I believe the Samsung 448 (and most other brands) only heats the water in the Sanitize Cycles.

Before buying any appliance, check the service manuals online to see how itÂs built, diagnostics, etc.
Find out who will service it in your area
and if you ever plan to repair it yourself, check if service manuals and parts are available online.

Yes I know who will service them and they have have nothing bad to say at this point about them. Indicated they were building some for GE sometime ago so have been around longer than some would believe.

The instruction manual does not indicate when the heater kicks in. If you have a long run and little water usage then it is hard to get hot/warm water into the unit without the heater heating it.

page 14 of the Samsung WF448 User Manual

"Sanitize - For heavily soiled, colorfast garments. This cycle heats the water to 150°F to eliminate bacteria."

No other cycle mentions heat.

I don't think any washer would pass the Energy Star requirements if it heated the water in other cycles.

The length of (cold water in) the pipes may sometimes cause a problem.

I think it's about 8oz per 10 feet of 1/2" copper pipe.

Hi

Page 27 indicates

The water temperature in this situation will need to be adjusted by selecting
a warm setting, adding some hot water to the MAX FILL line or using your WasherÂs heating option, if available.

Not sure what heating option is? sanitize? So I was thinking if you have a heater and you selected warm and it did not make to some minimum value it would heat up the water. I have about 40 feet of line

re:
"I don't think any washer would pass the Energy Star requirements if it heated the water in other cycles.

The length of (cold water in) the pipes may sometimes cause a problem.

I think it's about 8oz per 10 feet of 1/2" copper pipe."

A number of washers on the market heat water in cycles other than sanitary and pass Energy Star. Examples are the Bosch Nexxt, Miele W48xx, and Kenmore HE5t. A matter of fact, the Energy Star regulations require that they factor in the cost of the water heated in your DHW tank. However, it does appear that few washers heat the water in their "normal" cycle. Wouldn't be surprised if some nuance of the regulations lead to that less than ideal reality.

FWIW - 10 feet of Copper (type L) pipe holds about 15.5 oz of water. See below for reference on this sort thing. The problem with copper pipe is that it's a great conductor of heat so it always takes more water than the pipe volume to feel hot water at the other end.

Here is a link that might be useful: Info on Copper pipe

See the thread I just started, "Misconception about US energy regulations". For the Samsung 448, a quick calculation tells me it could use 0.71 KWH (2423 BTU) more energy per cycle, while still meeting the 7/1/2009 Energy Star requirements. That's enough to raise 4.37 gallons of wash water by over 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/laundry/msg0119332825972.html

I talked to a rep and did not get an answer that said yes or no. Sounded like someone that answer in general terms.

I got an e-mail that indicates in sanitary cycle heats to 150 deg. I sent a followup message to ask the question more directly.

See what I get. If any owners know the answer I would appreciate.

Ok I found this quote on the Sears web page on the 448 description near the bottom....

"Internal Water Heater automatically boosts inlet water temperature when required"

Is this like a newspaper where if it is in print you can believe it.......

I did not find that quote in there manual but the manual is not the best.

"Internal Water Heater automatically boosts inlet water temperature when required"

The washer only "requires" it in the Sanitary Cycle.

Be VERY suspicious of what Sears claims. No one in that company has any idea what their products really do. It's an even more frustrating problem trying to find someone who can answer anything but the most simple, "script" taught answers. It's like speaking to a human robocall.

My case was with the HE5t-Stream. I thought it heated in "normal" cycle because the users manual said, "The heating system ensures that the wash water is heated to the preset temperature for Normal/Casual, Bulky/Bedding, KidsWear, Heavy Duty, Whitest Whites and the STEAM TREATÂ option." I thought this was great - a vendor is finally using the heater in "normal". After buying the machine, testing it, and using some simple equipment to determine when the machine was really using it's heater, there was absolutely no question that the claim was 100% false. The only option where the heater kicked on in "normal" was when using the "steam sanitize" option. Sears took the machine back without a restocking fee, but still denied their language in the manual was false.

OK the response from Samsung support.

"Yes, the machine will automatically set the temperature depending upon the setting selected, but these temperatures are not known as these fulctuates as regards to the temperature of the incoming water supply."

"Yes, the machine will automatically set the temperature depending upon the setting selected, but these temperatures are not known as these fulctuates as regards to the temperature of the incoming water supply."

"automatically set the temperature" (as best it can by mixing whatever temperature water enters the valves, but won't heat the water.