Twin Tub Washing Machines

[BlueStringPudding]

I've been reading about twin tub washing machines that are suitable for narrowboats because they don't have a heater but use hot water from your onboard calorifier.

 

Does anyone use one of these, are they effective, can they be plumbed in (or do they have to be filled and emptied manually in the shower cubicle (as I've read someone does)...?

 

I'm referring to the two styles here:

 

Twin Tubs

 

Both the blue twin tub and the white full-sized one.

 

Thanks

[David]

Hi

Lady on our mooring has the small Blue one, stands it on the draining board to use it, fills from the taps and empties into the sink. As it is small and light she just puts it away after use. Don't think she uses it for other than socks and undies, goes to Nantwich with main wash.

david

[CampinGazz]

You could go for a normal front loader type washer, and feed the cold only feed via a thermostatic valve, i've done that with my candy aqua 1000 washer (the little 3.5 kilo load one, half the size of a domestic machine)

 

I leave the temperature selector on the tap icon, which is tap water temp, i.e. the internal heater is turned off, and have plumber in a termostatic mixer valve from the cold and hot (from the calorifier) water system,

 

Works perfectly, tho you can't do a cold final rinse without manualy turning the thermostatic mixer valve down, not sure if all machines do a cold final rinse anyway, some seem to, but i have no idea if it does owt for the clothes, then again i dont have any frilly undies or evening gowns that i wash in the machine, socks, skidders, jeans and T-shirts, and the dogs bed every now and then which upsets her as she prefers it stinking of wet dog and rabbit tods than comfort summer fresh

[carlt]

I've been reading about twin tub washing machines that are suitable for narrowboats because they don't have a heater but use hot water from your onboard calorifier.

 

Does anyone use one of these, are they effective, can they be plumbed in (or do they have to be filled and emptied manually in the shower cubicle (as I've read someone does)...?

 

I'm referring to the two styles here:

 

Twin Tubs

 

Both the blue twin tub and the white full-sized one.

 

Thanks

Well the full sized one looks like a space age version of the one I had in my first house (1983). It was great but it meant having a proper 'wash day' rather than 'bung your smalls in when you feel like it', as with an auto. I keep toying with the idea of getting one because they save on water, leccy and diesel (for the constant waterpoint runs) but swmbo has a machine at work, so we load it all onto the yak and she takes it off with her.

 

You could just get the spinner of course, because when you've finished cooking the BSP, that pot looks big enough to boil the socks.

[BlueStringPudding]

You could just get the spinner of course, because when you've finished cooking the BSP, that pot looks big enough to boil the socks.

 

I was rather pleased to find a Clanger picture that showed some blue string pudding.

 

You could go for a normal front loader type washer, and feed the cold only feed via a thermostatic valve, i've done that with my candy aqua 1000 washer (the little 3.5 kilo load one, half the size of a domestic machine)

 

I leave the temperature selector on the tap icon, which is tap water temp, i.e. the internal heater is turned off, and have plumber in a termostatic mixer valve from the cold and hot (from the calorifier) water system,

 

Works perfectly, tho you can't do a cold final rinse without manualy turning the thermostatic mixer valve down, not sure if all machines do a cold final rinse anyway, some seem to, but i have no idea if it does owt for the clothes, then again i dont have any frilly undies or evening gowns that i wash in the machine, socks, skidders, jeans and T-shirts, and the dogs bed every now and then which upsets her as she prefers it stinking of wet dog and rabbit tods than comfort summer fresh

 

As far as I'm aware, the only point of a cold final rinse is to save using more hot water than absolutely necessary. Unless one is washing very delicate items (in which case the initial wash would have been cool aswell). But I make a point of chucking everything in the washing machine at home and always washing no hotter than 30 degrees anyway and most of our garb survives intact!

 

Thanks for your advice.

[BlueStringPudding]

Anyone use one of these skinny little top loading washing machines?

 

clickywickywoo

 

This one, for example:

 

 

Has a AAA rating and is only 40cm wide.

Edited July 3, 2008 by BlueStringPudding