It would probably help if you wouldn't use an entire bottle of soap for every load.
Also, pretreating with Mr. Bubble is not a good idea.
Speed Queen - The Way of Water
- Thread starter JoyfulNoise
- Start date
Also, pretreating with Mr. Bubble is not a good idea.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
But the bubble-gum flavored Mr Bubbles makes chewing on my shirt so much more enjoyable …
Saturn94
Bronze Supporter
- Mar 11, 2015
- 1,864
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
GregMorris
Gold Supporter
- May 28, 2021
- 7
- Pool Size
- 12400
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Congrats. We've owned speed queen for about 5 yrs now. We have the digital controls. I bought the washer first and then the dryer about 2 years later. Speed queen had changed the looks a little so it looked like we would not get a matching pair but I went to a couple of different places and found one place that had a last year's model in the back in an unopened box. We opened it just enough to see it was a match. I got it for 1/2 price with full warranty. My washer was made just before speed queen had to start complying with gov mandates on efficiency. I'm curious does your washer still have a full size agitator in it? We love ours. I'm a lineman and I get clothes dirty. Speed queen never fails to clean. It's as quiet in yr 5 as the day we bought itHahah. Ok, I’m no James Cameron raking in billions on a cheesy Smurf remake movie, but I can be joyful and make some noise (see what I did there) about my latest purchase -
View attachment 468551
Speed Queen TC5 washer and DC5 dryer set! Woooo hoooo!!!! Low complexity (love the knobs and buttons) and high reliability. I just got rid of my Maytag Bravo set that was 10 years old. Overly complicated machines with more cycles and options than anyone ever uses and an agitator-less design with a direct drive brushless motor. Nice machines but horribly complicated and expensive to repair.
These Speed Queens classics harken back to an older design philosophy that is more New York City laundromat style than elegant home appliance style. I prefer laundromat style!!
Looking forward to many years of service.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Yes. Full sized agitator with fabric softener dispenser on top.
- Jun 1, 2018
- 15,974
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I always use the heavy duty cycle & extra rinse since we have really dirty clothes & sensitive skin so i have never noticed this issue but I will definitely be on the lookout for it.
There’s a great washing machine guy on YouTube- Lorraine Appliance I believe, he explains that 1 tide pod (or a couple tbsp of liquid or powder) is enough to clean a full dirty load even in a real top load washer like a speed queen that uses more water. So long as the water feels slippery you have enough detergent. For extremely dirty 2 pods max even though the box says up to 4 pods! Obviously hard/soft water plays a role here too but generally most people use too much detergent. The fix in a laundry mat for a foaming machine that someone added too much detergent to is to add fabric softener.
One more thing that is very important for a speed queen is using the drain hose plastic thingy & strap that should have come with it - it keeps the bend in the drain hose & ensures it forms its own ptrap as well as keeping the drain hose from popping out when the intense drain force happens. Also ensuring you put the drain hose in the appropriate position according to your plumbing setup
There’s a great washing machine guy on YouTube- Lorraine Appliance I believe, he explains that 1 tide pod (or a couple tbsp of liquid or powder) is enough to clean a full dirty load even in a real top load washer like a speed queen that uses more water. So long as the water feels slippery you have enough detergent. For extremely dirty 2 pods max even though the box says up to 4 pods! Obviously hard/soft water plays a role here too but generally most people use too much detergent. The fix in a laundry mat for a foaming machine that someone added too much detergent to is to add fabric softener.
One more thing that is very important for a speed queen is using the drain hose plastic thingy & strap that should have come with it - it keeps the bend in the drain hose & ensures it forms its own ptrap as well as keeping the drain hose from popping out when the intense drain force happens. Also ensuring you put the drain hose in the appropriate position according to your plumbing setup
Maybe use less detergent or maybe a different detergent with less foam.
Maybe use Borax in the wash to reduce foaming.
Maybe use Borax in the wash to reduce foaming.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
My setup is similar to Figure 7 where I have a wall supply box with two knockouts for the drain. One of the drains is for the water softener drain line. The other drain is for the washer. I did not use the rubber standpipe adaptor as it is not necessary.
I agree on the overuse of detergent but, in my testing, no amount of modern detergent would decrease the foaming issue. Modern detergents like Tide pods or liquid All have detergency builders in them and complex surfactant chemistry. All of them create foaminess to a certain extent and they all rely somewhat on people using fabric softener in the rinse to decrease foaminess. With the Speed Queen, if you use the NORMAL/ECO mode for cleaning with no EXTRA RINSE option set, then you CAN NOT use fabric softener (the instructions bury that detail but it's actually in the manual). I actually found that out the hard way by running a small batch of clothes on NORML/ECO and NO RINSE and I added some fabric softener to the dispenser. The clothes came out with classic fabric softener staining (looks like an oil or grease spot on clothes and on whites, it will look like a blue spot if the fabric softener has a colorant added).
