are you sure you are using the 100% of the capacity of your washer?

[launderess]

Load Sensing

Am here to say that my Miele w1070 yes, will sense the load in that it will keep water levels at certain preset. That is about five US gallons for "normal" cottons and permanent press, and ten for rinses. However as to using less water automatically for smaller loads, no it does not do that at all.

Pressing the "half load" button will cause the rinses in "normal/PP" to use less water (the default wash level IIRC), but does not affect the main fill for the wash.

One knows this because tested the thing several times when unit was first purchased. Easy method was to allow the machine to fill on a normal "cottons" cycle but with a full load and the "Half Load" button pressed. If the unit did take on less water trust me this machine lets you know when it is unhappy. In particular the pump when air is being sent down. Not a bit of it; washer filled as normal and carried on.

The other test would be to release the "Half Load" button which would cause the machine to fill to full level, again not a bit of it. However if one does this during a rinse cycle the machine will stop and top off the drum with another five or whatever gallons of water.

Of course the Lavamat and Miele are two different beasts from different ages. The Miele simply starts to fill with whatever water level a cycle calls for (again absent modification by the HL button. OTOH Lavamat starts each wash new wash cycle by first tumbling drum with wash but no water, then sending down a small amount of water. Only after this "test" does the machine begin to fill for the wash. Lavamat knows how much laundry it has to cope with and gives water levels based upon that information. It will stop and top off the tub if water is absorbed by the wash causing the level to drop, but unlike the Miele it can adjust water usage to match load size.

Like the Miele however one is advised to load the tub differently for silks, delicates, woolens, easy irons and fashion fabrics. For cottons and "easy care" the cycle choice is the same but the machine can "tell" what it's got and is programmed to vary the cycle accordingly.

 

[electron1100]

AEG

Gosh such refinement is astounding, makes us wonder how we ever lived without it

 

[passatdoc]

@ronhic: agree

I have a laundry center with three sorting bags, and I divide routine laundry into three categories, each of which has its own washing or drying needs in my machines:

1. All-cotton perm press shirts and trousers (my office wear), which need either Perm Press or Normal wash cycle/Warm, and Perm Press drying cycle on Medium heat

2. Towels and bed linens: Heavy cycle on Hot, with Towel cycle drying on Warm or Hot.

3. All-cotton t-shirts, jeans, etc which won't get dry on Perm Press dry, so I wash these on Normal/warm and dry on Normal/Warm.

I wait until the each sorting bag is full: I have more than enough clothing and towels and linens to last for weeks in the closets/cabinets. The drum on my Frig 2140 FL is roughly 80% full when I wash. The only time I might not run a full load would be for something special like sweaters or sofa pillow covers (delicate or handwash cycle on Cold) simply because I don't have enough of the items to fill the machine.

 

[DADoES]

 
Every load is not a maximum but I'm surely not afraid to push it to the limit when opportunity arises.

 

[logixx]

Some manuals for US washers list weight in kilos. This is the manual for the Mexican LG WT 5101. Kind of disappointing to see how low the recommended load for some cycles is.

 

[logixx]

And here's a recent Duet doing a full load of towels - with the time adjusted.

 

 

[launderess]

She is from US and she works here the last 3 years.

There you have your answer to many of your questions.

If the person in question had no previous experience with front loading washers until her or his arrival in Austria, or for that matter even if she or he had the American way of laundry is always where possible have a large washing machine.

This tradition comes obviously from top loading washers with central beaters dominating the washing machine market. Even if such machines have capacity from 2lbs to 20lbs water levels can be manually adjusted to suit.

The other thing is Americans have *LONG* been wedded to the tradition of doing the wash once a week or even putting it off longer. We know of persons who literally do not do the washing until every last bed linen, undergarment, bath linen, shirts, and so forth are soiled. When you wait that long to do the washing you're going to need a large washing machine, at least in theory.

Again with top loaders if there was say only a "medium" load of darks the water level could be set to that amount. Therefore in theory water is not being wasted. If the front loader in question does not "load sense" to mean less water is used for smaller loads, then it can be rather wasteful.

One hears from repairmen and washing machine repair sites that this trend of Americans of purchasing uber-sized washing machines but rarely using full capacity actually harms the washer. Aside from special cycles a H-Axis washers are most efficient on so many levels when loaded at or near rated capacity. It certainly does the bearings or support systems any good if the washer cannot balance properly due to an inability to distribute loads that are too small.

Have never understood the logic behind purchasing 15lb or higher domestic front loaders when in actual use loads rarely go above eleven pounds. Oh but they say "we have bulky bedding like duvets and quilts". Yes, but how many times per year do you launder such items. Or, are you laundering them to death just because now you can at home?

 

[ronhic]

Average loads

Launderess,

I think you'll find that average loads are even smaller than that.

Our consumer magazine, Choice, asked consumers to fill either a top load or front load machine with clothes until they thought it full. When choice weighed the washing, the average was about half the stated capacity of the machine.

As a result of this, Choice now test every machine with a 3.5kg (8lb) load.

Apparently its about the same in the UK too when it comes to how much people put in a machine.

It may be different in the US and Canada because the machines have more volume, but doesn't your own consumer magazine test a given weight across the board?

 

[DADoES]

 
Large load.

 

[DADoES]

 
Loaded.

