On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 17:40:33 +0000 (UTC), "Ron(UK)" wrote:

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.

Ahaha yeah, we have lots of solar water heaters here in the UK.

Some 'eco-mentalists' do. (Not that I'm one of them) ("Look at me! I'm
saving the planet! I've sacrificed my whole roof AND my savings. I don't
care about that ROI stuff!" Ahem...)

*Until a few years ago* all but the basic budget models here were
dual fill.

I sincery apologise for not stating clearly that I'm strictly talking
about the "here and now" situation.
And please bear in mind, that the above mentioned reasons are only due
to fairly recent developments. (Probably kick-started by EU efficiency
ratings and some temporary subsidies for 'top-efficiency-rated'
appliances.)

We recently tried to get a hot fill washer dryer and couldn`t
find a decent make so equipped.

Told you...
Last time I've checked (and I'm mentally blocking out models that still
have mechanical timers¹), the only ones I could find WERE targeted at
'eco-mentalists'.
Actually, the hot water inlet could be re-programmed as 'rain water
inlet' (for those with a large rain water collecting tank) to conserve
even more water, using tap water for the final rinse only (for 'health
and safety' reasons).

¹) Yes, I'm spoiled. I do happen to like the presence of a water clarity
sensor and some software that 'automagically' adjusts the parameters if
one load happens to be more soiled than usual, ensuring the same level
of cleanliness all the time.