How Many Gallons Does a Normal Top Load Washer Use?

Top loading washers are less expensive than most front-loaders.

A top loading washer is a clothes washing machine that uses an agitator to clean clothes. Top loading machines are less water and energy efficient than front loading machines. According to the California Energy Commission, most top loading washing machines use 40 gallons of water per cycle. To find out how much water your normal, or non-high efficiency machine uses, you can consult your owner's manual.

Things You'll Need

• Washing machine manual
• Stopwatch

Instructions

1. Consult your owner's manual to find out the unit's flow rate. This is the amount of water it uses per minute that the machine is in operation. If you cannot find the flow rate in the manual, contact the manufacturer.

2. Fill your top loading washing machine with a regular sized load of laundry and start the wash cycle. Time the cycle with a stop watch, from the moment you begin the cycle until the drum is full. Do not time the agitation because water is not flowing at that time. Begin timing again at the start of the rinse cycle, and stop timing at the end of the cycle.

3. Multiply the flow rate by the number of minutes you got on your stop watch. This is the amount of gallons of water the top-loading washer uses.

References

• K12 Science: Down the Drain
• California Energy Commission: Clothes Washers