What is the real issue in comparing the 24" machines to the 27" models?  It sounds like members are claiming that Americans are being wasteful by washing the same amount of clothing in a 27" machine that a 24" machine can handle.  Is this accurate?

Malcolm

Really, is it not the volume that matters rather than the weight of the clothes?  Blue jeans are a heavy, dense material but do not take up that much volume like sheer curtains would but those do not weigh much. 

Still I would have divided that load as I wonder how it must smell.  I find when I overload (I don't) the clothes do not smell clean.  I would also be afraid of overheating the dryer. 

OK, I have my 3.1 cu. ft. Fridgemore.  My pants size is 40 to 42 x 30.  I can comfortably get 5 or 6 pair of Dockers type of slacks in my washer.  Anymore than that, it erally has a difficult time balancing and tangling is even worse.  the only way I can get more in there without it hving big balancing problems, is if I load the slacks like in a Unimatic, even more extreme actually.  I fold them over in half and then fold them up vertically so they're almost shaped like a pillow.  then I put them in the machine and they pretty much stay that way through the cycle.  My jeans are 42 or 44 X 30 (I like them loose).  I will be washing jeans tomorrow, 4 or 5 pair, and that's about maximum I feel like I SHOULD put in the machine given their weight and size. 

3Belt you are obviously a far smaller person in clothing dimension thatn myself.  I odn't think I could get 15 pair of my size jeans in your LG.  also, you look like you took some care and logical approach to placing all those jeans in the tub.  I have found that if you take your time and just don't stuff a whole bunch of stuff in there all at once, the machine balances easier. 

And congratulations everything came out clean, I know that load had various soil levels in all the jeans. 

Also, thank you for the videos. 

Your numbers don't make sense.  We are talking about the same quantity of clothing washed on opposite sides of the pond.  Whether or not I wash in a smaller machine or a larger one.  If the quantity of clothing doesn't change, what is the difference? All the writeups I read on the Miele machines report that one of the first things the owner does is go into the programming and bypass the water efficiency of the machine for maximum fills.

 You are claiming that my machine is wasting energy.  I say hogwash.

A few years back, I invested in a set of Asko machines.  What a nightmare.  The average load took 90 minutes.  And it went through 5 deep rinses.  Compared to the two rinses on my current American machine.  Talk about wasteful...

Malcolm

Personally, I wouldn't think of washing a load like that with varios fiber weights and such.  I MAY consider washing all that together, but I wouldn't even think of drying all that together.  Everything would dry unevenly.  I wash & dry how a Sears repair man told a neighbor to wash and dry so thihngs dry evenly and don't under or over dry, even with electronic sensor dryers.  Wash & dry similar weight items together.  t-thirs (undershirts) and other undergarments dry at a lower heat and dry at a different rate than towels.  and sheets dry fairly quickly compared to most anything else in my laundry piles. 

To be truthful, many people don't even own that many jeans so a single person is not likely to have what you consider a full load. I would think most Europeans do not have as many clothes as Americans do.  Appnut, do you wear genuine Dockers or do you wear one of the off brands? 

Then there is the issue of the dryer being overloaded:  If the load has any polyester in it at all, the dryer could get so hot that some of the fabric gets burned onto the back of the drum.  I don't know about Westinghouse dryers back then but Frigidaire dryers are based on that dryer and they get hot as hll.  Of course, that might no be a problem with all cotton jeans, or in Europe where there is less polyester.  I don't know if they ever went through a disco phase in the 70s with John Travolta dancing in a white polyester suit. 

bob, some are actual Dockers and other brands acquired from Academy, Sams, Dillards, Wallyworld.  Not from Target.  Target seems to have an aversion to anything that's wrinkle free cotton pants, at least in my small store. 

Ok, I've waited all day for my PC to be functioning to add to this....and I may regret it, but here goes...

Firstly, I don't for a moment believe that anyone here is intentionally wasteful. We choose to do things a particular way because it suits us, our family or our time frames.

Secondly, the question I raised a couple of weeks ago and on another post recently was about USABLE drum volume/capacity....I was trying to find out a comparison between the CU FT and KG measurments.

