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bradecho

Washing Machine Using Hot When Set to Cold

bradecho
10 years ago

I recently had a strange problem with my Kenmore front loader washing machine from 2006 after we had our hot water heater replaced. My wife did a load of laundry on Cold, and when she took them out the washer it had washed them on hot.

Before anyone says that the hoses on the washer were wrong, don't bother. The installer never even touched them (I was there) and the hotwater heater is installed correctly and the pipes aren't reversed.

The one anomaly was the hot water setting on the hot water heater. Installer set it to "A" which apparently has always been 120 degrees. However, after the installer and his boss came back and consulted the manual, the "Hot" setting on the water heaters thermostat is now 120 degrees and the 4 settings above it are all hotter.

In my case "A" (which is just above "Hot") was 144 degrees when checked with two different thermometers (the plumbers and mine).

When the heater was put on the "Hot" setting the water did cool down to 120 degrees.

Since changing the setting we have not had any problems with our washer. I'm just wondering if the extra hot water could have messed with the solenoids in the washing machine. An appliance tech I had out to check out the washer told me that even when set to cold wash / cold rinse that the front loader still inject a "small" amount of warm water into the soap dispenser to clean it out.

Hot water heater is an AO Smith 40 gallon with a Honeywell thermostat.

Just curious if anyone else ever heard of such a problem.

Comments (20)

  • dadoes
    10 years ago

    Regarding your appliance tech's comment ... it has nothing to directly to do with the detergent dispenser.

    The machine presumably has ATC (automatic temperature control), which uses a sensor in the incoming mixed water flow to monitor the temperature. It will turn the hot and/or cold valves on or off as needed to maintain an average target temperature point, even on the cold selection (unless you have a specific tap cold setting which does not use the sensor).

    Cold is typically targeted at between 65ðF and 70ðF.àColder wash temps don't dissolve and activate detergent (even liquid detergents must "dissolve"). Warm may be 90ðF to 105ðF. The specific temperatures are determined by the machine's engineering design and software revision on the control board.

    That being said, cold rinses are usually tap-cold, water flow only from the cold supply.

    Regards to whether the "extra hot water" could have damaged the washer ... surely not.

  • dadoes
    10 years ago

    I know you'll disagree on this being the cause, but ...

    It's possible the machine can electrically-reverse the hot and cold valves if it senses the supply hoses are wrong via inability to attain the target ATC temp or sensing hot water flow during (cold) rinse fills. I know for sure that some washers (Maytag Neptune TL, for example) can do that, but am not positive if your machine of question can do it. Takes one cycle for the swap to occur ... i.e. run a cold/cold cycle with the hoses wrong, the machine will figure out the problem and make the swap on the next run.

    I have anecdotal evidence (*one* incident of my personal experience) that a similar Whirlpool frontloader of 2006 vintage can do the swap, but I didn't experiment further to confirm it.

  • joe_in_philly
    10 years ago

    Are you sure the machine rinsed with hot water? Even if you wash with hot water, after two cold rinses, the clothing should be relatively cool.

    Did the load sit in the washer a bit after the cycle completed? The motor on my FL washer is below the wash tub. If I don't empty the washer right away, the heat from the motor can leave the load feeling warm.

  • whirlpool_trainee
    10 years ago

    Might have just been a Gremlin in the electronics.

    My Duet once filled and filled during the wash for no reason. I hit and pause and restarted the cycle only to see the washer drain the half full drum of water and continue to wash without ever heating - even though I had set it to 140F. Has not happened again. Gremlin. ;-)

    Alex

  • a2gemini
    10 years ago

    My friend's was installed with the hot and cold water reversed. She had been using it for months and didn't figure this out until we noticed it.

  • fayvoring
    9 years ago

    We have been having a similar problem. Whirlpool Cabrio about 5 years old, top loader. A month or so ago, we started having problems with water dripping from the soap dispenser after the final spin and getting the clothes wet again. I've limped along by turning the water off during the final spin so the clothes stay spun out. But the soap dispenser is full of water, so I tipped it up and drained it after the clothes were removed. NOW, there is warm/hot water being used, even when the setting is for a cold wash. And the water that remains in the soap dispenser is very warm. We've checked the cold/hot hoses, and they are installed correctly. Another interesting bit is that a few months ago, my husband turned the hot water heater up for the winter months, so now wonder if that is a factor as mentioned by another person. Any suggestions? Perhaps buy an old washing machine without all these fancy features that can get confused???

  • User
    9 years ago

    Probably a thermistor failure, sending the wrong signal to the control board. Relatively inexpensive to replace.

  • dadoes
    9 years ago

    fayvoring, water dripping in when it shouldn't is almost always caused by either the hot or cold inlet valve having gone bad. Your mention that the dripping stops when the supply faucets are turned off goes along with the problem ... of course the water can't run in if the faucets are off.

