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julie_m · 7th Dec 2018, 1:03 am

Front loaders took over from twin-tubs because they are smaller and can be used in position, installed under a work surface, without having to move them in front of the sink. And being front-loaded, they don't need access from above. This is important when you have a kitchen barely 3m. by 2m., and a lot of British homes do have small kitchens. Also, there is less tending with a front-loader. You just fill the machine with dirty clothes, select the program, leave it and take out the clean, slightly damp clothes ready for air or tumble drying. It's even permanently connected to the supply and drain, so there is no need to swap the end of the fill hose onto the recirculating pump outlet to drain the wash tub before you transfer the clothes to the spin drier section.

Vertical drums used to allow faster spin speeds, with consequent better water removal (strictly speaking a spin drier works by pulling the clothes away from the water, which continues moving in its original straight line tangent to the drum) but front-loaders today routinely manage 1400 rpm or even more.

I last used a twin-tub washing machine back in 1993, while house- and cat-sitting for an elderly gentleman. It was kind of fun to use, and certainly would be an immense improvement over hand washing; but I knew I would be going back to my front-loader when my "client" returned home!

The present Montoya Mansions has a Miele front loader, which is just under two years old; its predecessor fell victim to the 2017 Chester Green Flood. Before that, I had an 8-year old Bosch, which had had just one replacement part: a new programme knob. It was still working, but was beginning to make noises that sounded horribly like bearing wear, and I had come into the money for the Miele. The Bosch wound up being given away to a friend whose washer had just packed up, and ran fine for at least another 3 years. Modern washing machines can be had inexpensively nowadays, but don't seem to last. I much prefer to "buy once, cry once" with tools, and a washing machine is a tool I use often.

7th Dec 2018, 1:03 am	#42
julie_m Dekatron Join Date: May 2008 Location: Derby, UK. Posts: 7,735	Re: Anyone still use a Twintub? Front loaders took over from twin-tubs because they are smaller and can be used in position, installed under a work surface, without having to move them in front of the sink. And being front-loaded, they don't need access from above. This is important when you have a kitchen barely 3m. by 2m., and a lot of British homes do have small kitchens. Also, there is less tending with a front-loader. You just fill the machine with dirty clothes, select the program, leave it and take out the clean, slightly damp clothes ready for air or tumble drying. It's even permanently connected to the supply and drain, so there is no need to swap the end of the fill hose onto the recirculating pump outlet to drain the wash tub before you transfer the clothes to the spin drier section. Vertical drums used to allow faster spin speeds, with consequent better water removal (strictly speaking a spin drier works by pulling the clothes away from the water, which continues moving in its original straight line tangent to the drum) but front-loaders today routinely manage 1400 rpm or even more. I last used a twin-tub washing machine back in 1993, while house- and cat-sitting for an elderly gentleman. It was kind of fun to use, and certainly would be an immense improvement over hand washing; but I knew I would be going back to my front-loader when my "client" returned home! The present Montoya Mansions has a Miele front loader, which is just under two years old; its predecessor fell victim to the 2017 Chester Green Flood. Before that, I had an 8-year old Bosch, which had had just one replacement part: a new programme knob. It was still working, but was beginning to make noises that sounded horribly like bearing wear, and I had come into the money for the Miele. The Bosch wound up being given away to a friend whose washer had just packed up, and ran fine for at least another 3 years. Modern washing machines can be had inexpensively nowadays, but don't seem to last. I much prefer to "buy once, cry once" with tools, and a washing machine is a tool I use often. __________________ If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments.