An automatic washing machine is not just a part of the interior, but an assistant in household chores.
Such a design is quite an expensive pleasure, and the future owner wants to provide it with all the necessary conditions so that it will serve him for a long time.
One of the key points for longevity is providing the washing machine with high-quality and clean water.
Let's look into the reasons
Where do different types of dirt come from?
As many people already know, the water supply system in Russian cities is not in very good condition, so the water from this system that enters the machine contains a certain amount of rust and dirt.
When these impurities get into your machine:
- They can break your electromagnetic and exhaust valves., and also drain pump. This happens because these impurities are deposited on the above-mentioned parts of your machine and can impair their functionality, thereby reducing the service life of a particular element.
- They clog the filterMechanical particles get into all layers of the filter and clog it, thereby reducing the inlet pressure.
- May affect washing qualityTo ensure your items come out of the machine clean, you need a large amount of detergent (powder or fabric softener).
High concentrations of hardness salts are also very dangerous for the machine.
During the washing process, these particles settle on the heating element, seal and drum.
As soon as you notice such sediment, clean it immediately, otherwise it threatens to damage all the components of the structure. - May reduce the efficiency of the section, as well as the throughput capacity of pipelines, thereby creating blockages that will increase the load on the pumping device.
- May impair heat transfer from the heating element, which significantly reduces the efficiency of the washing machine and increases the consumption of electrical energy.
Overheating may cause the heating element to fail. - Increases the development of corrosion, which contributes to rapid wear of elements and reduces their service life.
- Reduces the elasticity of seals (rubber), which threatens depressurization.
Water treatment accessories
The only way to get rid of mechanical particles (impurities) is to pre-treat the water before it enters the washing machine.
To reduce the water hardness level and gently protect your machine from scale, use special chemicals during the washing process or prepare the water in advance to soften it.
To solve such problems, it is necessary to install special purification filters at the water inlet.
Coarse filters
In order to reduce the amount of impurities, water must be treated with coarse filters.
One such mesh filter is installed at the entrance to the washing machine, but, unfortunately, the size of the cells in this device, which allow mechanical contaminants to pass through, is designed only for large particles, which means that small particles pass through unhindered.
Manufacturers design filters to supply clean, high-quality water. However, due to the high concentration of impurities, such filters clog very quickly.
In such cases, you need additional external coarse filters.
Main filter
The best option is a main filter.
Why is it called a main filter? Because it services the main cold water line at the entry point into the apartment. It removes various contaminants from the water before it enters the apartment.
The best solution to the above problems is to purchase mesh filters with cell sizes of 50 - 500 micrometers.
This type of filtration is considered good for household needs.
If you need to purify water even more (that is, get water that is even cleaner than it already is and still of good quality), then you should resort to additional water purification.
Interesting! Some mainline filters not only purify incoming water mechanically but can also adjust its chemical composition to sanitary standards.
In this version, the filter includes sorption filter parts with activated carbon and parts that use other similar operating principles.
When installing a main filter, additional purification of incoming water is not required.
If this main filter is not installed at the inlet to your home, then to clean it from mechanical particles, such a filter is installed in front of the machine.
The dimensions will be somewhat smaller, and the required cell sizes will be selected based on the manufacturer's recommendations.
In such cases, the structure is installed on a branch of the water supply system, to which a hose (inlet) is directly connected.
Important! To ensure trouble-free operation of your washing machine, it's important to regularly clean the built-in filters and replace the cartridges for the coarse filters in the individual or main element.
Liquid softeners
To prevent large scale buildup during the heating process of the water in the washing machine, I install special water softening filters at the inlet of the structure.
Important! This special water softener filter is inexpensive, but installation will require significant time and money. Installing this filter requires rerouting the piping, as it is installed in a break in the pipeline.
Basically, such a filter is installed based on the results of a chemical analysis, precisely in the case where the answer is: “increased hardness.”
Let's be honest, these special water softening filters don't really reduce the hardness of the water entering the washing machine.
Water softening is the removal of various dissolved hardness salts from it, especially calcite (calcium carbonate).
