1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Tech Stuff, a production from my Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with a heart radio 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: and I love all things tech, including washing machines. Yep, 5 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 1: it's time for a classic episode. This episode originally published 6 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: on April twenty one, two thousand fourteen. It is called 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: how Washing Machines Work? And it seems simple, but it 8 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: turns out this is one of those topics that has 9 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: a lot more going on than you might imagine. So 10 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: let's roll up our sleeves and dunk our arms deep 11 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: in that soapy water and find out how washing machines work. 12 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: All right, Lauren, Yes, Jonathan, have you ever had to 13 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: clean any of your clothes without the benefit of a 14 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: machine to do it for you? Actually sink wash a 15 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: lot of stuff. It takes some effort done it. Yeah, 16 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: it sucks. Yeah, it's not fun. It is not a 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: fun thing to do. It is the opposite of fun. 18 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 1: I have also done this. I Lauren and I have 19 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: both in the past, not together. Warren costumes for various occasions, 20 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: like you know, it's Thursday, and so Thursday is my 21 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: favorite costumes someday. Some costumes you just they're not washing 22 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 1: machines safe, they're delicate. Yeah, so you get a kind 23 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: of not so delicate that you don't have to put 24 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,479 Speaker 1: in a ton of effort to get them clean. Though. 25 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: So here's how Washington's to work. You get some water, 26 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: You put some soiled clothing in the water. Then you 27 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: agitate the soiled clothing. And I don't mean you'd say 28 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: nasty things about its mother. You actually have to physically 29 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:43,479 Speaker 1: move that clothing around in order to shake loose the dirt. 30 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 1: If you really want to say nasty things about its mother. 31 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: I mean, it pretty much naturally happens. It's not going 32 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: to hurt. Yeah, it might actually make you feel better 33 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: as you're as you're scrubbing up to your elbows and 34 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: make your roommates think you're really weird. That ship sailed 35 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: a long time ago. So yeah, you have to put 36 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: in all this physical work to kind of shake loose 37 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: the dirt. And then you take the water away, You 38 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: take the clothes away from the water, You take the 39 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: water away from the clothes. However you do it, and 40 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: then you rense it off, and then you try and 41 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:11,959 Speaker 1: wring it out, and then you hang it up to 42 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: dry or however you want to dry it. So what 43 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,919 Speaker 1: we needed to do was find a way of making 44 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: this process which used to be that that used to 45 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: be the way we cleaned everything didn't matter if it 46 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: was delicate or not. We need to find a way 47 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: to make that less of a chore. So we want 48 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: to talk about the history of washing machines as well 49 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 1: as how they worked. And to begin with, the history 50 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:36,839 Speaker 1: is not all that clear because, as it turns out, 51 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: a lot of people just didn't really bother, you know, 52 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: recording all the developments in washing machine technology. Well, the 53 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: thing is that most of the time the washing was 54 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: being done by um, by people in the lower classes 55 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: who were not also writing scientific papers about advancements in 56 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: this kind of text. So so there's there's a whole 57 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: lot of disagreement on when stuff happened, where it happened, um, 58 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 1: what the terminology was, because the terminology varied from town 59 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: to town. Yeah, yeah, whether or not you had a 60 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: stomp bucket or not. Yeah, Like, those are some great 61 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: terms that we're going to talk about here. But so 62 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: excited we're going to We're going to do our best 63 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: to wade through the confusion and lead you to the 64 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: other side where the light will be seen by all, 65 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: and we'll have clean clothes there. That's my goal. So 66 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: first we're gonna start with ancient Rome because this has 67 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: nothing to do with washing machines, but it was so 68 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: cool I had to bring it in. So the ancient 69 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: Romans were among the earliest people's to offer public laundry services. 70 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: They had an entire class of people who whose job 71 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: it was to clean clothes, and those those people were dudes. Yeah, 72 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 1: they were dudes. This was this was men's work because 73 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: it was heavy duty, hard work. You see, back in 74 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: Roman times, all the clothing was made out of wool. Wool, 75 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: that's heavy. Yeah, cotton didn't exist yet. Yeah. So I 76 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: don't know if you've been to Italy or various other 77 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: regions that were part of the Roman Empire, it's warm, 78 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: you know, and people people get a little uh, you know, 79 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: a little little sweaty, little stinky, little stinky, and so 80 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: you need to clean those clothing. So they had these people, 81 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: these men called foulonis now foulons, where they they were 82 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: the in charge of cleaning the clothes. You would pay 83 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: them and they would take the clothes they put them 84 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,919 Speaker 1: in a vat. It would be a vat that you know, 85 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: go up to like say the waiter so has some 86 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:31,720 Speaker 1: water in it. And then they'd stomp on the clothing 87 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: and stomp and stomp and stop. And this is that 88 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 1: physical agitation action we're talking about that shakes loose the dirt. Uh, 89 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 1: And then they would end up pulling that out, ringing 90 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: out the clothes, laying them on the ground or hanging 91 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: them up. They would also use other materials to try 92 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 1: and whiten anything that needed to be white, They try 93 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: and bleach it. They would also use the sun to 94 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: bleach the stuff. So this is the way the earliest 95 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:59,280 Speaker 1: clothes here. You know, we're talking about Roman times, how 96 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: they were washing them all the time. And uh, like 97 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: we said associate with men, that would be about the 98 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: last time we say that. So to my house, I 99 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: do the laundry. So I do the laundry and I 100 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: do the cooking. You know, we're not we're not tied 101 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: down by gender roles at any rate. Medieval Europe. So 102 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: this is where we start getting into some interesting terminology. 