plumbing washing machine - hot/cold feed confusion

S

sadie

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Got a new washing machine, the old one had just a cold feed. The guy that delivered it says 'oh they don't work unless you have feeds going to both inlet pipes'. So how come the old one worked fine on just the cold feed?? Instructions say I need to buy a 'Y' pipe to take cold feed to both hot and cold inlet sockets if I'm only using a cold feed...Do I?
 
You need to get the Y piece (<5 euro) at any diy store. The machine will look for rinse water from the cold and washing water from the hot. They are both connected to your cold feed which only means that the machine has to heat the washing water to the required temperature before washing commences.

It's a long story about why you don't connect your household hot water supply.
 
So how come my old washing machine worked perfectly using ONLY the cold fill (with the hot tap hose just attached dangling with a closed off end)? If it had only looked for rinse water from the cold, how come when the machine started on a cycle you could hear the water going into the machine?
 
There is probably an in-built mechanism to prevent the machine crapping out, as it reasonably foreseeable that some people will not hook it up as intended. Your last machine was probably working in this contingency mode all the time. It was probably working inefficiently energy-wise.
 
jrewing said:
It was probably working inefficiently energy-wise.
Click to expand...
Why? If the cold feed is connected to the hot and cold inlets via a "Y tube" then how would only connecting the cold feed lead to energy inefficiency? As opposed to the cold feed connected to the cold inlet and the hot feed connected to the hot inlet which I can see might lead to energy efficiency if the machine itself doesn't need to heat already hot water.
 
Apparently, it's very rare for the washing machine to actually use the hotwater intake, except on the hottest cycle.

I'm actually surprised that you managed to buy a new machine that has a hot fill intake! A vast majority now are cold-fill only.
 
Our new washing machine is cold fill only, but the old washing machine could work as either cold fill or hot and cold fill, but you had to pick a setting. Have you looked through the manual? I'm surprised you got a machine that is hot and cold fill, I didn't think they were made any more!
 
What's the make/model? As has been said above, for the last couple of years, most new machines are cold fill only as this is more energy efficient in most situations.
Leo
 
It is a Whirlpool AWM 049. It is an integrated machine -flat fronted so it can be hidden behind cupboard door. I'm testing as we speak on the cold fill only/ignore the hot inlet, as to try and fit two pipes with the Y would be a major headache due to pipe location, direction, hose extensions etc.
 
Our LG washing m/c is dual feed and works extremely well, and is now about five years old.(Also takes 7 kg of clothes.) Great bit of kit.
 
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