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I have bought my first compact, automatic washing machine (Candy Aqua 1000T). The instruction manual that comes with it is a bit confusing in places. Can you help with basic advice?
In particular, it notes that I have to run the cold water tap. Is this after the washing is placed in the Drum but before the machine has been switched on? How much cold water do I run? When do I turn off the cold water tap?
How long should it normally take to wash and spin the laundry? An hour? Two hours?
How do I guard against overloading? I used it for the first time today and the results were not excellent. Perhaps this was caused by my overloading the drum?
I used Fairy – two tablets of detergent. Is this correct?
Any BASIC advice, knowing that I know next to nothing about using an automatic machine, will be very welcome. Cheers.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
This section has some good reading in it:
http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.p … ries&cid=1Italian English can be wonderful at times…… What they are trying to tell you is that the water tap to the machine must be on.
Rule of thumb for a full load is to leave a gap of about a handspan at the top of the laundry.
Dosage – instructions on the packet are for full size machines, typically with a 5kg load capacity. Yours is only 3kgs, so you have over-soaped by nearly double! The machine will struggle to rinse out the excess. Use one tablet until you finish the box, then go onto a quality powder – you have complete control then.
HTH,
Regards,
Penguin45Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Thank you so much. I’ve had the plumber in to fix it to the water supply to the new machine. So I assume that “the tap” is attached and operational. I used to have a top loading, twin tub machine, but they are very hard to get these days. Which detergent would you recommend? Also, the final stage of washing – it doesn’t “dry” the laundry as much as my old twin tub, which is a pity.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Arial powders seem to be the best of the biological powders, Persil the best of the non-biological ones.
Your old twin tub would brobably spin at 2-3,000 rpm, for as long as you wished. The Candy is a 1,000 rpm machine, but having a small drum doesn’t allow all that much centripetal force to be generated. If you use a non-cottons programme, you don’t get full spin either.
Good luck with it,
Regards,
Penguin45.Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Thanks again. If the drum is not overloaded (you gave advice above on that), what heat setting would you recommend? I used 60 degrees, but perhaps 70-80 degrees gives better results? Also, I wonder if the Candy will ever do as good a job as the old Twin Tub, even if everything is followed. If not, I’m not clear why Twin Tub machines, that give generally better results than automatics, are so hard to get these days. Seems like a backwards step.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Forgot. The other thing you said – “If you use a non-cottons programme, you don’t get full spin either.” Sounds alarming. Would you suggest, if this is a bad thing, that I use the Cottons settings with the Candy to try to get the most out of the spinning cycle? I can’t see a how I get a good wash if the drum is only at “half strength” performance if I don’t use the Cotton setting.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Trouble is………… Twin tubs just don’t go under worktops, in modern kitchens. The new automatics are extremely energy efficient, which, it has been decided, is a good thing.
Wash temperatures – your previous experience with your twin tub can be put to use here. You did the darks first on a cool wash, then warmed it up for the lights and finally boiled it up for the whites, sheets, shirt collars and the like. Same general principles apply – dark fabrics – 40c max. Lights, you can go a bit higher, but these days, the modern powders don’t need to go up to 60c (although it’s good or the machine itself).
“Easy cares” and “Delicates” usually use a separate programme setting on the dial. These often use a lighter wash action, a reduced number of rinses and a slower spin. The fabrics being more fragile, they need to be treated more gently.
Honestly, after a few washes, it’s like riding a bike.
Regards,
Penguin45.Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Thanks again. From what you say, the unsatisfactory wash I did (the first wash with an automatic) was probably caused by overloading the drum. This doesn’t allow the fabrics to unfold, so that the water can get between the creases. The Instructions for Use booklet that came with the machine recommended (in the interests of efficiency) that a “full load” be used. It looks like, though, I went too far.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Penguin45 wrote:… You did the darks first on a cool wash, then warmed it up for the lights and finally boiled it up for the whites, sheets, shirt collars and the like…
Regards,
Penguin45.You most certainly did not! Your Whites would come out the colour of floor-cloths! 😯
The correct method with twin-tubs, was to fill the tub with hot water from the hot tap and add soap powder, and wash the white cotton/linen items first; then the bright, light coloureds: topping the tub up with cooler water as the water level decreased. Then, finally,the darker items.
