Should the washing come out warm or cold?
Here’s a question about the temperature of the washing when it’s finished a cycle -
Q: When the wash cycle ends, the washing comes out very cold. Is this normal? With my previous washing machine the washing always came out very warm. Initially, I assumed this is the way modern machines are, but some of the cleaning quality is lacking a bit (ie certain stains are not coming out), so I’m wondering whether there is a problem with the water heating mechanism with this machine?
A:
A few different issues are raised here. First, the washing should come out cold because it should rinse in cold water. However, with laundry that’s been spun on a high spin speed and left pretty dry, or left in the drum a while after spinning it’s possible it could feel relatively warm(ish) in summer. The temperature of the laundry is also affected by the temperature outside, which affects the temperature of the cold water entering the washing machine. Therefore washed laundry should feel colder in winter. (When laundry feels colder it also feels wetter but that’s not the case)
If laundry feels quite warm or even hot at the end of the cycle then the washing machine could be rinsing in hot water. This would also result in much bigger energy costs with lots of wasted hot water and it can also result in excessive creasing of clothes or even shrinkage. This situation is caused when the hot and cold fill hoses are connected the wrong way round or when the hoses are connected correctly but due to a plumbing error the hot tap is actually delivering cold water and the cold tap is delivering hot.
This can be caused by the plumber (or DIY plumber) wrongly identifying the hot and cold taps by fitting the red and blue levers or indicators on the wrong taps. This subject is covered in more depth on the following article which gives other explanations Laundry comes out of washing machine badly creased?
The secondary issues in this question relate to the quality of the wash results which could potentially be explained if rinsing in hot water because hot water doesn’t get rid of suds as well as cold. Much of the dirt and grease removed from laundry in the wash is attached to the soap suds and needs rinsing off for good wash results. Here are some common causes of poor wash results – Laundry (washing) isn’t coming out clean (still dirty) or has marks on it (marks on clothes)
Written By - Washerhelp on October 8th, 2007 with
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roger
kezza
#1. January 16th, 2010, at 2:14 PM.
I recently noticed that my washing was freezing cold when the cycle had finished. I was concerned that the heating element my not have been working. After reading your answer above it has put my mind to rest and saved my pocket an unnecessary denting. (Checked temp mid cycle everything fine) Many thanks Excellent site by the way added to favourites and will def be passing on to friends.