The drum of the washing machine and all its subtleties
The drum of a washing machine is one of the main components of the device of such household appliances. This part is subject to constant loads and temperature extremes. Therefore, when choosing a suitable model, special attention should be paid to its strength and reliability of this part of the washing machine. What kind of material is better and what else needs to be taken into account during the purchase process, you will learn from this article.
to contents ↑Purpose and device
The tank and drum of the washing machine is a kind of “abdominal cavity” of automatic equipment:
- laundry is loaded into the drum;
- water with dissolved detergent is supplied to the tank, and penetrates the laundry through the perforations.
The drum of household appliances is always made of stainless steel, and the entire side surface, and in some models the back wall, is perforated. But the tank unit can be made of different materials.
Important! For those who are looking for the best model of a washing machine, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the useful information of our post“Selection of a washing machine according to parameters”.
More recently, washing machines were produced with enameled tanks. However, the service life of such a technique was short-lived, as soon as an enamel appeared at least a small crack and the metal under it began to rust. For this reason, many manufacturers of household appliances abandoned such unreliable material, and began to make tanks of stainless steel and plastic. Let's try to figure out which material for the tank in the washing machine is which is better, and how it affects the characteristics of household appliances.
to contents ↑Important! One of the main parameters that you should pay special attention to when choosing a device is automatic washing machine size.
Washing machine tank material: which is better?
Consider the main types of materials that are used to produce a very important part of the machine. Knowing all the pros and cons, deciding which tank is best in the washing machine will not be difficult.
Enamelled metal
Enamelled metal tanks have recently been discontinued, although this type of product is very reliable in the washing process, and the enamel protective layer protects the metal quite well from corrosion.
In addition, a strong metal part will not crack during transportation or during washing under extreme temperature changes, as sometimes happens with plastic parts. But despite all the advantages, a washing machine with a metal enamel tank has a number of disadvantages, in particular:
- Huge weight.
- Not protection from bumps and chips.
Important! During long-term operation, chips from impacts of foreign objects may appear on the tank. Enamel in damaged areas will begin to crumble, and without a protective layer, the metal will rust and collapse. After some time, the tank will begin to leak, and the owners of the equipment will have a question about replacing the part or buying a new machine, since metal tanks covered with enamel are no longer available.
Plastic
Each manufacturer of household appliances has its own special polymer material, from which plastic tanks for washing machines are made. The characteristics of all types of plastic are also different.For example, carboran is not inferior to stainless steel in terms of durability, reliability and strength, and even surpasses it in terms of thermal insulation and vibration damping.
The main polymer materials include:
- Carboran.
- Silitek.
- Karbotek.
- Polynox
- Carferon.
- Polyplex
Important! All polymeric materials are based on polypropylene with calcium carbide, which increases the strength and resistance of the part to chemical elements contained in detergents. The fewer different additives plastic contains, the more fragile it is.
So, is a plastic drum in a washing machine good or bad?
pros
Plastic products have several advantages:
- Not subject to corrosion.
- They have relative strength.
- Light enough.
- Do not let water through.
- Helps reduce noise while scrolling the drum.
- Save energy consumption.
- Resistant to chemically active aggressive substances.
Important! Despite all the advantages, models with plastic tanks, when compared with analogues that have stainless steel parts, look more brittle and subject to mechanical stress. However, the composition of polymers is constantly being improved, each manufacturer is introducing something new, which means that plastic parts are becoming stronger and more reliable. Therefore, the answer to the question, whether the plastic drum in the washing machine is good or bad, is rather positive. In addition, plastic alone is inexpensive. So - manufacturers always have the opportunity to reduce the price of equipment with polymer tanks.
disadvantages
No matter how hard the manufacturers try to improve and improve the composition of the polymer material, however, fragility and susceptibility to splitting remains the main, and perhaps the only, drawback of plastic.
Any improper transport or failure to remove the transport bolts before use can impair the integrity of the tank and cause damage. After that, we will no longer talk about the operation of household appliances, it is necessary to change the part or buy a new unit.
Important! The service life of high-quality, good plastic is 20-25 years, about the same as the period of operation of a household appliance.
Stainless steel
Tanks made of stainless steel can rightfully be called “classics of the genre,” since this material has been used to make parts of washing machines for a long time.
pros
To decide for yourself which tank is best in a washing machine, it is enough to take into account the following features of stainless steel parts:
- She best tolerates contact with water.
- Strong enough.
- Long service life - a quality stainless steel part can last up to a hundred years.
- Resistance to chemical elements - a stainless steel part will not deteriorate either from the action of various detergents, or from the effects of scale preparations.
Important! Depending on the area of the room where the washing machine will be installed, or personal preferences, you can choose a device with a different type of loading dirty laundry. We bring to your attention our ratings of the best models of devices:
Minuses
However, when compared with plastic products:
- stainless steel tanks are more noisy, since metal is not able to dampen vibration;
- have more weight;
- since the metal does not have thermal insulation, the energy consumption of models of washing machines with a stainless steel tank will be much higher than that of equipment with a polymer part;
- high-quality stainless steel tanks are quite expensive, and if you liked an inexpensive model of such equipment, then do not rush to purchase it, since the quality of steel, welding and assembly of units in cheap equipment leaves much to be desired.
Important! Despite all this, the reliability of stainless steel covers all the disadvantages, which makes these models the most popular. Therefore, if financial opportunities allow, then a positive answer to the question of which drum in the washing machine is better - plastic or stainless steel, will still be in favor of the second. However, if you are not going to often transport household appliances from place to place, then give preference to models with a plastic tank. And when choosing a washing machine, pay particular attention to technical specifications, in particular, energy consumption and water consumption.
Honeycomb Features
Cellular drum is a unique patented invention of Miele, and you will not find it in models of washing machines of other brands. According to the manufacturer:
- This type of drum allows you to reduce energy costs, which is important.
- The machine takes care of the laundry more carefully.
- The absence of welded parts inside the part, thereby extending the service life.
to contents ↑Important! A feature of the honeycomb drum in its device: on the inner surface of the part are hexagonal holes, in appearance, similar to a honeycomb. Due to the concave design of the holes, a thin film forms between the fabric and the drum during the washing process, which protects the material.
Stock footage
Of course, high-quality stainless steel is much better and more reliable than plastic, but you don’t really need a hundred-year service life of the washing machine’s tank, and this is exactly what is called “excess quality”. Choose a machine for technical specifications, functionality, according to your needs, and only then pay attention to the material from which its parts are made.
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