Thread Number: 55765
"Lint Filter" operation on 70's-era Jap-made Westinghouse LS 010P Twin Tub...(?)
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Post# 781547   9/5/2014 at 01:09 (3,492 days old) by wishywashy (Brisbane, QLD, Australia)        

Dear Folks,

My first post, and may I start by commending you all on what an amazing forum you have managed to build up! I certainly couldn't find anything else equivalent anywhere on the Net in the way of Washing Machine forums...

But to the matter at hand: Just this week I was finally able to resurrect an old "Made In Japan" Westinghouse LS010P Twin Tub that we bought brand-new way back in the 70's, but has been lying around in the shed collecting dust for at least the last 20 years. You can't buy any parts whatsoever for them anymore, but I got lucky with some real backyard-diy tactics. Because of the machine's ability to agitate in both directions, as well as the fact that it has a "Lint Filter", I plan to use it as a "daily" for smaller loads when the larger capacity of our Simpson Top Loader is overkill.

As you can imagine, the unit's operation is pretty straightforward, but the workings of one particular feature has got me puzzled - namely the operation of the Lint Filter...(?) Or, to rephrase the issue as an actual question: In what manner does the user operate the machine to ensure that the Lint Filter is actually doing its job?

I will attempt to elaborate my query by way of the following references to the photos shown below, which I hope some of the TT-devotees will find interesting:

Photo 1: This photo shows the Old Girl in all her long-neglected glory...
In case you're wondering, there's actually only 2 buttons between the "Wash Timer" and the "Spin Timer" dials, even though the graphics might at first lead you to think otherwise from a distance. These 2 buttons control whether the Agitator operates in "One-Way" or "Two-Way" fashion. The direction-changing that results in the "Two-Way" mode is not a continuous affair like in an automatic top-loader, but rather something that happens every half a minute or so, after a short pause of about 5 seconds. In other words, the direction-changing must be a Timer-controlled feature...
The other thing I should point out is that the yellow knob on the console just behind the Spin-tub is a non-standard addition and is actually doing absolutely nothing, since it is not connected to anything else whatsoever.... From memory, a repairman back in the early 80's shoe-horned it in for us, but for the life of me I can't remember why(?). It is sitting more or less directly above the drain-valve, but the drain-valve is still connected to - and properly operated by - the "Selector"-dial. So go figure...(?)

Photo 2: In this image we are looking down into the Wash-tub. The bottom-mounted Agitator location would certainly enhance the effectiveness of the Lint Filter, which is side-mounted in the rear-right corner of the tub.

Photo 3: And here is a photo of the outside of the Lint Filter. As you can see, it features "Lo" and "Hi" fill-level indicators.

Photo 4: This is a shot of the small recess that is normally covered over by the Lint Filter. The top of that vertical pipe that you can see sits at a level that is a good couple of centimetres at least above the "Hi" fill-level mark.

Photo 5: This photo shows the back of the Lint Filter itself. My thumb is resting on the rear edge of a moveable flap that freely pivots at its top and bottom.

Photo 6: Here is a shot of the Old Girl with her skirts raised...;
The corrugated (or ribbed?) hose running vertically towards the top of the photo is actually running up and into the bottom end of the vertical pipe that you saw in Photo 4 behind the Lint Filter.

Photo 7: This is a closer-up image of the unit's plumbing arrangements using the camera's flash.
The round white device in the lower left corner is the drain-valve for the Wash-tub.
The vertical black hose behind it is the drain-hose for the Spin-tub.
The corrugated hose to the right of this is the one that runs up to the Lint Filter.
I can't quite remember what the small black hose to the right of this is(?)
Further again to the right, the larger black hose that runs into a grey hose towards the top of the photo, is the main Dump-hose.
The pump (which has its own motor) sits at the right-hand end of the photo, under that grey shroud.
And yes, the label on the big black horizontal hose running over from the Wash-tub to the drain-valve, really does say "Top Hose, Holden, VL 3.0 Litre"...
Those with a keen sense for irony will no doubt appreciate the fact that although the "Holden"-brand and the "Commodore" were as "Australian as", the particular engine in question for which the hose was manufactured just happened to be made in Japan (by Nissan you might recall...) How apt therefore that it should be bring back to life an Australian-branded washing-machine that was actually made in Japan...

Now, what I've noticed regarding the Lint Filter so far is the following:

A) Even when the Wash-tub is filled up to the "Hi"-level mark, and the Lint Filter is removed, agitation in either direction is insufficient to force water up over the top of and down into the vertical pipe in the recess behind the Lint Filter. So it appears that there can't be a "return circuit" in effect that sees water pushed through the Lint Filter by the Agitator, to then drop down into the vertical pipe, so as to find its way back into the Wash-tub through the drainhole in its bottom. At any rate, for this to occur, the drain-valve would have to be opened and the pump run in reverse...

