On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 19:57:18 +0000 (UTC), "Ron(UK)" wrote:

James Sweet wrote:
Heater circuit? Do they not just take in hot water from the central
tank? Seems odd to use expensive resistance heat to warm water when most
houses have cheaper (though not nearly as much so as it used to be) gas
hot water, or is natural gas expensive enough there to justify electric?

They used to be hot and cold, but the domestic water isn`t hot
enough for washing without a boost from the machines element

Surprisingly most machines here are cold fill only these days. they
take in so little water on the wash program, the manufacturers
claim it`s more economical to heat it in the machine.

Actually:

· The water heater's rarely located right next to the washer.
Add this up to a minimalized water intake and by the time the hot water
reaches the machine, the intake valve shuts off. You'll end up with cold
water in the washer, while using gas to heat your pipes ;-).

· The fully-computer-controlled ones usually don't take water in, they
'sip' it, in order to reduce the water usage even further. (Take in a
little splash of water, give the drum one spin to soak everything,
repeat until sensors - fuzzy-logic - water_level="sufficient". Water
usage is fully load-dependant!)
That 'sipping action' can break some types of water heaters!

· There /are/ some 'hot fill' models available on order. A niche,
usually marketed for people with solar (water) heaters.