Having observed washing machines being delivered and even carried upstairs, and seen the sweat (and sometimes blood and tears) that results, I know how heavy they can be. There's never really been a way around the problem, although a friend of mine did try removing the concrete block when moving house, to make the machine lighter.

The only trouble was, he was unable to get it back exactly into place and as secure as it had been originally. As you can perhaps imagine, there was consequently no chance of conversation when the spin programme was running after the move, and adjacent cupboard doors used to sometimes swing open and things wriggle out, and recipe books above would fall over, thanks to the vibration.

As an industry, we've done wonderfully well addressing the 'top-end' considerations regarding our white goods. They're almost personal assistants now, aren't they? As far as I'm aware though, little has been done to address the weight of the machine, when its' very weight is what's needed to keep it stable.

Until now of course...

I'm sure you'll have read in the news, about the team from Nottingham Trent University, which, working with Tochi Tech, has found a way to replace the concrete block (which I understand typically weighs some 25Kg), with a sealable plastic container that is filled with water to stabilise the machine, once the machine is in place.

My first thought was that this is a wonderful idea. There is a downside though, because as concrete is denser than water, the water container will need to be a fair bit bigger than the blocks are, and thus the machines will need to be redesigned to incorporate the extra bulk. Does that mean that drums will have to be smaller as a result, I wonder? Or will machines become bigger (which comes with its own problems)?

The other downside I can see is that the water in the container is going to be heated up and allowed to cool regularly. What effect will this have on its quality - and health & safety, I wonder? And what about those of us living in hard water areas... would that be an issue? If you have any thoughts on this, do please let me know...

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Yours,

Jan Hobbs