Washing Machine Technology?

[Dockhead]

Does anyone understand modern washing machines?

They have wash cycles which go on for HOURS.

Then, as an alternative, a "quick wash" cycle which is 15 minutes.

AND NOTHING IN BETWEEN!

Why?

I last year replaced my ancient (built into the boat at the original build in 2001) Eumenia washer/dryer with what I thought was a Swedish job, an "Elvita", but which turned out to be a stencil-branded Chinese machine. I had to rebuild the cabinetry to accommodate its dimensions, but I have now something like triple the capacity -- this machine can do a full household size load both washing and drying.

It uses a lot of water since it is a condensor dryer, about 100 liters per full wash/dry cycle, but I have 1000 liters of tankage, and one load in this might be 3 loads in the previous unit. So I'm kind of OK with that.

But why in the world are the cycles so long? I'm doing a load of whites now which is EIGHT HOURS for both washing and drying. This seems crazy to me.

Thread drift in the very first post, but condensor dryers really suck compared to heat pump dryers. I'm really sorry that there are no combined washer/dryers in a reasonably compact form factor with heat pump dryers. I had one of those in one of my land homes and it was absolutely brilliant, and would be especially brilliant on a boat considering its very low power consumption.

[bdgWesternMass]

I have 7 Asko Condensing dryers and they work fine for drying cloths. I think both washing and drying takes about 5 hours but I have never timed it.
I'm not on a boat so I'm not sure how much water my washer use but the condensing dryer uses the wet cloths as the water source.

[thinwater]

Yup, funny.


The truth is that unless you have been doing boat work with grease or sanding bottom paint, the quick wash is the only cycle you ever need to run. It is more than enough for sweat and BO. And not much soap. Easier on the clothes, less energy, easier on the machine, faster, and better for the environment. Simple.


I guess we're supposed to figure that out on our own.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Yup, funny.

The truth is that unless you have been doing boat work with grease or sanding bottom paint, the quick wash is the only cycle you ever need to run. It is more than enough for sweat and BO. And not much soap. Easier on the clothes, less energy, easier on the machine, faster, and better for the environment. Simple.

I guess we're supposed to figure that out on our own.

Ha! My very own thoughts.

I change everything which touches my skin every day. Even on a long ocean passage. It's not really dirty after only one day on a fresh showered body.

I have gradually gone to using the 15 minute wash for daily loads of underwear and shirts.

The longer cycles I only use for really dirty things.

But still, I'd love to understand the theory of all this.

[JPA Cate]

A lot of it is that people mostly don't get very dirty any more. And the dirty they get has more to do with odor than dirt like a garden (or a coal mine).

Such machines are sold now because they are modern. Their being practical is an attribute that is not much valued, but is becoming more so. Possibly for first world folks, the next 20 years will have a new fad: low price plus efficiency!

Oh, how I wish there were a sarcasm icon! I know, this:

[GILow]

Not all modern machines act that way.

My Solt maxes out at two hours, and if you start fiddling with things like the temperature it has a huge effect on the wash time.

Basically the hotter the wash, the longer it takes, which makes perfect sense. A default program may specify 60 degrees and two hours, but set that program then reduce it to a cold wash and it’s more like 90 minutes.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by GILow

Not all modern machines act that way.

My Solt maxes out at two hours, and if you start fiddling with things like the temperature it has a huge effect on the wash time.

Basically the hotter the wash, the longer it takes, which makes perfect sense. A default program may specify 60 degrees and two hours, but set that program then reduce it to a cold wash and it’s more like 90 minutes.

The old machine would wash in like 40 minutes IIRC and regardless of temperature (there was no microprocessor control; it was a electro-mechanical program device).

[BlueH2Obound]

Regardless of the wash cycle time, the drying cycle still takes the same time!

I'm with you on "condensing" dryers, that's why we'll always have a overboard vented dryer. We have a water maker, but the difference of water usage in a Splendid vented vs ventless, is 7.5 gallons/load for a vented, vs 16 gallons for the ventless (condenser) model . . .

[rslifkin]

I have a feeling that longer wash times are a product of both energy efficiency and trying to be more gentle to the clothes. The more aggressively the machine washes, the faster it will get things clean. So a gentle wash cycle that isn't using a bunch of energy to beat the clothes around will take longer.

[Chotu]

I haven’t been entirely happy with the new technology either.

I am finding when I go to a laundry place ashore, it’s barely using enough water to get my clothes damp. They don’t come clean. And this is in multiple different places.

[MicHughV]

I have managed to survive for years and years cruising everywhere without a washing machine aboard.

My secret....simple....wear the least amount of clothes you can get away with.

Since I restrict my cruising to the tropical latitudes, a single pair of baggy pants does the job for me. This gets rinsed off daily with a dunk in the ocean water ( with me in it).

If I must dress up as when I'm invited for dinner on another boat or have to run into town, a reasonably clean t-shirt suffices for that purpose.

Simple when you know how

[Bowdrie]

Your scrub board and wringer will store in a 5 gal. bucket.
Hang laundry on lifelines, use spring clamps to secure.

[Island Time O25]

Is that just me thinking that people who require washing machines and dryers onboard perhaps would be better off living on land? This one of the most ridiculous requirement for a "necessary" boat equipment I ever heard of. The above two solutions for washing clothes are spot on.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

Is that just me thinking that people who require washing machines and dryers onboard perhaps would be better off living on land? This one of the most ridiculous requirement for a "necessary" boat equipment I ever heard of. The above two solutions for washing clothes are spot on.

This may seem so, but I can’t agree because of our experience where our washing machine, alongside our watermaker and diesel genset, in the aftermath of a severe hurricane, kept a whole anchorage relatively healthy while ashore even cholera and typhoid fever put people down.

We don’t/didn’t need a dryer but in other climates you can’t dry clothes without one.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The old machine would wash in like 40 minutes IIRC and regardless of temperature (there was no microprocessor control; it was a electro-mechanical program device).

Well give me the modern machine any day. Mine will go as fast as 15 minutes, as slow as two hours. Temps from cold to practically boiling, variable spin speeds, the works.

Oh, and a nice function where it cleans the drum to keep it smelling fresh by running a small flush of water through itself at 90 degrees C. It reminds (nags) you every 25 washes.

And quiet. Can’t hear it spinning, even though it’s in the galley.