The Virtual Repairman's Appliance Help

smilingrepairman · Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:29 pm Post subject: Cool Water

My Whirlpool washing machine, model # LSR5132PQ0, serial # CS3133826 has no "cold water only" option. I was wondering if it would harm or disrupt my washing machine if I turned the hot water supply to this washing machine permanently OFF.

Virtual Repairman · Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 5:03 pm Post subject: Cold water

The machine might not be disrupted, but your laundry will suffer. Cold water washing is bad for the clothes in the long run, since cold water does not properly activate the detergent, nor does it rinse the soap away from the interior very well. There is no reason not to wash most loads on warm or hot, especially with an Energy Star appliance. These will program a bit of warm water into the cold wash if the temp of the incoming water is below 65 degrees. Besides, fabrics can stand a lot warmer temperatures than you might imagine without worrying about fading or running.

Manufacturers recommend washing the load in the hottest temperature possible for best results. It's conflicting with the policies of the D.O.E. & certain groups of tree-huggers who think this energy conservation thing should apply to laundry.

If a machine has electronically controlled temperatures, turning off the hot water will stop the wash cycle in many cases, since the computer board is looking for a mixture of hot and cold waters to wash.

smilingrepairman · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:11 am Post subject: And futhermore

Whirlpool MN: LSR5132PQ0 SN:CS3133826
The more hot water used, the shorter the water heater life. Replacing a water heater is a strenuous affair.
There are liquid detergents formulated for cold water wash.
To experiment I set the cycle switch at "heavy 14" and the hot water supply off. It would not start. I turned the hot water supply on and it started. On the second wash I set the cycle switch to "regular 12" and the hot water supply off. It started and continued all the way through to "off". I guess I found my answer.
My former Whirlpool washer had an additional control pod for water temperature. The settings of this extra pod were "cold/cold", "warm/cold" and "hot/cold". All throughout its five year life I kept the hot water supply off.
Sorry for placing THIS message under "Dryer Forum".

Virtual Repairman · Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 4:42 pm Post subject: Cold water

Actually you can defeat this feature on the timer by installing a "Y" adapter on your cold water outlet and run 2 hose to the machine from the cold side!

Ha!

p.s. Thanks for the chuckle about water heaters Smile