103 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: So people would use things called washing bats, also called 104 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: beetles or battle doors. Yes, raise the battle door and 105 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: watch that tunic. Yeah, it's essentially it's something that you 106 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: would use specifically to again agitate the clothing while it's 107 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: in flowing water. So usually this was done for most 108 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: people literally along the side of a river. Yeah. Yeah, 109 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: you'd use it as kind of a I think that 110 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: washing bats referred to like the scrubbing related devices, like 111 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 1: it was used in conjunction with the scrubbing boards, right right, right, Yeah, 112 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: you know the scrubbing boards you also had there, and 113 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: you had to go to where the water was. I 114 00:05:57,480 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: mean some people had water come to them, but not 115 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: very many. H and again use that physical motion to 116 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: loosen dirt washed away by water. You can do this 117 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: in a tub with a handheld agitator if you weren't 118 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: near any sources of running water. And that's uh, that's 119 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 1: kind of how things how things went for centuries. Yeah. 120 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: Do we get to the eighteenth century and uh, at 121 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 1: this time, this is when we start to see the 122 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: concept of laundry being quote unquote women's work. The idea 123 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: of being that women, since you know, they don't have 124 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:31,120 Speaker 1: to go out and farm all day, they can stay 125 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 1: at home and do the easy work, you know, like 126 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: the back breaking laundry that has to be done by hand. 127 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 1: It really was a very tough job. I mean, especially 128 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: in places where you have to go run out and 129 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: get the water. What does the washing. Yeah, I got 130 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: a quote here from a Nevada housewife from the The 131 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: Kind of the Pioneer Days. Really her name was Rachel Haskell, 132 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: and she said that doing laundry was the herculean task 133 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 1: which women all dread, and also described it as the 134 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:01,960 Speaker 1: great domestic dread of the household. Because this is I mean, 135 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: it wasn't just that it was back breaking work. I 136 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:06,720 Speaker 1: mean you had to really put effort in it if 137 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,240 Speaker 1: you wanted clean clothes. Also, the materials you used could 138 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: be kind of rough on skin. I mean we're talking 139 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: about some caustic materials. Yeah. For a long time, whites 140 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: and natural fabrics were soaked in pure lie instead of 141 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: being washed with soap because soap was really expensive. So 142 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: so that's really fun. Um. A recent study out of 143 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: the University of Montreal suggested that advances in household technology 144 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: during the twentieth century was partially responsible for a jump 145 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: in the number of of married women being in the 146 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: workforce from five percent sc nineteen hundred to circ nineteen 147 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: eighty UM and a decrease in time spent per week 148 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 1: on household chores from fifty eight hours to just eighteen 149 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: hours in the same approximate period of time, so dropping 150 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: forty hours a week. A full time job worth of 151 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: chores dropped in a week because of devices of convenience 152 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: like the like the washing machine. Yeah, you know, if 153 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: you didn't have that river handy, you would uh, you 154 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: would have have your have your bucket and a tool 155 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: called depending on where you were. And I had to 156 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: add this note because all of these tool names make 157 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: me so happy. H a poser, dolly, dasher, punch or punch. 158 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: I'm sure I'd want to punch if I had to 159 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: do this. And something that at any rate looked a 160 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: little bit like a plunger with like holes or events 161 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: in the base um to let water squeeze through, and 162 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: you just stand over a tub on the floor and 163 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: and manually agitate the laundry. Yeah. By the way, you 164 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: guys are really missing out because Lauren and I are 165 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 1: both expressive people, and when we talk about how this happens, 166 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: we acted out. So it's too bad this isn't a 167 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 1: video podcast. No no, no, no, it's really good that 168 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: it's not a video podcast. So moving on, we now 169 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: get to seventy two. Now over in Great Britain, a 170 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:56,679 Speaker 1: fellow named H. Sidgier invented what we think was the 171 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: first washing machine. And what this was was essentially a 172 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:03,720 Speaker 1: cade of wooden rods and a handle to turn those rods, 173 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,080 Speaker 1: and turning the handle move the rods which would agitate 174 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: clothes within a VT. So you're still using hand power 175 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 1: to do this, but you're no longer like actively in 176 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: the water moving clothing around. Yes, so that that was 177 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: a slight advantage, and other people started making similar sorts 178 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: of washing machines. Now most of these were not really 179 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,719 Speaker 1: convenient for like home use. This was stuff an industrial level, 180 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 1: and this is just too big and too clunky and 181 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,080 Speaker 1: too expensive for most people. It just wasn't practical for them. 182 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: But it was showing where things were moving. The first 183 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: patent wouldn't show up though, until about eighteen forty six. Right, Yeah, 184 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: that's when you've got a pattern in the U. S. 185 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: Patent office for a washing machine that cleans closed by 186 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: rubbing them between two curved surfaces. And once again you 187 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: mechanically move this yourself. You had a lever, and the 188 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:53,080 Speaker 1: lever is what made these curve surfaces move against each other. 189 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 1: And it was that rubbing motion within water with these 190 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,959 Speaker 1: curved surfaces that would actually clean the clothing. Uh. It 191 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: ended up being a the popular design and in fact 192 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:05,679 Speaker 1: would last well into the well the early nineteen hundreds, 193 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 1: so nearly a century, even after other alternative methods were introduced. 