Can I use my washing machine if I turn the hot water supply off?

[Katherine]

We've had to drain our hot water system for a few days while we tile our fireplace (I'd kill for a bath ) and I'm fed up lugging the washing round to the neighbours. Is it possible to use my machine if I just turn off the hot water supply tap thing to it?

Highly likely that you still can, but the cycle will take longer as the machine will heat the water up itself.

Unless you use an economy cycle that washes with the water as it is filled and doesn't work to a set temperature?

We only ever use cold water into ours - both hot and cold inlet are fed from the cold supply pipe using a y shaped tube, available from a diy store.

depends if it's hot fill or cold fill - if the former it relies on your system to heat the water, if the latter it can heat it itself and will be fine.

My machine uses the cold intake for most cycles and heats it up to the temp set on that particular cycle, that's why full 40 or 60 etc cycles take so long. My economy cycle takes it from the hot water, so the tenp is whatever the hot water is, so water is already hot therefore a quick wash. Mine is just a hotpoint first edition. If yours is like mine then the enswer is yes.

Even hot fill machines will heat the water - most domestic hw system are generally set to provide water at max about 40-60C, so if your machine has a 90C setting, then it can only achieve that by heating the water.

My old one (Bosch, h & c fill) wouldn't work at all if the hot was off - just sat there and hummed at me.

If you get one of Liz's Y things that will fool it if it won't work otherwise.

our maching only uses cold water, i had to cap off the hot pipe inlet as it wasn't needed. most new machines have just a cold inlet.

Thanks all guess I'd better go load it then

I guess we didn't tell you what you wanted to hear then?