Why UK machines usually different from US

[washernoob]

I was just thinking... why are the UK type machines usually front loader with a round door, where as in the US its almost always front loaders with big doors or top loaders?

Why has one not followed the other? Is there a need for just front load types over there? Is it a space issue perhaps/

Just curious.

 

[ronhic]

Welll.......

....it's a bit of everything from my experience living in the UK.

The majority of UK homes are smaller, and dare I say often much older, than their Nth American equivalents. It is not common to have a cellar or separate laundry room, particularly in homes built before say, 1980 (and yes, I did just pluck a date....correct me if I'm wrong please).

As a result, most machines needed to be usable as an additional work surface in the days before fully integrated kitchens...Twin tubs, small top-loaders, single tub wringers (where the wringers folded into the tub for storage) and front loaders could all be had with work surfaces. They also needed to be able to be moved to the kitchen sink for use.

Moving into the latter decades of the last century, fitted kitchens became more common which enabled a more integrated machine. As people pulled out old cabinets and put in new kitchens, they made allowances to have a dedicated washing machine space near the sink - this gave access to the hot/cold water and waste pipes. It also meant not having to wheel machines to the sink and helped free up space in the kitchen.

Front loaders are the only machines that are suitable for building under a benchtop....so after many years of running different types of machine, UK manufacturers (and now retailers) defaulted to building (though no longer built in the UK) and selling front load machines with very rare exceptions to this.

As to the size of machines, this seems to have almost sorted itself out. The vast majority of front load machines sold in the UK and Europe over the past 40years have restricted themselves to a fraction under 60cm/2 feet. It is a common and convienient size that works well with washing machines, dryers (also often in a kitchen) and dishwashers with most kitchen cupboards and drawer units being available in 30cm, 45cm and 60cm sizes (1, 1 1/2 and 2 feet).

Door size is also limited to overall machine size. You can put a bigger door in a 27" machine than you can a 24" machine and still retain the same structural rigidity....also, the drums of Nth American machines are larger in diameter and therefore volume.

Hope this all makes sense. UK and European guys, please feel free to correct me.

On another note though, Australia has also accepted the UK/European standard for kitchens....but most Australian homes have a laundry room. However, as people renovate, there is a move to a smoother, more integrated look in the laundry...so often appliances are no being built under the counter.....which is, along with water restrictions and a call to be more enviro friendly, causing a dramatic increase in front loader purchase.

 

[maytagbear]

I may be totally wrong, but I think I heard it here at AW---

One thing is size. Until fairly recently, homes in the UK have been smaller than those here in North America. Many overseas people just run a load or two of washing a day, whereas many of us in the States still do 3-5 loads of washing on one day a week. This is facilitated by the US's greater use of tumble dryers. Only fairly recently have dryers shown up more prominently in the UK and Europe.

I remember (does anyone else?) an article from Reader's Digest, around January 1974, where two families who owned appliance stores, one near Chicago, and one in Italy. The wife in Italy thought (and with reason) that a dryer was highly expensive to operate.

Another BIG thing is energy prices!! Typically, energy has been much more expensive in the UK and Europe, and front loaders use less hot water (often heating their own from faucet cold) and less total water. Also, overseas washers have generally had higher spin speeds, for better water extraction.

There's more, but I will now defer to our beloved English/Scottish/Welsh members to either blast me or add details.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[washernoob]

Wow!

Thank you guys! That is helpful and seems very logical!

I didn't know basements were uncommon in the UK in older homes. But now I can see why the space would be an issue, as many houses are non extendable, connected type. US homes are dominantly single, not connected, and can be extended off each side when more space is needed.

Also didn't think of the mobility issue of the washers. I just cant imagine wheeling something like a 50s bendix duo into the kitchen to do a load of laundry!

 

[foraloysius]

There is more to it...

In the sixties Miele, Bosch and Constructa and perhaps others had appliances that were wider than the standard 60cm. My mother had a Bosch washer that was 67cm wide. The older Miele G45 dishwasher I had also was 67cm as is this Constructa dishwasher. Manufacturers were free to give their appliances the size they wanted. But late 60's or early 70's the European standard in kitchens was introduced. The standard size for appliances became 85cm high, 60cm wide and max. 60cm deep. This standard was introduced to make it easier to fit in whatever brand of appliances into a standard kitchen. Since then European frontloaders almost all have the same size. This especially applies to the UK where it seems more a custom to have the washer in the kitchen.