    Sounds like the hot valve is the one that's bad, regards to your info that the residual water in the dispenser is warm. Check this (when the machine is not running) by dumping the dispenser then turn on only the hot faucet (if you can do that). It's OK if you have a tandem faucet assembly that can't turn hot on separately ... turn them both back on. Either way, check the dispenser drawer after several minutes to see if water appears in it again.

    Replacing the machine's water valve assembly is a fairly simple fix that doesn't justify tossing out the entire machine any moreso than a flat tire calls for a new car. Your husband may be able to do it if he's a capable DIYer. There are numerous online sources to buy appliance parts (search by the model number of your machine), or he can find it at a local supplier.

  • Victoriasnanny Angels
    8 years ago

    I also have been having a problem with my Whirlpool Cabrio,it seems like for the oddest reason that I was doing a load of laundry and as usual used the cold/cold water to do it.The machine has 2 different cold cycles which is COLD/COLD ^^^^^and also Tap COLD/COLD ,also we had a technician come in to change the pump because of the water problem it messed up the computer cycles and that made the washer keep running even though it off.What we had to do was plug the washer in and turn off the breaker for the washer for a few minutes and eventually after doing that as well the cycles finally started getting back to normal but I still have the hot water closed.Biting my nails wondering if the cycle problem will happen again.Does anyone have a suggestion what I should do next time if so.As I said a technician did say everything inside is running well.

  • bright65
    8 years ago

    I have same problem with the hot and cold water!!!! I thought I was going nuts

  • jnlud
    8 years ago

    I have a Samsung top load washer that has "suddenly" been doing the same thing. I tried different wash load settings, all setting the control to COLD. In each case the washer fills & rinses with HOT water. I checked the hoses & screens and they're all OK. This washer does have a ATC. Is it more likely it's the ATC or could it be the fill valve?

  • dadoes
    8 years ago

    The hot and cold inlet valves are separate solenoids, the control board sends power separately to each one. If the hot valve is energizing when cold water should be running, then it's an electrical problem of some ilk. Control board, or temp sensor (thermistor), or maybe the inlet valve assembly IF the thermistor is part of the valve, or maybe a shorted wire for the hot va. You'd need to research parts diagrams for your model to identify the various components involved.

    You can confirm that hot water is running when it should be cold by turning your cold water supply OFF at the faucet. Run wash cycle set to (tap) cold, or a Rinse & Spin cycle (which should be only a cold fill). Assuming it goes to filling, quickly turn the hot faucet off and note if the incoming water flow stops.

  • Lance Carroll
    6 years ago

    So I have recently began to have an issue similar to these posted here. We just moved and I made sure the hoses we're hooked up properly when I reattached the water supply. Since the move though our washer only supplies hot water. If I turn off the hot water I get nothing. Any ideas?

  • Waynette Bailey
    6 years ago
    Lance Carroll_I have the same problem. I've ruled out, any problems with the faucet or hoses. I took the machine apart and replaced a dirty water inlet valve. I still have the problem, so it has to be the temperature control switch. My machine is a 26 year old Whirlpool. It shakes like crazy on spin cycle, so I know it needs new springs also. I'm sucking it up and looking for a new machine that I'll be lucky to get 7 years use out of. Btw_If you Google your issue. You'll find YouTube videos on the issue and how to repair. I'm a 53 year old female and fixed the agitator and water inlet valve on my washer and belt on my dryer, thanks to YouTube. Taking these things apart and replacing parts is easy as pie and should take less than 30 minutes! Good Luck!
  • Cindy Heidel
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Waynette Bailey , my washer is brand new. What might you surmise is the issue here? Love your name BTW!

  • HU-933330029
    2 years ago

    I had my water heater changed recently to a 40 gallon, now washing machine rinses only in cold, it wont run if hot water tap is closed, bottom line-techs never touched washer, but once heater installed, my washer only washes in cold water, and only rines in hot water, no matter tap sertings, but both taps must be open for machine to work regardless! water heater installed by HydroSolution! Graham, Verdun, Quebec!

  • dadoes
    2 years ago

    "HU-933330029: I had my water heater changed recently to a 40 gallon, now washing machine rinses only in cold,"

    and

    "HU-933330029: but once heater installed, my washer only washes in cold water, and only rines in hot water,"

    Your two statements are contrary.

    Changing a water heater can dislodge debris in the plumbing lines which can then get caught by the screens in the washer's water inlet valves and clog them, which impairs the water flow.

  • HU-933330029
    2 years ago

    Revised contrary statement! machine washes cold but need hot and cold tap on for machine to run, then rinse cycle, both hot and cold taps open but only hot water fills machine!

  • dadoes
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Trace the water supply hoses from back of the machine to the faucets, confirm they're connected in the correct orientation. If you're not sure, then confirm the temperature of the supply water coming from the faucets.

    - Turn both faucets off.

    - Disconnect the hoses from the machine.

    - Check the screens inside the machine's connection ports for debris while you have the hoses disconnected.

    - Run each supply hose into a bucket, or a sink if there's one within reach, to check which one feeds hot water and which one feeds cold.

    - Reconnect the hoses to the machine accordingly to which port is labeled Hot and which is Cold.