Thread Number: 31713
westinghouse laundromat |
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Post# 478374   11/29/2010 at 17:41 (4,867 days old) by bendix99 ()   |   | |
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how do u add soap if the machine is full of water |
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Post# 478380 , Reply# 1   11/29/2010 at 18:34 (4,867 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 478410 , Reply# 3   11/29/2010 at 21:00 (4,867 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)   |   | |
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---never filled full enough with water to not be able to open the door AT ANY TIME and either add detergent,bleach or fabric softener.You should be able to open the door at any time to add whatever it is you want whether it be a piece of clothing or cleaning solution(s).I'd be more concerned about not being able to add bleach or fabric softener. you can pour detergent directly on the load before beginning the program.
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Post# 478459 , Reply# 4   11/30/2010 at 07:56 (4,867 days old) by ingliscanada ()   |   | |
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Didn't the Westy Laundromats have a soap dispenser on top? |
Post# 478463 , Reply# 5   11/30/2010 at 08:43 (4,867 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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My second White-Westinghouse front-loader with controls on the front (circa 1990, branded as a Gibson), didn't have any dispensers. It came with a big plastic pitcher, which you'd use to dilute bleach and pour into the washer a few minutes into the wash cycle.
The machine would buzz and the door would unlock during the fill for the final rinse. You would then pour a capful of softener into the washer. The first front-loader I had (a now-rare Frigidaire-branded, rear controls, late '80s White-Westy) had dispensers for bleach and fabric softener mounted on top of the machine. It still had the loud solenoid bang when it went into a spin. No steenkin' balancing protocol, either. It just went bang and immediately ramped up to full speed---which led to cabinet-banging incidents when loads were unbalanced. None of my front-loaders have ever filled to the point where you couldn't safely open the door without a flood. |
Post# 478466 , Reply# 6   11/30/2010 at 09:14 (4,867 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Here are the instructions for adding detergent in the 1955 Westinghouse Laundromat, neither way they suggest to do it are correct in my opinion. When I use the machine I start it and let the water level fill up above the bottom of the sump into the tub, then I open the door and add the detergent.
Adding the detergent first would allow it to fall down into the sump and pump and not really get mixed that well into the wash water. Adding it on top of dry clothes would be better, but some of it will still fall down into the sump before it gets saturated with water. When they refer to "softener" they mean water sofetener like Calgon, rinse cycle fabric softener wasn't first marketed until 1957. |
Post# 478492 , Reply# 8   11/30/2010 at 11:44 (4,867 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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Here's a link to austinado16's 1953 Laundromat pair washing and drying on YouTube. Not exactly what you're looking for, but it's a start. There may be some Laundromat footage elsewhere here at AW, too.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO Frigilux's LINK |
Post# 478549 , Reply# 9   11/30/2010 at 16:45 (4,866 days old) by dj-gabriele ()   |   | |
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You're kidding aren't you? :O |
Post# 478562 , Reply# 10   11/30/2010 at 18:18 (4,866 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)   |   | |
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well with my L5 you have to add the soap at the start either before you actually start the machine on top of the dry cloths or just as you turn the machine on then shut the door, then add the softner right at the start of the rinse and then shut the door before the water level comes up but its way fun
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Post# 478582 , Reply# 11   11/30/2010 at 20:14 (4,866 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Yes Randy has been asking me for months to do a video, so I gathered up five large bath towels and threw them into our Westinghouse Laundromat in the kitchen. I used 1/4 cup of Tide HE. I haven't use the machine in a few months so it was due a nice hot washload.
I also stopped the machine towards the end of the cycle and opened the door so you can see the water level with the door open. ps. Forgive my ripped workshop sweatshirt I forgot to dress for Hollywood, lol. |
Post# 478584 , Reply# 12   11/30/2010 at 20:28 (4,866 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Robert, how cool!!! I didn't realize these were in the kitchen!! Just like all good 1950s household floorplans, the washer, and maybe the dryer, were in the kitchen. Perfect for that quickly needed small load to save the treck down to the High Church of the Immaculate Cleaning.
