Warm Rinses

[Unimatic1140]

One of the reasons my '58 Frigidaire Unimatic is my all time favorite washer is it offers Hot-Warm-Cool and Cold temperatures, although it is rare I ever select a cold rinse on this machine.

The way it works is it has a 3 solenoid valve. Hot solenoid, warm solenoid and cold solenoid. The warm solenoid has the thermostatic element embedded within the flow.

Hot = Hot Solenoid energized only (water heater tap temp)
Warm = Warm Solenoid energized only for temp regulated warm (100-105F temp)
Cool = Warm Solenoid and Cold solenoid energized for about 75-80F.
Cold = Cold Solenoid energized only for tap water cold. In Minneapolis this can range from 37F in January to 75F in June-September.

 

[qsd-dan]

Install and tempering valve, set your desired temperature and it'll turn anything old, new, BOL MOL, TOL into a beast. Best money I spent 16-17 years ago, not one single problem with it either.

 

[DADoES]

 
I have three machines connected to a bath tub tap, can set any temp within range of the supplies/mix for wash and rinse.  Two of the machine may fuss about it but can be ignored/overridden.

 

[Chetlaham]

Oh wow, thank you again! That is really well thought out and perfect for washing fabrics of all types in all inlet temps.

Last question- how does one solenoid open both valves? Is it a single diaphragm sealing off two ports (hot and cold)? And where does the mixing take place for the thermostatic element?

I hope that in the future more washers are built with 3 coils and offer 5 wash temps and 3 rinse temps.

 

[launderess]

All of one's automatic (and semi-automatic for that matter) washers are used with quick connect hoses. Thus water temps for wash or rinse are what one chooses from taps.

My older Miele doesn't seem to mind filling with warm or even hot water. One doesn't do "hot" out of fears for and or otherwise protecting triple "cold" inlet valve. That solenoid is long out of stock and quite rare. Don't know what one will do once it goes.

IIRC one can program newer Miele washers for "cold fill" and thus use whatever water comes from taps.

My AEG washers are another matter.

Because they are all cold fill and don't like it when incoming water is hotter than whatever programmed parameters say for wash, pre-wash or soak.

According my our AEG tech machine then becomes "confused" and takes measures to sort itself out. One of them being time is deducted from cycle (heating phase), but may shorten cycle in other ways by leaving bits out.

Sincerely hope those doing warm rinses with h-axis washers are leaving doors open after wash day to machine can air out. This is as it should be but is more important if water left in machine is warm.

 

[combo52]

Using a warm rinse

Will definitely contribute to mold and mildew problems in top load and front load washers alike unless the load was bleached, bacteria, etc. goes crazy in the clothing and the machine.

And of course the warmer, the water, the greater deterioration of hoses, water pumps and other parts of the machine although it’s probably slight, it’s always better to leave things in a cool or cold state they will last longer and there’s less corrosion of metal parts the colder you get them.

John

 

[Unimatic1140]

Using a warm rinse will definitely contribute to mold and mildew problems in top load and front load washers

In vintage top loaders I have never found any evidence what so ever of that being true. Several of my machines 70+ year old machines still have their original aluminum pumps and they are in fine condition and work perfectly such as the ABC-o-Matic, Kelvinator, Maytag AMP, Hotpoint, Horton, Wards, etc.

The machines dry out much faster and more thoroughly with a warm rinse. My machines also have zero mold and mildew in them, if they did you would be able to smell it and my machines all have nothing but a clean scent from inside the tub. I not convinced in any way that a cold rinse is preferable over a warm rinse in a vintage machine.

This very well may be the case in modern front loaders but nothing that a sanitary cycle once a week with bleach can't prevent.

 

[launderess]

Don't believe it's a fair race to lump top loading washers with H-axis vis-a-vis possible mold or other fungus growth.

By nature most H-axis washers must have some sort of rubber seal (boot) that forms water tight seal when door is closed. If door is closed after wash day with a front loader (regardless of final rinse temperature) and left that way for long periods, you're asking for trouble.

Top loading washers don't have such seals and thus air can still circulate. Indeed main gripe from Americans about front loaders going back to early days of Bendix and others is being told to leave door open after wash day. That is totally alien concept to those who have used top loaders and they will let anyone know themselves, their mothers or anyone else they know has never left lid on washer up.

One of the many nails in coffin of Maytag Neptune washers (which ultimately killed that company as well), was fact Maytag did *NOT* prepare owners that door must be left open after wash day. Even when told to do so Americans largely did not and rest was history.

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/maytag_lawsuit.html

 

[combo52]

Sorry, top load washers do have big mold problems

Including vintage machines, my 52 unimatic I could never get the moldy smell out of even with many hot washes and lots of bleach, until I finally tore the machine apart and scrubbed it all out from under the top, the outside of the inner basket and the entire inside of the outer tub cabinet assembly.

GE top load Filter Flow washers were very known for mold and stinky smells, one of the worst ones I ever saw the customer used warm, wash, warm, rinse all the time the thing was pink and moldy and black.

With new machines, we see horrible problems with it. Everybody has seen whirlpool, direct Drive washers that are all sketchy in the outer tub and black and moldy especially some of the energy star machines that use such cool water and people use Eco detergents we see top load washers all the time where the holes in the basket start to fill with black moldy gunk.

Both Jason and I and my brother have all seen hundreds of top load washers with mold problems.

As I said it’s not a very big factor but it’s just plain engineering sense that the colder you keep anything the longer it will last that’s why we keep food in the refrigerator and freezer. Everything deteriorates faster the warmer it is including the cotton clothing.

John

 

[blockeight88]

Warm Rinses

I was very curious about warm rinses, like you. In my experience using the Kenmore Direct Drives, they work great in the winter months when the incoming water temperature is around 45 degrees here in the midwest. In the summer months, it's kind of pointless.

My 2002 Kenmore has warm rinse regulated to 75. My 1994 Ultra Fabric Care does straight warm for the rinse.

It's very ideal for washing towels and rinsing in vinegar... I don't care what anyone says it's very effective.

 

[reactor]

warm rinse

Warm rinses have always been the standard operating procedure for me. Warm rinsing is far superior to a cold rinse. Not only is detergent solubility increased with warmer temperatures, but fabric weaves tend to open up slightly due to thermal expansion. Of course, this is not new knowledge and others have alluded to this above. That is why automatic washers have historically offered warm rinses, and in some cases had warm rinse as the default mode.

Due to my detergent sensitivity I always follow with a hot rinse, after the normal cycle with wla warm rinse, for bedding and towels. Try it sometime and see the suds come out with a hot rinse. For regular clothing loads I only use warm rinse, and put about 3/4 a cup of lemon juice in the rinse water. It makes the clothes smell clean and fresh and helps to prevent the build-up of detergent scum on the clothes. This is my first house without a water softener, and since using the lemon juice the whites are realing looking great. Matthew mentions he used vinegar. Works by the same principle...acid dissolves the calcium carbonate in the hard water. I have tried vinegar, and it works but I prefer the scent of lemon juice.

Never had a mold growth in any washer I have owned, ever.

Robert mentioned the four temps offered by Frigidaire. My mom's Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII (1961 model, I think). It had at least four water temps, as I recall. Hot, warm, lukewarm, cold. It had no individual temperature control, but provided temperature selection through programmed button controls. On the underside of the lid it showed the temps provided for wash/rinse per program cycle. It seems someone mentioned this model on this site a few years back, and indicated Whirlpool used three solenoids as well. I was too young to have taken the washer apart to find this out for myself, lol