Say one is running multiple loads through the washer and dryer all in one day - a truly big quantity, 4 or 5 loads in one day. Are there components in the washer or dryer that get hot, or need some form of rest or cooling down in between cycles, or can one just run them all one after the other with no pause in between?
No pause. They won’t overheat.
As with anything mechanical it will wear out over time, it just happens. If you use it all the time, it will wear quicker than otherwise. The time in-between doesn’t matter, Dryers are built to tolerate the heat, rotation etc, just as washers are built to tolerate the agitation/spinning and water. Like I said, parts fail, and usually it’s connections and bearings that go first if its serious. Constant use won’t push them beyond their capability.
A washer/dryer designed for ‘normal’ domestic use, isn’t going to last very long if used at that rate. I would guess that ‘normal’ is one load per day or less, so your machine will likely fail fairly quickly because you are using a domestic machine in an industrial application.
Would you say a home machine used 4 times a day on a regular basis would end up failing after about the same number of total lifetime loads as another of the same model that was used once every two days? Or do you think its lifetime number of loads would be smaller due to extra wear?
My brother has five sons. “Normal domestic use” in their household is the dryer never stops, and the washer rests until the dryer finishes the last load. Otherwise, it’s pretty much going all day. They’ve never burned one out, although they do need a new set every ten years or so.
I have a Samsung that likes to do a self-cleaning cycle sometimes after a load is done; in that sense, it gives itself a break (but it’s not just lazing about eating bonbons).
And a dryer? Short of bursting into flames, I don’t think the word “overheat” can really apply. It’s a heating device. I’m pretty sure it’s designed for near-continuous duty cycle.
Do you have a cite for any of this? I would have thought that “normal domestic use” might involve a “laundry day” once a week or so, during which several loads of the family’s laundry are washed.
The typical drier cycle has a cool down period for the last 15 minutes or so anyway. The motor would stay hot but they are continuous duty rated. We use ours a lot and with heavy blankets at that. The wife is a germaphobe and covers the bedroom floor with layers of blankets when the grandkids are here, 4 days a week. She rotates them out every day or so.
Dennis
On the flip side of the coin, I have heard that very infrequent use of a washer can cause the seals to “dry up,” resulting in leaking.
Not many household seals require moisture to remain functional. Usually, polymer seals that people describe as “dried up” are oxidized, not literally dried up. If your drier is powered by gas, it’s possible for the spark ignition to create enough ozone to crack nearby polymer seals. However, there are lots of materials that are resistant to ozone cracking, so this is less of an issue than it used to be.
Without knowing which seals you’re talking about, it’s impossible to say what they’re made of. But good polymer seals tend to be made of things like Teflon, UHMW-PE and silicone. If you want a really good seal (say, for a pressure vessel that contains hydrogen) you’re using a deformable metal-on-metal seal. Your washing machine does’t use that kind of seal, of course.
Maybe not internally, but mine has one of those about one inch behind it where the flex gas line connects to the dryer. They’re not supposed to be re-used, but people do all the time and just go Magilla Gorilla on the wrench.
I believe “stress testing” equipment like this one of the things that organizations like Underwriters Labs do [https://www.ul.com]. Presumably if it has a UL approval seal it has been tested safe. This is also done by other organizations like the CSA in Canada [https://www.csagroup.org]
They push equipment beyond what an average consumer or business might do to see if there is a danger to the public of catching fire or a failure that might cause harm (like the motor blowing apart injuring you).
I don’t believe they test “quality” i.e.: they don’t check if the increased load frequency would cause premature wearing out of components.
In my case, I might not use them at all for a couple of weeks, then do 3-4 loads that day, then they could go another week or two before being used again.
This use is the equivalent of 1 load every 3-4 days. So people are saying that either of these usage patterns is the same, it’s the total loads washed/dried that affects the lifetime of the machine?
I’ve heard (maybe from Consumer Reports?) that doing multiple loads back to back will use less energy, since the dryer is already warm and doesn’t need to heat up again.