[M & C Window Cleaning]

Has any one tried using a washing machine heater to heat their water?

I removed a faulty one from our machine the other day and it occured to me how easy it was to replace. Other than the obvious but not impossible challenge of doing this so that the terminals are not left exposed, it seems to be a much easier way to fit an immersion heater to a plastic tank than trying to reach inside to fit the large 'nut' to the inner side of a regular immersion heater. All they rely on is a compression fitting. If it can withstand the rigors of a washing machine I would have thought it would work for us.

Most of them seem to be around 2Kw so I rekon they could work in a 250-500ltr tank.

[nathankaye]

It would be interesting to find out.
Not quite the same but a good while back, i think it was Smurf who was looking into hot tub heaters as another way to heat the water. The idea appeared sound apart from the logistics of adapting it.
If you get a spare tank n experiment, you'll have to let us all know

[Spruce]

Has any one tried using a washing machine heater to heat their water?

I removed a faulty one from our machine the other day and it occured to me how easy it was to replace. Other than the obvious but not impossible challenge of doing this so that the terminals are not left exposed, it seems to be a much easier way to fit an immersion heater to a plastic tank than trying to reach inside to fit the large 'nut' to the inner side of a regular immersion heater. All they rely on is a compression fitting. If it can withstand the rigors of a washing machine I would have thought it would work for us.

Most of them seem to be around 2Kw so I rekon they could work in a 250-500ltr tank.

How is the temperature of the water controlled? Doesn't a washing machine have a separate temperature sensor that relays temperature reading to the 'computer' electronics to regulate the water temperature to the settings set by the user, 30, 40 or 60 degrees?

Most elements have 3 connections, a postive input, negative output and an earth. Our Bosch washing machine has the sensor push into the element with a separate plug and wiring.

I'd hate to be the one trying to cut a perfectly shaped oval slot into the tank only to then discover that the sealing nut won't attach to the bolt as the tank wall is too thick.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

Has any one tried using a washing machine heater to heat their water?

I removed a faulty one from our machine the other day and it occured to me how easy it was to replace. Other than the obvious but not impossible challenge of doing this so that the terminals are not left exposed, it seems to be a much easier way to fit an immersion heater to a plastic tank than trying to reach inside to fit the large 'nut' to the inner side of a regular immersion heater. All they rely on is a compression fitting. If it can withstand the rigors of a washing machine I would have thought it would work for us.

Most of them seem to be around 2Kw so I rekon they could work in a 250-500ltr tank.

How is the temperature of the water controlled? Doesn't a washing machine have a separate temperature sensor that relays temperature reading to the 'computer' electronics to regulate the water temperature to the settings set by the user, 30, 40 or 60 degrees?

Most elements have 3 connections, a postive input, negative output and an earth. Our Bosch washing machine has the sensor push into the element with a separate plug and wiring.

I'd hate to be the one trying to cut a perfectly shaped oval slot into the tank only to then discover that the sealing nut won't attach to the bolt as the tank wall is too thick.

Know what you mean re cutting the hole spruce.  I wouldn’t want to mess up my perfectly good 400ltr tank.  Once cut though, it would be easy to fit another heater should it fail. 
What made me think about it was that the part of the drum on my washing machine that the heater fits into is plastic and is only about 4mm thick.  I was well surprised as I thought it would be more like 7-8mm. I could take measurements before refitting the new heater and then practice on some similar material.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

It would be interesting to find out.
Not quite the same but a good while back, i think it was Smurf who was looking into hot tub heaters as another way to heat the water. The idea appeared sound apart from the logistics of adapting it.
If you get a spare tank n experiment, you'll have to let us all know

If I do it I will definitely post the results, good or bad.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

This is my tank



If I were to go ahead with this, where would be the best place to locate an element?   I was wondering also, would the baffles interfere with heat distribution, especial the bit in between the two baffles?

[Dry Clean]

Heat always rises so you will get the best results if your element is at the bottom of the tank, heat is nothing more than stored
energy therefore the heat will rise to the top until the top can store no more and then work its way down, the baffles wont effect
this too much but you will get the same problem that you get with all stagnant heated water which will be a different temp from top to bottom.