194 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: So eighteen fifty one we get James King who invented 195 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: the revolving drum. Now that's the basis of most washing 196 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: machines and even dryers today. Yeah, that's that's what you've 197 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 1: got to come probably. Yeah, although an improvement was made 198 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: just a few years later in eighteen fifty eight you 199 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,479 Speaker 1: had Hamilton's Smith who invented the revolving drum, with reversing 200 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 1: action being the drum could actually revolve in either direction. Uh. 201 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:36,720 Speaker 1: So this would allow lots of different washing machines to 202 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:40,320 Speaker 1: use that kind of back and forth motion as a 203 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 1: form of agitation. So if you have to help do 204 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 1: some of the work for you of moving all that 205 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:48,560 Speaker 1: water exactly, so like the front loading uh types of 206 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:51,600 Speaker 1: washing machines we see today, most of those can turn 207 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: in either direction. So they're really descendants of Hamilton's Smith's work. 208 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: Then in eighteen seventy four, I had to add this in, 209 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 1: and I'm going to include the starting he joke I 210 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 1: wrote in the notes, which is that William Blaxton, who 211 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:05,680 Speaker 1: was a corn planter and manufacturer, created a washing machine 212 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: and gave it to as a gift to his wife 213 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: for her birthday, and then she threw corn at him. Okay, 214 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: so so while I make a joke about the guy 215 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: buying his wife another appliance for her to do work with, 216 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: in reality it actually was simplifying her life quite a bit. 217 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 1: At that point. It could probably be considered a sweet gesture. Yeah, yeah, 218 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:28,559 Speaker 1: because it means taking hours of time off of all 219 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: the chores that she would have to do. I mean 220 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 1: hopefully there was like chocolate involved two or something. Maybe 221 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:34,559 Speaker 1: it was that. Maybe it was partially made from that, 222 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:37,319 Speaker 1: in which case it was probably not not very effective. 223 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: But no, no, actually a lot of washing machines, like 224 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: he actually started to offer to sell them because she 225 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 1: did like this. It did make it easier for her 226 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,080 Speaker 1: to wash clothes. And again this was mechanically operated. There 227 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:51,840 Speaker 1: was a hand crank. It wasn't like it was some 228 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 1: sort of automated Yeah, he wasn't pouring steel drums in 229 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:00,720 Speaker 1: his corn field, not steam powered washing machine or something. 230 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 1: So she she would turn it by hand, but still 231 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 1: made it easier. And because it was so practical, he 232 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 1: started to sell them. And the price tag on a 233 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: washing machine a William Blackston washing machine, according to the 234 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: sources I saw, and keep in mind, this is another 235 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: one of those things where I am skeptical, but every 236 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: source I found said it two dollars and fifty cents 237 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:29,440 Speaker 1: for a washing machine. That's a bargain. Uh four. The 238 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:33,200 Speaker 1: calculators don't even go back that in four two dollars 239 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,760 Speaker 1: and fifty cents would buy you the Nevada territory, but 240 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 1: or a washing machine. Listen, I'm no scrub, but we 241 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:43,959 Speaker 1: do have to take a break and listen to these ads. 242 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 1: We'll be back to talk more about washing machines after 243 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 1: this quick break. In eight we had Ellen Eglwy who 244 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,200 Speaker 1: invented a ringer to sit a hop washing machines and 245 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,080 Speaker 1: helped dry out the laundry. She sold the rights to 246 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:07,560 Speaker 1: her idea for eighteen dollars. The story goes that she 247 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,319 Speaker 1: only sold the idea because of being a black woman. 248 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: She didn't think that white women would buy the product 249 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: if they knew who had created it. Um and I 250 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:17,800 Speaker 1: guess eighteen dollars really wasn't too shabby at the time. 251 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 1: Though the fellow that she sold it to wound up 252 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: making a good deal of money on it. Although more 253 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: on that in just a moment. So in we have 254 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:30,599 Speaker 1: the Maytag Corporation being founded. Yeah, now, it wouldn't be 255 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: until seven that they would come out with a washer 256 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 1: because Maytag did more than just washing machines, and and 257 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:38,959 Speaker 1: that was still mechanical. Yes, that is true. It still mechanical, 258 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 1: was not electric washer at that time. Well, which makes 259 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 1: sense because only um eight percent of US homes at 260 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 1: the time had electricity, only had running water. Yeah. So 261 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 1: you know, if you're going to market it to a 262 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:54,160 Speaker 1: large group, and if you want to actually help people, 263 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: then you have to design something that's going to work 264 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 1: for the most people. Right. I do think that the 265 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:01,600 Speaker 1: Maytag repair guy probably got called out for more repairs 266 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,360 Speaker 1: back in the mechanical days. He doesn't get a lot 267 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:06,439 Speaker 1: of according to the commercials. He doesn't do very much 268 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,679 Speaker 1: these days, although although at the time, since since telephones 269 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 1: weren't very popular thing just stand outside. Also, it's Colin 270 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:18,319 Speaker 1: Ferguson who's the Maytag guy now, which is kind of weird. 271 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: That's very strange. He's seeing the guy from Eureka as 272 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: the Maytag repair guy. In nineteen o five, we have 273 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: Alva J. Fisher who produces the first electric washing machine. Now, 274 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: the motor at that time was bolted to the side 275 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: of the washing machine and was unshielded. An electric motor. Now, 276 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 1: I don't know about you guys, but I've been taught 277 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 1: that two things you don't necessarily want to mix together 278 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:45,120 Speaker 1: are water and open electronics. Apple has told me many 279 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: times that if I do introduce those two things, that's 280 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: totally my fault. Um. Yeah, So it turns out that 281 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 1: water from the vat could sometimes come out and hit 282 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:58,160 Speaker 1: the motor and cause a short circuit. Sometimes this would 283 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 1: result in damage to the advice. Sometimes it would result 284 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: in a jolt of electricity hitting a person. But it 285 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: wouldn't be until the nineteen thirties, presumably after one too 286 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 1: many laundry workers got zapped that they would start to 287 00:15:12,080 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: shield the motor from the rest of the washing machine, 288 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: thus preventing water from actually hitting the motor. Uh kind 289 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:21,640 Speaker 1: of funny that it took nearly three decades for that 290 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: to happen. We have the Hurly Machine Company of Chicago 291 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: introducing the first electric power washing machine, which had the 292 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: name of four According to one source, it was actually 293 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 1: called the Mighty Thor And this was based off of 294 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: Alva J. Fisher's design. So Fisher was working for the 295 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:45,320 Speaker 1: Hurly Machine Company at that time. So Thour hits the market, 296 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 1: and in nineteen eleven we have developments with the oscillating cylinder, 297 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: which and also with domestic washing machines using sheet metal 298 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: tubs mounted on angle iron frames to be the basic 299 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: design of your washing machine. That same year, the Uptown 300 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: Machine Company, which would later become the Whirlpool Corporation, formed 301 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 1: and produced electric motor driven ringer washers. You know we 302 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: we mentioned ringers, you said, the ringer on the other one. 303 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 1: That was one of the patents that they bought in 304 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 1: order to build this machine. There you go. So you 305 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:20,040 Speaker 1: if you wonder what a ringer actually is, it's think 306 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 1: of two rollers that are really tightly space together, and 307 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 1: you ring the clothing by putting it between the two rollers. 