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Washing machines on boats


cairanvanrooyen

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Not had any of those problems. I've found two rinses is fine. No smell of any detergent afterwards and the water is clear on rinse two. A double duvet cover will fit fine. Possibly yours are a heavier weight material? Been doing laundry this way for ages and stuff gets cleaned just fine. People don't cross the road to avoid me, or try and get up-wind. Well not always!

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3 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Not had any of those problems. I've found two rinses is fine. No smell of any detergent afterwards and the water is clear on rinse two. A double duvet cover will fit fine. Possibly yours are a heavier weight material? Been doing laundry this way for ages and stuff gets cleaned just fine. People don't cross the road to avoid me, or try and get up-wind. Well not always!

I have 4 different double duvet covers.  None of them would stand a chance of fitting in my old twin tub without literally forcing it in, which means it's wouldn't be washed properly.  As a rule of thumb, the drum should never be filled more than two thirds.

 

Now I have a 6kg and can put in the duvet cover, sheet, and 4 pillowcases.

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7 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

I have 4 different double duvet covers.  None of them would stand a chance of fitting in my old twin tub without literally forcing it in, which means it's wouldn't be washed properly.  As a rule of thumb, the drum should never be filled more than two thirds.

 

Now I have a 6kg and can put in the duvet cover, sheet, and 4 pillowcases.

I reckon if it will fit in the spin dryer, it will fit in the wash side and be rotated just fine by the agitator. This is typically 2/3, or less than the wash side volume as you say. More than that and washing is impaired, as you've found. This works fine on my duvet covers. A different experience, for which I have no explanation. I've been doing this once a week for a decade!

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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19 hours ago, rgreg said:

I have an Indesit IWDC 6125 which has a cold wash option. When using offline I put about 4 litres of hot water in the drum manually, then run it through the cold wash programme. It runs happily from a Victron 2Kw inverter, but I can't say whether it would on a 1.5 Kw.

Really like the look of this one, but cant find any technical data to see if it will work on my Multiplus (rated at 1300W) - does anyone have any data on this unit?

 

Ideally looking for an auto, front loading machine that has a cold wash function and has a peak power consumption of less than 1300W...

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20 hours ago, MartinW said:

At the risk of being an armchair expert, I saw the https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/wmtf722h/hotpoint-wmtf722h-freestanding-washing-machine Hotpoint being recommended by 'cruising the cut', specifically as it has a cold wash button. The cheaper https://www.electriq.co.uk/p/eiqwmtl75/electriq-eiqwmtl75#!#maindesc alternative I found does not. but does have a cool 15 degree wash

Cruising the cut estimate the peak load to be 400W on their blog, which seems ideal...https://cruisingthecut.co.uk/2019/01/28/vlog-161-soap-on-the-water/

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Just now, Chris John said:

Thanks for sharing - do you know the peak power consumption when doing a cold wash?

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41 minutes ago, cairanvanrooyen said:

Cruising the cut estimate the peak load to be 400W on their blog, which seems ideal...https://cruisingthecut.co.uk/2019/01/28/vlog-161-soap-on-the-water/

I have the old version of this.  I don't use it on a cold wash (because I like my clothes to be clean).  It's about 2000w when the heating element is on.  I would doubt whether any other machine would be much different.  You could do as others have said and add hot tap water manually, but it's a bit hit and miss, and would therefore work better with a basic non-bio powder.

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I have a Zanussi FC 1200 and use Ecozone ecoballs. The ecoballs were a Christmas present ( along with the Ferrari ) from some environmentally friendly friends. They seem to do a decent job on a cold wash and also cut down on rinsing. Ecozone Ecoballs | Ecozone Laundry Products OFFICIAL 

 

 

 

Edited by Higgs
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48 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

I have the old version of this.  I don't use it on a cold wash (because I like my clothes to be clean).  It's about 2000w when the heating element is on.  I would doubt whether any other machine would be much different.  You could do as others have said and add hot tap water manually, but it's a bit hit and miss, and would therefore work better with a basic non-bio powder.

I dont suppose therefore, that you can verify the referenced 400W on a cold wash?

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6 minutes ago, cairanvanrooyen said:

I dont suppose therefore, that you can verify the referenced 400W on a cold wash?

Sorry no.  Sounds plausible though.

 

I can't say enough that a cold wash doesn't really clean clothes though.  Especially between October and April.  Most modern detergents work through enzyme action.  Basically, the enzymes eat the dirt.  Even with recent developments, the absolute lowest temperature that the enzymes with do anything is 15C.  And even then, the work they do is minimal until you get to about 25C.  Add to that, a regular cold wash will not kill bacteria and over time will actually promote bacterial growth.  In the summer, the water in your cold tap may well be over 15C but for much of the year it won't.  What will happen with a cold wash is that the scents added to the detergent will mask the smell of the dirt.  Ok, for an occassional wash but really no good for regular use.

 

The other thing to remember, is that at temperatures much above 40C the enzymes will abruptly stop working completely, so regular hot washes aren't a good idea either. 