The size of the machines might be smaller than an American washer, but at that time a European washer still would hold 5kg of laundry which is the same as 11lbs. I think that would be the amount of laundry a Unimatic can wash.

 

[aegokocarat]

and over here our washing machines have 3 compartment drawers well some do coz aeg go themselves 4 compartent drawers anyway on ours it is prewash mainwash and softener on yours it detergent bleach softener and liqudid detergent (i think)

 

[foraloysius]

In other countries than the UK European toploaders are more popular. They are even a tad smaller than the frontloaders but on average hold the same amount of laundry. Especially in France these toploaders are very popular, more so than the frontloaders. These toploaders are of the H-axis type. The first H-axis toploader was made in Switzerland by V-Zug. Here is a picture of it.

 

[foraloysius]

Toploaders come in all kind of sizes. I have a small AEG toploader that is in size much smaller than European frontloaders. Still it can hold 4kg (9lbs) of laundry.

 

[vacbear58]

Chris is right on target

with his description, I could hardly have put it better myself. Just a couple of things to add: In the US there was a long tradition of wringer washers with centre agitators, in the UK there was no such legacy. I believe the first auto was a Bendix (so a tumble machine) but I presume that a top loader was more acceptable to the US market given the history.

True there were similar washers in the UK pre WW2, but not common, and the first "popular" machine (for reasons already discussed) was the Hoover 0307, not a centre agitator machine. The first autos here (in any number) were also tumble machines (Bendix & English Electric) and it was not until 1963 when there began to be some variety, not only centre agitator but also H axis. But as Chris explains the ability to put the machine under a counter top became crucial.

Louis, I love the Constructa dishwasher! As you say, the machines were all variety of sizes, although interestingly all the top loaders I could find (including a Frigidaire "thumper")were all 60cm or slightly less. But interesting also to see how the European standard brought us our Matchbox Hoovers and the Hotpoint & Servis machines which were actually even smaller than that, but still washed 9lb.

And of course hardly anyone except me has their laundry equipment in the bathroom in the UK

Al

 

[ronhic]

And of course hardly anyone except me has their laundry equi

Al,

Would that have something to do with the Electrical Safety Standards and no 240V outlets (or even wall light switches) in bathrooms?

I know that in flats here, there is a pretty reasonable split between those that actually have a small laundry and those that have plumbing in the bathroom, but then we can have a 240V outlet too....

 

[vacbear58]

Electrical standards

Outlets are (or were) permitted as long as they are not accessible from the bath, in my case they are well protected just above the stacked drier.

I think it is more a case that UK bathrooms are just as small as UK kitchens. Having had the washer and drier in the bathroom in my last home (apartment) when I was viewing this house as soon as I saw the space in the bathroom the measuring tape was out straight away and I was very pleased to see there was enough space to accommodate them in a similar manner. The space would otherwise be wasted and, in my small kitchen, it would have been difficult to accommodate a separate washer and drier as well as dishwasher etc.

The only form of outlet allowed for general access in UK bathrooms are two pin sockets for shavers or in my case a toothbrush, fused at 1 amp, they frequently have dual voltage.

Al

 

[ronhic]

We were very lucky with our flat....

....the bathroom may only have been 6' x 6', but the kitchen was 10' x 10'.....

The outlet situation is similar here....but my aunt in Southend-On-Sea struggled to find an electrician who would install a socket in her bathroom 15yrs ago....eventually she got one put in the airing cupboard....

 

[MrX]

there are very restrictive wiring regulations in the UK and in Ireland about installing any appliance in a bathroom. It's just down to the generally more conservative approach taken when it comes to electrical safety.

The size of European washing machines is definitely a product of modular kitchen cabinets and a desire to at least semi integrate laundry appliances.

it's true to say that some of the housing stock is older, but most houses built from the 1950s and1960s onwards here seem to have utility rooms. Certainly, in suburban areas and in rural areas.

