Washing Machine

Washing machines can be found in two basic types, but within those types there is a tremendous variety of brands, quality, and price. This site will explain the difference in the two types of washing machines, explain some of the features so that you know where and which one to purchase.

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Washing Machines - Basics
Contemporary washing machines are available in two main configurations: "top loading" and "front loading". The "top loading" design, most popular in the United States, Australia and some parts of Europe, places the clothes in a vertically-mounted cylinder, with a propeller-like agitator in the center of the bottom of the cylinder. "Top loading" machines in Asia use impellers instead of agitators. Impellers are similar to agitators except that they don't have the center post extending up in the middle of the wash tub basket. Clothes are loaded through the top of the machine, which is covered with a hinged door. Top loaders generally have faster washing times (typically 30-45 minutes), but use more water which means that on a warm wash they use more energy.

The "front loading" design, most popular in Europe and the Middle East, instead mounts the cylinder horizontally. Loading is through a glass door at the front of the machine. The cylinder is also called the drum. Agitation is supplied by the back-and-forth rotation of the cylinder, and by gravity. The clothes are lifted up by paddles in the drum and then dropped. This motion flexes the weave of the fabric and forces water and detergent solution through the clothes load. Although more infrequent, there is also a variant of the horizontal axis design that is loaded from the top, through a small door in the circumference of the drum. These machines usually have a shorter cylinder and are therefore smaller. Front loaders use less water which means that on a warm wash they use less energy. They are also gentler on clothes than top loaders.

Window to the Past
An early washing machine was constructed in 1767 by Jacob Christian Schäffern. The first United States Patent for a washing machine was granted to Nathaniel Briggs of Keene New Hampshire in 1796. The Briggs family is still highly regarded in the laundry industry today. In 1859 the rotary style washer was invented and introduced to the public and in 1907 the first all electric washer was invented. All of these inventions lead up to what we use today.

Evolution
Mechanical washing machines date back to at least the 19th century, and their basic principles of operation have remained largely unchanged. Their first purpose is to suspend the material to be cleaned in water containing detergent. The clothes and water are then "agitated" - moved back and forth repeatedly. The water is then pumped out and the clothes partially dried by spinning them rapidly in a low-speed centrifuge. Clean water is then added and the clothes and water agitated to remove any remaining traces of the detergent. Finally, the clothes are (usually) spun again (though some clothes are removed immediately and dried by alternative means without further spinning).

Virtually all contemporary washing machines are powered by electricity, though hand-powered or even steam-powered machines were common in earlier times. They are almost universal in wealthier countries, though some people living in smaller apartments do not have room for them and use communal launderettes.

Automatic washing machines became popular in the 1960s. These automate the washing process by controlling the water and soap intake, draining and rotation of the drum in sequence. Different types of material can be handled by using different programmed cycles. For example, a wool wash needs a low temperature and less agitation than a heavy soil cotton wash. Most automatic washing machines control the sequence using an electromechanical cam timer, though recently fully electronic systems based on microprocessors have become more widely available. Another approach to programming the wash cycle that was tried was the Hoover Keymatic system, in which plastic cartridges with different key-like profiles were inserted into a slot and read by a mechanical reader. This system was short lived and not terribly successful except in the commercial and industrial segments- the cartridges were prone to getting lost and offered no real advantage over the conventional rotary dial. In hindsight these can be seen as a marketing gimmick rather than a technological breakthrough.

How it works
All washing machines work by using three different sources of energy. They use mechanical energy, thermal energy, and chemical action. Mechanical energy is imparted to the clothes load by the rotation of the agitator in "top loaders", or by the tumbling action of the drum in "front loaders". Thermal energy is supplied by the temperature of the wash bath. Many "front loading" machines have electrical heating elements to heat the wash bath to near boiling. Chemical action is supplied by the detergent and other laundry chemicals. "Front loaders" use special detergents that are designed to release different chemical ingredients at different temperatures. This is so that different type of stains and soils will be cleaned from the clothes as the wash water is heated up by the electrical heater. "Front loaders" also need to use low sudsing detergents because the tumbling action of the drum folds air into the clothes load that can cause over sudsing.

Back to Basics
A washing machine is a machine designed to clean laundry, i.e. clothing and other household textiles such as towels and sheets. The term is generally applied only to machines that use water as the primary cleaning solution, as opposed to dry cleaning which uses alternative cleaning fluids and is generally performed by specialist businesses.

Manufacturers
The top four brands--GE, Kenmore (Sears), Maytag, and Whirlpool--account for more than 80 percent of washing-machine sales. Other brands include Admiral and Amana (made by Maytag), Frigidaire (made by Electrolux), Hotpoint (made by GE), and KitchenAid and Roper (both made by Whirlpool). You may also run across smaller brands such as Crosley, Gibson, and White-Westinghouse, all of which are made by the larger brands. Asko, Bosch, Miele, and Siemens are European brands. Fisher-Paykel is imported from New Zealand, LG and Samsung from Korea, and Haier from China.

Maintenance
Most washing machine hoses are made of reinforced rubber. As they get older, they lose some of their resiliency and may be subject to bursting. A burst hose can spray hundreds of gallons of water per hour across your basement or laundry room causing enormous damage. It's a good preventive maintenance practice to check these hoses from time to time for any sign of wear or weakness. Often there's a small blister in the rubber of the hose, which could rupture. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the hoses every five years. If your hoses are old, consider replacing them with the tougher metal hoses available at hardware stores.

Most washing machines collect lint during the wash cycle and send it down the drain during the drain cycle. Some washing machines collect lint in the center tube of the agitator. You need to lift out that tube and clean it periodically. Other machines have a lint filter near the top of the tub, which you need to slide out, clean off, and reinsert.

If the machine rattles when it runs, it may need leveling. Tilt the machine slightly and adjust the screw-in feet until the machine is level with all four feet touching the ground.

Before You Buy
When selecting a washing machine look for:

The amount of water used by the machine on an average wash cycle - less water means that on a warm wash the machine will use less energy.

The best size to suit your needs and average load size.

Auto load sensing or load size selection features.

Variable temperature settings to suit different degrees of soiling and load types

Dual water connection and cold wash cycles. Heating the water for a hot load can create up to 4kg of greenhouse pollution - a cold wash will produce less than 0.5 kg.

A range of cycles to suit different fabrics

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