Niagra Portable Washer

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I was sure John would come and say something negative... Why that?

Equivalent to, not that it has 7.5 cu ft.

As DOE doesn't have an specific standard to test HATL semi-automatic washers and as capacity is usually described in cu ft, the alternative found was using "equivalent capacity". Personally I don't agree with that idea of "equivalent to" but that's not me who made this decision. We're actually lucky to have them "creating an alternative testing" instead of just saying "it's too different from the average washers we have on the market, we won't even consider it, you can't make it at all"

One thing people seem to forget is, here in the USA, DOE says something, you do it, you don't ask, you don't argue, you don't debate or discuss. If they ask me to hang a watermelon on my neck, I'll do it with a huge smile (even dying inside) because it just needs one of those "lovely individuals" unhappy to wipe the company off the market.
 
Being on the backstage isn't always easy. Internally, I'm super happy with the company and the design freedom I have. The problem is what comes from above (government level). There are zillions of things that both the company and I disagree, but we MUST do it the same way because we need to meet the "federal standards".
 
By the way,,, the "New" Niagara is coming soon...

We were FORCED to change it... because 3oz of water will make an absurd difference in the world. I literally had to recalibrate the pressure switches to reduce THREE f-WORD OUNCES. That's less than a cup of water.

And that just because somebody at certain department in the government woke up one day and said "I'm going to save the world if I do that" (and maybe get a promotion)
 
 
Thomas, I don't understand the DOE reasoning on all of that.  3 oz. reduction ... but we have the SQ TC5 and WP/MT commercial VMW models that don't have a user water level control and a minimum level that fills the tub halfway for even a single item.  WTH??
 
Thomas

your ingenuity and tenacity impresses me.

This little semi automatic could be a great asset to many in the world that have limited means, small apartments and little water available for laundry. Good for you!

And I appreciated your explanation of the DOE requirements for the size and water usage of this machine. I hope you will be successful in your endeavor.

Eddie
 
Hi Eddie

The Niagara is a monster success. near its 2nd anniversary.

The pandemic may have helped us, people bought washers like crazy (still buying) so it's hard to say exactly if it was because of "it being it" or because "it was available".

I'm often surprised by consumers emailing us and telling they made a review. Those are way more reliable because they have absolutely no relation to the company at all. I knew they were made after they were published.

 
Looking at the linked video, and I could be wrong, it sounds like the tub reverses direction every 45 seconds?

 

I still don't agree with filling without tumbling, as the guy brought up that if the drain hose is to low it will result in infinite water waste. I like timed fills, they greatly simplify things including the wiring in the timer. 
 
Timed fill

NO WAY AT ALL!

Even worse in a washer that relies on load absortion to select the water level, like any front load washer.

It tops off the water level many times during the cycle because the load absorbs water.

Even worse being portable and with a huge variation on waterflow (gpm) from faucet to faucet.

Now imagine telling people they have to spend time adjusting the fill timer if nowadays we have customers that complain that it's a dreadful chore to remove the shipping bracket (just unscrew a plate on the bottom of a spin dryer, done in 5 seconds) and ask "why do you protect it for shipping if you have a warranty? If it breaks, who cares? You'll have to replace it anyway, so why do I have to be disturbed by another step when unboxing the product?"
 
Timed Fill

I'm not talking about literally a dedicated fill increment and then switching to tumble, instead I'm thinking of tumbling and filling at the same time. Pressure switch cuts off but the fill contact in the timer remains closed the whole wash and rinse cycle. 

 

The way I see it this has many advantages, including acting as a backup should the pressure switch fail (16 minutes of over flow vs indefinitely) or drain hose kept to low.
 

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