GB954037A - Improvements relating to washing machines - Google Patents

Abstract

954,037. Washing machines. HOOVER Ltd. Sept. 13, 1961 [Sept.21, 1960], No. 32510/60. Heading D1A. In a washing machine, control means comprising an electric circuit (Fig. 2, not shown) are arranged to open a cold filling valve 17 to partly fill a container 12 with cold water, then to close that valve and open a hot filling valve 18 to admit hot water to the container until it is full unless a predetermined water temperature is first reached in the container, in which case the valve 18 is closed and the valve 17 is re-opened by the control means to complete the filling of the container with cold water. During addition of hot water a drum 11 is slowly rotated to agitate the water in the container. The water is heated by an electric heater 35, controlled by a thermostat 36, if the predetermined temperature is not reached during the filling operations. Valves 17, 18 are operated by solenoids and connected to a cold water supply 19 and a hot water supply 20, respectively, and are also connected to the container by a common pipe 23. Level responsive switches 30, 31 are connected to the common pipe by pipes 32, 33, and are arranged to operate when the container is full and partly full, respectively. The drum is fitted with an impeller 13, both of them being driven by a motor (not shown); and the drum may be driven at high speed for spin drying. In the electric circuit (Fig. 2, not shown), a series of manually operated and cam operated contacts are arranged to complete circuits through which the valves 17, 18, the motor and the heater 35 are controlled by the level responsive switches and the thermostat 36. The cam operated contacts are controlled by a stepper device which advances a cam through steps or angles when certain contacts in the system close at the end of each operation in the machine. Filling the container in the above manner, or filling the container with hot or cold water only, may be selected by means of the manually operated contacts. When filling with hot water only is chosen, one of two additional sets of contacts in the thermostat may be selected to heat the water to 60‹C., or 80‹C., when the container is full. Specification 877,429 is referred to.