The appliance of Science - You bet it is . (Zanussi FJS1225W)

Member Name: eiley123

Product:	Zanussi FJS1225W
Date:	04/01/07 (476 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Economical , variable spin speeds , reliable , good value , great results

Disadvantages: Filter in awkward position for some people , dispenser drawer container fiddly to clean

We bought our Zanussi FJS1225W in 2001 from Alders .
We purchased a 5 year extended warranty from Alders which thankfully, as that company no longer exsist ,we did not need .

The first problem we have had with this machine has been in 2006 when the warranty had expired . We called out a local firm who only charged us £25 to sort it out . We live in a very hard water area and that fact , along with my choice of powder, had resulted in a blockage . The machine outlets and outside of the drum were caked in lime and powder residue .

Considering the amount of wear the machine has had I didn't think that was too bad . I use it just about everyday and wash all sorts in it. Anything from bedspreads>curtains>dogs bedding>rugs .


***************BACKGROUND*****************

When we bought this machine we had previously had an indesit , which was cheap but didn't last 5 minutes and then a hotpoint . The Hotpoint lasted years but required the engineer at least a couple of times a year . After the extended warranty had run out it cost a fortune in yearly insurance.

With all this in mind we went for a browse round Allders , as there are very few electrical stores in the centre of our town . They are all nicely set on the outskirts . Not so nice of course if like us you don't drive .

We were thinking about buying a Zanussi as we had heard good things about the brand and their washing machines . We had recently moved house and had a little more room than we used to have .

Our main considerations were :-

Price
Ease of use
Quality of wash
Reliability
Enviromently friendly
Capacity
Looks
Brand
Longevity

Not necessarily in that order ( or an exhaustive list )

We looked at a couple of different brands and then decided between two Zanussi machines . We went for the FJS1225w at £368.99 .

*********THE ZANUSSI FJS1225W**************

( I note the brand is now sometimes listed as Zanussi-Electrolux and hope this has not had a detrimental effect )

The delivery man was also to install the machine . He did so with very little hassle . The only thing we had to alter was the pipe on the wall were the machine empties into . It needed to be set at a different height , and be longer , due to the force of the water on emptying . This has to be a good thing.

The machine came with two A4 size booklets and an A3 size information sheet on installing and maintaining your machine . One booklet was about Zanussi , other products , home laundry and customer service . The other was a 28 page , easy to understand , instruction booklet . This includes a trouble - shooting section and help-line numbers .

The machine is white and measures 60 x 85 x 60.6cms (w x h x d ) . It has up to a 6kg load capacity .

It has been rated :-
A - for Energy
A - for washing
B - for spinning

The front panel has a orange on/off button , a green start/pause button and a black digital display where the length of wash is shown i.e 2.10 ( 2 hours and ten minutes ) for a boil wash .

Temperature range -30°,40°.50°,60° or 90° centigrade
Fabrics- Cottons , Synthetics , Delicates , Wool or Hand wash .
Spin Speed- 1200 , 900 , 700 , 500 or Rinse Hold .

Other Specifications :-
Large 30cm porthole
Virtually 180° door opening
Variable spin speeds
Cold water fill only
Delay start ( to 24 hours )
Rinse hold option
Child Safety features
Handwash option
Wool programme
Bio wash phase
Unique jetsystem wash technology
Spin speed 1200 rpm
Easy to use electronic controls with digital display
Total exchange rinsing system
Freestanding
Frontloading

*************USING THIS ZANUSSI************

This machine is really easy to get started using . It does help to read some of the booklet but it's not a necessity . As always there are some features which I have had no need to use .

The machine fills with cold water and heats up during the wash cycle .The water pours onto the washing from the top , front of the drum like a shower . It does not connect at all to the hot water supply .

The powder drawer has a section for fabric softener , pre-wash and one for the normal wash . You turn the machine on and select your programme .

You can mix and match a bit . For example you can pick a synthetic wash and then increase/decrease the temperature , length of wash or spin speed .

Apart from being able to delay a wash you can also pause one . This can be done at any time but you can only open the door when doing this if the water is below a certain level. Quite child friendly then .

