I guess it depends on where you live in Georgia. We live in the far SE corner. No zoning restrictions here. Anything goes. We had our washer outside for years because the previous owner said it leaked. I felt like a total redneck. But it was closer to the clothes line and I didn't have to carry the laundry down the steps. We may live crudely but we enjoy it and I feel closer to God living this way.

[Information first posted in the Appliances Forum by Alice (Alice_61) on 13 October 2002 - thanks, Alice!]: ------------------------------ Most front loading washing machines include an internal water heater, for good reason. It has many advantages: 1. A front loading washer uses much less water (~5 gallons) for wash portion of the cycle than a conventional top loader (~20 gallons). Consequently, heat loss in the pipes and by conduction to the washing machine become a larger fraction of the total heat available in this smaller amount of water. For instance, with a water heater set to 117F and the hot wash setting for the unheated FriGEmore [see FAQ article, "What is a FriGEmore ??"], the wash water after filling is 95F. With a water heater set to 110F, the wash water is 85F. Wash times in front loaders tend to be longer, which also increases heat loss. A clothes washer with an internal heater allows one to keep the water heater set at a safe and economical temperature (under 120F) without scald protectors and still have sufficiently hot water for thorough cleaning. 2. An internal water heater allows the washer to do a profile wash. The washer fills with cold water and then heats it as the wash tumbles. This gradual raising of the temperature allows protein stains to be removed at a low temperature, avoiding setting by higher heat. Then as the water continues to warm, detergent enzymes work at their optimal temperature and color safe bleach becomes more effective. At high tempertures, odors and oily stains are most completely removed. 3. Front loaders with internal heaters allow a maximum temperature of 130-205F (figures for Neptune and Asko respectively). These high temperatures are very effective at removing tough stains and whitening laundry without chlorine bleach. 4. Detergent is more effective at a higher temperature. The use of sufficient heat reduces the quantity of detergent needed. This reduces detergent cost and also reduces the amount of detergent that needs to be removed from the laundry during the rinse cycles. This will reduce the final amount of detergent residue in the laundry. 5. Soaking is also very effective and economical with an internal heater. The laundry can be allowed to soak or stand for an extended period, then the soak water can be heated for the main wash, if desired. 6. It can eliminate the heat loss in the hot water pipe to the washer. It also can reduce the water heater burden (although the much smaller volume of water used by a front loader makes this much less of an issue than with a top loader). ------------------------------ [first added to Appliances FAQ: 21 October 2002] [added to Laundry FAQ: 21 May 2003]

