Maytag A608 convert to suds saver

Folks---I'm thinking this out, bear with me, I'm trying to do a "poor man's" suds saver on an A608.
Drain hose----I added about 18 inch extension, and have one tub with a plug, and one tub draining out properly. I will have to manually move the drain hose immediately after the initial wash water drain, from the plugged tub to the drain tub, before the spray rinse starts. Then leave it there for the rest of the cycle.
Water Level Switch-----I can install a 15 amp 120 volt switch to bypass the level sensor. When it's left off, power goes to the sensor switch but won't tell the timer to agitate until proper level is reached, normal operation. BUT, if I turn the switch ON, then immediately at start of wash cycle, the Maytag will think it's got full water level and immediately start agitating. Agitation mode means the pump works in reverse, sucking back in.

Note----I have no intention of trying a darn thing with Perma-Press cycle, it goes thru so many partial drains and refills, it's nuts.

So, to start a load from scratch, I plug the tub with the sole drain hose in it, start a normal cycle. When it exhausts water after wash, I move the hose over to the open draining tub and let the machine cycle all the way through to finish. Then, for the second load, I leave the washer empty of clothes, switch the water level bypass switch to ON position, put the hose into the plugged tub full of water, and start normal agitation. This will syphon the suds back into the washer. When the suds tub is almopst empty, I stop the machine. Turn the level bypass to OFF so it operates normally, push whatever hot/warm/cold button I want and high-medium water level desired, put clothes in, start normal cycle again. It will sense if it got back a full tubful or not, fill whatever small amount needed, and run the cycle (with me moving hose and plugs depending on my desires to use a third time or let everythong go down the drain.
Holes in my theory: I better keep a close eye on which tub gets the hose and when, have to remember to turn the bypass switch OFF as soon as syphoning is done or I'll end up rinsing with no water at all, etc.
So, I know it's both a cheap way to do things and not in the least automatic, but I watch every load of clothes thru the 4 different machines I own anyhows, so no big deal. I'm used to TwinTubs and wringers, so this is no big deal for me.
Can anyone suggest simple cheap alternatives or warnings? O r do I have all the bases covered?
Additionally, I keep my eyes on estate sales and Craigslist for a REAL suds saver, but this Maytag is 31 years old already, cost $22.50, I figure I can play with it a bit.
Thanks
Mark


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Post# 487302 1/8/2011 at 14:07 (4,853 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)
Checkrate/Likes Folks---I'm thinking this out, bear with me, I'm trying to do a "poor man's" suds saver on an A608. Drain hose----I added about 18 inch extension, and have one tub with a plug, and one tub draining out properly. I will have to manually move the drain hose immediately after the initial wash water drain, from the plugged tub to the drain tub, before the spray rinse starts. Then leave it there for the rest of the cycle. Water Level Switch-----I can install a 15 amp 120 volt switch to bypass the level sensor. When it's left off, power goes to the sensor switch but won't tell the timer to agitate until proper level is reached, normal operation. BUT, if I turn the switch ON, then immediately at start of wash cycle, the Maytag will think it's got full water level and immediately start agitating. Agitation mode means the pump works in reverse, sucking back in. Note----I have no intention of trying a darn thing with Perma-Press cycle, it goes thru so many partial drains and refills, it's nuts. So, to start a load from scratch, I plug the tub with the sole drain hose in it, start a normal cycle. When it exhausts water after wash, I move the hose over to the open draining tub and let the machine cycle all the way through to finish. Then, for the second load, I leave the washer empty of clothes, switch the water level bypass switch to ON position, put the hose into the plugged tub full of water, and start normal agitation. This will syphon the suds back into the washer. When the suds tub is almopst empty, I stop the machine. Turn the level bypass to OFF so it operates normally, push whatever hot/warm/cold button I want and high-medium water level desired, put clothes in, start normal cycle again. It will sense if it got back a full tubful or not, fill whatever small amount needed, and run the cycle (with me moving hose and plugs depending on my desires to use a third time or let everythong go down the drain. Holes in my theory: I better keep a close eye on which tub gets the hose and when, have to remember to turn the bypass switch OFF as soon as syphoning is done or I'll end up rinsing with no water at all, etc. So, I know it's both a cheap way to do things and not in the least automatic, but I watch every load of clothes thru the 4 different machines I own anyhows, so no big deal. I'm used to TwinTubs and wringers, so this is no big deal for me. Can anyone suggest simple cheap alternatives or warnings? O r do I have all the bases covered? Additionally, I keep my eyes on estate sales and Craigslist for a REAL suds saver, but this Maytag is 31 years old already, cost $22.50, I figure I can play with it a bit. Thanks Mark

Post# 487314 , Reply# 1 1/8/2011 at 15:22 (4,853 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes Why don't you just drain the suds directly into a second washer and start the next load washing instead of having the water sit for 20 minutes losing heat? Once you drained the water into the second machine and repositioned the 608's hose, your work would be done unless you wanted to use the water a third time.

Post# 487315 , Reply# 2 1/8/2011 at 15:25 (4,853 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)
Checkrate/Likes Sounds like a lot o' work.....

Post# 487318 , Reply# 3 1/8/2011 at 15:30 (4,853 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)
Checkrate/Likes BTW, still got the gold A408S. Ran it last weekend, ran quiet, needs a few "tweeks",(belts,air injector leak).

Post# 487331 , Reply# 4 1/8/2011 at 16:26 (4,853 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes You know that if you set the water level switch to minimum and pour 8 gallons of the stored wash water back in the machine before you start it, it will begin agitating and suck the rest of the water back in. Once all of the water is back in the machine, you can reset the water level, remove the stopper from the drain and be done with it.

Post# 487533 , Reply# 5 1/9/2011 at 12:31 (4,852 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)
Checkrate/Likes *You're right* All of you are correct, there's more than one way to save suds with so many machines. But I also just wanted to start "revising" an old machine, make it do what I wanted it to, and it was a 20 minute job and $4.97 for the switch. And it works! Anyone wanting specifics on the wiring, please holler back, my first try didn't work. Thanks for help and advice-- Mark