Fisher & Paykel WL26CW1 User manual

AquaSmart
™
Washer (USA)
WL26CW1
CA: 96215
Compiled by Product Evaluation,
Auckland
Issue 2
February 2007

Contents
THE IDEA .......................................................................................................................6
THE AIM ...............................................................................................................................6
AQUASMART’S DUAL MODE SYSTEM.............................................................................7
WASH ACTION ......................................................................................................................8
SPECIAL FEATURES OF AQUASMART™..........................................................................9
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ...............................................................................10
AQUASMART™UNDER ANALYSIS................................................................................13
LAUNDRY THEORY.......................................................................................................15
SUPER-EFFICIENT .......................................................................................................16
HOME APPLIANCE INITIATIVE (SEHA) .......................................................................16
DOE ENERGY GUIDE LABEL .........................................................................................17
USER INFORMATION ...................................................................................................18
THE AQUASMART™ADVANTAGE – KEY CLAIMS .........................................................19
THE RINSE ...................................................................................................................20
AQUARINSE ........................................................................................................................20
SPRAY DEEP RINSE .............................................................................................................21
FABRIC SOFTENER RINSE....................................................................................................21
DOUBLE DEEP RINSE...........................................................................................................21
ALLERGY RINSE ..................................................................................................................21
THE MOTOR .................................................................................................................22
ELECTRONICS..............................................................................................................23
DIAGNOSTICS.....................................................................................................................23
SLEEP MODE.......................................................................................................................23
BROWNOUT RECOVERY.......................................................................................................23

USER INTERFACE/DISPLAY ........................................................................................24
CONSTRUCTION ..........................................................................................................25
CONSTRUCTION ..........................................................................................................26
MECHANICAL COMPONENTS .......................................................................................27
OUTER TUB ........................................................................................................................27
INNER BASKET....................................................................................................................27
STRAPS/SUSPENSION..........................................................................................................27
SINGLE SHAFT ....................................................................................................................27
WRAPPER ...........................................................................................................................28
LOW PROFILE AGITATOR ....................................................................................................28
PUMP..................................................................................................................................28
VALVES...............................................................................................................................28
TOP DECK AND DISPENSING SYSTEM ..................................................................................28
NECK RING .........................................................................................................................29
NOZZLE ..............................................................................................................................29
IMD FASCIA ........................................................................................................................29
DETERGENT .................................................................................................................30
FABRIC SOFTENER ......................................................................................................31
BLEACH ........................................................................................................................32
AQUASMART™FUNCTIONALITY..................................................................................34
DUAL MODE........................................................................................................................34
FULLY AUTOMATIC WATER LEVEL........................................................................................34
TOP UP...............................................................................................................................34
WASH WATER TEMPERATURE CONTROL ..............................................................................34
ECO ACTIVE WASH..............................................................................................................35
PRE BOWL/ BASKET FLOAT..................................................................................................35

23 RPM STIR.......................................................................................................................35
VARIABLE PROFILES............................................................................................................35
LOAD COMPOSITION SENSING ............................................................................................36
BLOOMING .........................................................................................................................36
RECOVERY MODE................................................................................................................36
SMART PUMP ......................................................................................................................36
AUTOMATIC LINT REMOVAL SYSTEM ...................................................................................37
SPIN.............................................................................................................................38
1000 RPM ...........................................................................................................................38
PRE-SPIN............................................................................................................................38
OVERSUDS DETECTION.......................................................................................................38
INTELLIGENT OUT OF BALANCE RESPONSE..........................................................................38
SAFETY FEATURES .......................................................................................................39
AUTO DRAIN.......................................................................................................................39
LID LOCK............................................................................................................................39
FLOOD PROTECTION...........................................................................................................39
AQUASMART™CYCLES ................................................................................................40
LIFESTYLE CYCLES ......................................................................................................45
SPECIAL CARE.....................................................................................................................45
STAINS ...............................................................................................................................45
FAMILY ...............................................................................................................................46
SPORTS ..............................................................................................................................46
CLEAN UP ...........................................................................................................................47
WASH OPTIONS...........................................................................................................47
CUSTOMIZING OPTIONS .....................................................................................................47
INTELLIGENT OPTIONS RESTRICTIONS ...............................................................................47
TEMPERATURE OPTIONS .....................................................................................................47

