How A Washing Machine Works!

Washing machines have made major strides over the years and they are now to the point where we take them for granted. Of course, that is only if they perform as we expect them to. Have you ever wondered how a washing machine works, if not you are about to learn. Surely there have been times when you wondered why they spin so fast and never lose water, why and how the agitator spins in both directions, and why a washer is so heavy.

The washing machine evolution has brought us whirlpool 9.5 kg washing machine to the point where we now have two styles, the front-loader and the top loader. Many would say washing clothes is nothing more than filling it with clothes and turning it on. Sounds simple doesn’t it, however, there are a few initial steps you must follow if you want to get your clothes clean and also not bring your washer to an early demise! The initial steps follow:

* How big will your load be, ranging from small all the way to extra-large.

* The temperature settings you use depend on the type of clothes you are washing. Most settings fall in the range of cold-cold, warm-cold, warm-warm, hot-cold. The first setting is the wash temperature, the second is for the rinse.

* You now need to determine how the washing machine will agitate. This depends on how dirty the clothes are that you are washing. The settings for this run the gamut from delicate, knit, permanent press and finally heavy.

We are now ready to wash our clothes, or I should say the machine is now ready. The next step is to have the washing machine’s agitator continue to turn back and forth for the time required to clean the clothes. Once again, time was determined by an earlier step in the washing process. After completing this step, the washer begins a fast, spinning process ridding itself of the dirty water just used to clean your clothes. Once complete it fills with water to begin the rinse step. During this step it removes the detergent left in your clothes and also spins to dry them as much as possible. This step concludes the wash cycle and your clothes are now ready for drying.

Earlier, I alluded to the fact that we would find out why washers are so heavy, now is the time. Top-loading washers weigh approximately 170 pounds and front-loading washers tip the scale at approximately 200 pounds. Why do they have to weigh so much you ask. Both types of machines accomplish their washing step by agitating back and forth clothes in soapy water. This motion of the agitator creates a lot of force so something needs to be done to stabilize the machine at these times. To resolve this issue, makers have placed a large piece of concrete in the bottom of each washer. This added weight helps counter the back and forth motion of the washer during both the wash and rinse cycles and thus keeps your washer from walking across the floor.