How high up should water appear in a front-loading washing machine?

Question

I noticed at the laundrymat that the water does not appear at the bottom of the window, it only rises just below - presumably filling a basin below that the perforated washer chamber / cylnder spins thru. I know that they've had a problem with patrons putting in too much soap and causing an overflow. I'm wondering if they are reducing the water level in the washer to combat that problem (and cut down on their costs for water and hot water - very cheap place)?

I used the laundrymat today and my clothes seem to be clean and free of soap (the rinse cycle is the same "low water" situation); so maybe the washer is not designed to have water at the height of the door?

Answer 1

Front loaders do not use as much water as top loaders. If it is High Efficiency it uses even less water. The water does not come up to the window.

Answer 2

Frosty is right about these machines using less water. The machine uses a combination of less water AND aggressive wash drum movement to clean your clothes. You can easily see that the drum moves much fast than conventional top loading washers. One other point, there is more water just under the drum on these machines. Don't try imagine the only water there is the water in the drum. There is a water reservoir below the drum. As for over-soaping, the problem is NOT as much a problem for the facility as it is for the customer. Too much soap leaves a residue in your clothes. Soap is like medicine: more isn't always better.

Answer 3

I have a front loader at home and I have never seen the water get up to the window. And, it works great. I swear, there's only about a gallon of water in the machine for the wash cycle. But, I think they have multiple rinse cycles.

Answer 4

It all depends on how much clothes you have in it, if the washer is loaded pretty full it will show less water if you only have a medium load in it you will see much more water if it was empty you should see water up 1\2 the glass.