"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Friday 23 August 2013

Eco gadget 2

The rainy weather has been very welcome in our neck of the woods.  Not much fell in July so the 150mm that has fallen in August has been very welcome. But - the overcast weather has once again played havoc with my blogging.  At best I have been able to read all your blogs via my phone, and sometimes the comments I have posted have gone through, and sometimes they haven't...

Ah, well, you can't win 'em all!

And - talking of winning, I am now a happy, smiley, laundry washer.  No longer do we have to start up the genny in order to run my power guzzling, 9 year old front loader, a Bosch washing machine - which consumed between 1500 and 2500watts / cycle depending on the programme and temperature I selected, and, on it's quickest programme, required 1 hour 20 minutes of genny noise, petrol expense and waiting time.

It frustrated the life out of me.  So I went online to do some research - at both LG and Samsung's websites.

My mission?  To find the lowest wattage automatic washing machine available in this country.

The result of a few hours of downloading .pdfs, comparing specifications and writing e-mails to suppliers in this country has resulted in the acquisition of a brand spanking new Samsung WA90G9 9kg top loader. A top loader means that I don't have to bend down so far to get the washing in or out of the machine - all good for a dicky back...

It was cheap too - only R2100.00 compared to the R3500 -> R4900.00 for other top or front loaders.
This is the Samsung WA90G9 top loader
washing machine that we recently purchased
It uses slightly more water than the Bosch did, but I have no problem with that as we have diverted the waste water outlet towards plants - so I view it as less gardening watering that I personally have to do.
 

Using the local Eco-Soft, an enviro-friendly, phosphate free, biodegradable washing powder, ensures that the plants won't be overcome with too many harmful chemicals.
The washing machine specifications
And - as you can see from the above photo - the electricity consumption is between 240 - 330 watts - at most!  Happy days!!  Our system can handle that, so no more genny...!
The photo's above and below give you a pretty good idea of what programmes the machine has.
Choosing which cycle is easy, and with this detailed information to help me the first time, it is now quick and easy - almost, but not quite - second nature.
We have only connected the cold water supply, so I always choose that setting.
On the quick cycle, mid water level, cold wash and rinse the time required to complete the programme is 32 minutes.  On the fuzzy cycle the time leaps up to 45 minutes LOL  AND, the entire machine switches itself off completely at the end of the selected cycle, so there is no ghost power draining our batteries.

A saving in time, and power / fuel / fuel cost - it's brilliant!

16 comments:

  1. Isn't it exciting when you find and acquire the right tool for the job - especially when it's a job that must be done frequently? Congratulations :)

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    1. Quinn - I - ahem - am not an average housewife anymore... I do not believe that the world is going to end if I don't do a load of washing every day - once or twice a week is my average LOL. But, finding a machine that can run on our (limited) solar power system is, to me, the best outcome.

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  2. That's an outstanding acquisition. We have a propane dryer and a regular washing machine, both Admiral brand. Since we only do maybe one load of wash a week they don't get much use. Your set up is more efficient because our waste water just goes out to the septic tank and then into the meadow.

    We've been having weather issues here too. I quit using satellite internet when they finally got DSL working on my telephone line, but while it's faster it isn't as reliable, at least not here.

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    1. Harry - You'd be surprised how much money can be saved by becoming aware of how much it is actually costing one to run each appliance...

      As far as your waste water is concerned - can you not divert your grey water (as opposed to the septic tank black water) to your garden thereby increasing the "usefulness" of that water?

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  3. That's quite a lower energy use! Good research. Hope it works well for many years.

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    1. Mrs Mac- Thanks. Samsung has a very good name here, so I'm hoping that this could be the last washing machine I will ever have to buy again... :) Hoping being the operative word.

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  4. Wonderful information and certainly worth looking into Dani! Just one question : What washing detergent do you use then? Doesn't the soap harm the plants and the soil?

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    1. Maree - Thanks. The cost of our electricity, world-wide, is never going to drop, so the less we "have" to use, the less we will have to empty our of our respective wallets :)

      The detergent I usse is eco Soft - as detailed above.

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  5. Always nice to find a great alternative. Congrats! Hope you have many good years of service.

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  6. Your attentive research sure paid off, Dani. What a great addition to your collection of low-energy LSDs (labor saving devices) that fit in to your lifestyle. Now, as for that 'dicky back' - how are things going in that department? Can you give us an update?

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    1. P.S. What is a 'fuzzy' cycle?

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    2. Kris - One of the best purchases I have ever made.

      The "dicky back" - the numbness in my left foot has worn off, the pain is bearable, so I figure that I am being given "breathing space". But, I have to admit that I lost confidence in the specialist I saw - I was having bad side effect to the extended course of anti-inflammatories I was on, and called him to tell him I was going to stop taking them. He was unavailable, so I left a message for him to call me back. It took him a WEEK to do so. Not a confidence-building reaction as far as I'm concerned.

      So - if, and when, my back "protests" again, I will be seeking the services of a specialist in Cape Town - a new specialist.

      A fuzzy logic cycle in a washing machine, is one where the it might determine the length of a cycle or the amount of water used by evaluating the load of laundry with in-built sensors.

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    3. I know what it's like to have initial confidence with a new doctor only to have it dashed later on. Good luck with the one in Cape Town.

      Oh, the LOGIC is fuzzy. I thought it was the clothes... 8-)

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  7. What an adorable washing machine ! The fact that it sips power rather than drinks it like water, is a plus ! LOL Great job, Dani.
    I hope your back is well again soon !

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    1. Jane - It''s a dinky little thing too - and deceptive. Given it's size, one wouldn't think it could take 9kgs :)

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.