Description
What the GFW550SSNWW is and where it fits
Two numbers define this machine’s fit, and one of them is easy to miss. The capacity is 4.8 cubic feet, which is generous, and the cabinet is 28 inches wide, which is an inch more than the 27 inch standard most American laundry spaces were designed around. GE gives the dimensions as 39 and three quarter inches high, 28 wide and 32 deep, and the specification table agrees, which is refreshing in this catalog. That extra inch matters in a laundry closet with trim on both sides, and it should be measured rather than assumed. The machine weighs 264 pounds and is a freestanding front loader in white.
Living with it day to day
The UltraFresh Vent System with OdorBlock is the feature that deserves the attention, because it addresses the single most common complaint about front load washers. A front loader has a rubber door gasket that traps water, and a drum that seals shut, and left alone the result is a musty smell that transfers to clothes. GE’s answer is a vent that actively dries the interior after a cycle, combined with Microban antimicrobial treatment on the gasket, dispenser and drain components. That is a design response to the problem rather than an instruction to the owner to leave the door open, which is what most manufacturers offer, and for a household that will not remember to air the machine it is the most valuable thing on the specification sheet.
A maximum spin speed of 1300 rpm is published, and that figure has a direct effect on the rest of the laundry routine: a faster final spin extracts more water, which shortens the subsequent drying time and the energy that goes with it. Ten cycles are listed with push button controls. GE publishes no decibel rating, which is a shame on a machine spinning at 1300 rpm, since spin speed and noise are closely related. The matching dryer in GE’s range is the GE GFD55ESSNWW, and the step up model is the GE GFW850SPNRS.
Controls and connected features
Built in WiFi is powered by GE’s SmartHQ platform, and on a washer the useful functions are cycle notifications, remote start and diagnostics that a service technician can read remotely rather than by attending. That last one is the underrated feature, because a diagnosed fault means the right part arrives on the first visit. GE does not enumerate the app functions for this model in the listing, so the specifics should come from GE’s own documentation.
What matters more is what happens without the app. All ten cycles, both temperature and spin selections, and the OdorBlock venting are handled by the machine’s own control board and run to completion with no network at all. Losing SmartHQ, whether through a router change or a platform being retired, costs notifications and remote start, not laundry. Push button controls also mean there is a mechanical interface rather than a touchscreen, so a failed display does not take the machine out of service in the way it can on a screen driven appliance such as the Samsung WD53DBA900HZ.
Running cost and upkeep
The listing publishes no electrical specification. No voltage, no amperage and no circuit requirement appear anywhere, so the installation manual is the authority. A washer alone is normally a plug in appliance, but that is general practice rather than something GE states here, and it should not be assumed for a specific installation. There is no gas connection and no venting requirement, because this is a washer with no drying function, so a separate dryer with its own utilities is part of the plan. No water pressure range, hose specification or drain height is published either, and all three are genuine front load installation requirements.
No annual energy or water consumption figure appears in this listing, so running cost cannot be calculated. What can be said is that the largest cost in laundry is heating water, so cycle temperature selection matters more than anything else on the panel, and that a 1300 rpm spin reduces the energy the dryer subsequently has to spend. Upkeep is lighter than on most front loaders precisely because of the vent system, but it is not zero: the dispenser trays still need rinsing, the drain pump filter still needs checking, and the gasket still benefits from an occasional wipe even with antimicrobial treatment. Microban is a material treatment that inhibits growth on the treated surfaces; it is not a cleaning system and does not remove detergent residue. The rest of the range sits in the washers section, including the simpler top loading GE GTW500ASNWS.
Highlights
- UltraFresh Vent System with OdorBlock directly addresses the wet gasket smell front loaders suffer from.
- Microban antimicrobial treatment on the gasket, dispenser and drain components.
- 4.8 cubic feet of capacity with a published 1300 rpm maximum spin speed.
- The listed dimensions in the description and the specification table agree with each other.
- Push button controls, so there is a mechanical interface rather than a screen only panel.
- SmartHQ WiFi for notifications, remote start and remote diagnostics.
Things To Consider
- The cabinet is 28 inches wide rather than the 27 inch industry standard, which matters in a tight closet.
- No electrical specification is published, neither voltage nor amperage.
- No water pressure, hose or drain height requirement is stated.
- No annual energy or water consumption figure appears in the listing.
- No decibel rating is published for a machine spinning at 1300 rpm.
- Microban inhibits growth on treated surfaces but does not clean the machine.
Who it is not for
Anyone with a 27 inch laundry opening should measure before ordering, because an extra inch of cabinet width is exactly the sort of thing that turns a delivery into a return. Households that want a washer and dryer in one appliance need a combination unit, since this has no drying function. Buyers who will never use an app are paying something for SmartHQ, and GE sells simpler machines without it. And anyone who wants a machine with a dial rather than a row of buttons should handle one first, since ten cycles on push buttons is a different experience from a single selector. Other layouts, including top loaders and unitized pairs such as the GE GUD27ESSMWW, are covered separately.
