Editing Washing machine (section)

===Laundromat machines===
Many commercial washers are built for use by the general public, and are installed in publicly accessible [[laundromat]]s or laundrettes. Originally, they were operated by coins (similar to older [[vending machine]]s), but today they are activated by [[currency acceptor|money accepting devices]] or [[Magnetic stripe card|card readers]]. The features of a commercial laundromat washer are usually more limited than those of a consumer washer, usually offering just two or three basic wash programs and an option to choose wash cycle temperatures. Some more-advanced models allow extra-cost options such as an additional wash or rinse cycle, at the choice of the user.

The typical front-loading commercial washing machine also differs from consumer models in its discharge of spent wash and rinse water. While the consumer models [[pump]] used washer water out, allowing the waste drainage pipe to be located above the floor level, front-loading commercial machines generally use only [[gravity]] to expel used water. A drain valve at the bottom rear of the machine opens at the appointed time during the cycle, allowing water to flow out. This requires a special drainage trough equipped with a filter and drain, and routed behind each machine. The trough is usually part of a cement platform built for the purpose of raising the machines to a convenient height, and can be seen behind washers at most laundromats.

Most laundromat machines are horizontal-axis front-loading models, because of their lower operating costs (notably, lower consumption of expensive hot water).