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washing machines

 
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Woo



Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 787
Location: Mayenne, Pays de Loire
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 8:06 am    Post subject: washing machines Reply with quote
    

does anyone know of a truly energy efficient type of washing machine.
we live off grid and need to conserve energy while washing for 6.
at the mo I have a very nice meile BUT the motor is not terribly efficient and there is a lot of power pushed back when it is running.
are direct drive machines as good as they advertise?
would a top loader be better as the spin is more efficient?
its not so much the power usage more the losses we are looking at.
any thoughts?

thanks in advance


ps no I don't want to go to the stream and beat it on the stones!!

gardening-girl



Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 6024
Location: Somerset.
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We use LG machines at work.They are cold fill, also have a larger capacity, about 7.5k.
Think they are direct drive.

Hairyloon



Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 8:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/orangutan-loves-doing-laundry-video/

Woo



Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 787
Location: Mayenne, Pays de Loire
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 8:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Hairyloon wrote:
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/orangutan-loves-doing-laundry-video/


not sure I can train the dog to do that!

vegplot



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Cold fill washing machines can be inefficient as they need to heat any water they use. If you have excess hot water or water that is more cost effectively heated by other means then have a look at hot fill machines. Unfortunately they're not as common as they once were.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

for a family of six i dont think mine would be big enough (7.5 kg iirc)


it does have a couple of features that are useful .it gave a noticeable saving when i used it on a water meter and a daft tariff( the flat came with prepay meter)

it has a sensor that measures if the washing is sloshing and it only uses enough water for each load be that several big towels or a few delicates.
the other is it has a choice of regular ,economy and half time cycles for the main categories of washing

neither of those take off grid power,heat and water supply into account but they are nice features for reducing waste of energy /water use given a fixed choice of inputs.

Woo



Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 787
Location: Mayenne, Pays de Loire
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

our current machine has been modified to be hot filled for the wash and I switch it over to cold for the rinse cycles. we solar heat the water in summer and it is a by product of the fires in winter.
the problem we have is the motor seems to waste a lot of power.
I wondered if anyone had found a machine with a truly efficient motor rather than a rating for cold filling and water conservation.
the direct drive motors talk the talk but is it just a gimmick when it comes to the actual business end of the power usage.
the larger capacity seems good as long as it doesn't take more power to spin the load.
are top loaders better as they spin like a centrifuge? space isn't an issue really. I want to get the best machine for the job without incurring the rath of the solar power police when input is low!

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If I could log in to Which? website I'd have a look but for some reason I never can. Any other Which? members?

sean
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon
PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 15 4:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Behemoth is Mr Which Magazine.

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 15 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Can you clarify what you mean by:-

"there is a lot of power pushed back when it is running"

"the motor seems to waste a lot of power"

Have you measured the total kWh used per wash cycle?
How does it push power back?

Also

"the larger capacity seems good as long as it doesn't take more power to spin the load"

A bigger load will always take more power & energy to spin to the same level of dryness.


"are top loaders better as they spin like a centrifuge?"

All drums spin like a centrifuge it matters not the orientation of the drum. Top loaders tend to not spin as fast but could have a bigger drum so rim speed could be similar.

Woo



Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 787
Location: Mayenne, Pays de Loire
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 15 5:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thank you Richard
I have consulted himself, the question should be about the 'power factor'.
The current motor is an induction motor and has a poor power factor and plays havoc with the inverters and the genie. especially when charging. It sends the voltage up when its getting going.
I will do more surfing before going shopping.
I just wondered if anyone had similar problems they had already solved.
the top vs front loader was because of a recent visit to a launderette. they only seem to have top loaders so I considered their reasoning?
does the spin being with gravity beat the effort of the spin having to shift the weight top to bottom? its so complicated my head is spinning. I just want to wash the kids clothes!


I am going to contact some manufacturers and ask their boffins!

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Wed Jun 10, 15 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Interesting.

We run on an inverter / genny combo.

Our LG direct drive works fine & does not affect the voltage anymore than you would expect when the 2kw heater cuts in when on the genny. It stabilises once the initial shock loading has been accounted for by the load control on the genny. The inverter is rock solid on voltage & hertz no matter the load.

Is your inverter a pure sine wave & what is its rated capacity & peak load capacity?
Make & model?

What is the kVa of the genny?

Petrol diesel or LPG?

Woo



Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 787
Location: Mayenne, Pays de Loire
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 15 7:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The Gennie is a Lister Diesel, 5.6kva
The inverters are victron, pure sine wave. the big one, for the bed saw etc, is 4 constant 9 peak and the day to day is 1.5 constant 3 peak.

we have been pondering the LG direct drive. have you tried to swap the cold to hot feed or is it too clever?
the current machine is a 16 year old meille and has been tricked to accept hot feed and I switch it manually to cold for the rinse, our pressure isn't sufficient from the hot and it seemed wasteful.

thank you for your replies. I appreciate your help.

RichardW



Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 15 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We are using a 6kVa genny & a 3kVa Victron.

The LG is filled via a hot cold mixer. So we get some reduction in the elec used to heat the water at the expense of using more hot water for rinses. We have a sink next to the washer so run the hot tap before starting the washer (we do the same with the dishwasher) to get rid of any cold water in the feed pipe.

If I really wanted to max out the hot water used I would fit a timer to switch it to 100% hot for the first fill & then to a blend for the rest. For the minimal saving I dint think it worth it.

Woo



Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 787
Location: Mayenne, Pays de Loire
PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 15 10:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

RichardW wrote:
We are using a 6kVa genny & a 3kVa Victron.

The LG is filled via a hot cold mixer. So we get some reduction in the elec used to heat the water at the expense of using more hot water for rinses. We have a sink next to the washer so run the hot tap before starting the washer (we do the same with the dishwasher) to get rid of any cold water in the feed pipe.

If I really wanted to max out the hot water used I would fit a timer to switch it to 100% hot for the first fill & then to a blend for the rest. For the minimal saving I dint think it worth it.


thank for that. its useful to know the machine can be flexible.

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