 

Regular washing at 30 or 40 degrees with occassional sterilising washes at 60+ degrees is what you want.  That's quite acheivable on a boat.

 

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That's great to know, Dorah because the ElectriQ looks virtually identical and is quite a bit cheaper. It might also stop me smelling. Are cold washes, perhaps the reason why the (very droll) bloke on cruising the cut is mostly soap-isolating?

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I run my 7Kg Candy always cold wash off a Victron 1600 Combi with the engine Beta 43 with 175 alternator running.

It may be that the enzymes don't enjoy the cold but I can't detect any inadequacy in the quality of the output and that's all that matters to me.  The main problem for me is stopping it dancing around, my restraints need tightening.

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I have the Zanussi ZWC 1300W which draws 1600w but it's only a 3kg machine. However a neighbour of mine bought a full size 6kg machine and I was surprised to see that it was also only 1600w draw. I was expecting it to be more like 2000 or 2500w. I will ask him what it is.

 

Edit: Indesit - Innex BWSC 61252W. Same as the one Chris John posted.

 

Sorry looking at the product specs it's 1850w. Still not bad for a full size 6kg machine. The 425mm machine depth is good for boats too.

Product fiches (thron.com)

 

 

Edited by blackrose
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3 minutes ago, system 4-50 said:

I run my 7Kg Candy always cold wash off a Victron 1600 Combi with the engine Beta 43 with 175 alternator running.

It may be that the enzymes don't enjoy the cold but I can't detect any inadequacy in the quality of the output and that's all that matters to me.  The main problem for me is stopping it dancing around, my restraints need tightening.

You have removed the transit bolts?

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On 11/01/2021 at 15:51, cairanvanrooyen said:

Our washing machine has just died and we need a new one. For the past we have relied on using the washing machine only while connected to shore power.

 

However, i wondered if it was possible/sensible to buy a new washing machine that I can use off grid, powered by my inverter - I have a Victron Multiplus 1600W inverter. Due to this limited output, i assume i want a machine that can do cold washes?

 

Any advice on a suitable/recommended washing machine to suit the above?

 

On 11/01/2021 at 17:58, MartinW said:

At the risk of being an armchair expert, I saw the https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/wmtf722h/hotpoint-wmtf722h-freestanding-washing-machine Hotpoint being recommended by 'cruising the cut', specifically as it has a cold wash button.

Just wanted to say that I went for one of these Hotpoint WMTF722-H machines on the basis of the Cruising the Cut video.

I power it with a 3kVA Victron inverter, which can run the heater but I choose not to unless on shore power or in the height of solar power months. I got a thermostatic mixing valve that is for underfloor heating - it allows me to select water temperature from 35 to 65 degrees celsius which is a bit more than you'll get with most mixing valves. Washing machine is two feet away from the calorifier so I can ensure that not a lot of heat is lost as the washer draws water intermittently.


I've measured the machine as using about 60 litres of water for a 2.5h cotton cycle, the inverter draws about 150A surge and 50A continuous IIRC, which I think a 1.5kVA inverter should be able to handle. I should do another load within a week so I can re-measure the current draw, total Ah consumption and everything if you'd find that helpful.
 

It's a nice machine too, very compact but still a decent 7kg capacity, doesn't vibrate too much, and I prefer filling the load from the top than the front. I'm very happy with it.

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9 hours ago, jetzi said:

  

 

Just wanted to say that I went for one of these Hotpoint WMTF722-H machines on the basis of the Cruising the Cut video.

I power it with a 3kVA Victron inverter, which can run the heater but I choose not to unless on shore power or in the height of solar power months. I got a thermostatic mixing valve that is for underfloor heating - it allows me to select water temperature from 35 to 65 degrees celsius which is a bit more than you'll get with most mixing valves. Washing machine is two feet away from the calorifier so I can ensure that not a lot of heat is lost as the washer draws water intermittently.


I've measured the machine as using about 60 litres of water for a 2.5h cotton cycle, the inverter draws about 150A surge and 50A continuous IIRC, which I think a 1.5kVA inverter should be able to handle. I should do another load within a week so I can re-measure the current draw, total Ah consumption and everything if you'd find that helpful.
 

It's a nice machine too, very compact but still a decent 7kg capacity, doesn't vibrate too much, and I prefer filling the load from the top than the front. I'm very happy with it.

Hi @jetzi, thank you for your response. I would be very grateful indeed if you could measure the peak/surge and continuous power consumption. I am most interested in this machine, as it seems to be the most suitable for my limited inverter output and looks like a decent machine I can rely on.

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12 hours ago, Chris John said:

I’m afraid I don’t as I always wash at 30dc

Try the link below 

https://www.indesit.co.uk/i/indesit-innex-bwc-61452-w-washing-machine-in-white/f105280

Thanks for the link, sadly there is no information on peak power consumption when operating a cold wash...?

14 hours ago, blackrose said:

Sorry looking at the product specs it's 1850w. Still not bad for a full size 6kg machine. The 425mm machine depth is good for boats too.

Product fiches (thron.com)

I assume this includes the heater? What i am most interested in, is what this machines peak power consumption is on a cold wash.

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