In an "HE" clothes washer (e.g. a frontloader or a Calypso), it's important to use a low-sudsing detergent for optimum cleaning results. Excessive amounts of suds can hamper the wash action (by cushioning the clothes as they fall), and in extreme cases can even be harmful to the machine itself (by overflowing the drum and getting into mechanical and electronic parts). Many laundry detergents today carry the actual "HE" label, or are otherwise indicated for use with frontload washers. Depending on one's local water hardness and degree of soiling in the washload, it's often possible to use carefully measured amounts of "regular" laundry detergents as well. The most important factor is generally that the formulation be reasonably low-sudsing. To determine the sudsing level of a given detergent, here's a sample test procedure... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Originally posted in the Appliances Forum by Rich (spambdamn_rich), on 28 January 2002 in the "(AKA) Best Laundry Detergent Part 4" thread - many thanks, Rich!]: Here's a simple test one can do before putting a detergent of unknown sudsing potential into their front loader. It may help avoid a "suds lock" or other messy disaster. It will also give you an objective and scientific way of comparing various detergents for their suitability for front loader washing: 1) Get a nice glass or clear plastic jar with a tight fitting lid. A clean pickle jar does nicely for me. 2) Add a set amount of the detergent sample to the jar. I suggest maybe 1/4 teaspoon. Fill jar no more than 1/2 full with 1 or 2 cups of hot tap water - the hottest your tap will produce. 3) Put lid on jar and tighten. Shake jar for about 10 seconds vigorously. Set on counter and measure the suds level, in inches. 4) Do the same thing with HE detergents and "unknown" regular detergents. Use the sudsing level of the HE detergent as the benchmark. If you get too much sudsing with the HE detergent, you may have to reduce the amount added in step #2. In this case you may need to do a 2-step dilution: add a set amount (like 1/4 teaspoon) to a cup of water. Mix, and then add a set amount of that solution to the pickle jar with the hot water (maybe 1 oz. of the diluted detergent to the hot water in the shaking jar). 5) Keep a record of your results. It's very easy to forget which did what a week, month, or for me, even minutes later. 6) Be consistent! 7) This method should eliminate guesswork, and the variability of your water hardness and water heater temperature. If you also have data on the hardness of your tap water, that would be helpful to others you want to share your data with. Otherwise, listing your results with a known HE detergent, like Tide or Sears HE powder, will help calibrate your system and interpret your results. 8) Have fun! P.S. I used a system like that about a year ago to check out Cheer powder. I rejected it as being way too sudsy for use in a front loader. I also rejected Ariel and Foca detergents for similar reasons. ----- I re-ran some of my tests, albeit with different equipment. Here is a summary of results. Technique: 1 cup of 140F tap water, about 5 grains hardness, in a 24 oz. clean Gray Poupon jar, with 1/4 tsp of various powdered detergents. Here they are with suds level and notes: Detergent...........Suds Level ---------------------------------------- Sears HE............1 inch suds Sears HE:STPP 2:1...1/2 inch Tide HE.............3 inches, quickly subsiding to 1 All HE..............2 inches Ariel...............4+ inches (to top of jar) Foca................4+ inches (to top of jar and beyond) Cheer...............4+ inches (top of jar with force) Deluxe..............4+ inches Supreme.............1 and 1/2 inches (notes: The Deluxe detergent is a highly phosphated custom detergent sold by a local chemical warehouse. The Supreme detergent is a phosphated low sudsing detergent sold by a local Cash & Carry restaurant supply house. Its recommended amount is 1 oz. per 10 lb. load in front loaders) Based on these results, I'm going to try using the Supreme phosphated product in the Neptune. Since its recommended amount for a 10 lb. load in a front loader is only 1 oz., 1/2 the amount recommended for Sears HE, it should have comparable sudsing characteristics plus the benefit of phosphates. I would not recommend Cheer, Ariel, Foca, or the Deluxe products for use in front loaders. Although the All HE is relatively low sudsing, the recommended amount is 1/4 cup, and I noticed that even at that amount, the wash water was not slippery and the cleaning results were poor. Your results may vary. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- --Tom. [first added to Appliances FAQ: 5 October 2002] [moved to Laundry Room FAQ: 28 December 2004] [last edited: 28 December 2004]

"FriGEmore" is a nickname used in the Laundry Room Forum to refer to the family of frontload washers produced by Electrolux, which are sold under the Frigidaire, GE, Kenmore, Gibson, Imperial, and White-Westinghouse labels. The washers are all very similar in basic design and function, with the main improvements on the higher-end models being faster spin speeds (at the time of this writing, FriGEmores are available with a final spin of 850 to 1050 rpm) and some added cycle options. They don't have internal heaters as do other more advanced frontloaders, and have relatively short cycle times. As of late 2002, they've been on the market for over five years, and are one of the most popular "HE" washers. As the typical street prices are significantly lower than most other frontloaders in North America, they arguably offer the most "bang for the buck" of any HE washer (at least in the American/Canadian markets - Euro washer pricing in Europe is, not surprisingly, lower than on the other side of the pond!). [Note - as of the time of this re-posting (moving from the Appliances FAQ to the Laundry Room FAQ on 28 December 2004), things have changed somewhat in the world of FL/HE washers. For one thing, the venerable Frigmore now has some stiff competition in the price/performance department from the likes of Danby, currently one of the more popular Forum washer choices. When I have more time early next year, I will revise this article accordingly... and, of course, look for additional overviews and evaluations of various FL and TL machines!] --Tom. ------------------------------ [first added to Appliances FAQ: 4 October 2002] [moved to Laundry Room FAQ: 28 December 2004] [last edited: 28 December 2004]