Automatic Temperature Control

[logixx]

Just read this in the manual for one if the new Samsung washers. I knew about the Normal cycle using pretty much noting but cool water... but Heavy Duty now, too?

"If you select normal & heavy duty cycles, those cycles are the regulation and UL cycles. Since new washer must reduce the amount of energy usage at first priority, customers will notice more cold water entering the washer. But This is Normal, not a problem. In those regulation cycles, Hot temperature is similar to acceptable adult bath-water temperature and warm temperature is similar to comfortable swimming-pool water temperature. If customers want to wash clothes in specific water temperature, customers should choose a different cycles at each temperature (Hot/Warm/Eco Warm)."

Alex

 

[frontloaderfan]

On my 2012 Frigidaire FL, the machine fills with mostly cold water on the "Normal" cycle on the "hot" setting, even with the ATC disabled. The control board is hard-wired to severely dumb down the water temp, so that "hot" is actually luke warm and "warm" is cold.

 

[whitetub]

In my white load, I select hot, and I always add a kettle of boiling water to the load, once the machine has filled up. This way, I am sure it's hot enough. ( 3 year old Samsung Front loader, not sure if it dumbs down the water temperature, but the first part of the fill is not hot enough). Once the machine has completed doing its multiple fills, then I press the pause button, open the door, and pour my kettle of boiling water. Once mixed in with the water already in the machine, it's hot enough to steam up the window.

 

[logixx]

So much for "automatic washing machine"...

 

[frontloaderfan]

Luckily, my machine still uses tap hot water on the "Bulky" setting when "hot" is selected and mixes 50/50 on the "warm" setting. I think the "hot" temp is probably around 120 F after I purge the lines to the machine by letting it fill once. Before I disabled the ATC, "hot" would be about 90 F.

I think the manufacturers monitor forums like these in order to see what tricks people are up to in order to get decent washing results out of their factory-handicapped machines. Sooner or later, they'll come up with ATC's and WLS's that are even more difficult, if not impossible, to circumvent, then we'll all be back to dumping kettles full of boiling water in manually like with the old wringer washers...

 

[logixx]

Same situation here

This is what Samsung has been adding to their manuals for a while now:

The ‘standard Cotton 60 °C program’ and ‘standard Cotton 40 °C program’, which can be selected by adding the Intensive option to the Cotton 60 °C and Cotton 40 °C program, are suitable to clean normally soiled cotton laundry and they are the most efficient (concerning water and energy consumption) for this type of laundry. In these programs the actual water temperature may differ from the declared temperature.

And Miele:

– Selecting the 60°C wash temperature will give the performance of a Cottons 60°C programme, however for energy saving and  environmental protection reasons the actual wash temperature reached will be lower.
– Where higher levels of hygiene are required please select a  temperature of 75°C or above or use the Hygiene programme.

 

This "actual wash temperature" for a "standard Cotton cycle" will be anywhere from 120F to below body temp instead of the selected 140F - depending on the manufacturer.

 

[whitetub]

Automatic washing is a thing of the past. If you want a really hot wash.