I've got the cleanest knickers in Llandudno! (Zanussi ZWF1432W)

Member Name: SusanLesley

Product:	Zanussi ZWF1432W
Date:	20/05/08 (679 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks good, price is good, washes well

Disadvantages: None as yet

As we were moving to our new cottage we decided to buy a new washing machine. The one at the house was about six years old and had already had the engineer out to it once so we thought a new one would be a good idea.

It also meant that we didn't have to carry the washer in the back of the car, which is how we have moved everything else up to the cottage! Impressive eh? Mind you we have got a Zafira (not a Mini) and we have got fitted wardrobes at the new place so they didn't have to come but still we're quite pleased with ourselves! By the way it did take lots of trips, we didn't do it all in one go! LOL!

We did some research on the Internet and then went to Currys for a look at the machine we liked - the Zanussi Electrolux ZWF 1432W. In fact the price in Currys was as cheap as anywhere on the Internet - £219.95 - so we chose to buy it from there. I will just say that the service was excellent and the delivery was spot on. We here so many bad reports about Currys here on Dooyoo I thought that was worth mentioning.

The washing machine is white, front loading and is 85cm high, 60cm wide and 63cm deep. It is class A for both washing efficiency and energy and class B for centrifugal efficiency having a top spin speed of 1400rpm.

The machine arrived with polystyrene packaging underneath, on the front and at all four corners to protect it. There was a sheet of A4 attached to the top showing the things that had to be done before washing could commence. I thought that this was an excellent idea for people like me who think they know what they are doing and only look at the instructions when things go wrong!

As it happens I did know about the transit plate having had automatic washing machines since I was first married but I would not have thought of the initial step in the instructions had I not read the note on the top of the machine.

The first thing you are advised to do is to tip the machine onto its back (with help as it is very heavy) in order to remove the polystyrene from underneath. This is obviously best done with the transit plate still attached so that you don't damage your machine. Had the note not been so visible I would have immediately taken off the transit plate thinking that I knew best - oops!

Anyway the packaging was all safely removed. Incidentally you are told to hang onto all the packaging in case you ever need to send the machine back for any reason! Considering the amount of polystyrene involved I decided to hang onto mine until I had used the machine a few times to be sure all was well and then bin it.

To remove the transit plate, which holds the drum still whilst the machine is being moved, we needed a spanner as it was held on by eight nuts. It was nice for me because hubby took over at this point - in the past I have always had to fend for myself! The transit plate was removed and six of the nuts screwed back into the machine for safe keeping. The rest of the holes were covered with plastic plugs provided with the machine.

Obviously I then put the transit plate and the remaining nuts and bolts in a safe place just in case the machine should ever need to be moved again.

There is another piece of polystyrene in the door of the washing machine, helping to keep the drum stable in transit, which also needed to be removed.

The next step was to fit the hose to the back of the machine in order to provide the water inlet. This just screws onto the machine at the back making sure that it is angled towards the water supply. The other end is then screwed onto the cold water supply, checking first that the scaling washer/mesh filter is fitted inside that end of the hose, and you're almost ready to wash.

The drain hose must then be connected to the outlet to get rid of the used water. If you have a stand pipe as we do you just push the end of the hose into the top of the pipe and there you go! There are also instructions included for connecting to a sink spigot if you prefer.

The next thing is to manoeuvre the washing machine into place and make sure it is level using a spirit level. The two front feet are adjustable to make sure this is done. This is very important as the machine will be unstable in use if it is not done.

So now you are all set and ready to wash, but first it is advisable to read through the instruction booklet. It is all in English so you don't have to start mooching through a huge book looking for the correct language. It is all printed on recycled paper.

The instructions are split into the following:

A description of the appliance - this just tells you what all the knobs and buttons represent and how they work.

Operating sequence - this tells you how to load your machine and do your wash.

Washing hints - this gives you an idea of how heavy certain items are so you can judge whether the load is the correct weight (obvious for most if us I know) and gives advice on the different types of detergent available. They recommend Ariel, Dreft and Lenor which I ignored of course!

