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Laundry Room Appliances

Warning about Electrolux dryers with steam function

last year

Our dryer caused a FLOOD in our laundry room. Yes, you read that correctly. Shortly after a small load of clothes on a normal dry cycle was complete, I walked by our laundry room and discovered the floor of our laundry room was completely covered in water. The dryer was finished its (normal) cycle but water was shooting out of the closed door. Turns out that the steam valve malfunctioned and was shooting water into the dryer vent which subsequently leaked onto the floor. We rarely use the steam function and it hadn't been used for the load that ended up leaking.

We disconnected the water valve to the dryer and will live without the steam function. It is not worth the potential damage that could have been done if that water had continued spewing.

Featured Answer

dadoes

last year

Any appliance connected to a water supply is subject to flooding if the inlet valve fails ... refrigerators with ice makers and/or water dispensers, dedicated ice makers, dishwashers, washing machines, and now clothes dryers.

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Comments (6)

georgect
last year
last modified: last year
I understand (Decor Devotee) that you were actively using your dryer and no, this should not have happened and I'm sorry to hear that it did.

This is why, when I'm done doing laundry for the day I turn off the water supply lines.

This could happen to any appliance connected to a water supply line like dadoes pointed out.

I have an Electrolux washer and dryer (70 series WaveTouch) and did have to replace my dryer inlet valve mister three years into owning it. It stopped working, either it was clogged or the valve was not opening.

I always use it not really for the steam but to let the water flow out of the hose so it doesn't sit there in the hose and get funky.

If you want you can order a replacement online either from an appliance repair store or Amazon etc.

This could have been even worse if you didn't catch it.

This is why I always say, TURN OFF YOUR WATER SUPPLY LINES TO YOUR WASHER/DRYER when not in use.

NEVER leave a washer/dryer unattended (don't leave the house while machines are running).

You could return to a house burned down or flooded or worse.
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Thanks for the useful, thoughtful points, ladies and gentlemen. Upon further thinking, i think this might be the best solution: - Warm/Warm and press the Eco Friendly button. Reason: this reduces the normal "Warm" temperature, and will be, between cold and warm. this, in theory, in this frigid winter weather with freezing cold "cold water from the tap/outside", should result in a barely warm water, right? This would ensure both a "Barely warm wash cycle, and then a Barely Warm rinse cycle", ensuring a thorough rinsing of detergent. Furthermore, when Warm/Warm (with Eco Friendly selected) is done, I think I ought to do one more Rinse Only cycle, with extra spin, at "High" speed spin. This would ensure that detergent would be thoroughly out, and that water would be centrifuged out. Any comments please? Advice? How should I fold my natural wool fleece mattress pad when putting it inside? Only one person has made a suggest thus far, and he suggests that i fold all the wool fleece INWARDS. My fear is that detergent might get in and not get out! Thx in advance.
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I don't have steam in my washer (except for when I crank up the heat on it) nor in my dryer. I have never ironed a piece of clothing. Don't own an iron. My dryer has some sort of wrinkle prevention where it tumbles every few minutes for a while so you have more time to get to the dryer. I've used it a couple times but don't anymore. I get the clothes out of the dryer reasonably promptly and have no wrinkles. I am wondering what the real benefit is to this steam gimmick. Nobody has ever really been able to say anything with any real authority. It "should" do this, it "might" do this, the only thing that could be said with reasonable certainty is that they'll cost more. I would think a handheld steamer would be more beneficial than a steam dryer. Used to have one of those. Used it for my suits and shirts when I'd travel. Worked quite nicely until it gunked up with calcium deposits. Should have been using distilled water, which brings up a question... I probably shouldn't have a steam dryer... be too tempted to put in the rack and steam up a mess of clams, potatoes and corn on the cob! :D
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I don't think lack of electronics has anything to do with SQ reliability. By the way, I have read that the timers in the SQ residential top loaders actually have a HIGHER failure rate than SQ's electronics, which they use in ALL their front loaders as well as their commercial top loaders. They are confirming this by REPLACING the timer with electronics in their new residential top loaders coming out next year that will replace AWN412, AWN432, AWN542. Why is this the case? Speed Queen uses high quality electronics, just like all the other high quality parts they use. Electronics aren't the problem. CHEAP, CRAPPY electronics are the problem. How often does the "board go out" in your car? Rarely if ever, because the electronics in cars are high quality. The mechanical parts go out first, which is also what happens in a Speed Queen and is exactly how it should be! All that said, no matter what the brand, we don't hear about washer electronics failing too often anyway. It tends to be more common in appliances where the electronics are exposed to harsher conditions, like ovens and dishwashers. This post was edited by hvtech42 on Wed, Aug 27, 14 at 21:39
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armjim
last year
georgect, I always wonder about turning off the water supply to the washer when it is not in use. All the vintage owner's manuals routinely suggested doing just that. Mine is fairly accessible so I could do it, but I never have. 27 years ago I had a hose burst to my Kenmore washer, and what a nightmare that was. That incident is what made me always make certain my washer and that of family and friends has the braided/flexible steel inlet hoses. I would be interested in verifiable statistics about these incidents-they are probably available if we searched.
dadoes
last year
Interesting that shutting off the water supply to appliances during periods of non-use (or extended absence) is always mentioned in regards to washing machines. Dishwashers, refrigerators ... toilets, sinks ... seemingly aren't considered a risk.

My grandmother once had one of the supply lines (I don't recall if hot or cold) to her kitchen faucet burst under the sink.

I was one morning years ago leaving for work after finishing a toilet call. Was a step away from out-the-door and heard an odd noise from the bathroom direction. I almost disregarded it for a one-off toilet fill oddity, but went back to look and found the fill tube inside the tank (feeding up to to float valve) had split and was spewing full-force flow into the tank, spraying upwards against the lid, and the tank was running over.
Patricia Peters
7 months ago
Same thing just happened to me!
HU-613650620
12 days ago
Same happened to me. The steamer valve malfunction. It' just never stop shooting water so I just disconnected the hose. Is this can cause any other problem , the fact that i didn't change the valve. Naturally i dont use the steam function.

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