Patent ID: 7703306

Claim:
A washing machine comprising: a tub; a liquid level sensing device, said liquid level sensing device coupled to said tub and positioned to sense a level of liquid in said tub; a perforated basket rotationally mounted within said tub for relative rotation therewith; a basket inlet tube coupled to a pump outlet hose, and at least one of a cold liquid hose and a hot liquid hose, said basket inlet tube positioned between said tub and said basket; a recirculation system coupled to said basket inlet tube, said recirculation system configured to continuously remove wash liquid directly from said tub and continuously return wash liquid to said basket through said pump outlet hose; and a controller operatively coupled to said washing machine, said controller configured to recirculate a wash liquid within said washing machine using the recirculation system, said controller comprising a microcomputer coupled to a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the microcomputer, directs said controller to: fill said basket with no more than about 3.5 gallons of the wash liquid during a first fill period; begin recirculation of the wash liquid using said recirculation system; and continue the recirculation of the wash liquid for at least a time period prior to a second fill period.