Wash care symbols - this gives a list of all the various symbols that you see on the labels in your clothes and what they mean. Now this is useful as there are one or two I don't know.

Washing programmes - this just gives a list of the various programmes available on the machine, a description of what they do and how much water and power they use.

Maintenance and cleaning - this shows you how to look after your machine. It gives instructions on cleaning the detergent drawer and recess, the pump and the filter.

Something not working - this is the troubleshooting guide so if the machine doesn't work you can check things are all set up correctly before you send for an engineer.

Guarantee Conditions - this is just to remind you what is covered and that certain things will invalidate the guarantee.

Installation Instructions - this just reminds you to make sure the person installing the machine is competent to do so.

Technical Specifications - this is just the size of the machine, power, water pressure required etc.

The final couple of pages of the booklet are just a repeat of the instructions given on the sheet of paper attached to the top of the machine.

OK NOW we're finally ready to wash!

On the front of the machine there is an on/off button which needs to be switched on - bet you wouldn't have guessed that!

The next step is to select what type of fabric you are washing from cottons, synthetics, delicates and wool. This is done by pressing the button beneath the list of fabrics until the light is next to the name of the type of fabric you are intending to wash. The machine will then automatically select the temperature and spin speed for you.

This is where the clever bit comes in because you can carry on from this point using the temperature and spin speed selected by the machine or you can change each of them independently.

Again by depressing the button below the list of temperatures you can select 95, 60, 50 40 or 30 degrees centigrade. By depressing the button below the list of spin speeds you can select 1400, 900, 700 or 500rpm.

You can also select rinse hold which means that the washing will be suspended in the water of the final rinse until you are ready for it to spin. This is an advantage if you are not going to be near the washing machine when it finishes the cycle. Once the washing has been through the final spin it is then left in the machine until you remove it and would end up creased if left there for too long. Once you are ready to complete the cycle you can then either just drain the clothes or drain and put them through the final spin.

There is also an option button where you can select a prewash which will wash your clothes at 30 degrees and then spin at 650rpm before commencing the wash cycle that you have selected. This is for heavily soiled items - ideal if you have to wash a muddy football kit maybe!

There is also a 40 degree AA option 'which can be selected for lightly or normally soiled cottons or synthetics with a temperature or 40 degrees or higher. The temperature will then be reduced to 40 degrees and the washing time will be prolonged in order to achieve an AA class in energy and efficiency'. I have typed this word for word from the manual as I can't really see the point of this option myself.

The final option is a half load feature which will reduce the amount of water on the rinse cycle if you only have a load of 3kg or less and the machine will only perform 2 rinses instead of 3. This obviously saves both energy and water.

There is a list down the far right hand side of the machine - prewash, wash, rinse, rinse hold, spin, drain, filter and end. The lights appear next to the features selected and go off as the programme progresses. If the filter light is on it means that the filter is clogged.

I use liquid detergent which goes into the machine in a plastic ball but you can put your detergent in the dispenser drawer along with the fabric softener.

There is then a start / pause button which must be pressed once to start the washing programme that you have selected.

If you wish to pause the programme part way through you can press this button again and the programme will stop and again to restart it.

When the cycle is complete the machine beeps a couple of times every minute or so to remind you to fetch the laundry out of the machine.

A cotton wash on 40 degrees with a spin speed of 1400rpm takes about an hour and a half.

Incidentally before you do your first wash you are advised to pour 2 litres of water in through the dispenser drawer and then run the machine through a 95 degree cotton wash cycle to get rid of any manufacturing residue in the drum and tub.

As I said earlier there are comprehensive instructions on how to clean the dispenser drawer, the filter and the pump so I won't explain all that here as I think I have gone on long enough! You'll be loosing the will to live!

I will conclude by saying that I am very pleased with my new toy. The washing comes out clean and the cotton shirts are dry enough to iron after the 1400rpm spin. Both the wash and spin are quiet but not silent although I wouldn't expect silence! The machine looks good and is very smart and would be a classy addition to any kitchen.

This review has also been posted on Ciao.

Summary: A great washing machine for the price!

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