Myself and every other person who previously commented that owns a European style machine has been trying to say this:

- European style machines (and I include every Asian made non-American market specific ones here too) are DESIGNED and INTENDED to be filled right to the top of the wash basket......that is what constitutes a 'Full Load'

- There is a belief, generally, that American 'large capacity' machines do not have the ability to be filled in the same manner as a European machine and to wash to an appropriate standard. This would seem to be confirmed by the comments above with people saying 'I would split that load' etc....

- Consumer magazines test to a country specific standard. Normally, test loads consist of a mix of different shapes and sizes of cotton fabric to represent sheets, towels, clothing etc. When filled with these items in a particular way, the resulting weight is the 'capacity'. Some are easier to fill to this weight of dry cotton cloth than others.

- Good try with the jeans 3Belt, but a mixed load of differing sized items is what is needed plus scales should be on a hard surface, not on another appliance.... ;) 

- In Australia, when our Consumer Magazine test machines, they are FILLED to their stated capacity (in KG) in the manner above. The mix of items will vary depending on stated capacity, but will be the same for all machines of the same stated capacity.

- American made machines have historically been shown, in this country at least, to overstate what they will hold. 'Choice' famously published a photo of either a Whirlpool or Maytag 'filled' to the stated capacity (in KG) - the lid was up at 45 degrees with the test load billowing out!

- Matt posted a table in a previous post that 3Belt provided a few months ago. These are the weights that the US Government (I think...it could be your consumer magazine) state that a machine should wash for a given CT FT capacity:

Container volume Test load
cu. ft.¡Ý< liter¡Ý< lb kg
0-0.80 0-22.7 3.00 1.36
0.80-0.90 22.7-25.5 3.50 1.59
0.90-1.00 25.5-28.3 3.90 1.77
1.00-1.10 28.3-31.1 4.30 1.95
1.10-1.20 31.1-34.0 4.70 2.13
1.20-1.30 34.0-36.8 5.10 2.31
1.30-1.40 36.8-39.6 5.50 2.49
1.40-1.50 39.6-42.5 5.90 2.68
1.50-1.60 42.5-45.3 6.40 2.90
1.60-1.70 45.3-48.1 6.80 3.08
1.70-1.80 48.1-51.0 7.20 3.27
1.80-1.90 51.0-53.8 7.60 3.45
1.90-2.00 53.8-56.6 8.00 3.63
2.00-2.10 56.6-59.5 8.40 3.81
2.10-2.20 59.5-62.3 8.80 3.99
2.20-2.30 62.3-65.1 9.20 4.17
2.30-2.40 65.1-68.0 9.60 4.35
2.40-2.50 68.0-70.8 10.00 4.54
2.50-2.60 70.8-73.6 10.50 4.76
2.60-2.70 73.6-76.5 10.90 4.94
2.70-2.80 76.5-79.3 11.30 5.13
2.80-2.90 79.3-82.1 11.70 5.31
2.90-3.00 82.1-85.0 12.10 5.49
3.00-3.10 85.0-87.8 12.50 5.67
3.10-3.20 87.8-90.6 12.90 5.85
3.20-3.30 90.6-93.4 13.30 6.03
3.30-3.40 93.4-96.3 13.70 6.21
3.40-3.50 96.3-99.1 14.10 6.40
3.50-3.60 99.1-101.9 14.60 6.62
3.60-3.70 101.9-104.8 15.00 6.80
3.70-3.80 104.8-107.6 15.40 6.99
Notes: (1) All test load weights are bone dry weights.

Using the above scale...a 4.40 CU FT machine would have a test load of about 8.1 KG.

Hoover sell a machine in Europe that is 40cm (16") wide that will take an 8KG load - thats the same amount that a 4.40CU FT machine would be expected to wash in the US!

- My comments previously in respect to the above table have been that....my machine here is rated at 6.5KG and would be tested at that capacity by our consumer magazine and European ones. This means that, in our market (and Europe) it is expected to perform to the equivalent of a US 3.55CU FT machine even though in the US it would be rated at about 2.20 - 2.50 CU FT. 

- Before anyone bleats about cycle times being shorter in the US, I run my machine on the 'Quick Cotton 40c' cycle filled...just over an hour. The standard cycle is just short of 2hrs.

