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Old 05-04-13, 12:27 PM   #1
creeky
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Default washing machine review: Haier HLP23E

While I have a great local laundrymat, I live offgrid and it's a good drive away, also I've had trouble with people using bleach before I get to the machine ... with predictable problems with my load of dark clothes ... so I thought I'd buy a small washing machine to keep me in clean ... well, everything.

I recently purchased the second smallest Haier, the 23E, hooked it up to a waterbarrel with a 12v on demand pump (shurflo revolution) and plugged it into my solar system inverter.

It's 11:30 a.m. here and my solar system batteries are on "absorb." Now my system might need the full 800 watts to get to 14.7 and the absorb cycle to start, but as the batteries charge the power required drops. This morning I was at 350 watts to keep the batteries in the absorb mode and so I began to wash clothes.

I'm happy to report that my batteries are charging in the absorb cycle nicely even while my washing machine is running. The system reports I am using 650 watts. So I am running my washer for free! The washer appears to max out at around 350 watts. 345 is the stated draw.

I am temporarily using a 50 gallon water barrel that I fill at the well and then haul over to the washing area. The Haier uses some water. I can manage one "large" and one "small" or two "medium" loads on one tank of water.

The clothes are coming very clean. I give it a thumbs up there. I use cold water and liquid detergent I got on sale. Nothing special.

The spin cycle gets the clothes quite dry. Another bonus. A few hours on the line and even towels are dry. On one large load test I did run an extra spin cycle but it didn't seem to extract any more water.

The Haier is pretty small. 8 gallons or so. Very frugal on electricity. Uses a lot of water (relative to my supply anyway). And sure beats hiking into town to stay caught up on tshirts et al.

I give it a big thumbs up.

How are you washing clothes?

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