Washing machine water source?

[Tim]

Can anyone tell me if modern washing machine connections are mains or tank? Thanks Tim

[Andrew Mawson]

They usually come with a flow restricter that you can fit or omit on the input connection at the machine end of the hose

AWEM

[Andy Hall]

Either.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes, they definitely are.

[Mark]

Unless you live in Gloucestershire.

M

[Lurch]

On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:21:33 +0100, "Andrew Mawson" mused:

I think you'll find that is meant to be a filter, which also has the same effect as a flow restrictor I suppose.

[The Medway Handyman]

Almost all dishwashers are installed in or very near the kitchen. The nearest or only cold supply usually will be the mains.

I can't imagine it matters much, as long as it fills it should be OK.

[nightjar]

Mine is fed from both - the hot water tank and mains cold water.

BTW if you are referring to a water storage container in your loft, in most cases that is a cistern, which works at atmospheric pressure, rather than a tank, which is a pressure vessel.

Colin Bignell

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:51:48 +0100 someone who may be "Tim" wrote this:-

Generally the point for the machine is in the kitchen and the connection will be from the nearest cold water pipe which will be at mains pressure.

If the point is elsewhere then the connection is also likely to be at mains pressure, due partly to people believing washing machines must be fed from the mains.

Often washing machines come equipped with flow restrictors, which must be removed if the machine is to be connected to a low pressure supply (otherwise the machine will take a long time to fill). This should be explained in the instructions.

Given the choice, connecting them to a low pressure supply is better. They fill more quietly and water hammer will not be a problem. It is also possible to use rainwater to fill them at low pressure.

[John Hearns]

The Miele which I recently got (OK, I know, I know....) had two one-way valves included in the bag of instructions. I was not sure if they should be fitted or not. The machine is connected to a mains cold feed, under the sink. Are these valves then flow restrictors?

[Trevor Smith]

The instructions on my Whirlpool washer states the water flow should be between 1-10 bar, but I haven't a clue how you check the presure from a storage tank. Trevor Smith

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Most common way is off the kitchen cold water which is always mains pressure.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Must be an old machine? Most these days use so little water the hot feed wouldn't have time to get up to temperature, so are cold fill only. Unless a US type top loader.

[Tim]

That's because in your part of Gloucestershire they have six fingers.

[Andrew Mawson]

Very simple basic physics! How high is the water level in the tank above the washing machine? Every 10 foot of head gives you 4.33 psi or if you are a metric modernist then every 1 metre of head gives you

0.098 Bar but we are now supposed to quote pressure in Pa or Pascals not Bar so every 1 metre gives you 98 hectopascals.

AWEM

[David Hansen]

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:37:25 +0100 someone who may be The Natural Philosopher wrote this:-

Ditto.

In my case it is because I am not a great fan of mains pressure devices where they can be avoided.

[Andy Hall]

I thought it was Norfolk that had the reputation for that.

[nightjar]

I installed it with the kitchen so it is only about 12 years old.

Colin Bignell

[Lurch]

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 10:10:27 +0100, "Andrew Mawson" mused:

Even simpler, stick a pressure guage on the tap.

[Lurch]

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 09:37:25 +0100, The Natural Philosopher mused:

Yeah, now I think about it I know of a couple of places on boreholes. No problems there, apart from when we have to see why the pump has stopped working at random intervals.