Yet another washing machine problem - help urgently

belfast · Post by **belfast** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:38 pm

Hi everyone,

Just moved to finland, arriving with a washing machine from the UK (boy was it tough getting it into the overhead lockers on Finnair

)

Ok, the problem is that our washing machine has 2 hose pipes - 1 for cold water supply and 1 for hot water supply - but our apartment only has 1 connection for cold water supply!

Does anyone know if its possible to simply connect the hot water supply hose to some other hot water pipe in the bathroom (I've noticed the radiator pipes are quite close and even have a nut cap)

I don't want to flood the neighbours below - but our supplies of clean clothes are running out!

Help please

PS - do I have to get approval from the janitor??

**Sponsor:**

Kai · Post by **Kai** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:42 pm

No problem, just connect the cold water, the washing machine will heat the water, just takes a little longer without the hot water connected.

belfast · Post by **belfast** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:52 pm

Thanks Kai,

Unfortunately, that doesn't work - we tried that already

.

The washing machine is so 'energy efficient' it demands a warm water supply to save heating up from cold (its cheaper to heat up water whihc is already quite warm

)

Any other suggestions or are we doomed to hire a plumber?

Karhunkoski · Post by **Karhunkoski** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:57 pm

Connect the washing machine's hot pipe to the cold supply in the bathroom?

Karhunkoski · Post by **Karhunkoski** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:59 pm

Third option is of course to buy a Y-piece connector, so you can feed both washing machines' hot and cold form the cold supply...

mCowboy · Post by **mCowboy** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:14 pm

Karhunkoski wrote:Connect the washing machine's hot pipe to the cold supply in the bathroom?

Yup, use the the cold washing machine tap for cold water and normal tap for hot water. Usually the normal taps can be fitted with a quick release valve for this kind of use.

sinikala · Post by **sinikala** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:31 pm

belfast wrote:Hi everyone,

Just moved to finland, arriving with a washing machine from the UK (boy was it tough getting it into the overhead lockers on Finnair )

Ok, the problem is that our washing machine has 2 hose pipes - 1 for cold water supply and 1 for hot water supply - but our apartment only has 1 connection for cold water supply!

Does anyone know if its possible to simply connect the hot water supply hose to some other hot water pipe in the bathroom (I've noticed the radiator pipes are quite close and even have a nut cap)

I don't want to flood the neighbours below - but our supplies of clean clothes are running out!

Help please

PS - do I have to get approval from the janitor??

First things last. Any plumbing work needs to be done through your building company, not by you... if you balls up you may be personally liable.

Second... no, you can't use the radiator hot water, the water going through your radiators will be on a different circuit to your domestic hot water (the hot water in the tap / shower), and is likely to be dirty by comparison.

Third, it should be trivial for a plumber to install a T piece in the hot water pipe for example under your sink and put a valve and a connector on it to allow your washing machine to be hooked up to the hot water. Be warned though ....
- This sort of thing may not be totally covered by the building company and you may have to contribute to the cost of the plumber...
- There may be a bit of a wait for the plumber ... in my previous (1950's) flat there was no plumbing for a washing machine in the kitchen , it took a couple of weeks for them to sort it for us.

Finally... welcome to the dark ages.

Mattlill2000 · Post by **Mattlill2000** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:01 am

To me it sounds like you should give up on your washing machine and buy a new one. You can hook up a hot water lead to your washer with a Tjunction as mentioned by Sinikala and you should listen to his advice about liabilities. Plus the hot water pipe may be in the way of everything and unpractical. A new washer can be had for about 300 euros new and I'm sure used ones can be bought for a lot less.

davin · Post by **davin** » Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:56 am

Older washing machines (particularly Uk ones - from the land of dodgy plumbing) relied on on hot water from your house supply, ie cylinder tank or gas boiler. Newer washing machines heat water internally from the cold supply.
You need to hook into the house hot water supply.
Only using the cold supply will mean your machine isnt using any hot water (It may slightly heat it, but not sufficiently), plus if the red hot supply pipe isnt blanked off, water might back feed out and flood your flat.
Im sure my flat in Finland had a hot and cold feed - get a plumber in. Hook into the hot feed to the bath/basin supply or the kitchen hot supply.
good luck

ad · Post by ad » Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:28 pm

Probably cheaper to buy a local machine than call a plumber, and probably quicker too.

belfast · Post by **belfast** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:42 pm

Many thanks for all your help and suggestions.

Apologies for only getting back now - but I'm sure you already know the washing machine is nothing compared to getting WLAN Internet/phone line here!

The basic prob is that the machine has a tripple AAA energy/environment etc rating and is actually quite new - using pre-heated hot water (from a boiler system as in the UK) saves energy and also water apparently??
Using only the cold water supply, the machine doesn't work

Appears that the hooking up to sink hot water supply is most likely option?

Hope to have someone comming round to sort the damn thing out!

Till then, I have three hopes:
Some hope
No hope, and
Bob Hope

sinikala · Post by **sinikala** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:49 pm

belfast wrote:The basic prob is that the machine has a tripple AAA energy/environment etc rating and is actually quite new - using pre-heated hot water (from a boiler system as in the UK) saves energy and also water apparently??

As I wrote"... welcome to the dark ages".

I hope your car isn't LPG!

belfast · Post by **belfast** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:04 pm

I was just about to begin my car import problem tomorrow!

It's 3 years old and I'm bringing it in as part of my removals - hope I don't have to pay tax at customs?????

sinikala · Post by **sinikala** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:09 pm

belfast wrote:I was just about to begin my car import problem tomorrow!

It's 3 years old and I'm bringing it in as part of my removals - hope I don't have to pay tax at customs?????

So long as you purchased it at least 6 months before you first moved here, and you have not lived in Finland in the 12 months before that, then no import tax.

I replaced my car 3 months before I moved here... head gasket blew on the old car, and I didn't know I was coming here then ... so just bought a newer car. They tried to hammer me for import tax ... the basts.

sinikala · Post by **sinikala** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:13 pm

About the washing machine ... is the hot water in your apartment metered... or do you have a flat monthly fee?

If it's the latter then you are going to be much better off than many; normally a good part of the cost of running a washing machine here is the leccy.

If you have a flat water charge then you get as much hot water as you can use, and so a lot of your washing machine's energy use will be for free.

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