308 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: You turn a crank. This kind of pulls the cloth 309 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: through and it squeezes that excess water out. It's kind 310 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: of like imagining to steam rollers right next to each other. 311 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: And also you don't want to put your fingers anywhere 312 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: near there because they will get squish. All right. So 313 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: then we get up to the nineteen twenties, that's when 314 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: some manufacturers begin to introduce electric or gas water heaters 315 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 1: that are part of the washing machine itself. Because while 316 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 1: we started to see running water entering in more homes, 317 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,560 Speaker 1: not all homes had water heaters. If you had water, 318 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: there was a chance it was just going to be cold. 319 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: So in order to make more effective washing machine, hot 320 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: water tends to wash clothes a little better than cold 321 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: water does. That we'll get we'll talk a little bit 322 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:10,280 Speaker 1: about that. With the modern ones as well, some machines 323 00:17:10,320 --> 00:17:15,200 Speaker 1: had on board water heaters. Yeah. So but then once 324 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:19,200 Speaker 1: we start seeing water heaters going into homes, this became 325 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,120 Speaker 1: less important and you stopped seeing models with their own 326 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:27,680 Speaker 1: onboard heaters. For the most PARTO Maytag introduces a washing 327 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 1: machine with an agitator. Um, it doesn't use an agitator 328 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: to introduce a washing machine. That would just sound irritating 329 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: some guy coming to your house and saying, hey, you're 330 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: closer dirty, you need to wash them. Now we're talking 331 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: about an actual component within a washing machine. Lauren is 332 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:46,160 Speaker 1: doing her head shaking thing. Thirties we have manufacturers who 333 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: begin to include a drain pump motor to remove water 334 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: from a washing machine once the cycle is over. Because 335 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: if you're thinking, these early washing machines meant that water 336 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 1: magically entered into the machine, then you did your washing, 337 00:17:58,040 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 1: you turn some cranks or whatever, and then the water 338 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,520 Speaker 1: atically went away. No, you had to put the water there. 339 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:04,919 Speaker 1: You had to take the water back out, you know, 340 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 1: you had to find some way of of you know, 341 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 1: some of them had like a little drain spout type 342 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: thing that you would drain at the end of the day. Whatever. 343 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 1: This was an actual pump that would use mechanical motion 344 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: to pump water back out. So again using electronics to 345 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 1: kind of simplify work. Uh. Nineteen thirty seven, we have 346 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:26,200 Speaker 1: the Bendex Corporation introducing the first fully automated washing machine. Now, 347 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: this involves using a clock timer that's connected to the 348 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:33,880 Speaker 1: washing machine controls. It tells the machine essentially what stage 349 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 1: it's in and therefore switches. Because before that you had 350 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: a manual switches that were that were operated by a human. Yeah, 351 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 1: you had to actually sit there and and or come 352 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,359 Speaker 1: back even more frequently to your washing machine, right right, 353 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: You have to sit there and say, oh, you know 354 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 1: that that the timer says that the time has passed 355 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:56,080 Speaker 1: for it to do the wash cycle. Now need to 356 00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:58,200 Speaker 1: go and switch it over to do a spin cycle 357 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: or something along those lines. So, yeah, this this is 358 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,639 Speaker 1: another big advance. In the nineteen forties, washer production in 359 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: the U S would largely stop as supplies and factories 360 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 1: were bent to the war effort, because that was when 361 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: World War Two was happening. For example, Whirlpool, which was 362 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: then under the name nine Corporation, produced some two million 363 00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: components for P forty Warhawk aircraft, from like propeller pitch 364 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: controls to carburetor parts. Yeah, I hear. They were the 365 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,639 Speaker 1: cleanest parts in all of the war effort. She's shaking 366 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: her head again. I'm just going to move on. Seven. 367 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: General Electric claims that they invented the first fully automated 368 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: washing machine. Now we assumed that they mean fully automated 369 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:40,240 Speaker 1: washing machine that actually had an an agitator, right. The 370 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,560 Speaker 1: previous one did not have an agitator. The agitator's job 371 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,399 Speaker 1: again is to to provide that motion within the washing machine, 372 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: within the tub. That's that's moving the water. And yeah, 373 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:54,159 Speaker 1: it's really it's really meant to simulate an ancient Roman 374 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: stomping on your clothes. That's really what agitators meant to do. 375 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,080 Speaker 1: It's the way I like to put it. So we 376 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 1: then have very slow evolution and washing machine technology. It 377 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:07,439 Speaker 1: wasn't exactly one of those areas that required h a 378 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: lot of of of advances to keep it, to keep 379 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: the industry healthy. For one thing, once you buy one, 380 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:16,880 Speaker 1: you pretty much stick with it for a really long time. Yeah, 381 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,399 Speaker 1: you don't need one for a good bit. Yeah, because 382 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: I mean they're expensive and uh and they generally last 383 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 1: a pretty long time. So we didn't see huge advances, 384 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:28,399 Speaker 1: but we did see some. And then we're gonna skip 385 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,959 Speaker 1: to n that's when a certain James Dyson, British inventor 386 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,439 Speaker 1: creates a washing machine that has two cylinders rotating in 387 00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:40,359 Speaker 1: opposite directions, which actually reduces the washtime and supposedly it 388 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 1: actually washes clothes more effectively than traditional machines. Wouldn't surprise me, 389 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: Dyson has made a lot of interesting stuff. Two thousand eight, 390 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:50,640 Speaker 1: it's the last thing we have in our timeline. That's 391 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: when engineers at the University of Leeds created a washing 392 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: machine that uses just one cup of water to wash 393 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:01,280 Speaker 1: a full load of clothing. Wow. What Yeah, I don't 394 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: want to understand that when we talk about how much 395 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: water are normal washing machines used, one cup is right? 