Thread Number: 69406  /  Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Gentle Annie reaches retirement age 		[Down to Last]

automaticwasher.org's exclusive eBay Watch:
scroll >>> for more items --- [As an eBay Partner, eBay may compensate automaticwasher.org if you make a purchase using any link to eBay on this page]
Post# 922752   2/20/2017 at 23:44 (2,619 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        

About 20 years ago I found a Fisher and Paykel Gentle Annie washer discarded on the roadside. It was in very clean condition and not very old so I picked it up and took it home. Its only fault turned out to be a pinhole leak in the tub-to-pump hose, a short rubber concertina hose. I ordered a new hose and gave the repaired machine to my parents after I used it for a while. (their Bendix front loader from the 1970s was getting temperamental.)

Gentle Annie was an impressive machine. All electronically controlled, it had temperature controlled fill on warm, you could adjust the proportion of hot and cold blended to suit your preference.

It had no transmission, it had a sophisticated three-phase motor from GE, belt drive to the agitator shaft via a huge poly Vee belt. The motor reversed rapidly to give a true agitator action, the agitator moved about 180 degrees per stroke but this varied depending on the cycle and the agitation became more vigorous with deeper water levels. (to prevent splashing at low levels.)

It would also spin at 1000 rpm, fantastic for a 1990 top loader. There was no clutch to engage spin, instead the drive pulley was connected direct to the agitator shaft, and the spin shaft around it had a protrusion that would touch a matching protrusion on the agitator pulley. In effect, if the agitator kept reversing at less than 360 degrees arc then the basket was "floating free" ie: not locked but not driven. To spin, it would just drive the agitator in one direction, the drive blocks would collide before a full turn which meant the agitator shaft was driving the spin shaft in the same direction. Sorry, really hard to explain in text but incredibly simple in action. FP said in early advertising about the simplicity of their drive system "if a part isn't there, it can't fail."

Mum and Dad's machine demonstrated that simple reliability. The machine never had another repair after that leaky hose repair. About 10 years ago when I was getting parts for another machine, I was told that the FP Gentle Annie hose they had in stock was the last one in captivity. I bought it as a spare and still have it.

Its plastic top lid is now a bit saggy and the plastics a bit discoloured. My parents haven't aged so well. (nor have I.) My parents have lived in a retirement village for about 4 years, Mum went in to dementia care a bit over a year ago, Dad still lives in their unit in the village and turned 90 last year. The hot water in their unit is off-peak reheat only, and not big capacity so if he did a hot wash in Gentle Annie then there wasn't enough hot water left for a shower at night. He needs to wash in hot water due to old man issues so I gave him a Bosch Maxx 1000 front loader I found and repaired a couple of months ago. (New motor brushes and it is as good as new and a really good washer.) The Bosch heats its own water which solves the hot water service issue.

Gentle Annie still works fine and I was worried Dad would have trouble adjusting to the new machine so Annie is still in his back room - just in case... But Dad loves the new machine, he made the change much easier than he went from XP to Windows 10 but that is another story...

Gentle Annie had a long career with Mum and Dad, a great old machine. Next time I visit she will come home with me and retire to the shed till I can find her a new home.




Post# 922785 , Reply# 1   2/21/2017 at 02:12 (2,619 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)        
Gentle Abbie

 chestermikeuk's profile picture
Am glad to hear that Gentle Annie served your parents well Chris and I think many of us can relate to similar experiences with our parents as the years unfold, who would have thought its nearly around 2 decades since we all met up through the old groups and now AW.....many appliances have been found since them..

I picked up an earlier gentle annie nearly 10 yrs ago, its a grand washer and so simple in operation, nothing done to this only a spit n polish, long may it continue ....






Post# 922792 , Reply# 2   2/21/2017 at 02:53 (2,619 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        

Yup, Fisher and Paykel are among the best washing machines out there.

Post# 922800 , Reply# 3   2/21/2017 at 05:34 (2,619 days old) by Easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC)        
I have to agree . . .

. . . with the positive comments about F&P washing machines. Mine is over 10 years old with never a problem. It washes well, spins fast, and the electronic control is easy to use and can be changed at any point in the cycle.

Way to go Fisher & Paykel!!!

I'd love to see a Gentle Annie in operation.

Jerry Gay

Post# 922826 , Reply# 4   2/21/2017 at 09:39 (2,619 days old) by wiskybill (Canton, Ohio)        
Recently got a F&P GWL11 Ecosmart

 This was at an estate sale and was going to be scrapped
because it didn't work. It would only fill and drain.

I talked them into giving to me for free to remove it from the property.

It's from 2004. So, a newer version of Gentle Annie.

It had two small problems. A small leak in the fill flume and
a bad rotor position sensor.

Parts were easy to replace and about $40.

I was impressed with how easy this was to work on and
it's simplicity. I really like this machine.


  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 2         View Full Size
Post# 1152813 , Reply# 5   6/29/2022 at 07:56 (665 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        
latest update on the Gentle Annie

Well I stumbled on this prehistoric thread when doing a Google search to find out what years Gentle Annies were made.

 

Having found my own old thread, maybe time for an update...