Using special equipment and special processes of biological and chemical treatment, filters purify water.
Household filters can't do this job. They only reduce the buildup of scale in the machine.
To soften water so that it is less hard, magnetic and chemical treatment methods are used.
Polyphosphate-based washing machine filters
The chemical treatment method is performed by a polyphosphate filter. This filter is a transparent container filled with sodium polyphosphate crystals.
As water passes through this filter, the crystals inside gradually dissolve.
When sodium polyphosphate gets into water, it binds carbonates (the basis of hardness salts) and blocks their path to the heating element and other parts of the washing machine (this also includes the dishwasher).
As a result, the formation of scale on the heating element and other elements of the machine is reduced.
Please note: Polyphosphate does not require any special dosage.
The consumer needs to monitor the level of sodium polyphosphate crystals in the filter container and when they become low and replenish them.
Polyphosphate filters do not completely treat the water entering the machine, because the substance contained in the filter (crystals) makes the water unsuitable for use.
Important! Sodium polyphosphate is an inorganic fertilizer that, when released into rivers or lakes, causes rapid algae growth.
So, basically, this method of combating scale is not used on an industrial scale.
Such special filters are usually installed in front of the washing structure itself.
The filter is cut into the water supply (into the branch pipe) to which the inlet hose of the washing machine is connected.
Tip! When purchasing a washing machine for their apartment, some buyers immediately consider the installation of water softener filters and coarse filters.
For this purpose, two flasks for replaceable cartridges are specially mounted on a water supply pipe with a special valve to which the inlet hose is connected.
During installation, such an addition is not particularly expensive, but it will save you from having to change the wiring if the results of the examination are not very good (water analysis).
Magnetic cleaners
The operation of a magnetic filter is based on the effect of phase transition of a substance under the influence of a magnetic field.
When treated with hard water, calcite (calcium carbonate), the concentration of which in the hardness salt exceeds the content in all other substances, does not change its chemical composition when exposed to a magnetic field and a flow of hard water, but turns into aragonite (another structural form).
Calcium carbonate's smooth structure provides a large adhesion surface. This is what ultimately causes the substance to deposit on the walls of the washing machine and on the heating elements.
The aragonite structure does not have such a smooth surface.
Aragonite also forms spatial structures in the crystallization centers that do not adhere to the walls of the machine and the heating element, but act on other deposits at the ionic and molecular levels.
In this case, the scale that has already settled on the walls of the machine is destroyed, and its particles, also falling into the water, lose the ability to settle on the walls again.
In this case, water treated with a magnetic field is capable of cleaning the walls of the washing machine from other various deposits.
This washing machine filter, like the previous ones, does not soften the water, but it does provide a unique barrier against scale and other deposits when using chemical or mechanical cleaning of the washing machine.
The effectiveness of such filters has so far only been confirmed by results from scientific laboratories.
Flaws
The use of magnetic filters is controversial due to their disadvantages:
- Used magnets in the filter cannot create high magnetic field voltage, and a weak one will not give a quality effect.
The only working method is to purchase rare earth magnets, but their price is quite high. - The effect is lost at high water temperatures.
The degree of efficiency also changes depending on the water flow pressure.
In this case, the simplest and most practical option is electromagnetic filters, which provide a high magnetic field voltage through pulsed action.
However, such devices are used only on an industrial scale; they have not yet been introduced into the household market.
Advantages
The advantages of such special filters for installation in a washing machine:
- Simple installation process.
No wiring changes are required and it can be installed on the supply pipeline.
Manufacturers have designed magnetic filters with a detachable housing that fit onto the inlet hose of a washing machine. - Durability. Even if a given filter is used for a long time, the strength of the magnetic field still changes very slowly, and the effect may remain the same for about ten years or even more.
- Magnetic filter no cleaning is needed and maintenance.
- Reasonable price.
Helpful advice!
When you decide to install certain filters, you should know that you won't spend much more on installing and using these filters than on repairing your machine or even replacing it with a newer model.
