I have a laundry machine and I always try to wash things at the appropriate temperature, but when the machine is done the clothes/sheets etc. never feel warmer than room temperature. How do I find out if the heating element of the laundry machine is broken?

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[–] 32 points 4 days ago (17 children)

At the end of the cycle it always rinses with cold water, so it's completly normal that the clothes are cold

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  • [–] 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (16 children)

    Deleting comment due to excessive notifications

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  • [–] 20 points 4 days ago (8 children)

    That's either totally wrong or depends on where you live (and the model you have). Where I'm from, that's not a thing. Washers are connected to a cold water supply and heat the water themselves.

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  • [–] 11 points 4 days ago (6 children)

    Probably varies by area then. Around here, every washer I've ever owned (or used at an apartment complex) had two water lines going into it.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago (4 children)

    Interesting. I actually wonder why we don't have that here (Israel), since the majority of homes have sun-heated water. In the summer, the hot tap can reach scalding steaming temperatures (I'm not joking). It's a shame to let all that free energy go to waste.

    Though to be fair, I've lived in apartments where the cold tap is scalding hot in the summer too, because the pipe is exposed to the sun. In that case, the washer gets a free ride, whether it needs it or not!

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago (3 children)

    I live in austria an we also have washing machines with internal heating and you usually connect them to the cold water tap, but usually you can also just connect them to the hot water tap if you have cheap or free hot water - there are thermostat sensors inside the machine and if the water is already hot it will not heat it any more.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago (2 children)

    But what if it's too hot, as can be the case here?

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  • [–] 6 points 4 days ago* (1 child)

    every single washing mashine I ever owned has internal heating - maybe that's different in the US, don't know about that, but here in europe that's completly normal.

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  • [–] 14 points 4 days ago

    The rinse cycle uses cold water

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  • [–] 7 points 4 days ago

    Simple answer here- every washer I have ever seen uses the selected temperature for washing and cold water for rinse.

    Feel the front of the machine while it is washing, if you chose hot water the window should be warm.

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  • [–] 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

    Is there something wrong with the things you're washing? Don't create a problem, if things are getting washed, not shrinking, not falling apart, and everything is just fine, just consider that the machine is working as intended, which seems to be the case.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 days ago

    Your washing machine has gone zen. Inner warmth only.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 days ago (3 children)

    Washing in cold water is best anyway, hot water sets stains. Unless you have powerful odor you need the hot to help kill the source of.

    All cycles end in cold for that reason but it's too late already for some clothes if you wash in hot, or even don't rinse out a stain in cold water when it happens.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

    Constant cold water cycles is not good for high efficiency don't loaders. You end up with a lot of excess sludge on the spider because cold doesn't dissolve detergent as well.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 days ago
    • Touch the window in the hatch during the first half of the cycle; is it warm?
    • Measure the power consumption.
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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

    While the laundry is rinsed with cold water, before you could check, the machine itself can feel warm during the washing cycle. E.g. when I do a 60° washing cycle and I touch the upper side of the machine (it's a front loader) after about an hour it's warm.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago

    You might check to make sure the hoses are connected to the right taps.

    Some washers also only mix hot and cold water for the "hot" cycle to save energy

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  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago

    Mine could be broken as I wash in cold mostly. I will use temp in winter more because the water going through the pipes get real cold to the point where if you pause and push clothes down or such its uncomfortable for the hands. like putting them in ice water. you ever pause and just see what the water temp is. my pauses by lifting the lid. oh mine is upright though. I mean the hot water comes from your hot water tank. the laundry does not heat it. none I know of anyway. so if it was broken it would be like its not drawing from the hot water line which seems kinda unlikely.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago (5 children)

    Washer, dryer or a combo thing?

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 4 days ago (4 children)
  • [–] 1 point 4 days ago* (3 children)

    Do you have a multimeter? Would you consider yourself handy? If you're comfortable trying, you can find the model (usually on the inside of the door or on the back). Look up "taking apart X washer machine" there'll be videos on disassembling. Multimeter can be used to test if individual components, like the heater, are working.

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  • [–] 4 points 4 days ago (1 child)

    While that would work, it's massively overkill for the original question about whether the water is getting hot. There are much simpler and definitive ways to get the answer.

    Now, if it's broken and they want to fix it, multimeter all the way

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