1938 Bendix

Back in the day, when there weren't quite so many darn rules about everything, washing machines were often installed strangely. It sounds like yours might have been filled from hoses that were hooked up only when the machine was needed- I've seen that before, in a former house of mine. There was an old Bendix down in the basement, and the only way the former owner could use it was to hook up long hoses from faucets across the basement.

Why did they do that, you may ask? Well, a washer also has to drain, and the washer was installed near a simple drain to the outdoors, where the wash and rinse water ran down a bank to a creek. TOTALLY illegal now, of course. Installing the washer properly by today's standards would have meant trenching out part of that basement's concrete floor, plus a pump to assure flow to the sewer line- very expensive then and now. The faucets were near the front of the basement, which was underground, so no way to put in the kind of drain that was used. The rear of the house was not underground (lot sloped front to back) so it was relatively easy to put in that simple unplumbed drain there.

People- and governments- were a lot less picky then than they are today. So, that may be why your washer doesn't seem to be hooked up like anything you've ever seen before.


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Post# 238066 9/23/2007 at 15:12 (6,053 days old) by robynrb ()
Checkrate/Likes Hello All- I recently purchased a home in Baltimore, MD that was built in 1935. The home has lots of great antiques including (after careful research on this website) a 1938 Philco-Bendix automatic washer. This machine is bolted to the floor of my basement- I am not sure why, maybe to keep it still. (I was born in the late 70's and washing machines didn't move much as far as I remember!) Could anyone please tell me if this machine is of value and how to go about donating or selling it. Thanks, Robyn

Post# 238067 , Reply# 1 9/23/2007 at 15:24 (6,053 days old) by decodriveboy (FL, US)
Checkrate/Likes *Why would you want to donate or sell it?* Have you tried using it? If it still works it will outlast any new washer and makes a nice conversation piece! A good condition 1938 Bendix would probably go for $100-$300. They were bolted down in the beginning to keep them in place while operating, before later design made them stand alone.

Post# 238068 , Reply# 2 9/23/2007 at 15:26 (6,053 days old) by easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC)
Checkrate/Likes *1938 Bendix* Hey Robyn. Your Bendix is a wonderful machine, and if you can find the right person, they would love to have it. The reason it is bolted to the floor is that that particular machine had no suspension system, and when it would drain the water and then go into the spin cycle to damp dry the clothes, if the clothes were unbalanced, the machine would dance around the room since there was no suspension system to absorb the movement. There were 2 models. One is basically round with the porthole door in the front. The timer and water temperature slectors are 2 round knobs on the top rear of the machine. The other one is the same machine, but is in a tall, thin, square type of cabinet. The control is on top in the center. In their day, they were considered very nice to have. You must remember, housewives at that time were used to using wringers and/or washboards to do their laundry. This Bendix was the first automatic. Put the clothes, turn it on, and it would wash, rinse, and spin dry all by itslef. I have one of each and love using them. Good luck. Jerry Gay

Post# 238072 , Reply# 3 9/23/2007 at 16:12 (6,053 days old) by robynrb ()
Checkrate/Likes *1938 Bendix* Hi All- I appreciate the responses. DecoDriveBoy- I wanted to sell it because I don't know how to use it. There is a black tube coming out of it, but where it is located in the basement, there is not a water supply near it. Is there a manual on how to operate this? EasySpinDry- Your picture is exactly how my machine looks (except yours is much, much cleaner). Thanks again for the responses. Robyn

Post# 238105 , Reply# 4 9/23/2007 at 19:07 (6,052 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California)
Checkrate/Likes It would probably be easier to run hot and cold water lines to the washer than it would be to move it to a water supply and bolt it down again - providing there's a drain there as well (drains are a bit more difficult to locate). Although as a kid in the 50's I remember that some homes would just drain a basement washer out onto the yard in back of the home. Probably against all sorts of codes today. These are cool washers, but I prefer the box shape Art Deco-ish model, mainly because that's what we had in the early 50's.

Post# 238137 , Reply# 5 9/23/2007 at 22:11 (6,052 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Robyn:* Back in the day, when there weren't quite so many darn rules about everything, washing machines were often installed strangely. It sounds like yours might have been filled from hoses that were hooked up only when the machine was needed- I've seen that before, in a former house of mine. There was an old Bendix down in the basement, and the only way the former owner could use it was to hook up long hoses from faucets across the basement. Why did they do that, you may ask? Well, a washer also has to drain, and the washer was installed near a simple drain to the outdoors, where the wash and rinse water ran down a bank to a creek. TOTALLY illegal now, of course. Installing the washer properly by today's standards would have meant trenching out part of that basement's concrete floor, plus a pump to assure flow to the sewer line- very expensive then and now. The faucets were near the front of the basement, which was underground, so no way to put in the kind of drain that was used. The rear of the house was not underground (lot sloped front to back) so it was relatively easy to put in that simple unplumbed drain there. People- and governments- were a lot less picky then than they are today. So, that may be why your washer doesn't seem to be hooked up like anything you've ever seen before.

Post# 238299 , Reply# 6 9/24/2007 at 21:42 (6,051 days old) by frontaloadotmy (the cool gay realm)
Checkrate/Likes *Whatever you do Robyn....* Don't kick it to the curb. My hulk of a friend, veg-o-matic in nearby Mortville, has said he will be delighted to fetch it for me!!!!!