Snap! When I mentioned this thread to the missus she quoted me a headline that she had recently read somewhere.
It's along the lines that "the Irish are the only people who spend thousands of euros to save a few cents"!
Is it dangerous to do a wash overnight?
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Snap! When I mentioned this thread to the missus she quoted me a headline that she had recently read somewhere.
It's along the lines that "the Irish are the only people who spend thousands of euros to save a few cents"!
Thereby protecting the device and reducing the risk of fire. It takes a lot to blow a 13-amp fuse.
Electric pumps are very very cheap to run whereas electric heaters are very expensive to run. The majority of a 2 hour dishwasher cycle is just the pump running to spray water onto the dishes to soak them and try to release the dirt and spread around soap, the heaters only run for a short time at the start and end. In a very short cycle the heaters still need to run for a similar amount of time, it’s just the low power bits in between that are reduced.
Ceist Beag
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We have 3 kids and all 5 of us are the dishwashers!Young kids, so two dishwashers and one washing machine every day
Blackrock1
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any context on that, the repayment period on solar installs can be 5-7 years, if you look at it over a 20 year lifetme its hardly 1000s to save cents?
I've found it's difficult for the 6 month old to really pour the kettle of water into the sink without spilling it on himself. I persist but he really wastes a lot of it!
More seriously though, when you see how little water and electricity modern dishwashers use, you'd be handwashing for the purpose of teaching children to do some jobs around the house rather then to save water or money.
Does the same principal apply to washing machines?
Also, are you not using more water if you run a 2 hour cycle?
It’s worth taking a look at the manual for washing machines which will have a table for each programme’s power/water usage, they might not all achieve their quick cycles in the same way.
This link is to a Whirlpool table for example. You’ll notice that the Eco cycle only uses 16% less electricity than a regular 40 degree cotton wash, but it’s Eco because it uses 40% less water. The Rapid cycle uses significantly less water (60% less than a 40 degree cycle) and power (85% reduction), but it’s achieving much of that electricity saving by there being less water to heat and not heating it as much (30 degrees). One result of that reduced water volume is you can only put 4.5kg of washing in compared to the 40 degree cycle which can take 9kg - so you may need to do twice the number of washes, then the savings don’t look quite as good. There are some Which articles I think suggesting that 30 degree washes make clothes look clean but most of the bacteria and skin oils are left behind, so you might be changing your clothes more frequently too.
But coming back to @ClubMan’s point above, in the scheme of things dishwashers/washing machines don’t use much power anyway, so you’re probably better just choosing the timing/cycle that suits your lifestyle best and not worry too much more about it.
Ceist Beag
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And that is no bad thing.
Few if any of them ship with 13A fuses.
In dishwashers and washing machines the eco cycle takes longer than other cycles. The longer time doesn't use more water as they aren't constantly replacing the water
If you buy a new plugtop in the shop it will likely come with a 13A fuse because they don't know what you're going to be using it for, so they give you the maximum that will just work. But when you're building an appliance it's in your interest to use the smallest fuse you can in the plug because you can use smaller (read: cheaper) cable and components from that point onwards into your appliance.
longwexman
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Trust me. For the few euro you'll save, you'll lose multiples more when or if a machine goes on fire in your sleep, and hopefully its only money that is lost. from personal experience, never run these machines at night or unattended.
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Free-at-last
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I have interconnected smoke and heat alarms, but they don't have a switching relay.
Which system did you use and where/how did you connect to the mains?
I used 12 volt EI interconnectable smoke alarms. These have the relay built in.
I don't know if these are still available.
The mains trip is simply a 230 volt live feed through a light bulb to earth, on one of the socket circuits. This trips out the RCD and disconnects the appliances used at night.
I don't know if these are still available.
The mains trip is simply a 230 volt live feed through a light bulb to earth, on one of the socket circuits. This trips out the RCD and disconnects the appliances used at night.
Free-at-last
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Ah, very clever. I would probably use a 100mA fuse in series with a 2k2 resistor. This would still trip the RCD, while limiting the trip current.
On a side note, I've seen stats from the UK where lightning circuits cause more fires than appliances.
My washing machine is on all the time. I have two daughters. I think they've a costume change two or three times a day. All my children do their own washing so I don't know how often it is used but a minimum of ten washes a week.
I run the dishwasher, washing machine and drier at night. With the amount of phones, laptops and ipads etc left plugged in all night, and in some cases for days at a time, the appliances are the least of my worries.
I run the dishwasher, washing machine and drier at night. With the amount of phones, laptops and ipads etc left plugged in all night, and in some cases for days at a time, the appliances are the least of my worries.
It's advisable to switch off your burgalar alarm at night too, in case it goes on fire. And, of course, your fire alarm, if it's connected to the mains. Not forgetting your tv, your fridge and your freezer. Microwave ovens are incredibly dangerous if left plugged in overnight. Never, ever recharge your electric car at night. It's lethal! And remember to remove your hearing aids before you go to bed, because if there's a thunderstorm, they could be struck by lightning.