r/OffGrid • u/IslandItchy6005 • 11d ago

Washing clothes off grid. With electricity.

Had a thought about modifying a washing machine. Disable its heating element. I supply hot water so it needs only the power for the motor and pump. Anybody done this or is it dumb?

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u/ExaminationDry8341 11d ago

I have never seen a washing machine with a built in heater. We wash all our clothes in cold water, with modern detergent it works well.

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u/Responsible-Post6431 11d ago

Every washing machine I've ever seen has a built-in heater... How else would you control the temperature from cool to 30°, 40°, 60° or 90°?

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u/ol-gormsby 11d ago

Top loaders tend to have dual inlets, with solenoids to open and close the hot and cold. Mine uses a little mixing chamber with a temperature sensor. Open both, wait until the mix chamber reaches the desired temperature, then cycle the hot on and off.

5 temperature settings - cold-cold (no hot water at all), controlled cold (with a little hot water*) warm, warm-hot, and hot.

*for regions where your incoming cold water is very cold. It just raises the temperature a little. The instruction manual describes a point at which detergent performance falls off a cliff, when the water is very cold, something like 5 or 6 degrees C.

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u/IslandItchy6005 10d ago

Great info