Personally, I don't see why having a heater is necessary. In my opinion it's just an extra thing to break. My LG front loader has a heater built in but I couldn't find a difference cleaning wise so I just don't use it anymore. As long as I have straight hot water, I'm pretty much good to go. Some of the other UniMac stackables with the touch screen I use as well do have heaters built in, they get very hot. And they're one of those models where the soap automatically dispenses in during the wash cycle, we use Ecolab detergent.
Front load heaters make a night and day difference all around, and are the only practical way I feel that front load technology will excel in the United States. Here are some advantages, number one being the most significant:
1) Filling with cold and gradually heating to warm then to hot lets detergents work in stages. Different stains and different soils are lifted best at various temperatures. The gradual heating over time lets enzymes work to their full potential. By having a heater in every front load incorporated into the cycle, the US could adopt common EU based detergent formulations which produce the best cleaning results of any laundry system when coupled with a graded temperature wash.
2) A true hot wash. Even with a hot fill, the small amount of water in the front load quickly cools down to warm due to the cool drum, cool tub and cool clothes. That is of course assuming a best case scenario. In reality water cools down in pipes and purging doesn't always get all of it out to the point the washer connects to the plumbing. Water enters cold, cool and then warm. By the time hot water starts entering the machine, the pressure sensor is satisfied. The end result is a cool wash.
3) Sanitation. With a heater you can be guaranteed 200*F wash water when needed.
4) Energy Savings. It is much less energy intensive to heat water on point to the required temperature than idling 50 gallons of hot water 24/7 only to have a considerable percentage of it lost within the wall.
5) Water savings. No need to purge the line to make sure the machine has hot water so you get at least a warm wash.
6) Much harder for mold and gunk build up in the machine due to the superior wash system.
The whole concept of relying on concentrated detergent originally evolved from that intended for a top load and off board hot water is a flawed implementation and behind nearly all of the problems encountered with front load washers in the US.
Third best front load Speed Queen in my book. The Speed Queens that I really miss at number two were the ones with the heater in them. They discontinued them which I think was a big step back. I life front loads that gradually boost the water temp to a pre-selected level.
