What is an "HE" washer?

Question

I read references to an HE washer. Will someone please tell me what it is. I have a regular washing machine, with different water levels, water temperatures, agitator settings, etc...Thank you.

Answer 1

"High Efficiency". Note that this claim is based on water consumption per load, rather than quantity of dirt removed per load or any other pertinent measure.

Water is the Universal Solvent. Think of what the Colorado River, after making the Grand Canyon, could do for the skidmarks in your underpants. Basic high school chemistry teaches that a washing machine operates using water to clean clothing; agitation, heat and detergent merely enhance the process.

I am, based on an engineering degree paid for by repairing major appliances, an outspoken critic of "water efficient" front-load washing machines. See one of my previous responses:

No matter what the marketing department may have told you, washing machines DO NOT remove dirt by agitation, they DO NOT remove dirt by soap, and they DO NOT remove dirt by cute little silver tablets. They remove dirt by water, the Universal Solvent. Think of what the Colorado River could do to the skidmarks in your underpants.

Now, if a certain pollutant (the oil from perspiration, for example) has accumulated in your laundry to the point where it exceeds the solubility product (known as Ksp in chemistry circles) of the quantity of water in the washing machine, no more dirt will dissolve. Just like putting too much sugar in a cup of coffee, it won't drain away when you guzzle the cup... or when the washer does its drain cycle.

A basic recollection of high school chemistry should adequately refute any suggestion that these things work as well as top-loaders.

Want to prove it? Take your smelly laundry to a laundromat with top-loaders, wash it, and see if it smells better. I'll put money on it.

Sure, front-loaders have been popular in Europe for an eternity, but think about the other electromechanical things popular in Europe: flickering TV sets, Peugeot cars, line voltage with a double chance of electrocution, tankless water heaters to ensure lukewarm showers, etc. Front-load washers are marketing hot air, sold to consumers as an "environmentally friendly" way to push higher-margin machines.

Other silly things about front-loaders:
-Which do you trust to contain the water and thus prevent a flood, gravity or a cute little rubber seal? Especially when that rubber seal gets worn down every time you drag the rivets in a pair of wet Levis across it? (Wanna try it and simulate ten years of use in ten seconds? Cut up an old pair of Levis, sew them together as a belt for your belt sander. Go to town. If there's no damage to the seal, I'll believe that long-term use won't damage a very labor-intensive, many-$$$-to-replace rubber seal. Now call your local appliance repairman and ask him the price to have that cute little rubber seal replaced.)
-It's bad enough I have to stoop to load/unload my dryer (which HAS to be front load for the clothes to tumble); do I really want to stoop to load/unload the washer as well?
-Front load washers have to be mechanically or electronically sophisticated in order to reverse the drum every 20 seconds or so. That extra sophistication means more parts, making more potential points of failure. Realistically, few consumers call the appliance repairman when the thing breaks down - they just buy a new one. Most top-loaders seem to last about 20 years, most front loaders seem to last about 10. Therefore, which one has the greatest environmental impact - more water to wash, or more coal to smelt the scrap metal twice as frequently?
-Front loaders take forever to wash clothes. No matter how long you stir that coffee cup with too much sugar in it, you will never get all the sugar to dissolve.

My advice: call a large Maytag dealer. Buy a used Maytag top-loader from before 1995, or buy a new Maytag top-loading laundromat machine, since this is a new washer which uses exactly the same parts as Maytag consumer washers did from 1950-1995. Their old consumer machines were known to last 30+ years in typical residential use, 10+ years in typical laundromat use. Sure, you might have to change a belt (and use a real Maytag belt!) every few years, but that's all. Their new consumer stuff is nowhere like that, top-load or front load.

If you're concerned about water savings, do what I did (with the 1954 Maytag washer I inherited from my grandparents, bought when they moved to Canada): use the washing machine water to refill your toilet:

http://www.glowingplate.com/ecology/

Answer 2

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As a landlord who owns several condos, this just means that the condo rules do not specifically prohibit the installation. If there are no "rough outs" then you would have to bear the cost to have these installed, which would mean opening the walls to run the electric service and modify the plumbing. And if there are "rough outs' they would be clearly visible since it is a violation of code to close electric junctions up inside the walls. and plumbing "rough outs" are short pipe that protrude from the wall. Since portable washers and dryers would be considered the same as regular machines, if there were a ban on W/Ds then these would be included. So, their statement would be true with no malice if the condo docs allow (or at least do not prohibit) W/Ds.

Answer 3

In the military, HE means High Explosive,

In the laundry it means

High Efficiency.

The claim is that the HE washers consume less water, therefore less heating for the wash water, as well as very high RPM final spin delivering a wash that is almost ready to iron, and cheaper to dry.

As to removing soil, that is chemistry, not engineering. Yes, water is the solvent, but the soaps are the release agents that get the dirt from the clothing and hold it in suspension in the water.

Euro style washes take up to 2 hours, and are almost silent. Compare that to a 20 minute cycle in your normal Maytag.

Diffrent strokes . . .

Answer 4

High capacity, tinted windows, high-definition controls and energy efficient performance… the new HE washer and dryer has innovations that are more analogous with new cars and consumer electronics, but they are the most sought after hybrid this year.

The HE = [High Efiiciency] washer has a high tech stain cycle, which is designed to remove stains without pre-treatment.

And while the washer is top-loading, there’s no agitator, so your clothes are gently handled, even in the spin cycle, which spins your clothes so fast they almost come out dry. The dryer has a raised drum, which makes it more comfortable to load and unload, and two motors for faster drying times and fewer wrinkles.

Answer 5

What Is An He Washer

Answer 6

High efficiency, like the Whirlpool Duet. They are usually (but not always) front-loaders. They use much less water than regular washers.

Answer 7

It stands for High Efficiency. They are designed to use less water and energy than conventional wahers.They have a higher -rpm spin cycle and a wash plate instead of the regular agitator.

Answer 8

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is an "HE" washer?
I read references to an HE washer. Will someone please tell me what it is. I have a regular washing machine, with different water levels, water temperatures, agitator settings, etc...Thank you.

Answer 9

I just replace a maytag of 25 years with a maytag HE. and almost **** when I saw the almost nonexistent water it used on a full load! Will my clothes get clean???

Answer 10

HE is High Efficientcy the consume less water and less electricity, althought not all the kinks have been worked out(seeing as they are a new product) they are still a goo investment.