Thread Number: 76067  /  Tag: Vintage Dryers
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Post# 999170   7/3/2018 at 10:14 (2,095 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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OK, mockery of the name aside, I am now the proud owner of a 1955 Norge AE620 electric clothes dryer.  Why this is a big deal to me is because I have a 1955 Norge washer that it will match.  Let's take bets on how long that takes me to get to... Hubby's money is on sometime in 2021...   In the meantime here's what the dryer looks like.  A little rough, but the turquoise with red accents on the control panel are what did it for me. 


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Post# 999172 , Reply# 1   7/3/2018 at 10:18 (2,095 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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Now this is interesting.... I knew it was a 'Time-Line' model but I figured the timer would be electrically powered as is the case on the washers.  Nope.  It's a clockwork timer, much like a kitchen timer, that 'counts down' from the time selected to the shut-off.  

 

What I was hoping for was a lighted time line... and I have it!  Likewise the Air/Heat indicator has colour indicators that are (OK, will be) lit up.  

 

Bonus - the timer still ticks along.  


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Post# 999173 , Reply# 2   7/3/2018 at 10:24 (2,095 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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The dryer top was loose, so I popped it off for the final leg of its journey into the wilds of Ogden.  And I was going to do this anyway to check out the wiring and clean the machine out.  Predictably there was lint residue clinging to the inside components.  

 

Interesting pulley set-up for the drum and fan drive.  That has to be one of the longest V-Belts I've seen on a dryer!

 

Odd that they put the 40-watt ballast bulb for the germicidal lamp in the cabinet and not lighting the drum...  However I've seen old dryer wiring setups like this (curiously on the Hamilton models but I guess that shouldn't be a huge surprise).   Bonus - the original germicidal lamp is still good!


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Post# 999175 , Reply# 3   7/3/2018 at 10:26 (2,095 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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I did a little head-scratching about this... it didn't compute immediately what this solenoid-activated thingy did...

 

Fortunately there is a partial wiring diagram to this dryer still and after tracing circuits it hit me that this is what controls the heat/no heat option.  Pretty robust way of cutting power to the heater units if you ask me.  Hope that solenoid doesn't go 'pow' as most of mine do... 


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Post# 999176 , Reply# 4   7/3/2018 at 10:27 (2,095 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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The motor looks huge!  It still seems to turn smoothly and the dryer was put up for sale as a working model.  


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Post# 999178 , Reply# 5   7/3/2018 at 10:33 (2,095 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        
Let me vent....

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So this is the oddest-looking vent setup I've seen, but I guess it's typical for the era... 

 

Note the rectangular box at the bottom of the drum - that seems to be the main vent output.  Odd that the outlet from the vent area seems to be routed left or right, not directly to the rear.   I would have to guess there was a way to vent directly through the floor too.

 

It's unusual for me to see a 3-inch vent pipe output.  It's odder still what it was 'vented' to!   This has to be a home-made vent; it's well-made but looks a little rough to have been a Norge or aftermarket accessory.  I will see how I can convert the vent output to the rear of the dryer.  I'm a little concerned that I may weaken the cabinet structure by cutting the rear panel, however.  


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Post# 999179 , Reply# 6   7/3/2018 at 10:42 (2,095 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        
Speaking of lint

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I discovered the lint trap tray at the bottom of the cabinet.  I also discovered a good quantity of lint....  More cleaning will be needed here!

 

I also discovered the fusible link.  Those old Buss Fusetrons sure were popular...  

 

On the left side, just to the right of the nameplate, I saw this bar and wondered if perhaps this was used to disengage the drum rollers for air-flow drying that I have read about in Norge dryer literature... Or was this made before such a notion came to be?  I need to search for more literature, but would appreciate if anyone who ever owned one of this chimes in. 

 

I still want to take the front of the dryer off for a more thorough cleaning, then try it with some electricity to see how far I get blown across the garage....LOL  But that will have to wait until the weekend now.  I bugged out of Ogden with the dog to hide out in the air-conditioned comfort of the house in St-Lib.  