396 00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: I mean we're talking about using less than two per 397 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: cent of the water and energy required by conventional machines 398 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:18,879 Speaker 1: to wash clothing. And also the clothes are pretty much 399 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 1: dry after you wash them. You haven't used that much water. 400 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 1: So um, yeah, I don't have any more details on 401 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 1: that about what is actually happening. I suspect laundry. Gnomes. 402 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:31,639 Speaker 1: I always suspect laundry. Now do to that. They're suspicious 403 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:34,480 Speaker 1: little jerks. All right, well, you know what, it's time 404 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 1: to turn this episode on the rinse cycle. But to 405 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 1: do that, we're going to take another quick break. Okay, 406 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:54,639 Speaker 1: So let's talk about how modern washing machines work. And 407 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:57,120 Speaker 1: we're gonna start with top loading machines. So these are 408 00:21:57,119 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: the machines where there's a little door at the top 409 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 1: of the machine. Seen, you lift it up, you put 410 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,679 Speaker 1: all your clothing in. Most of them, almost all of 411 00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: them have an agitator inside. That's the kind of the 412 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:08,760 Speaker 1: central post that sticks up from the bottom of the 413 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: of the washing machine. Although from now on, if you 414 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:15,719 Speaker 1: really want to, you could probably call it a poster Dolly, dasher, 415 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:20,439 Speaker 1: punch or punch. Okay, so if you're using your poster 416 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: Polly punch, dasher paunch, it's like Rudolph, but the agitator 417 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:31,560 Speaker 1: has Usually it has some fins on it and some 418 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 1: other uh like protrusions on the bottom of it. Now, 419 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:37,680 Speaker 1: these serve a purpose. When it's turning in the water. 420 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 1: It actually has this action upon the clothing that's that's 421 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,720 Speaker 1: also inside the machine. It will either pull it down 422 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: towards the bottom of the machine or push it back 423 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: up toward the top. And that's the agitating movements you 424 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,680 Speaker 1: get to shake loose all that dirt. So again, trying 425 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 1: to replicate all the other means we've used to clean 426 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: clothes over the years, that inner drum that the clothes 427 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,640 Speaker 1: are sitting in itself may or may move as well. Yeah, 428 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 1: usually you have one that will uh spin because it 429 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:07,879 Speaker 1: has to drain up the water. But during the actual 430 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:12,199 Speaker 1: agitation process. It's pretty common that there's gonna be a 431 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 1: breaking system on that thing, and it holds it in place. 432 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 1: So the agitator is doing all the moving, because if 433 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:20,200 Speaker 1: the drum were rotating the same time the agitator's rotating, 434 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:24,200 Speaker 1: it would reduce the effectiveness of the agitator. So, yeah, 435 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: most of these are going to have an inner drum 436 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:29,560 Speaker 1: that's going to be steady. It's connected to an outer drum. 437 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:32,120 Speaker 1: The outer drum is water tight. It has to be, 438 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: or else you have a huge mess every time you 439 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: attempt to make clean clothes. The inner drum has holes 440 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:40,399 Speaker 1: in it that allow the water to drain out and 441 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: then it usually it's been picked up by a drain 442 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:45,439 Speaker 1: pump that pulls it out of the machine itself. But 443 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:50,680 Speaker 1: with your top loading washers, you've got intake valves that 444 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,399 Speaker 1: allow water to come in, and you have a cold 445 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: water and a hot water one. Right, So generally speaking, 446 00:23:56,359 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 1: most of these washing machines, uh they If you set 447 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:02,679 Speaker 1: a washing machine to wash cold, it will only allow 448 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:05,159 Speaker 1: water from the cold intake to come in. If you 449 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,159 Speaker 1: want it hot, it will only allow water from the 450 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:10,160 Speaker 1: hot intake. So the machine itself for most of these 451 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 1: doesn't have its own discrete heating element. It's just relying 452 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:16,240 Speaker 1: on the temperature of the water from your house to 453 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:19,680 Speaker 1: provide the heat or the cold water if you want warm. 454 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: It does a mixture of both, right, so, uh, not 455 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 1: too complex there. Now some some washing machines do have 456 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:28,919 Speaker 1: a little heating element and they will allow uh warm 457 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 1: or hot water to go across it to make it 458 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: even hotter. Uh. That tends to be more common in 459 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: front loaders that I've seen than top loaders. But it's 460 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:39,600 Speaker 1: possible that you could find a top loader that also 461 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: has its own discrete, little electric heating element. It kind 462 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: of looks like the sort of thing you would see 463 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: an electric stove. So and then water just goes over 464 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 1: it and that heats up. So then you've got a 465 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:55,920 Speaker 1: a water level sensor that's inside the machine itself. So 466 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,440 Speaker 1: when the water hits the right level, the sensor is 467 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,160 Speaker 1: triggered and that sends a me message to the control 468 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: center in the washing machine to say, hey, stop letting 469 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: water in. It sends a signal to the intake valve. 470 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 1: Has a little solenoid there that when you trigger it, 471 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 1: it'll shut that intake valve so no more water will 472 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:14,720 Speaker 1: come in so you don't have to worry about a 473 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:17,679 Speaker 1: huge overflowing mess. And solenoid valves of course being the 474 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 1: kind of thing so that there cannot be a exchange 475 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:24,679 Speaker 1: of water back out from You can't get the dirty 476 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,600 Speaker 1: wash water going back out into your neighborhood. Uh yeah, 477 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,920 Speaker 1: into the pipes. Yeah, because that would be that would 478 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: be really bad. So yeah, the valve has two purposes. 