Solar Immersion and Hot Fill Washing Machine

silverwhistle

Holy thread resurrection Batman!

Yes, it certainly helps, as that time reduction quoted was accurate, even if there is a simultaneous intake of cold water. The advantage also of drawing off hot water is that the turbulence reduces stratification in the tank so that solar heating continues for longer than it might otherwise do, otherwise fooled by the thermostat in a hot layer.

DREKLY

So what's wrong with just connecting the input hose to the hot supply under the sink, instead of the cold supply ...?
That's exactly how I connected up my washing machine, and, as
Silverwhistle stated, I just run the hot tap, into empty (rum) bottles to draw off the initial cold water, until I sense the tap spout/rum bottle warming up !
I then turn the washing machine on, (and have another cuba libre)
This water is then used for filling the kettle.... many times !! 
I hasten to add, the bottles are the 1 & 3/4 litre variety, of which I have a few now  😎

paul991

so if you do it permanently you are rinsing with hot water ,a  bit of a waste .Best to buy or adapt to a dual fill machine,

QrizB

DREKLY said:

So what's wrong with just connecting the input hose to the hot supply under the sink, instead of the cold supply ...?

As above, rinsing with hot water when you should be using cold will mean using more energy. Possibly so much more that you'd be better off filling with cold, as the maker intended.

DREKLY said:

This water is then used for filling the kettle.... many times !! 

The hot water system is not generally intended for human consumption. PArticularly in older properties with open vented HW tanks, where the loft tank can collect various detritus - including, in my parents' old house, dead bats. The first you'd know of a dead bat in the loft tank would be bits of fur coming out of the tap ...

Reed_Richards

QrizB said:

The hot water system is not generally intended for human consumption. PArticularly in older properties with open vented HW tanks, where the loft tank can collect various detritus - including, in my parents' old house, dead bats. The first you'd know of a dead bat in the loft tank would be bits of fur coming out of the tap ...

More specifically, if you have an unvented cylinder then the hot water should be perfectly safe for human consumption.  If you have an unvented cylinder with a header tank in the loft, this will feed the hot water but possibly also all the cold water taps except one which comes directly off the rising main, usually sited in the kitchen.  If so, then both the hot water and the cold water from all but one tap is potentially subject to contamination.

michaels

With a battery it makes much more sense for us to export excess solar in the day at a 12p SEG and then fil the battery at 7.5p overnight than to try and use it ourselves (that said we do have an iBoost diverter that I have never bothered to turn off and our battery is on load match not import match during the day - I must do something about that)

And on topic, with a hot fil lnot only do you have the issue of having to get past the cold in the pipes, you then leave hot in the pipes which will cool which is definitely a waste when you don't have heating on and lastly we run our hot water pretty hot to maximise storage in our tank so when we did last have a hot fill machine it tended to damage the clothes that only wanted a warm wash.

EricMears

Reed_Richards said:

QrizB said:

The hot water system is not generally intended for human consumption. PArticularly in older properties with open vented HW tanks, where the loft tank can collect various detritus - including, in my parents' old house, dead bats. The first you'd know of a dead bat in the loft tank would be bits of fur coming out of the tap ...

More specifically, if you have an unvented cylinder then the hot water should be perfectly safe for human consumption.  If you have an unvented cylinder with a header tank in the loft, this will feed the hot water but possibly also all the cold water taps except one which comes directly off the rising main, usually sited in the kitchen.  If so, then both the hot water and the cold water from all but one tap is potentially subject to contamination.

Our 'Heatbank' only 'stores the heat' which is then extracted using a plate heat exchanger.  Hence anything coming out our taps is potable. 

DullGreyGuy

DREKLY said:

So what's wrong with just connecting the input hose to the hot supply under the sink, instead of the cold supply ...?
That's exactly how I connected up my washing machine, and, as
Silverwhistle stated, I just run the hot tap, into empty (rum) bottles to draw off the initial cold water, until I sense the tap spout/rum bottle warming up !

What temp is your hot water at?

Our machines have the capability of hot and cold feed but only give it cold. Out hot water tap would be above the normal 30C that washes run at so what does the machine do when it thinks its overshot the target temp? Draw more hot water in? 

Clearly works for you but not sure how it works for delicates/wool etc that needs to be washed at a cooler temp or if a more sophisticated machine may have a bit of a meltdown if its drawing what it thinks is cold water further raises the temperature. 

subjecttocontract

You can get a Y adaptor so that you can attach both cold & hot to the washing machine. That would have the effect of mixing both & result in warm water supply to the machine. 

QrizB

subjecttocontract said:

You can get a Y adaptor so that you can attach both cold & hot to the washing machine. That would have the effect of mixing both & result in warm water supply to the machine. 

Definitely not water bylaws compliant, though, unless it has non return valves fitted. And won't work at all for a conventional vented HW system.