| abstract |
An improved tunnel-type washing machine (20) that includes a "ratiometric" water recycling system featuring four water circuits. The water in the circuit includes fresh water (24), recycle water (51), wash water (49) and treated water (50). The tunnel type washing machine (20) includes a soaking zone (13) for soaking laundry in water, a first washing zone (14), a second washing zone (15), a rinsing zone (16), and a finish rinsing / washing operation. It has five steps including a finishing zone (17). The water circuit is designed to minimize fresh water consumption by mixing four appropriate amounts of water. The amount of mixing can be varied based on the type of laundry (eg, linens) present in the tunnel and the dynamic quality of each type of water. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1 |