How the Washing Machine Works
The two main types of washing machines are top loaders and front loaders. They have common characteristics which will be explained in this article.
Hundreds of holes in the tub, in which the clothes are put, allow the water to flow into an outer, solid tub. This design is used in most brands. Some top loaders have an agitator in the centre of the main tub, where front loaders use gravity and a spinning action to make the clothes tumble about.
The agitator that some top loading washing machines have, swivel clockwise and anticlockwise. This action plunges the laundry into the water. The load moves around the tub, from the top to the bottom and up again, so that the detergent reaches every fibre of the material.
The washing machine will have a motor that drives the agitator. In front loading machines, too, a motor will create the spinning movement that takes place during a cycle. A pump then removes the water from the tub into the drainage pipes and out.
When motors start, they can reach full speed in less than a second. This speed is too fast to handle for most washing machine components that the motor drives. An automatic clutch is used to break the start up and slow it down. The clutch is an operation of the driving belt that slips onto a pulley temporarily, which then tightens. Some washing machines use a clutch that resembles the one found in a car; a drum and pad mechanism.
A couple of washing machines function with a coupler that instantly connects to the transmission. This connection is possible without a belt. Between two plastic sprockets, the coupler sits inserted; a rubber disk of about 3,8cm in diameter, and 2,5cm in thickness. Some washer machines use belts to connect the pump or transmission to the motor. The belt is made of black rubber in the shape of a loop, ranging from 60 to 76cm in length. The belt is ideal in the sense that if the agitator or tub gets obstructed, the belt is more likely to give way, which will in turn save other components from stress that could break them.
The fill valve is where the hot and cold water enters the washing machine. It controls the entry of hot and cold water. The valve consists of three parts; a hot and a cold solenoid, and a mixing valve body. Some new designs only have a cold water inlet, and the washing machine heats up the water itself.
A modern washing machine is mainly digital in all its features and controls; making it simple to use. It has become more and more an appliance that most people cannot live without.