479 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: One to stop more water coming in and to stop 480 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: all the dirty water going back out. You only want 481 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,360 Speaker 1: the dirty water to go out through the exhaust. Solenoid 482 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,239 Speaker 1: is like a one way thing. Yeah. Yeah. A lot 483 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: of pinball machines, solenoids. That's what all the little triggers 484 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: are used. Solinoids are using those just a little little 485 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:49,679 Speaker 1: trivia there. People will listen to. Uh current geek have 486 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: heard me bust out that trivia in the past. So 487 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,399 Speaker 1: now you've got the water has hit the right level, 488 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:00,320 Speaker 1: the mode goes into wash cycle. That's when. By the way, 489 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: for these top loader ones, I don't know if you 490 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:04,919 Speaker 1: guys are familiar with this, but generally speaking, you have 491 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: to put the soap in manually, like you don't put 492 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 1: it into a dispenser or something. It doesn't go on automatically. Now, 493 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 1: now you just you pour it on top of the clothing. 494 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,600 Speaker 1: Whether you're using liquid detergent or or a solid detergent 495 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:19,239 Speaker 1: doesn't matter. You put it in with the clothing. If 496 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: you forgot to put it in there, you are not 497 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: going to have that, you know, Daisy Fresh scent or 498 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:28,680 Speaker 1: whatever brand you happen to get. So the agitator begins 499 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,359 Speaker 1: to turn and it usually will what you guys, you've 500 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:34,200 Speaker 1: got to drive motor. Normally it's on the bottom of 501 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:38,440 Speaker 1: the washing machine. It also tends to act as a 502 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: counter balance, a counterweight, which, by the way, you've got 503 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,920 Speaker 1: several counterweights in your washing machines because you've got lots 504 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: of motion going on, and if you didn't have them there, 505 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 1: you're washing machine would be dancing all over the place. Yes. Yeah, 506 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,679 Speaker 1: anyone who's ever had an unbalanced load and a washing 507 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: machine and you start hearing that thumping noise, if you 508 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,360 Speaker 1: didn't have the counterweights in there, it would become catastrophic. 509 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah. There's there's actually a really complex suspension system. 510 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: Um It involves like a like a inner frame, a 511 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: cable and pulley suspension and these little like disc brake 512 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 1: like mechanisms that connect that inner frame to the corners 513 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:13,680 Speaker 1: of the outer walls. UM. And that's so that when 514 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,160 Speaker 1: the frame, that interframe shakes, they slow it down softly 515 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 1: so that it doesn't hit against the outer wall of 516 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:22,879 Speaker 1: the washer. And then because otherwise you would just be 517 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: convinced that your house had been invaded by a horde 518 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,920 Speaker 1: of extremely loud ghosts, you know, who apparently are mad 519 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,119 Speaker 1: that you're doing laundry. Really clumsy robots who are also 520 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: anti land could be ghost robots. That's yeah, terrible. So 521 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:41,880 Speaker 1: next you have the once the dry motor gets going 522 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 1: and it starts moving the agitator. Uh. Once the agitator 523 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,440 Speaker 1: is done, it's done oscillating, which is that that rotating 524 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:49,399 Speaker 1: motion where it goes in one direction, stops goes in 525 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,600 Speaker 1: the other direction. Uh. That's what's actually moving the clothes 526 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 1: around getting them washed. Then you have the drain pump 527 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 1: pulling all that wastewater out from the tub of the 528 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:02,400 Speaker 1: washing machine and through the drain pipe. Uh. That's uh, 529 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: it's actually the same pump that circulates the water into 530 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: the tub during the wash cycle. UM. Thanks to the 531 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,800 Speaker 1: pump motor being reversible, it spins one way when you're 532 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: driving a wash cycle, and the opposite way when you're 533 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 1: draining the tub exactly. Yeah. And so after this, then 534 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: you've got the the those brakes that are on the 535 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:21,880 Speaker 1: inner drum that keep it from rotating while the agitator 536 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:25,560 Speaker 1: is moving, they release, and the inner drum begins to spin. 537 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: Uh And and that that removes the water from the clothes. 538 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:32,000 Speaker 1: It can It can spin a lot faster than the 539 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,840 Speaker 1: agitator does because the although the motor itself usually only 540 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,960 Speaker 1: has one speed, and that's the fast speed, a gear 541 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 1: reduction mechanism will translate the motion to to the gentle 542 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: agitators speed. It's kind of like a washing machine version 543 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 1: of a transmission Yeah. Yeah, because and and there's even 544 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 1: more than that involved, because hey, the pump and the 545 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: agitate spin mechanisms are both driven by the same motor. 546 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:59,560 Speaker 1: In some machines, there's in fact an actual transmission system 547 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,720 Speaker 1: with this automatic clutch that that spins free with the 548 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,680 Speaker 1: inner drum during the agitate spin cycles and then locks 549 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:08,480 Speaker 1: into the outer drum and the pump system during the 550 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 1: water related cycles. Um Or, alternately, the motor can hook 551 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 1: in via a pulley system, which I understand less well, 552 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:19,240 Speaker 1: and thus we'll not talk about essentially uses pulleys where 553 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: you have different sized disks to to translate the motion 554 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:27,440 Speaker 1: either as fast and and frantic or more you know, 555 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 1: kind of makes sense, makes sense. But yeah, so that's 556 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: when you've got all the counterweights draining away when when 557 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,840 Speaker 1: that thing is in spin, it's really there's some serious 558 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: g forces coming out of that spinning drum. So that's 559 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:44,479 Speaker 1: why you have to have those counterweights to keep that 560 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 1: washing machine from bursting out and killing your family. Frequently, 561 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:50,920 Speaker 1: they're made of concrete because why not. So if you've 562 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,160 Speaker 1: ever thought, oh, this machine is so heavy, yes, for 563 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: a reason. It's filled with concrete and crazy crazy mechanics. Um, 564 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: if anything goes wrong during this entire process, there's usually 565 00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: an overflow port that will pipe water directly out onto 566 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: your floor. Yes, that was not a design flaw. It 567 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:08,360 Speaker 1: was intentional because if it goes up over the sides 568 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 1: of the inner tubs, um, it could get those electronics 569 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:14,240 Speaker 1: wet and then we're right back to that old bolting 570 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,320 Speaker 1: the motor directly to the side of the washing Yeah. 571 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:21,719 Speaker 1: Bad times. So we talked about how that that uh, 572 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:26,000 Speaker 1: that special uh leads team gut one that would wash 573 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,160 Speaker 1: a load of clothing with one cup of water, and 574 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 1: we talked about how that was less than two percent 575 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: of what your average washing machine is able to do. 576 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 1: So top loading washing machines, if you're using a high 577 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: efficient top loading washing machine, we're talking one that is 578 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:43,920 Speaker 1: as efficient as they come. You're talking still talking about 579 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 1: using around twenty gallons of water per washing. A typical 580 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:52,680 Speaker 1: non high efficiency top loading washer is closer to forty 581 00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:56,040 Speaker 1: gallons a k A hundred and fifty one leaders and 582 00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:58,959 Speaker 1: older ones are even thirstier than that. Some use as 583 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:04,080 Speaker 1: many as five gallons eight liters of water sou And again, 584 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 1: you know, we talked about how this technology doesn't necessarily 585 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:10,480 Speaker 1: develop that quickly, and that there's not a pressing need 586 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 1: necessarily to upgrade because these are expensive purchases for most people. 