Just add water!

The simple washing machine invention that cuts emissions, saves fuel – and might help your back

IT’S such a simple idea it’s a wonder nobody has thought of it before.

For years washing machines have been built with concrete counterweights that stop them vibrating during spin cycles.

But the added weight has proved a headache for delivery drivers and anyone who has got in a lather trying to install one themselves.

Now a university student has developed a hollow plastic container that can be filled with water once the appliance is in place.

Dylan Knight’s simple invention reduces the weight of washing machines by a third – and does the job just as effectively as the concrete ballast found in the top and bottom of most appliances. The new design saves on fuel by making machines easier to transport and helps cut the carbon emissions produced in making concrete. It could even save a few back injuries, too.

The 22-year- old’s ingenious device, which weighs less than 3kg unfilled, is now in the process of being patented and manufacturers are in discussions to incorporate the simple technology into future designs. Mr Knight came up with the weight-saving solution as part of a final-year project for his degree in product design at Nottingham Trent University. He graduated this summer with a first-class honours.

The two blocks of concrete ballast in the washing machine chosen by Mr Knight for testing weighed 25kg in total. An average washing machine weighs 65kg, so Mr Knight’s design would reduce the weight of such a machine by more than a third if both ballast blocks were replaced.

In the test, only the upper one, weighing 10kg, was swapped for the plastic alternative.

After monitoring vibration sensors in the drum, the student discovered that his creation was just as effective at keeping the machine stable.

Mr Knight, from Grove Park, West London, said: ‘ Everyone thinks the idea must have been thought of before.

‘No one can really believe it. But I promise you it definitely works.’ He added: ‘Concrete is actually quite bad for the environment due to the CO2 released when it’s produced. ‘The use of concrete is also the reason why washing machines are normally very heavy to move.

‘The hollow container is left unfilled until the appliance is installed. We found it worked as good as a concrete counterweight, stopping the spinning drum from heavily vibrating the machine.’

Mr Knight was given the brief by Nottingham-based product design company, Tochi Tech Ltd, which came up with the basic idea and has applied for a patent. If the concept takes off, it will be the firm that profits from the invention rather than Mr Knight. It is hoped the plastic reservoir could reduce the risk of injury when lifting and installing washing machines. Research suggests that reducing the weight of a truck carrying appliances by 100kg could save approximately 8.5g of carbon dioxide and 0.35 litres of fuel per 100km (62miles).

Around 3.5 million washing machines are sold annually in the UK. If each was fitted with the new lightweight device, the carbon savings would equate to around 44,625 tons of CO2 and a reduced fuel consumption of 183,750 litres over a 31-mile (50km) delivery route. As con- crete is heavier than water, the containers need to be bigger than the blocks, to make up the weight difference.

Most washing machines use concrete, but a few high- end appliances use the more expensive, but denser, cast iron for ballast. Some machines use complex damping systems in lieu of any sort of ballast.

Although the university test only replaced the top concrete ballast with the plastic alternative, it is hoped that manufacturers could adopt the idea on a mass scale and use it to replace the lower counterweight as well.

‘No one can really believe it’