FLs Pause Periods When Heating Water

[launderess]

IIRC older Miele and other European front loaders used to have pauses during the wash cycles when heating water. Today all machines even the 120v American models seem to just tumble while heating, even though it takes ages to heat the water in some cases.

Am wonderng if pausing might be some what more gentle on laundry as it is not being "agitated" for long periods of time while waiting for the wash to reach the correct temp. Also for under powered washers, wouldn't it be better to allow pauses so more of the available power could be used for heating?

Launderess

 

[wmlask]

Heating Water

I believe that the reason the washer pauses when heating is to limit the amperage draw so it can be plugged into a standard 15 amp outlet. Im sure the units that heat while washing use a lower wattage heater and perhaps smaller motor. (Hence the long heating time) I know the new Speed Queen front loader for home use has a 3/4HP motor and a substantial heater and they need to be switched individually to operate properly.
Any other thoughts on this?
Bill

 

[launderess]

Isn't the most watts one can draw on a 15 amp circut around 1300 watts?

 

[knitwits1975]

Don't some of them use heat from the motor to heat the water?

 

[knitwits1975]

If not, would not be a half bad idea.

 

[DADoES]

120 volts x 15 amps = 1800 watts, but one generally wants to stay a little below that for sustained draw. Most freestanding room/space heaters max at 1500 watts.

 

[kenmore1978]

watts

"Isn't the most watts one can draw on a 15 amp circut around 1300 watts?"

I think it's 1800 watts

Right, Toggleswitch?

 

[tomturbomatic]

My Creda and W1918 Miele both run on 15 amp 230 volt circuits.

The Creda does 3 periods of very slow tumbling while heating to more than 120F. To heat to more than 120, the Cottons cycle has to be set for the very longest wash. Since the wash is so long while heating, I figured the slow tumbling was to prevent excess wear on the items and to help hold the heat in the water and the load instead of losing it by regular tumbling. If the load does not need heating, the timer clicks past those periods.

When set for a fast cycle, the W1918 does not pause to heat and I can get a 180F wash completed in under an hour. When set for the default intensive washes, there is some pausing, but I figure it is just doing a bit of soaking during that long wash because the water is already heated. I use the intensive for large loads. I have it programmed for high water rinses and an additional rinse so I get 5 good rinses on the Cottons Intensive cycle.

 

[wmlask]

Voltage

The reason your machines can do both is that they are using higher voltage. 230 X 15 = 3450 Watts.

Bill

 

[foraloysius]

As far as I can remember Miele's never paused when heating water. It were mostly the cheaper European washers that did that.

 

[washboy2005]

oldish hotpoint's

my sister has a Hotpoint First Edition WM53 and it only gently tumbles every so often during the heating phase, but once it has reached temperature really gets to work with tumbling doing 20seconds tumble 5seconds break 20seconds tumble and so on....

I believe all of the older hotpoints did this wash action!

The picture below is not of my actual machine but is cosmetically and mechanically similar