587 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:16,960 Speaker 1: It's one of those things where you're like, unless it 588 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: breaks down, we're keeping this going as long as we 589 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 1: can keep it. Oh yeah, and they're they're they're even 590 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:23,520 Speaker 1: expensive enough. I mean plenty, plenty of households do not 591 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: own their own washer drivers. Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, I 592 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 1: mean it was it was quite some time before I 593 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,080 Speaker 1: had my own. I often was doing one of those people. 594 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,680 Speaker 1: I had to go to the laundromat pretty recent for me. 595 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 1: So so so yeah, if you if you end up 596 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:38,280 Speaker 1: having one of these things, then it can be it 597 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 1: can be tough to make the move to say, let's 598 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:43,200 Speaker 1: go to something that conserves more water. But the nice 599 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:46,760 Speaker 1: thing is that even if you take the environmentally friendly 600 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:49,800 Speaker 1: stuff and you say that I can't consider that because 601 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:54,200 Speaker 1: it's it's my price range, if you look at the 602 00:31:54,320 --> 00:31:57,320 Speaker 1: long term, and I'm I'm talking like a few years here, 603 00:31:57,800 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 1: you can save more money with one of the more 604 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 1: EFFICI ship machines just from the water and energy use. Yeah, 605 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 1: because front loading machines and these high efficient machines, the 606 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 1: high efficient top loaders use less water and less energy 607 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:16,880 Speaker 1: and therefore the ongoing expense decreases. Uh. It's it's lower 608 00:32:17,120 --> 00:32:19,880 Speaker 1: than what you would use for a traditional top loader, 609 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:21,880 Speaker 1: and you will save money in the long run. But 610 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 1: that's the long run. Not everybody has. So let's talk 611 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 1: about front loading machines. They're pretty similar. I mean, obviously 612 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:31,280 Speaker 1: you've got a door that opens in the front as 613 00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:33,760 Speaker 1: opposed to on the top. Uh, and there's a spinning 614 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:36,880 Speaker 1: drum inside them, and there's no agitator so the drum 615 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 1: does all the agitating on its own. You have water 616 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:43,760 Speaker 1: coming in along with soap. In fact, the early process 617 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 1: is identical to top loading. The water comes in through 618 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,760 Speaker 1: intake valves. It may move over a heating element, it 619 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,840 Speaker 1: might not. Uh, it actually comes in through the drum. 620 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:56,320 Speaker 1: The drum, the inner drum has holes in it that 621 00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: allow the water to pass through, rather than a spout 622 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 1: at the top of the machine, which it's flat mess exactly. Uh. 623 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:05,040 Speaker 1: There's also an outer drum, just like with the top 624 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:07,080 Speaker 1: lottery of the inner drum. That's where all the clothes 625 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 1: are and that's where the water comes through. The outer 626 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,400 Speaker 1: drum is again watertight, all else to just be a 627 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:15,480 Speaker 1: big mess um. And then the the inner drum will 628 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 1: spin one way and then the other will have this 629 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: oscillating motion, very much like an agitator, and that's doing 630 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,720 Speaker 1: all the agitating for your clothing. Again, you have to 631 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,440 Speaker 1: have counterweights on the drum, the outer drum itself in 632 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 1: order to stabilize it, and there's some counterweights also in 633 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:31,960 Speaker 1: other parts of the washer to make sure it doesn't 634 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:36,040 Speaker 1: go walking. Um. Now, once the water comes in, a 635 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,360 Speaker 1: lot of these front loaders have a detergent drawer. You 636 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:41,680 Speaker 1: put the detergent inside the drawer and then you close it. 637 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 1: When the water comes in, it'll actually flow through that 638 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 1: drawer first and then pull that all the soap and 639 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:51,960 Speaker 1: stuff into the inner drum itself. So it's you know, 640 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,160 Speaker 1: this is one where you don't put the soap in 641 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:56,080 Speaker 1: after you put in the clothing. You put it in 642 00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:57,560 Speaker 1: on the drawer, and then you close the drawer and 643 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:00,800 Speaker 1: then you start the washer. Uh, presonably put the clothes 644 00:34:00,800 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: in there already, Otherwise I would hope at some point 645 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: you would put the clothing, because otherwise you just have 646 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 1: soapy water. It's fun to watch. I get bored and not. 647 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:12,600 Speaker 1: Netflix doesn't always have something I want to watch. So anyway, again, 648 00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:14,600 Speaker 1: you have the hot and cold water, You've got the 649 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,040 Speaker 1: you know, the same store stuff as top loader. It's 650 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:19,400 Speaker 1: got a water level sensor just like the top loader does, 651 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:21,759 Speaker 1: so it knows when to shut it off. That basically 652 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:25,520 Speaker 1: is taking its cues from either whatever setting you've said, 653 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:27,440 Speaker 1: like whether it's a light load, a moderate load, or 654 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:30,239 Speaker 1: a heavy load, or some of them can actually detect 655 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:32,839 Speaker 1: how many, how how much clothing is in there based 656 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:35,719 Speaker 1: on weight or other parts of the water sensor and 657 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 1: we'll just shut off automatically. So it's ridiculous. Yeah. It's 658 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:41,439 Speaker 1: also you can put in more clothing in a front 659 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:43,840 Speaker 1: loader than you can of a comparable size of a 660 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:46,839 Speaker 1: top loader because there's no agitator there, so so you've 661 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:48,920 Speaker 1: got more space, right, so you might be able to 662 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,319 Speaker 1: put in a few pounds of clothing more than you 663 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:54,160 Speaker 1: could with a top loader, so fewer loads of laundry. 664 00:34:54,160 --> 00:34:56,960 Speaker 1: It's another way of being more efficient. Yep. So then 665 00:34:57,320 --> 00:34:59,839 Speaker 1: you've got a motor that's bolted to the tub. It's 666 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:02,240 Speaker 1: been acting as another counterweight just with the top loader, 667 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:06,320 Speaker 1: and it's job is to turn that drum, to turn it, uh, 668 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:08,799 Speaker 1: you know, make it oscillate, and then also to spin 669 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,759 Speaker 1: it when it gets to the spin cycle that you 670 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:14,239 Speaker 1: know it's already drained the water. There's also a drain pump, 671 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:16,799 Speaker 1: just like with a top loader, and then the whole 672 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:21,359 Speaker 1: drum spins wicked fast until it pulls most of that 673 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 1: water out. So the brains of it is a control module. 