Interesting! I don't believe that's how USA washing machines work, they usually just say "hot", "warm", and "cold".
Apparently USAians are washing machine philistines who don't need more than three temperatures and don't know what they are?
Anyway, this shows another challenge in these icons, the international diversity of washing techniques and technology.
(Edit: I found one possible answer online -- Euro washing machines may actually have water heaters built in, while American washing macchines may just use the existing house "hot water supply". So Euro machines can heat to desired temp, while American ones just have to take what they get! Why THAT was done that way, I don't know, difference in hot water heating technology choices? Euro houses don't usually have a central "hot water tank" like US has? Why THAT is would be yet another question...).
> I found one possible answer online -- Euro washing machines may actually have water heaters built in, while American washing macchines may just use the existing house "hot water supply". So Euro machines can heat to desired temp, while American ones just have to take what they get!
Ah so it’s the same deal as the dishwashers, I should have figured.
> Euro houses don't usually have a central "hot water tank" like US has? Why THAT is would be yet another question...).
Commonly not, although it does absolutely exist water is frequently heated up on-demand.
However a better reason might be the same as the kettle thing: the US being on 120V, so getting hot water out the furnace or hot water tank is waaay faster than heating it up on the spot.
> might be the same as the kettle thing: the US being on 120V,
I think you could be right about washing machines/dishwashers, but as far as electric kettles... even at US 120V, an electric kettle is WAY faster at heating water to boiling than even my fairly powerful (bigger than traditional burner) gas range. (Not to mention much more energy-efficient).
I have no idea why electric kettles aren't more popular in the US.
But I never thought about the 110V/230V thing with regard to kettles. I guess even though electric kettles in the US are faster than the stovetop, they still aren't as fast as everywhere else with 230V? Maybe "faster but not faster enough" is why people still heat water on a stovetop here? I don't know!
His main conclusion: Americans have less use for kettles since they don't drink tea (as much).
He also observes that electric kettles turn out to be faster and more efficient than other means of heating water for other purposes that are not obvious at first sight, as you also mention.
Not all European electric kettles are faster than American ones BTW. Mine is 1200 W (I think) which is in the range of what American ones can deliver. There are more powerful models available too of course.
Most people that I know who make tea make it by heating water on the stovetop, and don't realize or don't care how much better an electric kettle could be; but of course you're right that coffee is much more popular than tea here, and perhaps that's why electric kettles aren't more well-known as superior for heating water.
I do not think it's because of 110V though! Even a 110V electric kettle is far faster than stovetop.
Driers, and similar high power appliances, don't use a single 120V phase. They use two phrases, 180 degrees apart in normal residential houses and 120 degrees apart in apartment buildings. Any American clothing dryer I've ever seen has 240V (slightly less in apartment buildings.)
I suspect washers with heaters come from places that original had cold water only.
The reality is we are overthinking it - "cold/warm/hot" is about all we need, and "warm" is really just "fill as fast as possible" often, since it opens both hoses.
Shocking as it will be to you -- I'm just realizing that this differs between US and rest of world -- a home washing machine in the US can only go as hot as what comes out of the faucets. It cannot wash at 90C water, and likely can't even do 60C water. It can only do as hot as the "hot" tap water, which depends on what the hot water heat is set at, which is usually somewhere between 120F (49C) and 140F (60C).
> Do people really boil clothes? Obviously that's not a thing in the US, but I could see it being useful for whites, perhaps.
It's usually for really sturdy whites you want to disinfect after they've been soiled for instance. Use of that program has definitely gone way down over time. The energy requirements alone make it not a routine wash thing.
It's also used to basically deep clean the washing machine itself.
It's the same in europe. I know semi-professional or professional dishwashers are sometimes connected to both hot and cold inputs, not sure whether that is the case for washing machines though I wouldn't be shocked.
Apparently USAians are washing machine philistines who don't need more than three temperatures and don't know what they are?
Anyway, this shows another challenge in these icons, the international diversity of washing techniques and technology.
(Edit: I found one possible answer online -- Euro washing machines may actually have water heaters built in, while American washing macchines may just use the existing house "hot water supply". So Euro machines can heat to desired temp, while American ones just have to take what they get! Why THAT was done that way, I don't know, difference in hot water heating technology choices? Euro houses don't usually have a central "hot water tank" like US has? Why THAT is would be yet another question...).