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Post# 999180 , Reply# 7   7/3/2018 at 10:43 (2,095 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)        

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Fine looking Norge ya got there!

 As to when it will get looked at, I say as long as the appliance doesn't complain about it, it can sit and sleep for a long time.


Post# 999181 , Reply# 8   7/3/2018 at 10:45 (2,095 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )        
These things

dry great and don't wrinkle your clothes, but do blow lint because they blow the air into the drum instead of sucking the air out, of course I love them!!!

Post# 999189 , Reply# 9   7/3/2018 at 12:52 (2,095 days old) by nanook (Seattle)        
Popcorn

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You can always use that 'homemade' dryer "vent" as an air popper-! (Just be certain to rinse the popped kernels before munching them down-!)

Post# 999192 , Reply# 10   7/3/2018 at 13:32 (2,095 days old) by rpms (ontario canada)        

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My grandmother had the exact same dryer up until early 80s.
She only used it in the winter. Grandma had broke both her hips and couldn't bend. I remember her sorta cleaning the tray at the bottom maybe once? She would open the door and lint spewed out.
Just before she got rid of it it started to stall. She would get me or my cousin to crawl half into the drum and turn it. It would finally go. I believe it was very quiet?
Love the push button to open the door.
Can still see baskets of wet clothes from the Beatty's Wash Well wringer waiting to be dried. They would be so wet the weight of the clothes in the basket would squish water up through the bottom row of holes in the laundry basket and onto the floor. The washer wasn't grounded. It was hooked to an extension cord also not grounded over the door and into the kitchen. Nothing like hydro,water on the floor and touching a metal tub.


Post# 999195 , Reply# 11   7/3/2018 at 13:52 (2,095 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)        

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Seeing the back off that Norge brings back all sorts of great memories of when I was a teenager. I worked on a ton of those. I always liked the way it appeared that the blower and the drum were turning on the same shaft in opposite directions. Of course the drum turned on rollers. Replacing the gasket around the door opening was a nightmare. The thin wire that runs around the outer edge was next to impossible to get back in. 


Post# 999196 , Reply# 12   7/3/2018 at 13:55 (2,095 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay)        
Nice, Reliable Find!

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This brings back memories, except Mom's dryer was gas.  I even remember that exact same fuse!  The Time-Line had stopped working on it and stayed that way for years.  I'm surprised my dad didn't try to fix it if it was a mechanical timer.

 

I think if this dryer has the "Stop-N-Dry" mechanism, you should see something by one of the pulleys that would take the drum out of the loop.

 

Unlike its companion washer, this dryer purred along quietly as it did its job.


Post# 999197 , Reply# 13   7/3/2018 at 13:57 (2,095 days old) by Sudsomatic (Indiana)        
S'awesome Dryer

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Congrats on finding a match like that too. I agree, the colors on the panel are great and that 'radio dial' style selector is too cool.


Post# 999230 , Reply# 14   7/3/2018 at 18:49 (2,095 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)        
Congratulations!

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This must be the "pricey" dryer you talked about in another forum.  Nice find, especially since it matches the washer.

 

Question:  Has Chris trained Canyon to howl and roll his eyes each time a new vintage appliance appears?

 

lawrence


Post# 999250 , Reply# 15   7/3/2018 at 23:49 (2,095 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

Wasn't it Norge that says you could use their dryers as hair dryers----NOW you can use it as a popcorn popper!Wonder if it would be hot enough to pop by throwing the kernals into the drum?

Post# 999263 , Reply# 16   7/4/2018 at 06:50 (2,094 days old) by wft2800 (Leatherhead, Surrey)        

Drum 'money shot'? :)

Post# 999804 , Reply# 17   7/9/2018 at 11:41 (2,089 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        
In this week's episode....

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The Norge dryer was taken apart for a thorough cleaning.  And I found lots o'lint. Who knew?? LOL 


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Post# 999806 , Reply# 18   7/9/2018 at 11:43 (2,089 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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The drum rollers were in remarkably good shape.  The dryer was still being used so they never had the chance to flatten I guess.


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Post# 999807 , Reply# 19   7/9/2018 at 11:45 (2,089 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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Here's an unexpected bonus - there IS a drum light.  Glad I keep a supply of 15 watt bayonet base lamps handy!


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Post# 999808 , Reply# 20   7/9/2018 at 11:48 (2,089 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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And speaking of the drum... I was fascinated by the three channels in the rear of the drum to direct air over the clothes.  A very interesting drying system!


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Post# 999809 , Reply# 21   7/9/2018 at 11:51 (2,089 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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After choking on dust and tobacco-perfumed lint, I got the dryer back together and replaced the light bulb for the heat selector. Swanky!!


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Post# 999811 , Reply# 22   7/9/2018 at 11:57 (2,089 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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And while hooked up to electricical, I figured I might as well try starting the dryer up.  Well, it worked with no sparks or giant blue flashes that have accompanied my dryer work in the past!

I will add some video proof shortly.  

Overall, I think I got this one back in shape reasonably quickly (the 57 GE's had some choice comments about that...)

I still need to do some detailing but should I somehow manage to get the 55 Norge washer I can now boast of having the dryer to go with it!


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Post# 999812 , Reply# 23   7/9/2018 at 12:03 (2,089 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        
A short video

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Just to prove I did get it running... LOL 

 

Shame on me for not replacing the 40-watt bulb in the rear of the cabinet.  I will, I promise!

 





Post# 999816 , Reply# 24   7/9/2018 at 12:41 (2,089 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

So yours actually had a functioning door gasket?  Mine, which had very little use had a bad gasket and there don't seem to be any around. It has the side swing door, too. I think the mechanical timers were why Norge only had time dry machines for so long.


Post# 999822 , Reply# 25   7/9/2018 at 13:44 (2,089 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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Oh, the gasket on this one is shot to hell, Tom.   Fortunately, lint build-up over the years 'made' a new one... LOL


Post# 999850 , Reply# 26   7/9/2018 at 17:43 (2,089 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)        
Obviously a Canadian model

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Before Thomas Keller created his "butter-poaching" method for cooking lobsters, Mary Margaret McMertz, Domestic Management Spokeswoman for the Borg-Warner Company, came up with her inventive system, the "Norge Clothes Dryer Lobster Poaching Protocol" (launched before she introduced her famous Norge Dryer Hair Dryer accessory). Lobsters are placed in the special McMertz Kettle before the load is dried, "40 minutes later, Wah-Lah! perfectly dried clothes and, after a brief rinsing in clean fresh water, a perfectly realized Acadian Lobster Bake."

 

When you think about it, it makes about as much sense as that frikkin light-bulb-to-nowhere. I hope GE got a royalty from each of those dryers sold.

 

Seriously Archie, your Vintage Appliance Tooth Fairy really, really loves you.


Post# 999864 , Reply# 27   7/9/2018 at 20:19 (2,089 days old) by Michaelman2 (Lauderdale by the Sea, FL)        

Turquoisedude, is that the dryer Travis had at his house?

Post# 999888 , Reply# 28   7/10/2018 at 06:18 (2,088 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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Yes, this is the one!  

 

Ken, that being said, it is a USA-made model.  Norge was not widely seen around these parts in the north, but there were some around.  


Post# 1006035 , Reply# 29   9/4/2018 at 08:52 (2,032 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        
The final fixes....

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Since the Norge washer was already in service AND the '59 Frigidaire decided to quit on me, I was inspired to get the '55 Norge dryer into service at long last.  

 

I still had a couple of little things to resolve.  The first was very easy - swap the 3-pin power cord for the 4-pin style. 


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Post# 1006037 , Reply# 30   9/4/2018 at 08:56 (2,032 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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The next one was easier than I thought!  I had been mulling over how to modify the dryer exhaust vent so that it would go to the rear of the cabinet - that dryer is wide enough already and I don't have the luxury of space to have it vented to the side.  And I really didn't want to be using that hot-air lint-popper attachment it came with.

 

My first thought was to use a section of hot-air duct to attach to the vent port at the back of the dryer.  Turns out the rectangular part of the duct was too wide.... 