 

[DADoES]

 

 

[DADoES]

 

 

[a440]

Glen,
That is an impressive load in your Calypso!
I would love to find on of these washers in good shape. All the machines I find...you know that rest of the story.
Please do a video when you get a chance of your Calypso with the load you showed here.
It would be such an amazing archive video. I know this machine can handle this and so much more.
Glad that you are enjoying your machine so much!
This is my favorite modern top load machine hands down!
Brent

 

[DADoES]

 
Video request noted. 

 

[washer111]

WOW!

That is an impressive load Glenn! I had to save that photo for future reference.

 

 

[a440]

Thanks Glen!
I hope it is not too much trouble.
You videos are always so good!
And you have such fun machines!
Brent

 

[laundromat]

I pack mine full (Duets ,Troms and Frigidairs) leaving enough room for them to move freely about. I mean business washing clothes for two teenage kids, a triage nurse, a construction worker,five dogs and myself. I wash pillows,sofa cushions,dog beds,bloody nurse outfits,king size bedspreads, tennis shoes, car Mats and area rugs in them. I use Gain (not HE) detergent and fabric softener. I will admit, I rigged them to use more water ( it now fills up just past the window.base.) than before but that really made a big difference. Just recently I washed the eight foot hall runners,one at a time with the kitchen slices .They came out so clean that Gretchen assumed they were new.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Reply #41

I noticed the detergent: is it "Era" ?

It has the same type of dispensing tap as Ariel Liquid had in the UK, around 1998 / 1999. I had a bottle, purchased in Asda supermarket.

 

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>I noticed the detergent: is it "Era" ?</blockquote> Era, yes, but that's not what was used on the pictured load.

 

[hooverzodiac12]

I dont know about anyone else but we definatly use the whole

You might have a few things to say about this load in particular haha

 

[hooverzodiac12]

Like a commercial electrolux machine

After that spin

 

[hooverzodiac12]

But for a normal load the drum is full with a 5 cm gap up the top if i push it down and it usually ends like this if anyone wants any asko vids just let me know im happy to make some

 

[freshlinen]

hooverzodiac please send some vids to my e-mail [email protected]

I own aeg lavamat9000 exactly the same as this one you have.

 

[henene4]

Today I washed a full dark load of colours in our Panasonic and, yeah, know the clothesline is 3/4 full. And as I washed a nother white load in the AEG, it is completly full...

 

[donprohel]

Yes, I am...

sure that I am NOT using the 100% of the capacity of my washer.

And honestly speaking I couldn't care less: quite often 100% capacity means poor washing, poor rinsing, and too much tangling

 

[volsboy1]

Is there any F.L. washer's that are made in Europe.I have not had good luck with U.S. made F.L. washer's they don't use enough

water at all.I want one but I good one that will work and is not the size of a refrigerator.

Let's not talk about politics here or who did what to who.Go to the other forums if you want to do that it ruins it for other folks.

Your new here but there are other places to talk about this kinda of stuff,this is not the place at all.

 

 

[brucelucenta]

I have lived these 57 years and have seen and used various automatic washing machines and dryers during those years. I know that the front load domestic washers were mostly all a one tumble direction until around the mid to late 80s. Those machines had a small capacity, poor washing ability and poor extraction for the most part. The Bendix is probably what turned people against front loading machines in the 40s and 50s. The Westinghouse models weren't as bad, but still left much to be desired too. I have seen and used many many top loading machines both solid tub and perforated ones. How much you put in your machine has a great deal to do with how well and uniformly it washes your clothes. The only top load machine I have ever seen wash better with a big load is the 1-18 top load Frigidaire washer. Lint and sediment is sometimes a problem with top loaders. Front loaders do not have that issue at all and today's front load washer with a reversing drum eliminates the tangling and twisting problem too. In my opinion front load washers are the only way to go.
They wash clothing about as well as any top loading machine and do it with less water and detergent. Most of them have very large capacities. The main benefit for me is that clothing comes out virtually lint free. For me that is a big plus!

 

[Unimatic1140]

Who's seen the movie the Ugly American? <---Don't...

answer that!

I've deleted a bunch a posts in here as they were waaaaaaaay off topic and some were downright rude and offensive, which is highly unusual here at aw. I really hope that was a one time deal.

This is a great thread that doesn't need to be hijacked with politics, that's what Dirty Laundry is for where I almost never delete anything (almost doesn't mean never however).

Frank I'm getting a sick headache Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

 

[mrb627]

FL or TL debate

My local Speed Queen dealer reports that the current trend is turning back to TL machines in the US.  Two out of three customers have suffered a bad experience and ditch the FL machines for good old style machines where they can see the wash water.  They have eliminated Samsung from the sales floor and expect that LG will follow by the end of the year.  The only TL HE machine they have on the floor is the Maytag Bravos XL.  He states that the Speed Queen machines virtually sell themselves.

 

Go Speed Queen!

 

Malcolm

 

[kb0nes]

Malcom,

Does you local SQ dealer sell all brands? I'd wager if you look at sales through the SQ lens that they are selling TONS of top loaders now. They are about the only remaining decent option for those that want an old school conventional wash machines.

My hunch is that the TL / FL debate will largely be over in 15 years or so, but my crystal ball is out for polishing currently.