A few answers
Voltages in the US (as in Europe) are all over the map.
The nominal US household current is 120/240 single/split <span style="font-size: 12pt;">φ</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> .</span>
But we run at 127/254 in our end of Cheyenne. Nearby, a much larger city runs 130 regularly while the county in between runs at 117 (and, according to their spokesidiot, is going to stay there).
Europe settled on a 400v 3φ system, with 230V for low amp. consumers, but with tolerances that can put it way below or way above (bigclive talks about that). This harmonization brought the 220V of mainland Europe and the 230 of the UK into line. Theoretically.
Many vintage European FL tumbled the clothes for well over 120 minutes between the pre-wash and the main wash before doing rinses and spins. They didn't wear the clothes out. The detergents were specifically made to keep soil in suspension for longer wash periods.
A wash cycle which goes from cold to 45 or 50 or 60 degrees (C) with a slow build up to 45 works very well with enzymes, including today's 'cold' wash enzymes (which still don't do shit in cold water - the reason cold water washing is useless).
Protein based stains 'set' quickly in warmer water, as Laundress has explained.
There's not a reason on earth the typical US 240V 30 Amp outlet couldn't be used for a heated washing machine using enough water to actually clean and we'd all be better off if they'd throw out the totally failed HE TL design.
Too little water, too cold of a temperature and you have dirty clothes and filthy mold, slime and microbe infested machines.
Oh, and speaking as a German for a minute, oxygen bleach can clean many stains we believe can only be removed using chlorine bleach in the US.
[this post was last edited: 5/18/2016-09:28]
Voltages in the US (as in Europe) are all over the map.
The nominal US household current is 120/240 single/split <span style="font-size: 12pt;">φ</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> .</span>
But we run at 127/254 in our end of Cheyenne. Nearby, a much larger city runs 130 regularly while the county in between runs at 117 (and, according to their spokesidiot, is going to stay there).
Europe settled on a 400v 3φ system, with 230V for low amp. consumers, but with tolerances that can put it way below or way above (bigclive talks about that). This harmonization brought the 220V of mainland Europe and the 230 of the UK into line. Theoretically.
Many vintage European FL tumbled the clothes for well over 120 minutes between the pre-wash and the main wash before doing rinses and spins. They didn't wear the clothes out. The detergents were specifically made to keep soil in suspension for longer wash periods.
A wash cycle which goes from cold to 45 or 50 or 60 degrees (C) with a slow build up to 45 works very well with enzymes, including today's 'cold' wash enzymes (which still don't do shit in cold water - the reason cold water washing is useless).
Protein based stains 'set' quickly in warmer water, as Laundress has explained.
There's not a reason on earth the typical US 240V 30 Amp outlet couldn't be used for a heated washing machine using enough water to actually clean and we'd all be better off if they'd throw out the totally failed HE TL design.
Too little water, too cold of a temperature and you have dirty clothes and filthy mold, slime and microbe infested machines.
Oh, and speaking as a German for a minute, oxygen bleach can clean many stains we believe can only be removed using chlorine bleach in the US.
[this post was last edited: 5/18/2016-09:28]
