'Freshwater rinse' option--as opposed to what?

13 years ago

We're buying a new washer after 19 years with a not-new-even-then Kenmore. Frontrunners: Frigidaire Affinity FAFW4011LB, or GE model WCVH 6800.

The Frigidaire Affinity FL has an option button for "Freshwater rinse"--as opposed to what?

The only interpretation I can think of is that if one doesn't choose that option, the rinsing is done with non-fresh water. Seriously?? I hope I'm wrong, but then what DOES it mean?

Comments (11)

livebetter
13 years ago
I don't understand these manufacturers! Why they can't make this information more user friendly.

This is what the manual says,

Freshwater Rinse
Use this option when additional rinsing is desired to remove excess dirt and detergent. It is recommended for heavily soiled loads or if household members have sensitive skin.

It sounds like merely an additional rinse which other manufacturers call "additional rinse".

Marketing people come up with these terms for sure. Count on them to complicate the uncomplicated to "differentiate" themselves.

Good luck with whatever you choose.
aunt_kate
Original Author
13 years ago
I'm thinking about going back and asking to sit down with copies of the respective manuals. There's always some surprise in there when one gets the purchase home.
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livebetter
13 years ago
No need to go to the store. Manuals are available on line.

Frigidaire Affinity FAFW4011LB
http://www.frigidaire.com/products/home-appliances/washers/fafw4011lb

GE model WCVH 6800
http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=WCVH6800JMS
vintage36
13 years ago
Could be water bypasses going thru the dispenser drawer when not using fabric softener or bleach. Avoids adding any leftovers into the rinse....
whirlpool_trainee
13 years ago
Just their marketing term for "Extra Rinse".
westvillager
13 years ago
Lol. I wondered if some machine circulated and filtered rinse water. Their term does convey a certain outdoor stream quality! Good imagery. Poor differentiation.
susanjn
13 years ago
As opposed to salt water, of course. ;)
lee676
13 years ago
The washing machine where I used to live drained the water into the nearby laundry tub, and the washer had a setting - i kid you not - that if selected, would slurp the used water from the tub and refill the machine with the soiled water. I never quite understood how that worked, or why you'd ever want to do that.
dadoes
13 years ago
Suds savers were to attract the economy-minded housewife accustomed to wringer washers. Most major brands offered suds savers in the 1960s and 1970s, and some into the 1980s+. Whirlpool had a suds saver model of their direct-drive machine. Suds saver machines typically had two drain hoses. The sudsy wash water went into a storage tub, rinse water went through the 2nd hose to the normal drain. Heavy soils/particulates settled to bottom of the saved wash water while waiting for the next load, then usually an inch or so of the saved water water was not pulled back into the machine and was drained away by pulling the laundry tub's stopper. Suds savers could be quite effective. By swapping the hoses, one could also save the cleaner (usually warm) rinse water for washing the next load.
lee676
13 years ago
Ah, now I get it.... it needs two laundry tubs to work. This house only had one tub though; no wonder I couldn't figure out how it worked. I had completely forgotten about the second drain hose. I rarely see houses with two laundry tubs anymore. Even one tub is becoming a rarity. And the washer drains into a wall drain, not the laundry tub.

If I had to use this feature, I'd rather swap hoses and reuse the warm rinse water (assuming I'd selected a warm rinse) for the upcoming wash cycle instead of reusing the grungy used wash water. I'm guessing the savings in electricity to heat the rinse water exceeds the cost of one dose of detergent.

Double thread drift time:

(1) Is a warm rinse advantageous? And if so, only after a warm wash, or was the hot wash/warm rinse combinition eliminated on recent machines solely as an energy-saving measure? And...

(2) One of my family members has a Kenmore (Whirlpool-built) HE4t washer from a few years ago with both a "second rinse" option and a "SkinCare rinse" option. The machine has a digital display that estimates time until finished, and both rinse options add exactly the same amount of time, I think it was 10 minutes. So what's the difference? (I seem to recall when these were new and frequently discussed here that two rinses was the default, and the "second rinse" option actually was adding a *third* rinse).
joe_in_philly
13 years ago
As far as your second question, you are correct that two rinses are the default. The first rinse would flush the bleach dispenser, and the second rinse would flush the fabric softener dispenser. The second rinse option would technically add a rinse between the two, so the final rinse would still dispense the fabric softener.

My understanding is that the skincare rinse would just use more water to rinse better, but not actually add a 4th rinse.