Its also common to have laundry appliances in garages too.

even in small houses and apartments, the laundry is increasingly found as a stack in a closet. Although, its occasionally integrated into the kitchen. Fully integrated laundry appliances (totally hidden) are also sometimes used.

Basements are absolutely unheard of in this part of the world. They're an essential in North America due to the very harsh winters as they insulate the house from very cold ground and provide a warm space for plumbing etc.

digging out a basement in an area as wet as these islands would also cause serious problems with dampness from ground water etc.

Also, standard size european machines can take up to 9kg of laundry. There's really no demand for larger capacity machines as they will easily handle a large hamper of clothes without fuss.

marketing also killed the top loader here. Most people here of my granny's generation would see top loaders as low tech, semi automatic and obsolete. the front loader, integrated into a modular kitchen or utility room was a symbol of modernity in the 60s and 70s. To most people here "front loader" IS automaric.

 

[solsburian]

The block of flats I live in were built before 1919 for the local coal mine workers and our kitchen is tiny – about 300cm x 140cm (10 feet by 5 feet roughly). Both my grandmas had small kitchens and so did my Parents who have a 1985 semi detached.

Apart from space constraints and marketing, I believe top loaders here were negatively associated with twin tubs.

 

[hydralique]

Spin Speeds . . .

Because front loaders naturally have better balance than top loaders, I believe it is easier to have a high spin speed in a front loader. Most American top loaders never had very high spins, with the Frigidaire thumpers being the exception. If you don't have a dryer and live in a humid climate having the extra spin speed is valuable indeed and a manufacturer selling slow-spinning machines would be at a distinct disadvantage. Frigidaire introduced their fast spinning automatics in the late '40s when dryers weren't universal here in the US. WCI dropped the fast spin at the start of the '80s when they ruined . . . er, um, took over Frigidaire, undoubtedly feeling it wasn't worth the money at that point because most everyone had a dryer.

Even today in Europe dryers aren't as common as in the US, and what with increasing energy costs keeping drying time down is important even for those with dryers.

 

[aquacycle]

I think all the other guys on here got it spot on. In the UK, houses are much smaller - especially houses built around the late 1800's. Most houses were built as 2 up - 2 down houses in rows for mill workers. Although a lot of these did have cellar's, they were mostly coal cellars used for storing coal for ranges and heating. It's also important to note that most of these houses were not built with in-door plumbing and shared toilets were built at the end of the street or behind the row. The next big wave of houses came in the post-war 1940's when local authority council housing started appearing, but obviously at the time washing machines not widely available, especially to families on low income, who would be living in this type of house. Most homes in the UK have washing machines in the kitchen. so it is necessary to save worktop space, and have appliances that fit under the counter top. Newer houses often have utility rooms, or plumbing in the garage, but this is a relatively new thing. I have to say, in my tiny 2 bed terrace house, I cannot imagine having a top-loading machine. It would literally take up half my kitchen.

 

[foraloysius]

Hydralique

I wonder about your statement that frontloaders naturally have a better balance than toploaders. Is there a basis for this? Lots of people in the USA have problems with vibration when they change from a toploader to a frontloader.

 

[mrboilwash]

Space might have been an important reason too, but I believe the main reasons for FL machines being so dominant in Europe was because of much higher energy costs here.
I could also imagine that their gentleness and thoroughness was an important factor.
In Germany almost every house has a cellar and AFAIK we never ever had an automatic agitator washer on the market.
There have been wringer washers and twin tubs with agitators but no automatics.
I think our earliest Automatics had no advantage in water efficiency and they often spun much worse than any US Toploader.

 

[dj-gabriele]

The wife in Italy thought (and with reason) that a dryer was

I second that Here in Italy at an average of 0,25€/kWh operating a dryer can cost up to 2€ (2,80 USD) per load!

Anyway big size machine are present in Europe too, just have a look at the Hotpoint-Ariston Extendia at 11 (real) kg of laundy or the Whirlpool Dreamspace at 10 or 11 (real) kg of capacity.

It's just a matter of how common they are!