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As far as washing machine technology goes these days there are only 3 good technical aspects developed in recent years, namely: –
1) Faster spin speeds
2) Automatic Load balance sensing
3) More efficient use of maximum load space (drum size) within 600 x 600 cabinet confinesAny other feature they may install and the so-called ‘energy efficiency’ rating they strive to attain these days is at best gimmickry, at worst pointless!
A machine filling up with just 4 litres of water and heat/tumbling 5kgs of towels for over an hour, then rinsing/spinning for another 90 minutes cannot and does not constitute ‘energy efficiency’. Some mad-cap technophobe has even included a 30 minute ‘one garment’ quick wash into some all singing, all dancing machine. How in the real and logical world can that be energy efficient I wonder?
Just gimmicks followed by gimmicks and off into infinity with the likes of ‘silver nano-particles’ and ‘negative ions’ machines, triple AAA rated hogwash to the lot of them I say!
I would love someone to argue against what has long since gone before us in the yesteryear world of washing machine technology in direct comparison to today’s rubbish. Classic machines that lead the way were (and still very are) the Philips 95 series, Zanussi Washcrafts, Bosch V series and Hoover Logic machines. Many gleaming examples are scattered throughout the land this very day, washing brilliantly with tub loads of water in half the time these modern gizmo’s take to do their worst. One wash, 3 rinses and a spin, job done in about an hour. Any old powder will do,
chuck it in, no messing about, shut the door, pull the knob out and away they go!!!!Horse blankets, sweaty jogging shoes, don’t worry too much if you’ve left a few coins in your trouser pockets and slam the door if you insist as no harm will come of it as a rule. Few machines these days can give way to that abuse, very few in fact and only if you pay the market price for such sturdiness. Serious money these days for select makes high on the quality list but even those makes have fallen into the ‘energy efficiency, must get an AAA rating’ trap in order to sell their product to a mass market. The majority public trend is way down sat the bottom end of the market and few even care about what they are buying as long as it has that all-important AAA Sticker on the carton!
That’s the rub really, a brilliant marketing ploy in fact, mass production on a live now pay later philosophy, buy cheap, use it, chuck it buy new again and again. Conclusive proof in fact that those that strive to save our planet with their energy saving products that make them billionaires, are no more than ‘eco-hypocrites on the make’.
Re: Eco warriors on the make
Buying Help – Energy Labels – What Do They Mean?
Appliance Environmental Issues
Buying Help – Washing Machine Load Sizes
All required reading Mr Russell. 😉
K.
Re: Eco warriors on the make
what bugs me with energy efficency testing is how the hell can some of the new machines be energy efficent when the on off is via a relay on a board? (hotpoint WF for example) these machines still draw power when not in use or “are on standby” obviously when theyenergy efficency test a machine when its finished they unplug it. how many machines you go to are unplugged after use? 10{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}? how many can you get easly at the plug? 20{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}? Goverment tells us to not leave TVs etc on standby and when buying new appliances look for more energy efficent models. so what is the truth? and who decides?
long live the lodgic! welcome back the WMwilf
Re: Eco warriors on the make
Martin I agree with what you say, those old machines were stalwarts of the washing machine faternity and my own Z919T washcraft machine lasted us 17 years ! and NEVER went wrong in that time. The old Philips 95 generation was pretty much the same and those AWB082’s went on and on, perhaps thats where Ariston got the slogan from ?
Those days are gone as are the bread and butter repairs that we used to do. No more leaking pumps, split dispenser hoses and sump hoses, advance timers etc.
However is not the ISE CI555WH a AAA rated appliance desiged by engineers ? Anything that can sell a machine these days has got to be good for us when a repair cannot be effected.
Re: Eco warriors on the make
I got to say, this is fun, I argue with “greenies” all the time. 😉
To lower the water consumption which is the only way in which energy can be drastically reduced to meet the “A” energy pretty much, the wash process has to run longer to remain as efficient in terms of wash performance. Hence, we get the complaints about the extended wash times.
People have latched onto this, complain about it and we get swamped with insane quick washes being promoted. I mean, come on, 15 minute quick wash from BSH, what’s that going to do, wet the clothes and spin them?
AAA can be achieved and the wash result can be maintained. However, there are compromises, primarily on wash times.
If it doesn’t have AAA on anything bar a budget machine it becomes a lot harder to sell, even most budget machines are AAB these days.
The labelling system looks also at overall water consumption and it plays it’s part in the rating so, rinse levels are reduced. Poorer rinsing, longer rinsing… it’s a compromise just like the wash.
It is all cause and effect. You cause a change to achieve a result and it will have an effect.
Wilf, you’ve got a right bee in your bonnet over this switched on thing. 😉
You can actually cut the power using some forms of automation already, it is easily done even using powerline transmission, which I use here. The problem with it is that, even then, there is a slight draw of current.
Even being able to be powered off completely from a mains switch people just won’t do it, they’re inherently lazy so you’d have to automate it somehow. Automate it and it costs money, you just know how that’s gonna go. :rolls:
But on many machines there is that big chunky on/off mains switch, such as on the ISE. Two things, first they’re a potential weak point and prone to failure especially from spillage on some models and I have rarely seen anyone actually use them.
Government tells me lots of things, I choose to ignore a lot of it as it’s cobblers.
Going back the way, forget it. Sorry, the greenies won, kind of, in a round about way. And, now that the ratings are used as a performance guide and marketing tool, there’ s no chance we’ll go back the way.
Even to change the current labelling system would take about ten years I am reliably informed so folks, we’re stuck with it, even if it is wrong. And, due to that, we’re stuck with electronics for good now IMO.
K.
Re: Eco warriors on the make
Only way ahead that i can see is to somehow include the whole life enviormental impact of the machine on the enviormental rating label. Maybe divide the estimated energy cost of production and the enviormental impact of dispossal by the number of years it is estimated to last. that would destroy more than a few A ratings . And with the move to sealed tubs by ever more manufacturers theyre not going to look very durable or enviormentally friendly for long .
John
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