SPIN SPEED ........................................................................................................................48
FABRIC SOFTENER ..............................................................................................................48
SOAK..................................................................................................................................48
DELAY START .....................................................................................................................48
DRIP DRY ...........................................................................................................................48
HOW TO KEEP AQUASMART™CLEAN ..........................................................................49
PROBLEM SOLVING .....................................................................................................50
WASH PROBLEM SOLVING ..........................................................................................53

The Idea
Years ago when life was simple, there were two types of
washers, traditional central post top-loaders and front-
loaders.
One washed by immersing clothes in a large volume of
water and one washed by tumbling them through a
small volume of water.
We used to waste endless time arguing which mode was best, because the very thing that made
each washer type good, is also what made it bad – that is of course Water.
The main benefit of a front-loader has been its water efficiency. But water is a wonderful thing,
it dilutes out a lot of the bad things in the wash. The dye, the sand, the dirt, the grass, the
micro-organisms. No matter how dedicated you are to saving water, when your child vomits in
their bed you soon yearn for the dilution effects of a full immersion wash.
Whichever way we look at things the lower water volumes of HE washers, whether you get the
clothes from the top or the side, can cause problems in the wash. But, with water consumption
increasingly becoming an issue in areas where water shortages are rife, and Government bodies
worldwide continuing to put pressure (e.g. rebates, legislation) on appliance manufacturers to
reduce water usage, we realised that we could no longer justify traditional top-loader water
consumption for the future of Fisher & Paykel laundry products.
Taking our inspiration from the automotive industry we thought, isn’t the ideal solution a washer
that can work in both front-loader and top-loader modes? We decided that we needed a hybrid
of both types of washer.
The Aim
The aim of the AquaSmart™project was to design a High Efficiency top-loading washer - the
first top-loading washer capable of achieving a water factor of 6.0.
We aimed to develop a product that provided the best of both worlds – the ergonomics,
capacity and shorter cycles times of a top-loader, with the increased water efficiency of a front-
loader. Customers would no longer have to make a decision between buying a top-loading or
front-loading washer at the point of purchase; they would have all the features of both a
Traditional and High Efficiency washer in one.
We were able to take the opportunity to design a product with all these benefits, based on the
current SmartDrive™platform. To overcome the water usage constraints of a traditional
agitator system, we decided to set out to design a new, low profile agitator wash system.

High Efficiency Washers
High Efficiency washers use less water than traditional washers do. They also use less energy,
as there is less hot water to heat! High Efficiency washers therefore provide long-term cost
savings to the consumer, as well as providing significant environmental benefits. There are two
types of HE washers – front-loading and top-loading. Although each works via a different
mechanical method, they both provide increased water and energy efficiency.
Front-loading HE Washers
In front-loading washers, the laundry tumbles around as the tub rotates clockwise and then
counter clockwise, moving the garments through the water-detergent solution. This repetitive
tumbling motion is intended to do an efficient cleaning and rinsing job and is gentle on fabrics.
Top-loading HE Washers
There are a growing number of High Efficiency washers that load from the top. These washers
use spinning, rotating, and/or “wobbling” wheels, plates, or disks to achieve a gentle wash
action. Some also spray or lightly shower clothes using re-circulated water from wash and/or
rinse solutions.
AquaSmart’s Dual Mode System
AquaSmart™also has the added benefit of the Dual Mode system, with the
option of either High Efficiency or Conventional modes. High Efficiency
mode utilises a unique wash action - a cleverly designed low profile
agitator gently rolls the clothes over using very little water. Most of the
washing is achieved by better detergent activity.
However, sometimes using a little more water can be an advantage (e.g.
muddy football gear). AquaSmart™offers a Conventional mode that is
similar to a traditional immersion top loader wash, adding water until the
clothes are submerged and gently agitating. Conventional mode is offered
on the following cycles-Bed Sheets, Whites, Colors, Heavy Duty, Delicate
Easy iron and Bulky as well as many Lifestyle cycles. For Heavy Duty and
Delicate cycles simply turn High Efficiency OFF to activate this mode.

