One design area that has been neglected in washing machines is leak protection, according to Chris Shanley, laundry product manger for BSH Home Appliances Corp. (Huntington Beach, CA, U.S.; www.boschappliances.com) "From our extensive research and discussions with the customer, we knew this was a need that was not being met," he tells APPLIANCE.

To address this concern, the company had to look no further than its own two doors. "We were inspired by the success of the AquaStop leak protection system on Bosch dishwashers and decided to add it to our laundry systems," Shanley says.

The AquaStop technology uses a float switch that senses when water is in the base of the machine. According to Shanley, while the basic technology is the same, adapting it to a new application required a few design tweaks. In addition to bringing the float switch to the laundry base, the company had to add an exclusive double-walled hose. "We also had to ensure functionality over a wide range of installation scenarios," he says.

The leak protection system is now available on select models of Bosch Nexxt laundry systems.