 

Both my parents have long since passed on, Gentle Annie lives on and is now washing for friends of mine. They have had it for maybe five years at a guess? It still works perfectly. It has had an inlet valve replaced, that and the rubber hose replacement are the only repairs it has ever had in over 30 years. An amazingly reliable machine. With fully electronic controls...wink


Post# 1154768 , Reply# 6   7/19/2022 at 23:26 (644 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        

That is great news Chris. I have always liked F&P washers. However, have you an opinion of F&P top loaders since they were bought up by Haier?

On another note, I am utterly fed up with my AEG dishwasher. I am onto a replacement machine, as the first one (bought in 2019), was leaking and they replaced it without fuss. Then I was quite impressed, now not so much.

The current machine started leaking and malfunctioning a couple of months ago. Now AEG want to send it to a workshop and I am digging my heels in demanding an out-of-the-box replacement or my money back. However, so far they have ignored my email and they keep calling me to arrange a pick-up.

Last month I already had to wait several weeks for the technician to look at it. He managed to temporarily fix the problem, but it has started mucking up again. I know how this works. They take the machine and I'll be handwashing for weeks or even months and when they send it back it will still be faulty. Then the cycle of vexing phone calls and emails begins anew. And so AEG and I will be engaged in this never ending dance around their dodgy $2000.00 dishwasher.

Anyway, I would love to buy another set of F&P dishdrawers. I had those from 2003 until 2019, but I am hearing a lot of negative reports on them. Now I feel totally insecure about making any kind of decision. Oh, I don't know what to do. I need guidance...undecided


Post# 1154798 , Reply# 7   7/20/2022 at 09:32 (644 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        
Sorry no guidance from me on dishwashers...

I'm afraid I'm the wrong person to ask about dishwashers. Know what I've been doing with dishwashers lately? Dismantling them, remove the stainless steel inner liner; mount two wooden slats across the back of the stainless liner (on the outside); mount two heavy castors on each piece of wood; tilt it onto its back to create mobile firewood storage boxes. I make up and pop-rivet in a blanking plate to cover where the motor and filter used to fit. They are great, fit under the shelf in our new shed.

 

I too have read mixed reviews of the dishdrawers. Including here.

 

I haven't experienced F&P top loaders since Haier, but I have a Haier fridge, very basic, and it is fine. I'm somewhat impressed with the F&P front loaders and I think they are Haier underneath, aren't they?
Post# 1154801 , Reply# 8   7/20/2022 at 10:10 (644 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        
F&P DISHDRAWERS

 ozzie908's profile picture

Are the dogs doo dahs as far as I am concerned. Have the newest model that was 3 years ago and its just simply brilliant !! No buggering about waiting to fill it and no dishes sat on the side waiting for the dishwasher to finish I have as yet to miss my Miele DW as there is nothing I cannot fit into the drawer to get clean, on the downside it uses more detergent but thats a small price to pay for having a tidy kitchen and nothing to wash by hand... 
Post# 1154870 , Reply# 9   7/20/2022 at 23:38 (643 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        

I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that F&P sourced their front loaders from AEG/Electrolux. Turning dishwasher tubs into firewood storage boxes is a novel idea, but doesn't do anything for dishpan hands.

So, Austin, your F&P dishdrawers are working well. What about capacity and ease of loading? I have read complaints from people, who had older dishdrawer models, like myself, saying that the newer models do not stack as well as the older ones. What is your view? My current AEG single door machine is designated as XXL for capacity. Although, I don't really see all that much of a difference, comparing it to the dishdrawer model that it replaced. I do recall that putting bulkier items in the DD was a little tricky and very large plates had to be hand washed. However, even with the AEG, extra large plates and cookie sheets can and do interfere with the centre washarm, unless I lift the top washbasket, but then I can't load tall glasses.

I have looked at the DD and the built-quality seemed okay. Yet, again, some reviews are critical saying that the newer DDs are not as good and the plastic is of poor quality.

Anyway, I have to resolve the warranty issue with AEG first and it looks as if they are not coming to the table at this point. (:0(

Post# 1154875 , Reply# 10   7/21/2022 at 06:14 (643 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

foraloysius's profile picture
Those F&P frontloaders are Haiers. Definitely not AEG/Elux machines.

www.automaticwasher.org/c...

For a dishwasher, have you considered Bosch?



Post# 1154920 , Reply# 11   7/21/2022 at 22:37 (643 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        

I have looked at Bosch, Westinghouse and the LG with Quad Wash also. Bosch looks very good, but, again, I need to wait for AEG to get back to me re. warranty. Also, the water leakage from both dishwashers has damaged the kickboards under my kitchen cupboards. AEG/Electrolux must address this. I'll be happy if they send a new replacement or give a full refund. However, right now they are being very quiet. It's been a week since I set out my conditions and I will get back to them by this evening, if I still don't hear from them.


Forum Index:       Other Forums:                      


Comes to the Rescue!

The Discuss-o-Mat has stopped, buzzer is sounding!!!
If you would like to reply to this thread please log-in...

Discuss-O-MAT Log-In



New Members Click Here To Sign Up.



                     

automaticwasher.org home
Discuss-o-Mat Forums
Vintage Brochures, Service and Owners Manuals
Fun Vintage Washer Ephemera
See It Wash!
Video Downloads
 Audio Downloads
Picture of the Day
Patent of the Day
Photos of our Collections
The Old Aberdeen Farm
Vintage Service Manuals 		Vintage washer/dryer/dishwasher to sell?
Technical/service questions?
Looking for Parts?
Website related questions?
Digital Millennium Copyright Act Policy
Our Privacy Policy