What Really is Full Load for a washer? Philosophy

[chestermikeuk]

Capacity v Need or How You Actually Use It

I think with any new appliance making its way into an existing long standing market sector there will be issues, confusion and failed expectations... - along with many people who will
"Love their New Machines"

I do think the Energy Star features and low water levels have compounded the issue along with capacity and loading...A lot of videos on the web show extra large capacity machines underloaded with people experiencing spin balance problems, so my question is I wonder if peoples requirements are being met in the department stores selling the machines...and the info available from the manufacturers etc...

A front loading cylinderical drum washing machine works best when the Tub is at filled to designed capacity, Not underloaded, The drum is able to spin with an even layer of clothing distributed around the drum...so...Mixed loads of different cloth sizes can help. If washing large absorbent items (bathrobes bath mats) 2 or 3 are better than one as the drum needs to have an even layer to spin.. This is ever so important as now most new machines rely on sophisticated electronics and sensitive OOB systems...older mechanical machines usually cope better than todays more flimsey made cheaper machines.

When I disuss requirements with customers they are very surprised when I start asking how they use their machines now...usually they just want the Biggest Capacity & Fastest Spin
My Reccomendations would be (IMHO)
Single Person average laundry, no mega items, load seperation, requirement average = 5 - 6kg
Single person, no load seperation, bung it all in loads, occasional large items = 7kg
Couples, average laundry, load seperation, whites, lights, darks = 7 kg
Couples & small family, average laundry, load seperation and the occasional large items wash (Bed throws i.e. your comforters, sleeping bags, small rugs,Duvets etc)= 8 - 9kg
Large familys / households, big seperation loads, bung it all in loads, lots of large items regularly washed = 9 - 11kg

Of course this only a good discussion start point, we do get a singles buying 11kg and fill them then switch on to wash when full, and families with three young kids with a 6kg machine as they wash every day at max capacity and that works for them!!! Its all about WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU!!!

The best sellers at TWMP are the 7kg 1400rpm spin machines,

 

[retromania]

Thank you for this information. You have been a big help. I will make sure it's filled to the top from now on. That will actually cut down the time it takes to get my weekly wash done. Now, I have to change my thinking.

Thanks again!

 

[neptunebob]

Bob/Appnut:

I have mostly Dockers and some off brands.  I notice Dockers have a better fit but the off brands have some polyester in them and keep the color better and fewer wrinkles. 

 

The reason I bring it up I am changing the subject is that if you are wearing a 40 waist your body mass index (BMI) is putting you at risk for diabetes and heart problems.  I am 5'11" and have a 36 inch waist and my BMI could be better too. 

 

So I have been hiking in the woods, climbing up a hill in our neighborhood where I sing the "Mass of the Shepherds as sung by Alpine mountaineers" and I going to start the masters swimming again.  I also started to life by brother's weights.  And I have listened to my brother-in-law  and "Dump that Quik out!".

 

So Bob, I think you need to get in the water.  I find that men with beards look nice when they are swimming.  Remember, you are swimming for your life!

 

[neptunebob]

Retromania, thank you.  Please divide load that big

 

Having an overloaded washer is kind of like having an overcrowded high school as BH has.  When the place is packed full of people, a lot are not going to learn as much as if it were less packed.  overload a washer and you are taking a chance you won't like the results.

 

[retromania]

But I thought you or someone said to fill the HE washer to the top that that is what is was designed for and would spin better. Are we talking about the same thing?

 

[retromania]

I'm so confused with all this HE talk!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Dont Be....

You still have the bosch machines?? sort your laundry into cottons, synthetics, delicates..cottons and some robust synthetics I will combine!!

Sort by Whites, light colours and darks,and they usually determine temperature, hot, warm & cool...

Then pick up your load and place in into the drum, fill the drum so you can on a

cotton load, place your arm in the top over the clothes, or
synthetics, man made fabrics, no more than 3/4 of the drum
Delicates, woollens, 1/4 op half drum

Then select your programme and use correct measurment of powder, & press go!!!

Dont be afraid to experiment, my loads washes consist of three piles, whites, lights & darks, with a mix of sizes, most of the time I use cotton type programme and adjust the temperature and spin speed, (mainly 40d warm & fast spin). If you do regularly sort your laundry, you will find you have smaller loads than full capacity, not to worry, the machines uses less resources accordingly!!

 

[mark_wpduet]

I don't wash loads that full because they dryer can't handle it. Everything comes out wrinkled as hell......Dry, but wrinkles......Smaller loads come out of the dryer fine. I guess I could just separate the load and dry it like that, but I don't. I only wash about four loads per week anyway.......Some weeks eight loads........

 

[appnut]

dryer loads and wrinkles

Mark,

 

that's why the guidelines say for wrnkle-free and similar garments, as Mike points out too, only 3/4 full.  I consider all clothing that's worn on the outside to be treated as such--even jersey shorts & t-shirts.  Only undergarments, towels are loads that get the "full" treatment. 

 

[neptunebob]

So Bob, are you going to start swimming to reduce your BMI so you can get all new Dockers that you can get more of in the washing machine?

 

[retromania]

Where do you buy Dockers jeans?

 

[neptunebob]

No, Dockers are not jeans they are the casual pants made by Levi Strauss and Co.  They have the label in the back.  But there are also some "off brands" that have a label like Dockers do.  I think all of my pants have a label.  Here's a Dockers commercial when they came out in the 80s.
 