- The ability of a machine to actually WASH a given load has no relevance at all to dryer capacity. The majority of the world don't own them and those that do own them outside of North American, tend not to use them all the time. Plus, it wasn't the point of the question...Washer capacity and the ability to wash a 'full to the brim' load is.

Bob/Appnut:

I have mostly Dockers and some off brands.  I notice Dockers have a better fit but the off brands have some polyester in them and keep the color better and fewer wrinkles. 

The reason I bring it up I am changing the subject is that if you are wearing a 40 waist your body mass index (BMI) is putting you at risk for diabetes and heart problems.  I am 5'11" and have a 36 inch waist and my BMI could be better too. 

So I have been hiking in the woods, climbing up a hill in our neighborhood where I sing the "Mass of the Shepherds as sung by Alpine mountaineers" and I going to start the masters swimming again.  I also started to life by brother's weights.  And I have listened to my brother-in-law  and "Dump that Quik out!".

So Bob, I think you need to get in the water.  I find that men with beards look nice when they are swimming.  Remember, you are swimming for your life!

Retromania, thank you.  Please divide load that big

Having an overloaded washer is kind of like having an overcrowded high school as BH has.  When the place is packed full of people, a lot are not going to learn as much as if it were less packed.  overload a washer and you are taking a chance you won't like the results.

Mark,

that's why the guidelines say for wrnkle-free and similar garments, as Mike points out too, only 3/4 full.  I consider all clothing that's worn on the outside to be treated as such--even jersey shorts & t-shirts.  Only undergarments, towels are loads that get the "full" treatment. 

So Bob, are you going to start swimming to reduce your BMI so you can get all new Dockers that you can get more of in the washing machine?

I think when I read an LG user manual, it stated for the new Cold Clean cycle, the load size should not be more than 8 pounds.  that's about 1/2 the machine full as a rough estimate, if not slightly less. 

I gotta ask a "stupid" question here.  Does volume and density of a garment/fabric have an impact on how much one can get into a machine?  Seems to me, I can get less of my thickest towels in as a load in my Fridgemore than I can with bath towels which ar not nearly as fluffy/bulky.  The thicker garments take up more amount in the machine.  Just like thick sweatshirts and swetpans, I cannot get as many in as I can say, poly/cotton no-iron long sleeve shirts or dress pants. 

Maybe the UK machines are rated at higher capacity because they are 220v machines compared to our 110v here in the States.

Malcolm

Even the owner's manual for the Miele 1930 washer clearly states that the maximum recommended load will vary with fabric type and soil load.

If you are washing perm press stuff, you do not want to fill the washer to max. Otherwise you'll get more wrinkling, which sort of defeats the whole perm press concept.

Heavily soiled laundry should also be washed at less than max load. It only makes sense. A smaller load will get more wash action and not overload the detergent component as readily.

It also depends on how well the washer handles heavy loads on spin.

Take my Neptune 7500, for example. When I wash large bulky items like a fiberfill comforter, I can stuff it in there and not have a wash performance or spin problem. But when I wash bath sheets (really big bath towels, I find that the optimum number is five. The washer will handle six or seven, but then it takes forever to balance the load to spin, and usually when it's over five towels I have to halt the spin rebalance process, open the washer, and do some untangling of the towels. Then it will usually spin to max extract OK. But I'd rather not have to deal with that for every load.

Smaller items also can be packed to max load, because they don't tangle as much and cause balance problems.

The Miele 1930 doesn't seem to have the balance problems that the Neptune can experience, probably because it's not a tilted tub design that tangles some items. I wash small white items (gym socks, underwwear, kitchen towels, etc) exclusively in the Miele, in part because they are generally smaller loads and also because it can boost the temp up to 170F, while the Neptune is limited to 130F. The Miele does an excellent job with these loads, and the 1600 rpm spin speed makes short work of later drying.

Anyway, I don't think there are hard and fast rules about what is the optimum load. It varies with the types of items being washed, and with the washer. Also, most all modern front loaders have adaptive water fill, so water/energy waste from washing a smaller load in a bigger washer is somewhat minimized.