The digital display shows you the length of wash you have picked and the time counts down . If you pause the wash at any time you can skip on to the next part and reduce the time . Zanussi recommended Ariel when I bought this machine, and using it now , I usually adjust the wash to 30° . It still gives a great performance .

************RECOMMENDATION***************

Negatives:-

The powder drawer container is a bit tricky to clean . When you pull the drawer out the container has an intricate roof . This gets very black and slimey and does need cleaning on a regular basis . I have found the best thing is to use an old toothbrush or washing up brush , with a small amount of washing-up-liquid on it. Brush really vigorously and then run a maintenance wash ( as Zanussi recommend ) with no washing in the drum . Because of this problem it would probably be better to use an in the drum washing product . I however prefer powder .

At the bottom, front , right of the machine there is a filter which needs cleaning regularly . If you had mobility issues this could be tricky . It does need to be done at least once a month, and you'd be amazed what you get out . You turn it and pull it out . I usually place a tray underneath whilst taking it out as, if it is full of rubbish , there can be some water left in . I then clean the filter under the tap and give it a good scrub . You have to remember to tighten this properly when replacing or you'll get a flood next time you use .

The seal on the inside of the door opening does get slimey and needs cleaning once in a while to prevent a build up .

Positives:-

This machine is very easy to use .

Looks good and has rounded edges so not so hard if you or a child bump into it .

It is economical in its use of electricity and washing products .

It gives excellent results at all temperatures providing you are using an appropriate powder and conditioner .

Ours has been thoroughly reliable and troublefree . Apart from the instance already mentioned we have had only one other problem . We did have a bit of a flood when the outlet pipe got blocked . I think this again was partially due to the lime in our area. We areusing descaler about every 4 months now to prevent this and extend the life of the washing machine .

It is reasonably quiet even on the fastest spin speed . This is due to soft suspension which reduces vibration also .

Long detergent drawers . Although a pain to clean the compartment , it gives ease of filling with powder etc .

The digital display does come up with error codes sometimes . These are listed in the manual . One in particular relates to the filter needing cleaning ,so these are really useful . It does mean you need to keep the instructions to hand till you become familiar with them .

It has a decent size capacity and will take a 4.5 tog duvet comfortably .

When washing something delicate, that you do not want to spin to death , you can hold the final spin .

You feel you are in control as you can play about with the timings , spin speeds , temperatures etc. within some limits obviously .

You can pause and skip any part of your wash cycle . Therefore you can do a short wash but give it the longest , 10mins , spin . You can spin again if so desired but the longest spin does leave clothes resonably dry .

The time manager can reduce washing times by up to 50 percent giving great savings without poor results.

The jetsystem ,which is unique to Zanussi , by showering and not bathing your wash , gives a more economical and cleaner wash .

You can prewash and also super rinse when needed .

The variable spin speeds go from 500rpm - 1200rpm .
The 500 is excellent on delicate fabrics .

The total exchange rinsing system means you get great results using as little water as possible .

Being cold fill bio detergents and stain removers work better .

When a wash cycle is finished the machine beeps about 5/6 times , intermittently for a few minutes . This function can be turned off but I find it really useful .

So as you can guess I thoroughly recommend this washing machine . It has stood the test of time ,and much use, and comes up smelling of roses . I envisage I will have many years wear still to come from this appliance and feel it was excellent value for money . It does the job it should do .


Thanks for reading and I hope this has helped anyone trying to decide which washing machine to buy. I know this model will have been superseded by many more but I would still buy it again .

copyright eiley
Also posted at ciao grafter123

NOTE- Have received this tip from Nar . Put one part soda crystals and a cap of vinegar in the machine , adding to the powder and wash on a service or quick wash . No clothes etc in the wash of course. Apparently this will attack limescale and sludge etc in the filter . I shall be testing this out as it sounds good to me .
I do have a friend who adds soda crystals to her wash but I don't want to try that .

Summary: After some disasters at last a machine which comes up with the goods .

Reliability:
Ease of use:
Design:
Cleaning/Maintenance:
Quality: