The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Coruscation]

All the washing machines that I've seen around here are the same; they alternate hot and cold water to supposedly get the temperature you want. Except that it doesn't work that way. "Cold" means you get cold water, "warm" means you get barely tepid water, and "hot" means you get lukewarm water. You have to shut off the cold tap behind the washer in order to get a truly hot wash. And if you want anything more than freezing cold (but not truly hot), you have to stand there and help it fill just right. I thought it was just our apartment, but most of my friends have the same thing going on with theirs.

I use cold water most of the time, but sometimes warm or hot is necessary, especially with hard water. So can anyone tell me what the point is? I imagine it has something to do with being more environmentally friendly, but I don't see how that works; if I have to run the load once or twice more to wash the clothes adequately and rinse the everything out (I use a very small amount of soap, no softener), it's not saving energy or water.

Essentially, it is so they pass the water saving tests and get a low rating in the lab. What happens in the real world is irrelevant to them.

I had a low flush toilet I pretty much had to scrub and reflush every single time so it wasted water like anything but it had a great star rating.

[mechtilde]

All the washing machines I've seen in the UK are cold fill only these days. It is meant to be more efficient that way because you only heat the water you use.

[CakeBeret]

Topic in the special snowflakes thread reminded me of a question I've been wondering about: does autocorrect base its suggestions on words *you personally* use a lot, or does it acquire words from some big master list?  If it's based on the master list, how do they avoid offending half their users when it "corrects" an innocent word into something profane (which - based on what I've seen on the rest of the internet - would probably be a pretty common occurrence)?  If it's based on your own history, does that mean those embarrassingly profane autocorrects mean the person really did type that vulgar word enough for it to be at the top of the possibilities list?

Depends on what keyboard you are using. IIRC stock keyboards autocorrect to a 'clean' list of words, but will also save any words you use that were not previously in the dictionary.

I have an Android phone and downloaded the Swiftkey keyboard, which learns from my previous texts and (optionally) Facebook, Twitter, and email. So not only does it learn what words I use, but also my writing style. It predicts the next words I will use, and can guess words based on contact.

[MrsJWine]

All the washing machines I've seen in the UK are cold fill only these days. It is meant to be more efficient that way because you only heat the water you use.

Our washer doesn't have a heating element at all. It just switches back and forth between the hot and cold lines. It wouldn't bother me so much if hot didn't come our lukewarm and warm didn't come out at just barely warmer than cold.

[Virg]

MrsJWine wrote:

"Our washer doesn't have a heating element at all. It just switches back and forth between the hot and cold lines. It wouldn't bother me so much if hot didn't come our lukewarm and warm didn't come out at just barely warmer than cold."

In this case your only real option is to deal with the taps in place or make the incoming water hotter.  It's more expensive, but an easy fix, to turn up the thermostat on your water heater, but that may also have safety implications since your hot tap water will be much hotter so you run a higher risk of scalding.  One solution I saw that helps with a situation like you describe is to get a hose valve like the kind you'd put on an outside garden hose.  Put it on the cold water tap and attach the cold water hose for the washer to it, and then half-close it so that the hot line has higher pressure into the washer.  You'll get more hot water in the mix as a result so your warm wash will be hotter.

If full-on hot comes out lukewarm (as in just opening the hot water tap provides only tepid water) then you need to see why your hot line isn't delivering hot water, and mostly that'll be a job for a professional plumber.

Virg

[MrsJWine]

MrsJWine wrote:

"Our washer doesn't have a heating element at all. It just switches back and forth between the hot and cold lines. It wouldn't bother me so much if hot didn't come our lukewarm and warm didn't come out at just barely warmer than cold."

In this case your only real option is to deal with the taps in place or make the incoming water hotter.  It's more expensive, but an easy fix, to turn up the thermostat on your water heater, but that may also have safety implications since your hot tap water will be much hotter so you run a higher risk of scalding.  One solution I saw that helps with a situation like you describe is to get a hose valve like the kind you'd put on an outside garden hose.  Put it on the cold water tap and attach the cold water hose for the washer to it, and then half-close it so that the hot line has higher pressure into the washer.  You'll get more hot water in the mix as a result so your warm wash will be hotter.

