50Hz frontload on 60

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50 Hz FL Washer and Dryers on 60 Hz Power

The dryer will tumble TOO fast and do a lousy job drying, the washer may also tumble too fast for good washing performance.

 

We have and have had several 50Hz laundry appliances and have seen these problems first hand.
 
Speed

If the motor is inverter driven or DC speed as with most front loads speed should not matter, correct?

As for the dryer it will tumble faster, but its not going to damage the motor?
 
If the motor is driven from a drive inverter which generates the AC frequency to the motor, the line frequency won't effect operation provided the inverter has no problem with different line frequency. Power into the inverter is directly rectified into DC and the electronics then regenerate the AC (usually multi phase) to run the motor.

The only motors that would run fast are synchronous AC motors that are run directly by the line frequency. In this case expect them to run about 20% fast.

If you are looking to purchase this machine, it would be wise to check with Frigidaire to see if it would be ok with the higher line frequency. It may well work fine though. In general electronics are more tolerant of higher line frequencies (within reason) then lower.
 
50 Hz FL Washer and Dryers on 60 Hz Power

Yes most FL washers today with inverter motors should run fine, the provided link showed a FD Electric dryer and I have yet to see any dryer with an inverter main drive motor. Yes it will run anyway and will not hurt the motor etc, But it will not dry clothing worth a damn as it will all be stuck on the drum, it will dry very unevenly and wrinkled, we have seen it many times with European dryers that people tried to use here in the DC area.
 
Thanks for the info, I may skip the dryer then. But the faster turning will not overheat the dryer's motor, correct? Same for the washer which chances are has a 50Hz only shaded pole drain pump?
 
Ship & Marine Suppliers

Electrolux seems to be going after the niche market of supplying yachts and other marine vessels. Miele and a few others also offer versions of their laundry and other appliances in "odd" configurations for use either with onboard or dockside power.

Since there isn't a universal standard (surprise, surprise) regarding marine vessel and or dockside power you often find machines with voltage/power requirements not usually found.

The other market would be to Europe and elsewhere seeking American laundry and other appliances.

For sometime there has been an export business of American domestic appliances rejiggered for "European" 208v-240v power at 50hz. Washing machines and dryers come to mind. http://www.220-electronics.com/220-volt-electric-dryers.html

Given the small size of said market one wonders if many parts under the bonnet of these appliances are strictly 220v/50hz so to speak. It is entirely possible the motor and other things are configured to run on both 50hz and 60hz, even if no one is telling.

The only sure way to find out is find a parts manual or some such and look things up.[this post was last edited: 8/18/2015-20:48]
 
Inverter or PWM drives shouldn't care. 60Hz input is actually easier for them to handle and both have tach feedback so speed shouldn't vary either.

Induction motors will change speed and so will the current in their capacitor winding unless you change the capacitor. Best not to operate them without modification from 50 to 60 and even then the speed difference may impact performance.
 
Ship and Marina Supplies

I always thought yachts were 120/240 like most US homes? Learn something new everyday.

I guess I might look in that direction, hopefully one with a built in heater.

My honest opinion being that a lot of 240 volts 60hz washers like Bosch are simply relabeled 230 volt 50Hx machines. My main concern is induction motors like the drain pump, since the shaft turns faster the rotor experiences more torque and in turn stress on the motor, but then again it might not matter.
 
Marine Power

IIRC is all over the place. You aren't going to get 50hz frequency for instance in the USA I believe. This is why Miele and other appliance makers have special "marine" niche market lines. Those appliances have been configured to accept various sources of power.

For instance you *might* find frequency converters either on the vessel itself or dockside in order to run 50hz appliances on 60hz and vice versa.
 
"The dryer will tumble TOO fast and do a lousy job drying, the washer may also tumble too fast for good washing performance."

Several times have come across Miele and other European laundry appliances on these shores, but always pull back from pulling the trigger.

Even if the things are being given away there is the question of how or even if they will operate on 60hz power. MieleUSA will not assist beyond possibly ordering spares (if necessary) and IIRC they now require some sort of waiver before doing so.

Miele dryers for instance use AC motors. Unless there is some sort of internal device to adjust frequency at 60hz the thing will operate faster. You cannot even swap out the motor for a 208v-240v 60hz because Miele dryers sold in the USA run on 120v IIRC (that is they only draw power from one leg of a 220v connection).
 

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