On Mon, Jun 29, 2009 at 6:31 PM, Peter wrote: > This is a strong hint for washing machine makers who should start making > machines that connect to both cold and hot water lines and thus save on > electrical power (if the main house heating is not electrical). You mean re-start, since my as I said before, my old machine had both hot and cold fill (as they generally did back then). Anyway, from my washing machine handbook: "Benefits of cold fill - Modern detergents are designed to give the best cleaning results at low temperature. biological detergents contain enzymes which are active between 30C and 53C giving greater results at lower temperature. - Cold water relaxes fabrics, whilst hot water can seal in stains. - Improved stain removal with cold water. - The most commonly used programme at present is 40C, which will take on cold water even if hot and cold were available. - You can heat the water required to finish the wash cycle, which makes it more economical than taking water heated in a tank by an immersion heater or gas boiler." I'd imagine big commercial washing machines have rather different user requirements to home ones. Chris -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist