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Thread Number: 74937
/ Tag: Vintage Dryers
Keep or Sell? Vintage GE Dryer, need more info. |
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Post# 987600 , Reply# 1 3/21/2018 at 22:06 (2,220 days old) by pulltostart  (Mobile, AL) |
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Welcome! Nice, well-thought post; no dumb questions here!
I have little experience working on appliances, but am a YUGE fan of GE. This dryer IMO is a great, all round dryer. It's origins go back to 1957 when GE introduced their "high speed" dryers, and was changed some in 1961 to correspond with their larger 12-lb washing machines. It's wasn't really changed much over all the years of production until the mid 1990's when GE dropped their Filter-Flo washers and introduced their Quiet-By-Design models.
The controls are simple, operation is straight-forward, maintenance is minimal. It would probably benefit from a clean-out (lint build-up). If it seems to run fine, it should be good-to-go.
Others here can offer more technical advice better than I. It does appear to be in great physical condition - that's an excellent start.
I say clean it out, plug it in, and use it; see what you think. As long as it doesn't screech or klunk and the clothes get dry you should be good.
Congratulations on your purchase and good luck with you vintage appliance adventure!
lawrence | ||
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Post# 987602 , Reply# 2 3/21/2018 at 22:21 (2,220 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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Post# 987607 , Reply# 3 3/21/2018 at 23:10 (2,220 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions) |
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Post# 987614 , Reply# 4 3/22/2018 at 00:23 (2,220 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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 I observed and assisted in changing out the drum bearing for a similar model dryer and it wasn't a big deal. If the bearing is bad, it would make the screeching sound mentioned above.
I agree that if you de-lint it, plug it in for a test and it passes, go ahead and use it. It looks very low mileage, and dryers in general tend to last forever compared to washers.
I doubt energy use would be much different from a current model dryer. If anything, a current model would use the same amount of energy, but a lot of its components would be cheaply made and the machine wouldn't last as long as an older model.
It could take you a while to find the matching washer, and you should consider parts availability and likely having to make repairs yourself because most "repair" techs will simply tell you it's too old to fix. You could deal with extended down time if a part fails that isn't readily available. If you do a lot of laundry, consider these factors when deciding whether or not a vintage washer is right for your household. | ||
| Post# 987615 , Reply# 5 3/22/2018 at 00:26 (2,220 days old) by good-shepherd (New Jersey) | ||
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Keep it. Those GE dryer models are well built work horses and will run a long time, enjoy. The nylon drum bearing is a common wear item and is easily replaced when opened for cleaning. Also, inspect the belt, drum glides and a put a little turbine oil on the belt tension pulley. | ||
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Post# 987664 , Reply# 6 3/22/2018 at 12:04 (2,220 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD) |
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If this is a large capacity dryer with the deeper drum, it would have the heating element in a can underneath the drum instead of behind it as GE did for decades. If it's old enough to have the very durable porcelain drum which is no longer used, it should be a very good dryer. | ||
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Post# 987674 , Reply# 8 3/22/2018 at 12:24 (2,220 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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Post# 987678 , Reply# 10 3/22/2018 at 13:20 (2,220 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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That looks like old school porcelain enamel to me! No idea if it's the larger size drum, though.
Also, that is definitely not an '82 dryer. The control panel is different, and on an '82 the panel's color scheme would have included yellow and orange around the timer dial in addition to red. I think '92 is correct.
Here's a picture of an '83 Filter Flo washer:
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| Post# 987685 , Reply# 11 3/22/2018 at 13:42 (2,219 days old) by ken (NYS) | ||
Here's a video showing a 1990 GE Filter-Flo washer in action. Filter-Flo refers to how the water is filtered through the filter pan during wash and rinse cycles to filter out lint.
Here's another video showing use of the mini basket for extra small loads. Not all Filter-Flo's were equipped with the extra low mini basket water setting. But that doesn't mean you can't use one in the machine anyway. | ||
| Post# 987686 , Reply# 12 3/22/2018 at 13:54 (2,219 days old) by girlnextdoor (Sarasota, Florida) | ||
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Tomturbomatic - Stupid me. It says Heavy Duty Large Capacity right on the panel. So is the heating element behind or underneath, and which is better to have in terms of failure and replacement? | ||
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Post# 987695 , Reply# 13 3/22/2018 at 15:41 (2,219 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL) |
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Don't be fooled by the "Large Capacity" label. I believe the larger models were called "Extra Large Capacity" or some other nonsense. If this were the larger of the two sizes there would be a "bulge" on the rear of the machine, not a simple flat back (with recess at the bottom where the duct exits the cabinet). Pretty sure this is what is commonly referred to as a standard capacity model.
Update - realized that I have a catalog from 8/91. In there it confirms that this is the smaller (standard) size. DDE7208M is the electric version with:
Large Capacity with automatic dry control 5 cycles 4 heat selections
The Extra Large Capacity Dryers were DDE9500M, DDE8508M, and DDE8000M.
lawrence | ||
| Post# 987706 , Reply# 15 3/22/2018 at 17:24 (2,219 days old) by good-shepherd (New Jersey) | ||
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any operating or service manuals available for this dryer If you can open up the back of the control panel hopefully the factory service sheet is still there with part #'s, service info, diagrams, etc. | ||
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Post# 987708 , Reply# 16 3/22/2018 at 17:28 (2,219 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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yeah, that is a 1992 model.....the all black control panel with red/white graphics is also a dead give away...just about any washer with that black panel would be a match....some have more options/knobs than others...
this is the standard size tub...or as they call it by this time frame, Large Capacity.......both size washers were matched to this for years....in the 70's they did offer a HUGE square door larger capacity to match the larger washer.... in any case.....as shown in this pic of mine, from 1985, the dryer would have as mentioned the bulge out the back, and a silver label connected to the door handle....this would be the deeper concave drum, and the heat source would be underneath....the vent output would be centered on the back, on yours the vent is located to the far left as looking at the back... the only disadvantage to your model, is the heating element is located behind the rear panel of the drum, THAT can get hot on HIGH temp, so if drying something like large blankets, best to set the temp to LOW....normal mixed loads don't have an issue... the washers use a bit more water, but scrub clothes very well, excellent at rinsing, extraction is very good, and that FilterFlo is great for catching pet fur if you have animals... I don't think they offered a RimFlo self clean filtering ring for these models....in any case, you WILL want that filter pan that sits on the agitator, that moving pan makes all the difference of sifting out the lint note: you can never have too many machines...
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Post# 988464 , Reply# 17 3/27/2018 at 13:04 (2,215 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey) |
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and what luck.....a match to your dryer turned up......
CLICK HERE TO GO TO Yogitunes's LINK
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Post# 988491 , Reply# 18 3/27/2018 at 15:18 (2,214 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions) |
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Post# 988560 , Reply# 19 3/28/2018 at 06:12 (2,214 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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1992 GE Electric Dryer These were reasonably good dryers and there is little difference in energy usage compared to any other American full sized 240 volt electric dryer.
The matching washer is entirely another matter when it comes to cost of operation, GE washers were easily the highest consumers of water and hot water of any US washer. This coupled with an electric dryer you can really burn up some power trying to dry clothing that is only spun out at 600 RPMs. In addition all US washers of this time period used 3-4 times as much electricity to run as newer FL and TL washers do.
The matching washer is also far less durable than other US TL washers of this time period, major service calls include leaking & flooding, oil leaks, small items caught in the pump, serious outer tub rust issues, costly clutch problems. Better reliability choices during this time period would KM-WP or even Maytag TL washers if you want a vintage non computerized washer.
Note: There is nothing on this dryer that should be oiled with turbine oil except the metal feet if they are stiff when you try to adjust them.
This machine has a plastic rear drum bearing that does NOT get lucubrated the front plastic slides can be lucubrated with a silicone light lubricant on the felt pads if you like and the plastic idler pulley can be greased a little if you like.
John L. | ||
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