So it would appear to be that the main lesson learned is to not use the NORMAL/ECO cycle on anything but smallest loads to reduce the chances of getting foamy drain. If you do want to use NORMAL/ECO, then setting the EXTRA RINSE option is probably the easiest thing to do rather than changing detergents or remembering to add vinegar.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Borax wouldn't likely change the foam level as it raises pH and high pH increases foaming. Less detergent is always a good idea. Vinegar added to the wash cycle will reduce foaming because it lowers the pH but it also reduces detergency so you have to balance cleaning power against foam building.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Hahahah .... so true. I spent all that money years ago to install a water softener and have nice showers but now it makes my laundry suds!!
1st World Problems ....
- Jun 1, 2018
- 15,974
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
From what I’ve seen & read they had to include the eco setting to be able to still sell those washers whilst complying with regulations. No one likes it, for “normal” old school performance that cycle should generally be avoided.
My model is older than yours & likely has less cycles but you can see what I use 99% of the time by the helper sticker I put on there for the kids/hubby - if it’s a less dirty/smaller load I just use the normal or light option of heavy duty & adjust the water level as needed. I’ve also used the delicate cycle but generally switch it to the heavy duty spin cycle afterwards to get more water out.
I have never tried the soak either- I just do it old school & start the heavy duty cycle a few minutes to get everything mixed & then pull the knob - let it sit however long I want & restart when I am ready.
I have also disabled my lid lock completely with the clothespin method so I am free to look & add whatever I want whenever I want. My kids are old enough to know better than to stick their body parts in there on spin.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Yeah, I was going to add P-Touch labels too!! I think my main approach will be to just leave the EXTRA RINSE option selected so that anyone using it won’t have to think about it. If I’m doing laundry, I’ll be more likely to mess around with vinegar and specialty detergents so I can get the lower water use out of the ECO/NORMAL mode. They should rename that cycle to “BUBBLE PARTY” … 
- Jun 1, 2018
- 15,974
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I did it to the dryer too- I also use a sharpie to mark the detergent measuring cup to prevent over dosing. Making these teens self sufficient! Also so my husband isn’t lost if he has to wash 
they know not to touch the other settings. If I use a different water temp or water level etc I always switch it back so no one has to remember to change them.
Thank goodness the dishwasher retains it’s settings so they just have to add detergent, press go & close it !
they know not to touch the other settings. If I use a different water temp or water level etc I always switch it back so no one has to remember to change them. Thank goodness the dishwasher retains it’s settings so they just have to add detergent, press go & close it !
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
GregMorris
Gold Supporter
- May 28, 2021
- 7
- Pool Size
- 12400
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
I did it to the dryer too- I also use a sharpie to mark the detergent measuring cup to prevent over dosing. Making these teens self sufficient! Also so my husband isn’t lost if he has to wash
Thank goodness the dishwasher retains it’s settings so they just have to add detergent, press go & close it !
Overdosing....... Have I got a story on that. We had an older washer that tore up so I bought a new Maytag. Wife was gone so I washed a load of my dirty clothes. Later noticed water in the floor. I got it all cleaned up and unhooked the Maytag and took it outside to figure out the leak. Looking on the internet I found Maytag and whirlpool were one and the same. So I'm mad. I took my wife to town and got the speed queen and called Lowe's about the Maytag. Repairman came out and pulled in driveway right up to the washer, rolled his window down and asked me is this the washer giving trouble. I said yes it's leaking somewhere. Well we don't have troubles with that washer so he asked what kind of soap did we use. I told him the new efficient soap they make. He asked me to go get it. I'm thinking all kinds of stuff as I go get the soap. He asked me how much I put in the washer. I told him a cup. He smiled and pointed to the instructions on back. I shouldn't have used even a quarter of a cup. He explained there was so much duds when it went to empty the suds locked it up causing water to rush back out of the drain pipe in the house. Go look for signs of soap in the box in your wall. Sure enough he was right. He then got out of his truck and offered to help put it back in the house. So then I had to tell him I had bought a speed queen. He laughed and said it was a great machine and what I was going to do with the other one. ( Used only a couple of times) I said I would sell it. A few weeks later a cousins house burned down so I gave it to them to go in their new home. Don't use much soap in those HE washers!!
- May 23, 2015
- 25,678
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
This is the no-foam powdered laundry detergent I was talking about -
The funny part is the scoop for it is literally just a tablespoon scoop. And a “full scoop” is for heavy cleaning. Their recommended normal usage is a 2/3rd scoop. When you add the powder, it’s very hard to not be like “What, that little bit is going to clean everything !!?!?” It’s amazing how “programmed” we are to think that if a little is good then a lot is better …
The funny part is the scoop for it is literally just a tablespoon scoop. And a “full scoop” is for heavy cleaning. Their recommended normal usage is a 2/3rd scoop. When you add the powder, it’s very hard to not be like “What, that little bit is going to clean everything !!?!?” It’s amazing how “programmed” we are to think that if a little is good then a lot is better …
5,000 loads from that one bag?
That's some pretty strong soap!
That's some pretty strong soap!
I like the description of the things it cleans out of your clothes.
However, If you have all of that stuff in your clothes, then maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem.
However, If you have all of that stuff in your clothes, then maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem.