After already having blogged about the new appliances [washing-machine and laundry dryer], here’s a picture of what it looks like behind the machines:
Behind the Machines: a Tangle of Hoses
Quite a few hoses dangling about there, aren’t they? Well, the washing-machine wants hot and cold water, plus a drainpipe. And the laundry dryer needs a big-diameter exhaust plus a hot water inlet. Yes, correct, even the dryer needs – sometimes – hot water as it has a steaming function to get clothes wrinkle-free.
Talking of hot water: washing-machines here in the US don’t wash at such high temperatures as those in Germany. Even at the setting “hot” – and that’s the normal maximum – it’s just 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and only at the setting “sanitized” the water is internally heated up to 140 degrees. There is no such setting as “boiling”, which, in Germany, would mean a temperature of 195 degrees Fahrenheit. Well, maybe that’s not needed anyway, as, to the best of my knowlegde, bacteria are killed at a temperature as low as 140 degrees, so the 195 would really be something like an “overkill”.
And another point: as here in the US not only the temperatures in the washing-machines are much lower but also the washing times are much shorter than in Germany – a washing cycle is about 30 minutes here – usually bleach is added when washing whites, to keep the laundry from becoming grey (and to kill bacteria). If that’s more environmentally friendly than higher washing temperatures and longer washing cycles? I doubt it.
Related articles
- New Washing-Machine, New Landry Dryer (pitstexasexpatblog.wordpress.com)
- Efficient Laundry: Wash Clothes in Cold Water to Save Energy and $ (joulefool.wordpress.com)
- New Garage: Finishing the Interior [2] (pitstexasexpatblog.wordpress.com)
- Pedestals Give Your Laundry Room a Lift (samsung.com)
- New Garage: Finishing the Interior [1] – reposted from my Blog in German [April 9, 2011] (pitstexasexpatblog.wordpress.com)
