Thread Number: 56470
POD 10/7/14 - 1960 Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII
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Post# 787837   10/7/2014 at 14:27 (3,460 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

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What a classy machine!

 

I have two questions:  

 

1.  Does anyone know if there are any type of markings or indicators at the timer dial so you can tell what part of the cycle it's in at a glance?

 

2.  If no markings, how would you select a "drain & spin" if needed, for example.

 

Thanks!

Kevin





Post# 787849 , Reply# 1   10/7/2014 at 15:32 (3,459 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)        
I got the answers

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'Cuz I got the machine---

No, the dial has no markings to let you know where in the cycle it is.

"drain and spin" does not exist, you gotta just know your cycles and slowly turn the dial.

It's a wonderful washer, great results, fun as hell controls, but not a lot of flexibility in buttons. Instead it takes Operator input to get exactly what you want in the rare, offbeat stuff.

But it lights up, so all is well.


Post# 787852 , Reply# 2   10/7/2014 at 16:10 (3,459 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

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Thanks Mark!

 

So how does it work with starting the machine....... press the button, turn the knob until it stops and push or pull to start?

 

I assume the button just above / left of the timer is for a cold rinse?   I know the other one is for SUDS.

 

Thanks again!

Kevin


Post# 787869 , Reply# 3   10/7/2014 at 18:10 (3,459 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)        
Kevin

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The left button is pre-wash then spin or second rinse then spin. Warm water, and if I remember, no spray rinse. The machine runs wonderfully and I love it, but I can only have 4 hooked up automatics at a time, and it's resting until I do a swap. I have, currently in use, a 74 Kenmore extra capacity, a late 70-'s large tub Maytag*Sept 79, I think just 7 months before the end of Center Dial Maytags), a standard capacity GE Filter Flo 79 Suds Model, and a 74 Speed Queen solid tub. All of which I repaired/restored with TONS of help and advice from the folks of AW.org

And while my Whirlpool 1960 isn't a suds model, yes the right button is for dry agitate, and I then do my own swapping of the hose from full draintub to standing drainpipe to make it a poor man's suds model.

IT's a great machine, but it helped me decide I usually don't like the pushbuttn models. I prefer TOL with lots of options/switches/buttons for me to choose. But I take what I can get when the machine is as old as me, and love it. Various other models I have, different makes thru the years, are BOL and fine too. (Full disclosure, I am one year older than that WP. But I lie to famly and friends and claim it's a 59 TOL, like me)


Post# 787870 , Reply# 4   10/7/2014 at 18:21 (3,459 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)        
and

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Yes, you push the button for the desired cycle, then turn the timer dial untl it stops, then PUSH IN to start. Somewhere in the 70's everyone switched to PUSH TO STOP timers.

Post# 787992 , Reply# 5   10/8/2014 at 12:15 (3,459 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

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Very cool, thanks for all the info Mark!   laughing

 

Kevin


Post# 788003 , Reply# 6   10/8/2014 at 13:21 (3,459 days old) by bwoods ()        
very classy

Yes, it was a very classy machine. As I've mentioned previously on ths site several times, we had the RCA Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII matched set when I was very young. I think it was a 1960, it might have been a '61 I would have to see a picture. 99% sure it was '60 model.

No the timer has not markings other than the cool color coding with the push buttons. If I recall the top right single button, which was for the suds return, on our maachine was a dummy button. It did not push in as we did not have the suds return feature. We did later when they traded the XII set for a 1969 Whirpool set.

You didn't need any markers on the timer dial because the buttons stopped the dial at the correct place when you turned it. If I recall correctly, #10 on the dial was "Spin Only" so you didn't even need to know where the spin locations were.

I think the most fun part was watching the timer knob advance. Unlike most machines, it did not continually advance at an imperceptible speed. But it would stay still then all of a sudden visibly advance several degrees to its new possition. To a kid this look mysterious and robotic-like. ha.

It was a wonderful machine (the dryer not so much so) and the only fault was the horrible rinsing, and a spin that got out of balance easily. It had a neutral drain, and even with the multiple momentary spray rinses in addition to the deep rinse,it almost always left suds in the bottom of the tub. AFter the tub stopped spiining you could also see suds ooze through the tub perforatons back into the inner tub. But in defense of the washer my mom, being very clean, certainly did not hold back on the use of detergents. The second Whirlpool was the same, bad rinsing. When my mom got the GE Filter-Flo after the second Whirlpool she loved it because it cleared the tub of suds and rinsed so well.

But for people who use normal amount of detergent I am sure the Whirlpool did fine in the rinsing department. The Super Surgilator agitator had good rollover.
My mom was hard on the machine and often would wash throw rugs and other large and/or bulky type items in it. I think we went through a couple of motors. And when it got out of balance, wow, you knew it. We could hear the banging from the basement all throughout the house, and the machine would actually move out on the floor. Once it was stopped only by the fill hoses, if it weren't for them it would probably have been in the middle of the floor.

But most of all the set was beautiful, especially as mentioned above with the panel lights on and shining through the color coded control panel, it was a real attention grabber.

As far as versatility, I don't know how a machine could be too much more versatile. It not only offered hot, and cold and warm but lukewarm as a temperature as well. Two speeds a host of different combinations of time/temp/speed preprogrammed for cotton, wash 'n wear, delicates, etc.