Wash Action
The AquaSmart™wash action differs to traditional top loader washing machines. The low
profile agitator is what makes this wash action so unique.
The agitator gently rolls the clothes over each other in a reverse-toroidal (circular) motion.
Items at the bottom are slowly pushed up through the centre, and gently roll over, move to the
edge of the basket and work back towards the middle again. This process can be compared to
a flower blooming.
This wash action ensures that clothes are moved through the limited amount of water
efficiently, creating an effective and even wash.
Low profile a
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Special Features of AquaSmart™
¾Dual Modes: AquaSmart™gives you the ability to select either a High Efficiency wash that
minimises water and energy usage, or Conventional mode, which is a more traditional
immersion-type wash.
¾Water Rating: The AquaSmart™washer’s High Efficiency wash system delivers exceptional
water savings – 5.96 Water Factor, making it North America’s most water efficient
top loading washer (CEE SEHA Efficiency Tier 2 – effective Jan 1st 2007).
¾Energy Rating: Save energy – AquaSmart™uses only 211kWh of energy per year and
achieves a MEF of 2.05 (CEE SEHA Efficiency Tier 2 – effective Jan 1st 2007).
¾Ergonomics – The advantage of loading from the top, no crouching and bending into a
front opening, with the added advantage of no central post - ‘no loading around the agitator
pole’, and a wide mouth opening.
¾LCD Display: AquaSmart™has an easy touch control panel with LCD display screen,
allowing advanced option selection and user tips.
¾Dispensing: AquaSmart™features a convenient and easy to use detergent and fabric
softener dispensing system located in the topdeck. No need to open drawers or remove
fiddly fabric softener cups.
¾Choice: AquaSmart™offers more than 30 different cycle combinations to offer you the best
possible care for your washing.
Plus all of the standard SmartDrive™features…
¾1000rpm Spin Speed: Excellent water extraction equates to faster drying times.
¾Intelligent Electronics: A powerful microprocessor controls every aspect of the
AquaSmart™, allowing it to continually monitor and respond to each wash.
¾Lid lock: A safety feature designed to protect you and your family during hazardous parts
of the cycle.
¾Reliability: AquaSmart™has no mechanical brake, pulleys or gears, which means fewer
moving parts and greater reliability.
¾Direct Drive Motor: Our revolutionary direct drive motor is capable of infinite wash
actions, continuously adjusting its speed to the movement of your clothes, removing dirt
while caring for the fabric, delivering the ultimate wash.

Frequently Asked Questions
1 What are the Wash Temperatures?
Cold Cold+ Warm/Cold Warm Warm/Hot Hot
Incoming
from faucet
68°F
(20°C)
91°F
(33°C)
102°F
(39°C)
115°F
(46°C)
140°F
(60°C)
2 What detergent should I use?
Even though AquaSmart™is a Top-Loading machine, the High Efficiency wash
action means that a low foaming, High Efficiency (HE) detergent is required
to avoid problems with over-sudsing. We recommend a liquid high efficiency
detergent for optimum results. Using traditional top-loading detergent can
result in over-sudsing and poor wash performance.
3 Can I use liquid fabric softener?
Yes, you can use liquid fabric softener in AquaSmart™. A fabric softener dispenser is located on
the front-left corner of the machine for this purpose. Fabric softener requires a deep rinse to be
evenly distributed through the load, so must be used with either a Fabric Softener or Spray and
Deep Rinse. If High Efficiency mode is ON, then Fabric Softener must be selected in the Wash
Options menu. If a Conventional cycle is selected, then fabric softener will automatically be
dispensed in the deep rinse.
It is important that the Fabric Softener dispenser filled no higher than the MAX level indicated
on the dispenser, as overfilling will contribute to scrud. Measure the softener as per
manufacturer’s directions, and then carefully pour it into the dispenser.
4 What is that circular protrusion on the inside front of the lid?
This is the Lid Lock mechanism. The protrusion slots into the hole in the topdeck of the washer,
allowing the lid to automatically lock during the hazardous parts of the cycle.
5 Can I open the lid at any time during the cycle?
The lid lock is in effect for most of the cycle to protect the customer from potential hazards.
One hazard is that due to the low profile agitator, children or animals are at risk of drowning
should they enter the machine. If you wish to open the machine while the lid is locked, press
START/PAUSE – the machine will stop and unlock the lid.
6 Is it normal to have water on the floor at the end of the wash?
No, it is not normal to have water on the floor at the end of the wash. Check the following:
(a) Excess foam during the wash can escape the machine and later break down into a puddle.
Are you using a low sudsing detergent? Is your detergent dose correct?
(b) Are the inlet hoses connected properly? Is the drain hose connected properly?
(c) Is the machine level?
(d) Ensure that your machine is not overloaded.