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My aunt has an ancient kind of washing machine that has no automatic control of incoming water. That is, to operate it, you manually open a valve in the wall, similar to this one:

water valve

This valve is connected to a hose that feeds directly to the washer. You wait for the drum to fill up (it takes a few minutes), and then you manually close the valve. You can let it start tumbling while it is filling up.

This has worked for years, but now she's having memory issues; so she opens the valve, leaves the room to do something else, and when she realizes, the washing machine is overflowing and there is water everywhere.

Assuming that it is not possible to simply buy a "modern" washing machine (third world problems), is there some time-controlled mechanism or equivalent solution for handling this kind of situation? I'm assuming a non-industrial setting.

I though about time-controlled auto-off touch faucets (the ones you press and water keeps flowing for a determined amount of time), but I couldn't find any that run for longer than one minute. I also had to discard some alternative solutions such as using a smartphone timer, not leaving the room, etc., which are not 100% foolproof, and are often incompatible with "old habits". Also, I'm curious about the existence of technical solutions to time-controlling water flow in a home setting, in general.

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    My granny had one with the rollers on top. Something like a float valve might work, but do not know enough how it might work/fit on.
    – crip659
    Commented Aug 10 at 21:40
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    The only logical answer is to replace the washer. The cost for a used washer is probably only slightly or even less than engineering a timed stop for the valve.
    – RMDman
    Commented Aug 10 at 22:47
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    @RMDman I thought so too at first, but it's definitely not true considering the existing answers.
    – Nobody
    Commented Aug 11 at 9:28
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    A plumbing fix to a serious aging issue isn't inappropriate, but it's certainly not the only step you should be taking. What happens when she starts a fire out of forgetfulness?
    – Jason Patterson
    Commented Aug 11 at 21:02
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    Spring-return ball valve? It would require your aunt to hold it while the tub is filling. Once she lets go for any reason, the valve closes and the tub stops filling. Not making this an answer because I don't have time to flesh it out properly.
    – Wayne Conrad
    Commented Aug 13 at 18:24

8 Answers 8

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31

Get her a mechanical Hose Watering Timer.

Easy install inline no plumbing work, no battery, no power

Just measure the time needed to fill the washing machine and make a big marker on the dial.

All she has to do is to turn the dial.

You might want the all metal timer version for indoor use.

Orbit 62041 Metal Mechanical Watering Timer

Found on metal

timer

And for additional absolute protection get your aunt this.

It is a water sensor with very loud alarm. Just place it on the floor next to washing machine and it will alert you if only 1/16 of a inch water is present.

You can event get the version that will send a alert to the phone.

I have those all over my home in critical locations.

Found at water alarm

water sensor

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    I've had similar timers fall off the tap and spill water in the garden. the wasted water was expensive, but it would be much worse indoors.
    – Jasen
    Commented Aug 11 at 10:17
  • @Jasen they are screwed on, so how to they fall off ?
    – Traveler
    Commented Aug 11 at 20:13
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    the plastic threads tore up, or stretched, and it fell off.
    – Jasen
    Commented Aug 11 at 20:25
  • I agree with @Jasen. Read the instructions, garden hose accessories often have a warning against permanent or indoor use. I recently had a plastic vacuum breaker disintegrate. The tap was left on because it was before a garden hose timer and the thing sprayed water at full force for an hour before I started wondering why the home water pressure was so low.
    – user71659
    Commented Aug 11 at 23:03
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    @Jasen than get the metal version amazon.com/Orbit-62041-Metal-Mechanical-Watering/dp/B0187BNMPS/…
    – Traveler
    Commented Aug 12 at 0:07
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If the mechanical watering timer is not available in your location or $12 is too much I have a DIY option that could probably be implemented using only trash and some common tools.

Search for a discarded toilet tank with a float shutoff. You can increase the size of the tank by putting another tank of some kind next to it at the same height and connecting them at the bottom. You connect the water line to the toilet tank inlet and turn it on continuously. You connect the output of the toilet tank to the inlet of the washing machine. Then to fill the washing machine, you use the flush mechanism. You can set the exact amount of water because the float can usually be adjusted to vary the amount of water.

Note:

  • This is perfectly hygienic, the tank never had black water inside during normal use.
  • Choose the diameter of the plumbing wisely. If you want the water from the cistern to enter the machine quickly, use a big diameter.

