What Really is HALF or DINKY Load for a washer? Philosophy

Some time ago I was really obsessed (I still am) with this kind of things... I've even compiled an entire MS Excel spreadsheet full of values in relation to the water and load size for each wash cycle I was running.

I don't mean to unbury the hatchet... I just wanted to take this opportunity to remark over the water consumption of a bigger machine over the same load washed in a smaller machine. I have lots of data concerning small 1 kilo/or less loads and my 24" washer would manage that dinky load with only 23/26 litres on a standard 'fuzzy logic' programme. With medium loads (approx 4kg - 8lb) the 'fuzzy logic' programmes tend to use a lot more water (say 40l plus)... almost as much as your test #2... however if I stuff my washer silly with 6kg plus of laundry it's likely to use 52/54l... so yours would outsmart it in term of water consumption in that case. However, I can use other programmes such as the few daily cycles provided which would wash up to 3.5kg/8lb of laundry (if light soil as recommended from manufacturer) using approx 30l or less. I also noticed that newer machines tend to be more efficient, e.g. mine is from year 2004 and according to the energy label test programme it would use 54l of water for a full load, however a similar model 2 years later was quoted at 45l under the same conditions.

I think the cost of the water over here is a little bit higher, although one can have some special rates in which the user doesn't pay the standing charges, provided that the total of water usage within the household falls below a certain threshold... still dearer than what you quoted. The electricity is a lot higher (I'd say double as much as your figures) however, one can have discounted night rates which are usually 1/4 of the full price (they run for 7 hours). These can be godsend when all one's appliances are lined up for doing the night shift!


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Post# 498011 2/20/2011 at 17:02 (4,675 days old) by 3beltwesty ()
Checkrate/Likes Here are the measured results of Tests #2 and #3; plus Yesterdays test #1 Test#1 24 Lbs (11 Kg) 13 US gallons ( 49 L ) used 0.18 KWHR used 55 minute total cycle. Machine sensed this as 2 out of 4 bars as a load. Test#2 16 Lbs (7 Kg) 11 US gallons (42 L) used 0.15 KWHR used 55 minute total cycle. Machine sensed this as 1 out of 4 bars as a load. Test#3 1.5 to 2 Lbs (0.8 Kg) 8 US gallons (30 L)used 0.09 KWHR used 20 minute total cycle. Machine sensed this as 1 out of 4 bars as a load. Tests #1 and #2 were with warm wash and cold rinse; Test #3 was a short wash with hot wash and cold rinse. Note both the power and water used varies with the load level and one uses more water and power per Lb of clothes with a smaller load. Here water is about a penny a gallon; electric rates are about 14.5 cents/kwhr Thus the costs are: Test #1 24Lb washed 13 cents in water; 2.6 cents in elect COST=0.65 cents per Lb Test #2 16Lb washed 11 cents in water; 2.2 cents in elect COST=0.82 cents per Lb Test #3 1.7 Lb washed 8 cents in water; 1.3 cents in elect COST=5.5 cents per Lb One pays a "penality" of (13+ 2.6)- (8 +1.3) = 6.3 cents by using a paltry little load. CLICK HERE TO GO TO 3beltwesty's LINK

Post# 498013 , Reply# 1 2/20/2011 at 17:05 (4,675 days old) by 3beltwesty ()
Checkrate/Likes *Test #3's Video of dinky 1.5 to 2 Lb load* Test#3 1.5 to 2 Lbs (0.8 Kg) 8 US gallons (30 L)used 0.09 KWHR used 20 minute total cycle. Machine sensed this as 1 out of 4 bars as a load. Here is the KENT water meter used to measure the water used in Tests 1 to 3 The least count right digit is a gallon. CLICK HERE TO GO TO 3beltwesty's LINK

Post# 498015 , Reply# 2 2/20/2011 at 17:11 (4,675 days old) by 3beltwesty ()
Checkrate/Likes *same Front load washer in all 3 tests of water and power con* Washer for Tests 1,2 and 3 is a 4.2 IEC LG WM2501HVA Here is intergrating KWHR meter used for the test. It tracks very well with the Westin watthour meters here too.

