HOT/COLD Inlet valves...

[vivalalavatrice]

Hot water, that's the point! Just today I'v spoken with technician (who has been here to repair the DW lid, which now is all right), about inlet water in appliances.

I asked him whether it could be useful to switch the DW onto hot water instead of cold water like now it is, that's why we are considering to put solar board on our rooftop, avoiding too much gas consumes for hot water which now is becoming very very expensive!!!

I told him I had already asked by e-mail to the technical-customer-support on line, but although the mail had answered affirmatively, he didnt' ask so!
He told me that appliances' producers are decreasing the amount of water that a DW may use, to reduce consequently the electric heating consumes, so it's not convenient for us to do that job, and for more than one reason:

- considering how far is the heater from the DW, befor the hot water has reached the inlet valve, filling has stopped!
- generally plastic components of cold inlet valve don't support hot water (60°C in this case, at least);
- he also told me about some waste food on dishes, that couldn't be removed with a hot pre-wash!
- of course the DW heater switch on when temperature becomes to decrease to maintain it at the right level.

At the end, we have beginning spoken about the washer... Both we agreed that only one inlet valve (as my washer has got), couldn't be moved onto hot water, because although is good washing in hot water your items is not good to rinsing them! You will demage them too much washing them in such way...cold rinse is the best thing! And the other technical reasons are the same as the DW.

I was surprising when he became speaking of his first reparations in the '70s: he told me that still at that time he found yet some last '50s washers with the HOT/COLD inlet valve, he told me they were REX, the first washer with h-axis in Italy, since there had been not any twin-tub again. By that way I remebered him that strangely my old washer (1981) has got the possibility to add a second valve like the new (2001) one hasn't!

So I told him that It would be useful if producers became to "come back", I mean they should become producing the HOT/COLD inlet valves, both for washers and dishwashers, because here after many years of istantanean water heatr only, people are getting solar boards, which work accumulating hot water!

He answerd me that now either here washers with HOT/COLD inlet valves are available again!

Sorry but the link is in Italian...

http://www.whirlpool.it/app.cnt/whr/it_IT/pageid/pgproddtl001/catid/3/subcatid/11/prodid/1445

 

[vivalalavatrice]

Buitl-in Internal heater..

And now, either here than there in USA, does it make sense of an'internal heater if you have the hot water inlet?!?!?

It made sense before here that we had only the cold water inlet... but now... I don't want imagine with 110-120 Volts!!!

GoodBye
Diomede

 

[lavamat_jon]

Hot and cold water inlets have been commonplace on washers here in the UK (even AEG's and Bosch's) for years until just recently; where cold fill machines are now becoming more popular.

Hot fills aren't really needed on a European washer, or indeed any frontloader. This is because they use such a small amount of water for the wash by the time the machine is full, only the standing water in the pipes would have flown in; only for the pipes to be reheated with hardly any of the hot water entering machine, so that water that has been heated up in the water heater just to sit and cool in the pipes again is a waste of energy, especially as the machine has to heat the water back up to temperature. Another side effect is that some stains can set if washed in hot water straight away, so it is best to start off from cold and warm up to hot. Besides, with the majority of washes being at 40*C nowadays there really isn't any need to have a hot water inlet - plus it is more efficient to only need to heat the water once.

Of course, it is a different matter on toploaders as filling hot water from a gas boiler would be more efficient than an internal heater inside a toploader - although British made toploaders such as the Hotpoint did indeed have an internal heater too. Hot water could be used on the dishwashers, but then the wash temperature would be too hot for the gentle Glassware cycles, which often have a maximum wash temperature of around 45*C/110*F or so, which is much cooler than most people have their hot water heater set to.

Jon

 

[panthera]

depends on lots of things

I remember reading a very detailed article on this question several years ago. The amount of standing water in the water lines will assure that the first "wash" is cool enough not to bake things an. After that, if the run from the water heater to the dishwasher is longer than 2 meters (about 79 inches) then it is more economical to heat the water in the machine.
This assumed the source of heating outside of the dishwasher was cheaper than electricity by a factor of 2.4 for electricity and 1.7 for the other fuel.
In other words, if the price difference is over 1/3 and you can keep the heat loss to a minimum (as well as the volume of water "standing"), it makes sense to use hot water.
If the inlet valve and hoses will take it. Most stuff in Europe is rated ok for 60°, but I would ask the manufacturer to be sure.

 

[48bencix]

COLD WATER WASHING

Until recently I used hot water for whites, warm for colors, with a cold water rinse for all. I have been using cold water for all of my laundry for about a month, with Cold Water Tide Liquid. I am getting excellent results. I am using a top loading machine (Maytag) and drying the laundry in a dryer. It would be better to hang the loads out in the sun. In the back of my mind I still think that the hot water would kill some germs, but probably after the wash and two rinses, yes I use a second rinse, there are probably no germs left. The heat of the dryer probably kills some of them too.

But normally here in the U.S. we have hot water connected to the dishwashers, and washing machines. The DW owner's manual says to run the hot water at the sink until it is hot, then start the machine. (most machines are connected under the sink) My DW does have an internal heater which will bring the temperature up. Most washers here don't have this capability.

Martin

 

[irishwashguy]

Internal water heaters are becoming more common-----

I have a European washer made for the US, and inded they are being sold more that you would think. Until I read about the asko in the early 90's, I would have never thought that they even exsisted, now I believe that it is the only way to go. I have my machine (Miele T-1213 ) only hooked up to the cold water and have amazing results. I have a spliter on the cold water spicket for both hoses so that the machine does not fault out. With the new front loaders that they are selling here in the states, more of them, including many of the nicer new Frigidaires FL indeed have interal water heaters. Usually the TL do not, however, I believe that the new Harmony does have an internal water heater, I could be incorect.it, in my opinion, is the way to go.

 

[panthera]

Martin,

I remember back in the 60's when cold-water washing first became popular lots of folks ran into trouble with mold and fungal growth in their machines.
The detergent manufacturers suggested a hot wash with bleach once a month -
Don't know whether that is still an issue, but it would make sense to me.
Keven