Options:

  • Add overflow plumbing to the washing machine
  • Add overflow plumbing to the tank (it usually overflows into its output by default so that may be good enough if the washing machine has an overflow)
  • Have the user first turn on the tank inlet, wait, turn off tank inlet and flush. Then there is even less risk of water spilling.
  • Maybe you don't need plumbing from the toilet tank to the washing machine - if the washing machine is open at the top you could just mount it above so that the hole at the bottom of the tank is aligned with the opening of the washing machine. This would mean a near-instant fill, I'm not sure this is desired.
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  • it will take 4 toilet tanks to fill a washing macine
    – Traveler
    Commented Aug 11 at 21:18
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    the devices can be connected to a different vessel, (such as a plastic barrel)
    – Jasen
    Commented Aug 12 at 1:12
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    I initially thought exactly the same thing - It is simple, cheap, easy to make with basic DIY skills and requires no additional learning from the aunt if she's ever flushed a toilet. But the more I thought about it the more problems I found. With older cisterns you may end up in the same boat: the flush mechanism can get stuck flushing, or the float shutoff may not shut off completely - Be sure to add additional protection eg. overflow pipe and/or flood alarm. Also the water pressure will probably be substantially lower as it will now only be gravity-fed so it will take much longer to fill.
    – pcdev
    Commented Aug 12 at 3:25
  • @pcdev An overflow pipe in the washing machine would be a good idea regardless of the solution to fill it. If the cistern is unreliable you could also add an overflow pipe to the cistern itself and you could make the filling a two-step process: Open valve to cistern, come back later when it's full (or overflowing into the overflow pipe that you might have added), close valve to cistern, flush. You should probably use bigger diameter plumbing to connect the cistern to the washing machine to increase the speed.
    – Nobody
    Commented Aug 12 at 9:43
  • @Traveler The original answer already said to connect a different vessel to the toilet tank, that's easy.
    – Nobody
    Commented Aug 12 at 9:47
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Traveller's answer is excellent.

In addition, you could install an overflow pipe on the side of the machine or an overflow tub under it. This avoids water getting everywhere in case it is left to fill for too long.

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6

You might consider fitting a "non-concussive" (self-closing) tap or non-concussive shower valve (sometimes used in commercial campsites where clean water is limited) if you can find one that stays on for an appropriate length of time. They usually only stay on for 10 - 20 seconds.

You might be able to find one that stays on longer or show your Aunt how to press the valve cap again if the washing machine is not yet full.

because these are mechanical and invented long ago, I guess they might be easier to find in "3rd world" countries / "developing" nations.

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  • I forgot about the existence of self-closing shower valves, I did see them in the past. However, I didn't find any that can stay for longer than 30 +- 10s, which is a pity.
    – anol
    Commented Aug 14 at 18:32
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For our dishwasher we have a solenoid water shut off valve with a battery that lasted 6 years before replacing it. The button is on the tap and opens a magnet valve that allows a couple of minutes of water flow and then closes

The model we have is an ORAS 600047V, which is sold in Northern Europe. On the datasheet there is a numbered schematic. No 2 is the button on the side of the tap. No 3 is the magnet that opens the valve. No 1 is the 6Volts battery.

https://storage.googleapis.com/inriver-data/oras/master/ready/files/original/133808_943050-02-16.pdf

In your region, different building codes apply and you should look for a solenoid (a.k.a magnet) valve. Find one that is for indoor plumbing as they also exist for sprinklers and also car engines use one for the egr. Those are clearly not what I meant.

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There are home automation devices which will clamp to lever valves of this sort, allowing them to be operated remotely or under software control. Web search will find them. I haven't tried any of them so I have no suggestions beyond that.

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Assuming your aunt is just getting forgetful and not having more serious cognitive issues (in which case there are probably bigger concerns than just letting the washer water running), I might suggest a simple electronic kitchen countdown timer that she would set when she turns the water on, and just keep it in her pocket as she goes about the house while the water is filling. Then when the countdown timer sounds its alarm it will remind her to turn the water off.

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This is just an idea, not a full answer.

I have harvested solenoid input valves from washer machines that are activated by 110 volts, the nominal volt rating where I live.

By the same token, many washer machines have analog timers that are basically a switch controlled by a spring-winded mechanism. The washer machine timers I hace seen are rather complex and have a lot of connections. A trained technician may know how to adapt them for this use. I have never played with those, but have seen toaster oven timers that are pretty basic, since they only have the task of keeping a heater element ON for a set amount of time.

I can envision an apparatus that controls water flow and is activated by a timer knob where the open time somehow correlates to the amount of water. The timer can be mounted on a control box and labelled on minutes or water amount or water levels (low, mid, high). The correlation of time to water amount depends on the water flow being fairly constant.

A water inlet control valve is usually rated for semi permanent install, since the user is not required to disconnect the inlet every time they use the machine, and the amperage needed is usually very low, so, any timer capable of controlling a heater element or incandescent lamp should be plenty.

Of course, being a water and electricity contraption, it should be assembled using the best practices, very well grounded and definitely not skimping on materials. There are plastic junction boxes that are very sturdy and make very good control boxes (I have used many of them for my DIY projects). It is even better if the timer knob is also plastic (with no chrome plating nor metallic decorations)

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