Post# 498020 , Reply# 3 2/20/2011 at 17:42 (4,675 days old) by 3beltwesty ()
Checkrate/Likes Here is Test #2 16Lbs of stuff in the Rinse cycle; with 19 minutes left. The water consumption was 9 gallons so far and 0.08 KWHR The Final usage was**Test#2 16 Lbs (7 Kg) 11 US gallons (42 L) used 0.15 KWHR used 55 minute total cycle. Machine sensed this as 1 out of 4 bars as a load. The SPIN cycle a the end is what uses about 1/2 of the electrical usage is a good guess. In the 55 minute total cycle; 36 minutes have already passed and the power consumed is 0.08KWHR. The last 19 minutes uses thus 0.07kWR and the bulk is in the high speed spin part **Many of us in the USA really never dwell on the weight of clothes washes, it is more like "baskets" like this one in the image bellow: It has 5 pairs of bluejeans, 1 blue jean jacket, 1 pair of twin bedsheets, 3 bath towels, 2 hand towels, about 5 to 7 pairs of socks, a pillowcase, 2 flannel shirts, 1 blue cotton dress shirt. It is just a "Heaping basket" of stuff to wash that is "colors"; ie non white stuff. Its was weighted twice as between 16 to 17 Lbs; called 16Lbs for Test #2. A wash load like this is often a larger load for me. It was no way the maximum that this machine can wash at all. CLICK HERE TO GO TO 3beltwesty's LINK

Post# 498022 , Reply# 4 2/20/2011 at 18:14 (4,675 days old) by 3beltwesty ()
Checkrate/Likes *Dryer not a bottle neck even with a 16Lb load and next wash* Here the dryer is already done drying the 16Lbs of stuff and it is waiting for something to dry; ie Test #3 to finish. EVERY salesperson preached to me last fall to scrap the 1976 westy dryer because "it will not keep up" with the bigger new LG washers capacity. CLICK HERE TO GO TO 3beltwesty's LINK

Post# 498023 , Reply# 5 2/20/2011 at 18:16 (4,675 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)
Checkrate/Likes So do you have Dockers? How do they come out of the Westinghouse dryer?

Post# 498024 , Reply# 6 2/20/2011 at 18:18 (4,675 days old) by Pingmeep ()
Checkrate/Likes The higher possible spin of the LG would make your dryer have an easier time. Aside from trying to get you to buy a new dryer there was never a reason for you to get a new dryer.

Post# 498026 , Reply# 7 2/20/2011 at 18:21 (4,675 days old) by Haxisfan (Europe - UK / Italy)
Checkrate/Likes *Nice tests!* Some time ago I was really obsessed (I still am) with this kind of things... I've even compiled an entire MS Excel spreadsheet full of values in relation to the water and load size for each wash cycle I was running. I don't mean to unbury the hatchet... I just wanted to take this opportunity to remark over the water consumption of a bigger machine over the same load washed in a smaller machine. I have lots of data concerning small 1 kilo/or less loads and my 24" washer would manage that dinky load with only 23/26 litres on a standard 'fuzzy logic' programme. With medium loads (approx 4kg - 8lb) the 'fuzzy logic' programmes tend to use a lot more water (say 40l plus)... almost as much as your test #2... however if I stuff my washer silly with 6kg plus of laundry it's likely to use 52/54l... so yours would outsmart it in term of water consumption in that case. However, I can use other programmes such as the few daily cycles provided which would wash up to 3.5kg/8lb of laundry (if light soil as recommended from manufacturer) using approx 30l or less. I also noticed that newer machines tend to be more efficient, e.g. mine is from year 2004 and according to the energy label test programme it would use 54l of water for a full load, however a similar model 2 years later was quoted at 45l under the same conditions. I think the cost of the water over here is a little bit higher, although one can have some special rates in which the user doesn't pay the standing charges, provided that the total of water usage within the household falls below a certain threshold... still dearer than what you quoted. The electricity is a lot higher (I'd say double as much as your figures) however, one can have discounted night rates which are usually 1/4 of the full price (they run for 7 hours). These can be godsend when all one's appliances are lined up for doing the night shift!