Top Loading Washing Machine with Built In Heater

[launderess]

A poster mentioned that the GE Harmony washer did a type of proflie wash by heating water after a period of washing with a cold fill. Cannot find any information on GE's website as to weather or not the Harmony washers have a built in heater, but this raises a question that has been on my mind for some time.

How difficult would it be to design a top loader with a built in heater? Know some vintage Hoovermatics and solid tub washers had this function and it does seem an answer to the problem of top loaders being "hot water" hogs.

The heater design in question could either have elements between the two tubs to heat water as it recirculated, or maybe just route water though some sort of built in inline water heater like many European dishwashers.

Thoughts?

L.

 

[appnut]

Cimberlie, the Harmony with the model number 9360 has the HydroHeater.

 

[wiskybill]

Curiosity...

got me on this one. Did some searching on GE's website and parts diagrams and found that the heater looks to be a Calrod unit in the bottom of the outer tub. Didn't notice any mention of what temps it will maintain.
Another interesting feature is that the washer and dryer control panel is available in a left or right hand configuration to suit your laundry room set-up.
GE does need to promote the Harmony more now that the Oasis and Cabrio are available.

Bill

 

[super32]

heating

The only other us made T/L that had a heater was the neptune T/L. only the 9800 had the heater the 6800 did not.

Scott

 

[DADoES]

The trick about the left/right Harmony control panels is that the panels are compatible/swappable between washer and dryer. The machines aren't ordered/purchased specifically with a particular configuration -- they're swapped in the field, like reversing a refrigerator door.

 

[partscounterman]

Roberts "Superunimatic has a heater! It does a nice job of boosting the water temp. I think in many cases, you really would do better if the toploader had a 240 volt setup rather than standard 120 volt. Those vintage Hoovermatics Launderess speaks of are British and on a 240 volt system.

I rely on the heater in my Hettie a lot, since I am on solar hot water, which only gives me pee-warm water until the afternoon. It does take a while to even heat the few gallons my machine uses. I can't imagine a 120 v heater being very effective in really heating some 20 gallons of water. It would be OK to maintain the temp. of water that is already hot.

 

[lavamat_jon]

UK Hotpoint Toploaders

UK Hotpoint agitator toploaders (and twintubs) had built in heaters since they started being produced in the 1960s, right up until 2000 when it was discontinued. So yes it is indeed possible for agitator toploaders to have heaters; however the Hotpoint did have a G energy rating so no doubt it'll probably take a lot of juice to power!

Jon

 

[seamusuk]

In the UK...

Every model of Hotpoint agitator top loader had one- it was a normal heater element mounted under the agitator. Id quite like to find one of these someday. One thing that always struck me as odd on these was the fact they have a hardboard back panel!!!

Seamus

 

[chestermikeuk]

Hotpoint Heater

All the UK Agi Top Loaders (Hotpoint Servis) have heaters in them as well as twinnies, most us a bowl with the heater and pump outlet in like the twinny pic below, and the wash/spin basket sits above...

Normally 3KW 240v, the hotpoint takes on average 1.5 hrs to reach 95c (204f)from cold.You wouldnt want to be doing that every wash...

All of these where hot & cold fill with ATC mixing linked to the individual programme.

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ch...g.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chestermikeuk/my_photos

 

[mrb627]

Heating Temperatures

The GEHarmony will heat to a maximum of 140 degrees on the White Cottons cycle. Some of the stain cycles include water heating, but I don't have a list of which ones do or don't. The Super Clean cycle starts with cold water and will heat to warm or hot depending on which temperature you chose. I don't think its hot temp is a targetted 140 degrees, but more like 125 or 127 in the Super Clean cycle.

I would like to find more detailed technical information on this great machine, but it is somewhat coveted by GE.

MRB

 

[appnut]

When looking through the owner's manual or the quick start guide yesterday, Hot was listed as 112, warm 95, and super hot 140.

 

[lederstiefel1]

Same as in Germany. Once there were tub-washers without a heater in available (woodden or metal wringer-washers from MIELE or others) here in Germany but they were actually built for the laundry-room in the cellar where there was a hugh copper boiler installed to boil clothes before they were washed in these hot suds taken out by hand and a woodden stick. The suds from the boiler had to be filled into the machine from the boiler-tap by bucket and filled into the washer. Then one let the machine run for the required time, 15-30 minutes. That was the state when we children had to leave the laundry-room and the door was shut behind us as it wasn't possible to see anything for the time when the boiler lid was opened and the hot washing was lifted into the machine that was standing beside the bioler. Very dangereous for the washing women! It took several moments to let the steam escape from the window that was always open during wash-days and we were sitting outside and watching our moms disappearing and reappearing in the steamy air during that operation! Therefore in German you talk about the "Waschküche" (wash-kitchen = laundry-room) when there is very thick fog outside!
All other machines had always heaters in them as in Germany appliances are normally connected only to COLD water taps. Usually they have a 230V/3.000W-heater-element AC, and even today many women (and men ofcourse) still wash some loads at 95°C (nearly boil-wash, 100°C = boil). But that is common to all machines in Europe.
In the 1950s when there were mostly tub-washers/wringer-washers in use the new "appartment-safe wringer-washers" (enameled, with pump & heater-element), f. e. AEG or MIELE pulsator/agitator-machines, were built to first boil two loads of washing in one go, then wash it (divided into two batches) and then do the rinsing in it in two or three batches. Two 6lbs.-loads took about 2,5 hours although the wash-time was just 4 or 10 minutes as the heating took 1,5-2 hours alone! But women no longer had to stay the whole wash-day through in the "wash-kitchen" in the cellar!

Ralf

 

[launderess]

Hot water on my Miele starts at 120F, the traditonal setting. Warm is 100F, and cannot truly call 112F water "hot", IMHO.

With this in mind, there are bound to be limits of what a 120V/15 amp washer can do in terms of heating 15 or more gallons of water. Imagine how much fun it could be if GE had put say a 3,000 watt 220v heater in that baby. It would give one a "copper" boil wash, just like the old days.

L.

 

[lederstiefel1]

Yes, you could do a "copper" boil wash in it - like in the English wringer-washers or single-tub washers in the fifties and sixties!
I still can do so in each of my three TwinTubs (AEG Lavalux, HOOVER Hoovermatic, HOTPOINT Supermatic)!
In Germany we had more electrical power in those wringer-washers installed which were made for the wash in the "wash-kitchen" (in the basement) in the fifties to avoid the inconvenient seperate boiling of the washing in the copper boiler plus the dangerous hieving of the boiling hot items from the copper to the washing-machine afterwards. They had 6.500W at 380/400V AC three-phase circuit to bring the 60-80 liters (16-21 american gallons) of suds to the boil as quick as possible. That did seldom take longer than 1h to 1h20m at least!

Ralf

 

[launderess]

Why So Long To Heat Water On Euro Units?

Can understand American domestic washers with puny 120v heating systems taking a long time to heat water, but certianly something with 3,000v/220v power or higher should be able to things a bit faster. Is the heating time controlled to be a slow constant process perhaps?

L.

 

[chestermikeuk]

Why So Long??

Considering a kettle with 1.5 ltrs takes 3 - 5 mins to boil with a 3kw 240v heater, A Hotpoint TL full of cold water does just fine relationally in 1.5 hrs...

 

[askomiele]

Eum my frontloader heats up to 95°C ( 200°F ) in less than 20 min. Plus 10 washtime, plus 10 min bio-cycle means 40 min of washtime. Whites are pure white and every thing is clean, all stains are gone btw my washers fills mostly between the 9 and 11 liters of water.