I am not familiar with other 1960 machines but was the Whirlpool ahead of its times with a timed release bleach dispenser, a fabric softener dispenser and a pre-mix detergent dispenser?

Now the dryer was another story....many features like a water dispenser for dampening clothes for ironing, and it even had a UV bulb for freshening the clothes. It also had an electronic timer with no timer knob, just a start button. After a few years it quite functioning and would not stop the drying cycle. My dad should have called Whirlpool for service, but he called some local repairplace and the electronic control box in the dryer was just beyond their ability to understand, let alone fix. They never could get it to work even with several trips to the house. So for years my mom just had to remember to turn it off manually. Sometimes she would not get to it in time and we had some very stiff clothes. :)





This post was last edited 10/08/2014 at 13:45
Post# 788015 , Reply# 7   10/8/2014 at 14:25 (3,459 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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This is an LMA (1965) model.  The timer has a sequence legend for the Normal cycle but not for Wash 'n Wear or Gentle.  The starting point for Gentle is at the right edge of the Low Agitate (3rd speed) button.  There's no Spin Only or Rinse/Spin selection.


Post# 788017 , Reply# 8   10/8/2014 at 14:40 (3,459 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        

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Is this the 1961 model?


Post# 788018 , Reply# 9   10/8/2014 at 14:47 (3,459 days old) by bwoods ()        
60 or 61?

The picture above from DADoES is the model we had, exactly. Anyone know if its 1960 or a 1961?? My guess in '60.

Isn't that a beautiful control panel! Even with the discolored buttons, flaking paint on the knob and pitted chrome it is still mighty nice looking.

I had forgotten about that "Shag Rug" setting. No wonder my mom washed so many rugs in it. It was inviting you to!


Post# 788019 , Reply# 10   10/8/2014 at 14:51 (3,459 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)        

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I would say that the POD is a '60, and the photo that Glenn posted is a '61. I recently found a 1961 model Supreme, and the knobs are identical.

The differences between the push button options for the Whirlpool vs. Kenmore is quite interesting. For the Kenmore, there is a SPIN option for the '59 Model 80, as well as on the 59-61 rapid advance Lady Kenmores.

Ben


Post# 788050 , Reply# 11   10/8/2014 at 18:39 (3,458 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)        
cycles

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here's a pic from inside the lid of my 1960, same model as the POD except non-suds. All buttons 1-10 are full cycles. There's no spin and drain only on the machine.

  View Full Size
Post# 788075 , Reply# 12   10/8/2014 at 21:13 (3,458 days old) by bwoods ()        
enough to date it

Then the picture in this thread, and my parents machine, had to be 1961 models. Apparently Whirlpool made changes in the '61 year and add the spin only cycle as well as the the fourth water temperature option of "lukewarm". I can't recall if it had "medium" and "lukewarm" or if "lukewarm" was just a term to replace "medium."
Maybe Whirlpool just thought lukewarm was a more descriptive term.


Post# 788103 , Reply# 13   10/9/2014 at 02:56 (3,458 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

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It certainly has a cool control panel with all the little pushbuttons.  Love the chrome touches on the filter and agitator cap.

 

Timed dispensers:  The 1959 Lady Kenmore had timed dispensers, as did our 1960 Model 80. 

 

Self-cleaning lint filter:  Am a bit surprised the '60 Whirlpool doesn't have a self-cleaning filter.  It was introduced to the Lady Kenmore in '59.  Our Model 80 had a manual-clean filter.  Must have been a special agreement with Whirlpool to make the self-cleaning filter an exclusive feature for a set period of time.

 

Agitation times:  A couple of minutes shorter than the above-mentioned pushbutton Kenmores:

> Cottons/Linens White Heavy Soil: 12 minutes / Light Soil:  8 minutes

> Cottons/Lines Colored Heavy Soil: 10 minutes / Light Soil: 6 minutes

Wash 'n' Wear and Delicate times are same as Whirlpool.


Post# 788112 , Reply# 14   10/9/2014 at 05:59 (3,458 days old) by appnut (TX)        
Self-cleaning filter WPs

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If they had offered this feature, then there would have been no Magi-Mix filter.  Sears seemed to get experimental and cutting edge features over the WPs, probably on purpose. 


Post# 788152 , Reply# 15   10/9/2014 at 11:19 (3,458 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)        
lint filters

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I have a self-clean on my 74 Kenmore, and a filter/detergent dispenser on my 1960 WP. Cleaning the filter, seeing the actual lint, is part of the fun of the old machines. FilterFlo's, Maytag, 1-18, it's part of the hobby. Messy, true, but fun

Post# 788191 , Reply# 16   10/9/2014 at 18:46 (3,457 days old) by CircleW (NE Cincinnati OH area)        

"Sears seemed to get experimental and cutting edge features over the WPs, probably on purpose"

Of course they did. At that time, the great majority of Whirlpool's laundry product plant's output was making Kenmores for Sears. At this time, Sears owned a great deal of stock in Whirlpool.


Post# 788276 , Reply# 17   10/10/2014 at 02:23 (3,457 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK)        
In Australia too

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Not quite the same, but similar with nice shots of the machine in action







CLICK HERE TO GO TO vacbear58's LINK



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