B). When the the "Selector" dial is set to "Drain" during a wash, however, and the dump-hose is fed into the Spin-tub (but with the lid up so that it doesn't spin), the consequent running of the pump enables a "return circuit" of filtered water to indeed result, but in the reverse direction - ie. from out of the pipe behind the Lint Filter, and out through the Filter back into the Wash-tub. But would this be what the manufacturer intended - to have the pump running continuously during a wash?...

So, how does the Lint Filter actually work? Could it be perhaps that the pivoting flap behind it enables it to somehow work "passively" in either direction of agitation, with water entering the Filter on one side and exiting on the other, by virtue of what the flap might somehow do to the direction of water-flow inside the recess? I know that a lot of Top Loaders have Lint Filters mounted on the Agitator that just do their work via the natural flow direction of the water during a wash, but the ability for water to flow both into, and out of, the corner-mounted Filter in this machine just doesn't seem likely...

If someone has the original Owner's Manual for one of these units, some scans of it would indeed be grand!...

I read in another thread here that maybe Hitachi or Toshiba were the actual manufacturers of these machines, but the following variant model numbers were on the inside of the plastic cover that sits over the rear opening, leading me to believe that maybe National are actually the culprits(?)
NA-1020, NA-1050, NA-1080, NA-1300, NA-1520, NA-1550, NA-2520, NA-2550, NA-7020.
At any rate, perhaps someone can point me in the direction of a link where I might be able to track down an Owner's Manual for one of these machines instead of the Westinghouse...(?)

Many Thanks,
Mike.


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Post# 782031 , Reply# 1   9/6/2014 at 22:12 (3,490 days old) by unclejohn (Can)        
Fascinating and nice little machine

Westinghouse LS 010P :


Hi Mike !


First of all, welcome to this forum...

Your machine reminds me of one Panasonic twin-tub I have seen somewhere in the past on this website. You might want to have a look at a 1/14/2012 thread page (see link). Also looks quite a lot, in design at least, as a vintage Sanyo SW410 twin-tub washer of the 1970s (picture). Interesting little machines...

My grand ma did use an old Hitachi TT which, according to my memory, is very much different from your model. Also, a long time ago--at a flea market--I can remember seeing an old ROY twin tub (Canada) which had a similar outlook to your japanese beauty.

Noticed that you're from Australia: Ive bought (orders) some replacement belts and a spin mat there for my old Hoover twinnie (from Allfix electrical and Qualtex)...

BTW, I've just bought an old Simplicity (Speed Queen) twin tub of the 1970s. I can understand your enthusiasm: Washday can (and should) be so much fun with a twin-tub!

uj


CLICK HERE TO GO TO unclejohn's LINK


Post# 782209 , Reply# 2   9/7/2014 at 20:50 (3,489 days old) by wishywashy (Brisbane, QLD, Australia)        

Thanks for the reply UncleJohn,

The control-layout on that Sanyo is indeed similar to an interesting degree, although I'd have to look at a higher-res image to see what the middle and right-hand dial-knobs were doing. The middle knob is in the precise location where it would have to be if it were the "Selector", and the right-hand knob would obviously have to be a "Spin "Timer" in order to maintain mechanical "clone-ity" with the Westinghouse. But the trouble is - going by a fair bit of googling that I did yesterday afternoon, it looks like there's no information "out there" for that Sanyo either anyway. Pity...

One thing that I fogot to mention in my original post is that a label on the rear of the unit says it was manufactured for Westinghouse by Email, but once again no information is available out there for old Email Twin Tubs. Correct me if I'm wrong (anyone...) but I suspect that Email didn't sell any washers under their own brand-name...(?)

I'll keep the names of those local suppliers you mentioned up my sleeve UJ, because I do indeed also have a Hoover TT that I'll be bringing back to life at some stage down the track.

I'll also try to edit the original post to incorporate the said "Manufactured-by-Email" information...

Best Wishes,
Mike.


Post# 782212 , Reply# 3   9/7/2014 at 21:30 (3,489 days old) by brisnat81 (Brisbane Australia)        

Hi Mike,

That's a nice looking machine, My mum had an Astor branded model up until I was 5 or so, it had a very similar layout and design.

Email didn't sell anything directly, they were a conglomerate who brought the brands and then slowly killed the designs off one by one, although it was Electrolux that finally closed the last of the factories. Email was a bit like White Westinghouse in the US.

Welcome to the site.

Cheers

Nathan


Post# 782437 , Reply# 4   9/8/2014 at 19:07 (3,488 days old) by wishywashy (Brisbane, QLD, Australia)        

Thanks for the reply fellow-Brisbanian Nathan,

In a roundabout way, that "Astor" tip might end up being a solid lead, in so far as a bit of preliminary-googling on the brand indicates that the machine could well be Toshiba-sourced after all. I'll let you know if I can get anywhere with a bit more sniffing around...
The "Email" tidbits of info were very handy too, because they will save me a fair bit of pointless googling for Email "Owner's Manuals"!

Best Wishes for now,
Mike.



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