[nathankaye]

I have a 500ltr upright wydale tank. My heater is 27inch long and i installed it near the bottom so the prongs (heat rod n thermostat) went underneath the baffled section.

When driving and due to the baffled section the water will mix and equalize the heat as its no longer stagnant water and will keep mixing when moving between jobs etc.

[Dry Clean]

I have a 500ltr upright wydale tank. My heater is 27inch long and i installed it near the bottom so the prongs (heat rod n thermostat) went underneath the baffled section.

When driving and due to the baffled section the water will mix and equalize the heat as its no longer stagnant water and will keep mixing when moving between jobs etc.

Nonsense, water slapping about on the top of the tank isn't mixing, you would at least need to half empty the tank before
driving is going to have any real  effect on this, even then the baffles would reduce any mixing.

[nathankaye]

So water isnt swaying too n forth at the bottom of the tank in transit is it not 

Im sure that would release energy still or heat in this case.  Or perhaps i shud do a vid showing the temp at the top of the water before driving and temp after its been shaken??  By the way, ive already done this as ive done it ever since heating the water in the tank so i know the results.

[Dry Clean]

So water isnt swaying too n forth at the bottom of the tank in transit is it not 

Im sure that would release energy still or heat in this case.  Or perhaps i shud do a vid showing the temp at the top of the water before driving and temp after its been shaken??  By the way, ive already done this as ive done it ever since heating the water in the tank so i know the results.

You know nothing, water needs room to move/mix the water at the top of the tank will slap about but the water at the bottom wont be moving, now stop talking nonsense this is basic science.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

My tank is static at the moment.  I transfer my water to barrels to use with a trolley.
I currently use a Ecotemp 5l to heat my water as I transfer it to 8x barrels which takes about 1hr 15mins for a temp of 45°.
By the time I get to the last barrel it's about 35°. This suits my needs.
However, I'd like to get away from using gas if I can.

I only work with hot for the two coldest months of the year at the moment and don't have problems working with cold the rest of the time.

[AuRavelling79]

Dry Clean wins the CIU "How to win friends and influence people" award grade 2

It's a lovely trophy and comprises a 7lb sledgehammer with wings, sprayed silver and mounted on a pine plinth. There are three grades - as follows.

Grade 3 aka The flying mallet - sprayed bronze
Grade 2 aka The airborne sledgehammer - sprayed silver
Grade 1 aka The Thor hammer special sprayed gold,

[Nameless Drudge]

I think the cold water will find it easier to slosh into the hot due to the different densities and this could keep happening  ad finitum until you have an even temp everywhere.

[Nameless Drudge]

So a tank full of cold stewed apple with hot custard on the top,take it for a ride

[AuRavelling79]

Put the immersion as low as possible without touching any plastic with the element.

Hot and cold water will soon mix. Convection will do it and this will be sped up by the vehicle sloshing around.

Apples and custard aren't relevant.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

Thanks all.

It was the baffles that had me baffled  .   I imagined an area of cold between the baffles.

[Simon Trapani]

Dry Clean wins the CIU "How to win friends and influence people" award grade 2

It's a lovely trophy and comprises a 7lb sledgehammer with wings, sprayed silver and mounted on a pine plinth. There are three grades - as follows.

Grade 3 aka The flying mallet - sprayed bronze
Grade 2 aka The airborne sledgehammer - sprayed silver
Grade 1 aka The Thor hammer special sprayed gold,

Quality post!

[Dry Clean]

Put the immersion as low as possible without touching any plastic with the element.

Hot and cold water will soon mix. Convection will do it and this will be sped up by the vehicle sloshing around.

Apples and custard aren't relevant.

Sloshing,  what are you storing your water in a cement mixer ? sorry but I really want that gold trophy. lol.

[Missing Link]

You know nothing, water needs room to move/mix the water at the top of the tank will slap about but the water at the bottom wont be moving, now stop talking nonsense this is basic science.

I reckon if you put a few drops of coloured dye into the top of your tank and went for a drive, the dye would mix all around the water and not just stay at the top.

The diurnal flux created from the kinetic energy of the van's movement would ensure this happened.

Basic science innit.