My mother had a Hoovermatic Deluxe (circa 1969), and my granny had one from 1974 (as well as a Rolls Rapide from the early ’60’s).
I’ve seen them use their machines many a time, and twin-tubs undoubtedly gave the cleanest wash. (Though the ‘spin-a-rinse’ function left a lot to be desired!) 🙁
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Yeah, that’s the method all right. You could spin as many times as you wanted, plus it did get the clothes slightly dryer at the end. I noticed that as well. Anyhow, it broke (after 15 years’ service), so there was little choice but to get one of these automatics. Not knowing anything really about them, as you can see. On the space issue (that twin tubs don’t fit in many kitchens) we have the opposite experience. We have a VERY small kitchen. The Hoovermatic twin tub fitted under our kitchen table. Ironically almost all the automatics are too large to fit in our kitchen. Which very severely limited the choice of machine we could buy (essentially to this Candy machine). The gist is that, because the twin tub was damaged, we had to convert over, for good or bad.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Trilobite wrote:You most certainly did not!
You telling me Mother was wrong? I’ll have to get Dad to let her in here – BIG fight coming up – she’s not one of those shy retiring types…….. :rotl: .
UKT – sorry, they just finally stopped producing the parts. However, we keep telling people that the wash now takes 3 minutes – 2 minutes to set it off and a minute at the end to take the laundry out.
Regards,
Penguin45.Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
You said that the whole process usually takes less than 30 minutes, right? From recollection, it took (the first time we used it) nearer an hour. It seemed to take a long time to get going. Perhaps it was partly because the water had to be heated up (it takes water from the cold water supply, I believe)? At any rate, it took considerably more than the times you gave.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
One last question. This should be in the Instruction Booklet but it isn’t.
Looking at the Table of Programmes in the Booklet on the compact Candy machine, it mentions “short spin” and “long spin.” Also, “last rinse” and “rinses.” What do these mean? You might think it’s obvious. However, I first set the machine on programme 1 for cottons, right? Now, it stays (the dial) on number 1 for the rest of the process, does it or doesn’t it? In which case, when do I switch the dial across to one of these other settings (short/long spin, etc.)? At what stage do I move from number 1 programme? Otherwise, I guess the programme will be on 1 for the whole process, which doesn’t make any sense when you have these other settings to think about as well. Cheers.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
Machines used to have an electro-mechanical timer: basically an electric motor. These tended to click and tick their way round, and you could see the programme dial actually move. The machine advances it itself.
These days, the dial may be present, but the timer now tends to be electronic. The dial stays put, on a particular programme, but the machine will know when to rinse, pump-out, and spin, etc. There may be programme ‘phase’ lights, so you can see whereabouts the machine is in its programme, or a time remaining indicator.
If, when the dial is turned, you can feel various vibrations/clunks & clicks; it is likely the former system is used.
If the dial has equal steps between programmes, and is easy to turn (like a cooker dial) then the electronic system is used.
Re: Operating an automatic, compact, washing machine
The key word is “automatic”…….. I am not particularly familiar with Candy products, and I have not had the opportunity to work on your particular machine. Could you tell us whether you have a timer knob to do it all, or whether there is a seperate temperature control knob or not?
Rinses are generally indicated by a “shower” symbol, the last rinse by a “flower” (‘cos it’s all supposed to smell nice after the conditioner is added) symbol and the spin is a “swirl”. The cotton programmes usually run to the rated maximum maximum speed of the machine (1000 in your case) – the easy care and delicates will probably be slower and shorter.
As far as the operation of the machine is concerned, once the programme has started, you should be able to observe the dial advancing through the programme and the various positions mentioned above. It may well pause to achieve wash temperature, otherwise, it should click round every few minutes.
Hope that helps,
Penguin45.
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