!!!!! I can't wait until week to see what gets replaced next......DISASTER.....

This is sad, but obvious example of "is it ignorance or deliberate low quality" . Most likely the assembly was optimised using advanced CAE (without too much understanding of it) by relatively inexperienced specialist engineer(s) not really intersted in the, let us admit, unglorious and time-consuming materials/corrosion issues.
At least the cause of the failure was obvious as soon as the machine cover was lifted. There are washing machines with Aluminum wires used in their motor windings, imagine when those start failing? Try asking the sales assistant if the wires are Cu or Al and watch their faces!

I have had an issue with numerous Whirlpool appliances (Refrigerator, stove & dishwasher) lasting far less time that I expected from a brand name applaince. I have replaced them with Maytag (pre-whilrpool) Amana and Firgidare appliances and have had not had any issues with any of them since.

The same basket is used in someSears Kenmore models (presumably made by Whirlpool). Not just expensive to replace, but a real PITA. The plastic tub got scuffed but not seriously damaged, but I suspect that if you ignored the noise long enough the main bearing (permanently mounted into the plastic tub) would work loose or fail. Apparently the lifetime warranty on the basket isn't honored by Sears.

Whoever designed this machine, gave no thought to materials selection other than ease of fabrication. No one with basic knowledge of corrosion would specify a 'pot' metal casting for service in a warm wet environment, let alone one with an oxidizing bleach present.
Thanks for sharing, I'll avoid the Whirlpool front loader when the time comes to replace my 20 yr old Whirlpool top loader.

Thanks for posting this.
It is a pity, that thesedays, the definition of "good quality" appliances is that they last for greater than 5 years.
Probably ties in to "recurring purchase cycle" requirements that the smart kids with MBA, supposedly "running" the companies must have specified to the engineers.
Whats even more sad is that the replacement parts can quickly total up to $150/- or more.
And therefore have you thinking - should I pay a 1/3rd and get it fixed ? Or buy a new dryer for $450/- ?
Shows lack of pride in product quality - something that used to exist in pre-Walmart days

That's just a dumb design. Sheesh, the people involved in this material choice should leap off a high mountain.
Talk about wanting to bankrupt the company they work for in warranty replacements.
Next time I need to purchase an appliance, how do I evaluate the engineering inside it?