674 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,719 Speaker 1: This is the same for both machines top loaders and frontloaders, 675 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: and it usually will be send signals to all sorts 676 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:37,800 Speaker 1: of stuff like when to allow one phase of the 677 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:40,640 Speaker 1: the washing process to go to the next. It also 678 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:45,040 Speaker 1: will maintain information about the door because unlike a top loader, 679 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: which often you can open the door while the top 680 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:52,960 Speaker 1: loader is working and it will continue working. Depends different stuff. Yeah, 681 00:35:52,960 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: I had an old one at my my parents had 682 00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:57,879 Speaker 1: an old one where if you opened it in the middle, 683 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,080 Speaker 1: it was just going away. So you can still you 684 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,080 Speaker 1: could add more stuff to it. In fact, in some 685 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,040 Speaker 1: cases that you had to manually add in, like if 686 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:06,799 Speaker 1: you want to put in fabric softener, you had to 687 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:09,480 Speaker 1: wait for it. It was not fully automated. You had 688 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:10,799 Speaker 1: to wait for the right time and then pour it 689 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:15,080 Speaker 1: in manually. Um frontloaders are different. They have a locking 690 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,839 Speaker 1: mechanism and it's good. Yeah. Yeah, And it's only if 691 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,320 Speaker 1: that mechanism has since that the door has actually closed 692 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:22,960 Speaker 1: it will allow it to start. Otherwise you could end 693 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:25,319 Speaker 1: up with lots of leaking. Yeah, I know that that 694 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:29,200 Speaker 1: sounds much messire potentially. Yeah. Granted, if the sensor is 695 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:31,879 Speaker 1: not working, then it may think it's closed when it's 696 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,160 Speaker 1: not really closed, and then you get water everywhere. But 697 00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:36,920 Speaker 1: assuming everything is working correctly, you should be fine. In 698 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 1: any case, it's slightly less water than you would be 699 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 1: using for a top loader generally. Yeah, yeah, it's normally 700 00:36:42,719 --> 00:36:45,960 Speaker 1: somewhere around the twenty gallon or seventy six liter amount. 701 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:49,200 Speaker 1: So that's the same as that high efficiency top loader. Uh. 702 00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:51,720 Speaker 1: And it tends to use less energy, So it tends 703 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:56,359 Speaker 1: to be both more energy efficient and water efficient. And 704 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:58,799 Speaker 1: you can find some that are even more efficient than that, 705 00:36:58,840 --> 00:37:01,160 Speaker 1: and it all depends upon things. Is like the angle 706 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:04,960 Speaker 1: of the drums. Some of them are not angled directly horizontal. 707 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:06,799 Speaker 1: Some of them are angled so that they're kind of 708 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: like there's a deep end and a and a shallow 709 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:10,799 Speaker 1: end in a way from when you're looking at it 710 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:13,839 Speaker 1: in the front, it's like tilted downward a little bit. Uh. 711 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:15,799 Speaker 1: And some of them are just it's based upon how 712 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:18,359 Speaker 1: the water comes in and how efficient it is. Uh. 713 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: You still see lots of of advances, Like whenever I 714 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:25,440 Speaker 1: go to C E S there's always some companies that 715 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 1: have like the cutting edge washer dryers, and they talk 716 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:32,840 Speaker 1: about how their technology has has improved to the point 717 00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:35,160 Speaker 1: where you're you're using less water than ever and less 718 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,600 Speaker 1: in electricity than ever. So we're still seeing those advances, 719 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:41,000 Speaker 1: and of course we're also seeing this come into the 720 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:44,640 Speaker 1: Internet of Things side, you know, you get push notifications 721 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:47,080 Speaker 1: when your laundry is done, or you'll be able to 722 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:50,879 Speaker 1: have it work in tandem with other electronics in your 723 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:54,960 Speaker 1: home for reasons I don't fully understand. I mean, honestly, 724 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:57,920 Speaker 1: if I if I could just get my dryer to 725 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:01,399 Speaker 1: dry my clothes without me haveing to run back up 726 00:38:01,480 --> 00:38:05,000 Speaker 1: the three flights of stairs to where my laundry room 727 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:07,560 Speaker 1: in my house is. And I'm not I'm complaining here. 728 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:08,719 Speaker 1: I know that a lot of people have it a 729 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:11,000 Speaker 1: lot harder, and I'm overall really glad that I don't 730 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:13,920 Speaker 1: have to do this in a river. Yeah. By the way, 731 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:17,840 Speaker 1: if if someone does covet you a little bit about 732 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,440 Speaker 1: about having to take a little extra effort, that does 733 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,719 Speaker 1: not automatically mean that person feels that they are in 734 00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:25,960 Speaker 1: a worse position than anyone else on the Facebook planet. 735 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:28,760 Speaker 1: So let's all just accept that. So I just because 736 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 1: some people on the internet, uh do feel that way 737 00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:33,600 Speaker 1: that they are in a worse position than anyone else 738 00:38:33,600 --> 00:38:35,360 Speaker 1: on the planet, let's not let's not make the assumption 739 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:38,000 Speaker 1: that everyone isn't dead, because once in a blue moon, 740 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:40,799 Speaker 1: I do complain about things, but I do so with 741 00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:45,080 Speaker 1: the full knowledge that yes, indeed, I inhabit a very 742 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:50,879 Speaker 1: privileged position in multiple ways. So at any rate as 743 00:38:50,880 --> 00:38:53,120 Speaker 1: someone who does the laundry in my home and our 744 00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:56,440 Speaker 1: our laundry machines are not on the same floor as 745 00:38:56,960 --> 00:39:00,239 Speaker 1: our bedroom, which means that there's lots of hauling up 746 00:39:00,239 --> 00:39:04,880 Speaker 1: and downstairs. I also feel that I want my electronics 747 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:07,440 Speaker 1: to be interconnected so that when I go to cook something, 748 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:11,279 Speaker 1: it tells me, Hey, your cooking shirt is clean. You 749 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:12,839 Speaker 1: want to put that one on because that's the one 750 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:16,120 Speaker 1: You don't care if you get grease stains on it. Yes, slob, 751 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:18,560 Speaker 1: I would like it if it were more polite, but 752 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:21,640 Speaker 1: I don't have high expectations of my electronics in that regard. 753 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,160 Speaker 1: I hope you guys enjoyed that classic episode of text 754 00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:29,040 Speaker 1: Stuff how washing machines work from. If you have suggestions 755 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:31,400 Speaker 1: for topics I should cover in future episodes of tech 756 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:34,000 Speaker 1: Stuff that may know, the best way to do that 757 00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:37,239 Speaker 1: is to pop on over to Twitter and we use 758 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:40,480 Speaker 1: the handle tech stuff hsw over there. I'll tell to 759 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:48,360 Speaker 1: you again really soon. YEA. Text Stuff is an I 760 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:51,960 Speaker 1: Heart Radio production. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, 761 00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:55,480 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart radio, app, Apple podcasts, or wherever 762 00:39:55,560 --> 00:40:00,320 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. Two