If full-on hot comes out lukewarm (as in just opening the hot water tap provides only tepid water) then you need to see why your hot line isn't delivering hot water, and mostly that'll be a job for a professional plumber.

Virg

Thank you! That's a good idea. The actual hot water is very hot. We have it turned up as far as our management allows. But the hose thing may work.

[Ms_Cellany]

We had trouble with hot water in our washer because it turned out the hose leading into the washer was blocked.

[Elfmama]

We had trouble with hot water in our washer because it turned out the hose leading into the washer was blocked.

And if you have hard water, hot water lines will clog and corrode faster than cold.   I'm willing to bet that if you have hot water elsewhere in the house, that this is the reason for no hot water in your machine.

[MrsJWine]

We had trouble with hot water in our washer because it turned out the hose leading into the washer was blocked.

And if you have hard water, hot water lines will clog and corrode faster than cold.   I'm willing to bet that if you have hot water elsewhere in the house, that this is the reason for no hot water in your machine.

Ah, I meant that the hot water that comes out in the washer is extremely hot, too; it's just that the way it alternates with the cold water, the final product is lukewarm.

[CakeBeret]

How do you learn to style your hair?

My hair was kept short most of the time when I was a kid, and as it grew longer I kept it in a ponytail. I have absolutely no idea how to style it. I finally learned how to do a french braid, so every day my hair is either in a ponytail or in a french braid. (I don't like having it down.) I don't even know how to do a basic bun or twist! Part of the problem is that I have SO MUCH HAIR. I tried following a hair tutorial, used almost an entire package of bobby pins, and soon had to take it out because the sheer volume of pins was so uncomfortable.

Should I make an appointment with the lady who cuts my hair, and ask her to walk me through some styles? Keep trying online tutorials? Shave my head in a fit of temper?

[WillyNilly]

I think you should just practice a bit.

For example a bun: pull your hair back like you are about to make a ponytail, then just twist the hair around to make it like a rope. As you are twisting it, it will start to coil. There you go, a bun. You can probably secure it with a rubber band, no pins required.

For a french twist, start like you are doing a low pony tail, then again, just grasp the whole bit of it and twist, this time slightly raising your arms over your head. The hair will pull itself into a twist. You can use a large barrette to secure the top. If you need use a comb to secure the sides. and then just let the ends hang out (ok its not a super polished french twist if the ends are hanging out, but its a heck of a lot easier!)

Other easy styles are wearing a head band, or hair half pulled back in a barrette.

Just play around a few minutes a day and try stuff out. Video tutorials are probably easier then print ones. and you an try talking to a hairdresser, but since they have a unique visual angle they might not explain well for doing your hair from your point of view. A great idea is to ask a friend with a nice style "hey how'd you do that?" - many people 'talk' with their hands, and its likely they will raise their arms and pantomime the actions while explaining.

[CakeBeret]

I've tried the bun and twist like you mentioned, Willy Nilly, and they never work because I have so much hair. The elastic will secure part of the hair and the rest of it just starts unravelling.

[wheeitsme]

Try hairsticks with several prongs.  I have one with 4 prongs that I love.  (the pics aren't me, but a good example)

Like this: 

[WillyNilly]

I've tried the bun and twist like you mentioned, Willy Nilly, and they never work because I have so much hair. The elastic will secure part of the hair and the rest of it just starts unravelling.

So just keep playing around. Maybe your hair will never work in a bun. That's just the luck of the draw. Or maybe your hair needs 2 elastics. Or maybe a pick or a comb or chopsticks will hold your hair.

The point is, to learn t style your hair, its mostly just practice, practice, trial and error, and practice.

[Slartibartfast]

I never learned how to style my hair, either.  My sister (who has practically the same hair I do except longer) does things like casually french braid her hair into the shape of a swan just because it's Wednesday and she felt like it    I finally managed a few basic things:

1) down
2) ponytail
3) bun: make a ponytail, twist it, wrap it around the elastic, then skewer it with chopsticks or pencils as many times as it takes to make it stay
4) giant hair barrette so I can pull just the top half back

Other than that, I just brush it and call it good