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I like this commercial because I like the parkour moves he does that I wish I could do.

Macy's has the best selection of Dockers in our area, I also find them at Kohls and Sears.

Doesn't he look like Spencer on "Criminal Minds"?[this post was last edited: 2/20/2011-17:25]

 

[retromania]

Yes. I know Dockers makes khaki pants, but I thought you were talking about jeans and I had never heard of Dockers jeans. Anyway, thanks for clearing that up and neat commercial.

 

[neptunebob]

I know, isn't parkour neat? I try to do some moves like 2 steps at a time and run along a curb and over a rail but at my age I have to be careful and I can't do the flips he does. If I do rolls, I will sink in the mud this time of the year. So I will have to buy a pair of Dockers like he has. Regular running just seems so boring.

There are Dockers that are made of denim material but they have the internal pockets and are styled as pants and not jeans. I think they have Dockers cargo pants now too, but I have not seen them.

So do you have Dockers or do you have mostly off brands?

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[mielerod69]

Volume vs weight

Hi All,

I have been following this thread with great interest. I wanted to scan my very old 1960s Miele laundry brochure which featured both their top loaders with agitator (yes Miele did make them) as wringers as well as their front loaders but it has gone missing
Anyway from memory this is what the Miele philosophy between the two systems was:
The top loader with agitator needed 15 litres per kg of washing so the laundry could move around freely and be washed properly. So a toploader with a drum volume of 90 litres could handle 6kg of dry laundry.
With a front loader the principle is similar, but because of no agitator the machines weight to volume ratio changes to 10 litres per kg of washing.
I think many consumers of front loaders as well as top loaders are being taken for a ride. Yes, they can hold and wash their claimed capacity, but many manufacturers are just putting in more in the same space and extending wash times to compensate. Many wash programmes for the energy and water label are exceeding 4 hours in frontloaders! I think there is going to be a modification to the AUS standard to state a maximum wash time of no longer than 3 hours. This change in the future may see ratings on the same drum volume decrease as they may not be able to meet the cleaning requirement in a lesser time, so lowering the load size would be the only option, otherwise they would need to increase energy and water consumption.
Therefore the traditional 15 litres and 10 litres per kg of washing doesn't apply anymore.
In Australia and in Europe manufacturers are using the same drum volume and rating it at different capacities. A 50 litre drum is being rated up to 7kg and a 78 litre drum up to 11kg. All they are doing in this scenario is dropping the ratio to 7 litres per kg.
What the DOE is doing in the US is to standardise this ratio somewhat, but are not distinguishing the volume to weight ratio of the different systems.
If they did the same in Europe with drum volume it would be a similar story. I think all manufacturers of front loaders should state the rated volume in litres as well as its claimed capacity. This would give more transperancy to the consumer, like in the US.
With the new energy label in Europe, Miele has changed the Cottons programme to make it more energy efficient, but in doing so has had to increase the cycle time by 40 minutes. So now a Cottons 60 degree programme for 8kg takes 2 hours 59 minutes instead of 2 hours 19 minutes.
So you can see it is a real balancing act to get the right ratios of time, water and energy consumption to get your clothes clean.
Cheers
Rod

 

[neptunebob]

So Mielerod,
Do they have Dockers down under?

 

[mielerod69]

Yes, we do

and also an AFL team called the Fremantle Dockers
Cheers

 

[cfz2882]

big splendide load

i tried a larger load in my euro-size,italian made,splendide combomatic 6100
washer is rated for 11 lb,and though i do not know the weight of the load-
3pr 32x36 jeans,about 4 t-shirts,misc undies and socks;running this larger
than usuall load did not bother the washer in the least,tumbling did not
look as effective and the drain water was not as dirty as i was expecting
for the moderatly dirty load...clothes did seem to be decently clean though
it is hard to tell exactly how clean they are VS my usuall loading habits..
BTW that larger load had the drum loaded about 3/4 full.

 

[appnut]

I think when I read an LG user manual, it stated for the new Cold Clean cycle, the load size should not be more than 8 pounds.  that's about 1/2 the machine full as a rough estimate, if not slightly less. 

 

[3beltwesty]

Are NON USA KG specs higher because your clothes are smalle

Above in the thread a comment is made :

Take the ASKO models, the standard 24inch machines W60000 series capacity is:
US rating is 2.2cu ft = 4kg capacity
Euro rating = 6kg capacity

Your LG WM2501HVA machine is rated at 4.2cu ft capacity yet that table would confirm it at
US rating = 8kg capacity
Euro rating = 11kg capacity

maybe folks in out of the usa have smaller clothes and thus they mix better. Ie the average pair of bluejeans worn in Texas is larger than a pair of Blue Jeans worn in Singapore.

Thus maybe the usa spec reflects that our clothes are larger?

It is really easier to wash 16 pairs of blue jeans that weigh 9Kg than 10 pairs that weigh 9Kg. The smaller jeans "mix better" and thus are easier to clean.

Maybe that is the issue of why US and non US specs a so different; there are many folks here that are way larger. When I worked in Singapore and Bangkok; I worked along folks who were in the 70 to 120 Lb range. I was really the tallest person on the factory floor there; but only of average usa height.