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Fan fresh

quote from the starting post of this thread :

"Although I am not as impressed with the 9750 as I thought it would be, really the only difference is a few more cycles, .1 cu. ft. bigger and a “Fanfresh” to air out the washer to help prevent mildew."

IMHO, if one keeps on washing always cold, the fanfresh is useless. It's better running whites now and then @ hottest temp with bleach (or use sanitary on electrically heated models)
 
Actually some European countries had lower voltages too in the past, but they converted in time. In the Netherlands until the sixties both 127V and 220V both were used. Then all households had to change to 220V. In some parts of the country it was done by putting 127V on two hot wires, which can be compared to the 220V in the USA. According to Wikipedia NL, in 2003 there were still parts in Amsterdam that got 220V that way!
 
I had the 127 V two hot wire system till the end of the 1990's. With this system I have had an electric shock three times so I can imagine what it feels like when touching a 110 V live wire (well, maybe not exactly because it was only 50 Hz). First I got a shock when I was a child and I kept my finger on the metal pin of a plug while inserting it in the socket. I got another shock when I touched the live frame of an old radio set. And the last time was when I touched a metal conduit (via a metal vacuum cleaner tube!) that was live because of a wire with damaged insulation. I have survived all shocks without injuries!

I have seen the same system in Brussels in the 1990's.
 
Some perspective on 240V in US

The fact is, anyone in the US living in a single-family house or townhouse, with reasonably up-to-date electrical service, can get an electrician to install a 240V outlet for a washing machine. The cost would range from a couple hundred to a few hundred, depending on details of the job, and where you live. This is a one-time cost that isn't prohibitive. It's common to spend much more on home renovation projects.

So, notwithstanding all the discussion about why we have 120V while Europe has 220V, and how hard it would be to convert the whole country, 240V is easily available here, if people want it. The diminishing availability of 240V washers here just shows that people haven't been convinced to want it. There are also the Energy Star considerations, but I think those are a matter of tax credits, not outright prohibition of machines using more energy. So that, too, boils down to whether people are willing to spend a little more to make up for the tax credit that a manufacturer might lose by selling a machine that uses more juice.
 
I took this picture last May. It is the interior of a print shop in the centre of Amsterdam. It seems that they are still using the two phase 127 V system there.

The green arrow points to a fuse box that is typical for this system (two fuses in a circuit). Note also that the fuses are what we call "automatic fuses", meaning that they can be reset by pressing the black button in the middle.

mielabor++7-19-2009-14-33-44.jpg
 
I have acutally seen some very very old (1-phase)wiring here that has a fuse-protected neutral, which is considered a big no-no nowadays.

~Why don't they unplug the dryer, plug the 2,000w or 3,000w washer in the outlet, then swap it all when it's time to dry?"

Not everyone has a 220v 30a dedicated dryer outlet in the USA. In NYC most dryers are GAS heated.

Besides, one of the best ways (read: quickest) to do many loads in succession is to have the W & D running simultaneously!

U.S. top loaders 30 minutes wash + 60 minutes dry = 90 minutes.
U.S front-loaders 45 (to 60 minutes) wash + 45 minutes dry = 90 minutes.
 
Some questions

# what is the coil wattage in the heated US Duets ?

The euro one (Dreamspace), despite it is a double size washer, has a 1900 W coil as standard machines. I guess whirlpool used a undersized coil to have a slow heat up , so to enhance enzyme based detergents action.

# US toploaders - which current models have the fastest spin ?

T.I.A.
Carlo
 
Ooh Favorit, Fastest top loader.... I belive now... Cabrio,Oasis,Bravo

1010,to 1100 RPM all wash plate models. And F&P 1000.
GE harmony 1010.

Darren k
 
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