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Post# 1006038 , Reply# 31   9/4/2018 at 08:59 (2,032 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

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But you know me... Sometimes when I take a second look at something I see what I missed the first time around. I said 'sometimes'.... LOL

Well in this case I realized that the original exhaust port had a removable cap. Once removed, I was able to attach a standard exhaust elbow to it. Better still, it fit an opening already in the rear panel. I was very pleased to say the least!


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Post# 1006039 , Reply# 32   9/4/2018 at 09:00 (2,032 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        
@turquoisedude

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Being a dim Englishman I am not completely understanding how your dryers are wired to go from 3 core to 4 was it simply an external earth wire before thats now included in the plug ???

Sorry I am only running 40watts today not my usual 100w.

Austin


Post# 1006040 , Reply# 33   9/4/2018 at 09:03 (2,032 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        
Taaaa Daaaa!

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With help from Hubby, we wrestled the Norge dryer down to the basement and it was paired up with the matching 1955 Norge washer. They make a handsome couple, don't you think??

So far, the dryer has been performing well but I'll have to think of a way to replace that door gasket. It blows more hot air than the 4 major candidates in our Provincial election campaign... LOL

Now, if I can figure how to get that Duomatic downstairs... LOL


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Post# 1006041 , Reply# 34   9/4/2018 at 09:06 (2,032 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        
3 to 4 pin wiring

turquoisedude's profile picture
Austin, you are 100% right, there is simply an external ground wire that is added to the power cord and plug. It became the standard here in Canada back in the 1970s and applies to electric ranges as well as dryers. In the US, the 3-wire cords and plugs are used, with the appliance usually grounded to the neutral leg of the power supply.

Post# 1006042 , Reply# 35   9/4/2018 at 09:07 (2,032 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        
Thank you

ozzie908's profile picture
Now I understand :)

Post# 1006050 , Reply# 36   9/4/2018 at 10:44 (2,032 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )        
Re Door gasket

A quick fix is use peel and stick weatherstripping , attach it to the door and when you close it it will be tightly sealed, if you don't get ready for lint city!

Post# 1006053 , Reply# 37   9/4/2018 at 10:51 (2,032 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        

turquoisedude's profile picture
Thanks, Hans!!


Post# 1006063 , Reply# 38   9/4/2018 at 14:06 (2,032 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
@Austin

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During WWII as a measure to save copper USA installations for high draw electric appliances (ranges, ovens, clothes dryers, etc...) were allowed to use three wire plugs where the ground was to neutral. This worked well also because North American 220v power is two 120v wires (two hot and a ground)so the fourth wire (neutral) just went with grounding wire.

This was changed in late 1990's to four wires, but anything already installed was grandfathered. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_and...

Have had several appliances over years (mostly steam irons/boiler systems) where the cords had three prongs, but wiring internally was for four.


Post# 1006089 , Reply# 39   9/4/2018 at 18:32 (2,032 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        
@Launderess

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Thank you for the wikipedia page most interesting.

Austin


Post# 1006093 , Reply# 40   9/4/2018 at 19:22 (2,032 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
You're welcome

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When Miele first began bringing over their washers and dryers to USA they sold a special adapter.

See: www.electrical-contractor...

You can see, well you see that the washer and dryer have four prong plugs, but the adapter has three with a grounding wire. You can imagine how many electricians had something to say....

By the 1900 series Miele came out with a proper four prong plug on both washers and dryers, and adapter as well. See: offerup.com/item/detail/26483121...

Killer is that when Miele first began importing washers and dryers to USA they kept what was known; three prong plug which is same in Germany (some minor differences).

What is more interesting is that certain W700, W1070 and W1065 washing machines from Miele could be wired to run perfectly well on 120v power. Miele sold an "adapter" kit which was nothing more than a cord with three prong plug. Miele tech simply installed "neutral to ground" and capped off one of the heating elements which reduced power draw.

That is the other thing about Miele washing machines of old. None of their "120v/220v" washers truly needed the latter for maybe more than heating. Having seen inside of my machine and some components clearly state "120v".



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