Just the way I remembered Laundromats!! Did you end up with a rope of bath towels at the end? |
Post# 478587 , Reply# 13   11/30/2010 at 20:42 (4,866 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Just the way I remembered Laundromats!! Did you end up with a rope of bath towels at the end?
not sure Bob, they are all done and I'm just sitting here in the living room, lol. Let me go check, ***hold please*** ***insert Holiday for Strings here*** Ok I'm back... Yup two of the five towels are roped, not bad I've seen worse. And look Bob, I even threw in a few blue towels just for you ;-) |
Post# 478589 , Reply# 14   11/30/2010 at 20:50 (4,866 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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I agree, not too bad. Some of the worst I've ever seen was the huge load of towels I ran through there in 2001 while there. The whole load was roped. But my goodness, I just cannot understand why. After all, I used the weight-to-save on the door to make sure I had a full load of towels before I put them in the machine. lol (then we had the ensuing discussion). I think I ended up splitting the load in half and putting some of it in the newly-restored LK at the time too. And you did Jason proud since he started that blue towel phenomenon lol. But, I still need them too lol. Cum to think of it, if you threw in a red towel or two in that load, you could have a patriotic 4th of July load. Just don't answer the doorbell if it rings, Betsy Ross may be standing on the other side with her foot tapping lol.
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Post# 478598 , Reply# 15   11/30/2010 at 21:25 (4,866 days old) by tlee618 ()   |   | |
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What a fun video Robert!! You had the perfect suds level there!! I bet those machine tops come in handy for extra counter work space. Thanks for sharing. |
Post# 478700 , Reply# 20   12/1/2010 at 12:23 (4,866 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)   |   | |
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Here I sit at work reading this and tears are dripping down my face because these are my absolute favorites!! Our neighborhood had been building these in to the new homes and the newer homes got these DeLuxe models. The first,older model homes got the earlier Laundromat twins with the red bakeolite? dials.Most of them lasted until the newer 18 pound top loaders came out but,I do remember a few leaving their homes early and being sold second hand mostly to used appliance stores.Mrs.Kasey had one she sold for $20 and replaced it with a Frigidaire (WCI-58) in charcoal gray.The buyer said the timer on the Laundromat was stuck.I eventually got the gray Frigidaire years,decades ago and had it running (the capacitor had to be replaced) for years.
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Post# 478708 , Reply# 21   12/1/2010 at 13:29 (4,866 days old) by Maytagbear (N.E. Ohio)   |   | |
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or was the microphone on Robert's camcorder having a coffee break? (No offense intended, Robert!) Thank you for the interesting video! Lawrence/Maytagbear |
Post# 478722 , Reply# 22   12/1/2010 at 14:36 (4,865 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 478752 , Reply# 23   12/1/2010 at 17:18 (4,865 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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Yes, even my basket case 1950-ish Laundromat was really quiet.
I have always loved these machines. If I had found a matching dryer for my washer I may have hung onto it, but it was much more of a restoration project than I knew I'd ever have time for. The pair that got away was at an estate sale back in the mid 80's. It was a 1952 time capsule of a house, all original and everything spotless, but washer, dryer, and GE Combination fridge were all sold by the time I got there. |
Post# 478784 , Reply# 24   12/1/2010 at 20:44 (4,865 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 478789 , Reply# 26   12/1/2010 at 21:11 (4,865 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Had to jump in here with a link to a video of my 'rebuilt from the ground up' 1950 Westy L5!
My early New Year's resolution is to make more of an effort to get the dead timer on my 1953 Canadian Westy washer fixed or replaced.... CLICK HERE TO GO TO turquoisedude's LINK |
Post# 478832 , Reply# 28   12/1/2010 at 22:44 (4,865 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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Yeah, I got my Laundromat as yet another checklist item for the ultimate getaway cabin that I figured I'd have someday. Already knew I'd eventually get my mom's '49 Westy range, the '49 Westy fridge was already relegated to the garage as a spare, so all I needed was a dryer and my vintage Westinghouse kitchen would be outfitted.
Well, I was barely able to afford a first home let alone a second one. The writing was on the wall, and none of those appliances are with me today. The fridge failed in a heat wave after 50+ years in continuous operation, bless it's stoic heart, the Laundromat went at the estate sale after sitting dormant for 25 years, and Greg in Sparta got the stove, which was never out of service and continues to happily crank out meals. Maybe I can revive my plan and change the venue to my basement, at least where the laundry pair is concerned, if I win the Lotto. |
Post# 480740 , Reply# 31   12/10/2010 at 09:28 (4,857 days old) by 3beltwesty ()   |   | |
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Some westinghouse machines had a horizontal drum but the front was slanted CLICK HERE TO GO TO 3beltwesty's LINK |
Post# 480746 , Reply# 32   12/10/2010 at 10:15 (4,857 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 480764 , Reply# 33   12/10/2010 at 12:30 (4,857 days old) by 3beltwesty ()   |   | |
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Here is the correct patent by Westinghouse by Breckenridge in 1938 of Mansfield Ohio. another is 2296259 ; another is 2343742 filed in 1944. CLICK HERE TO GO TO 3beltwesty's LINK |
Post# 480777 , Reply# 35   12/10/2010 at 13:27 (4,857 days old) by 3beltwesty ()   |   | |
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1953 westinghouse |
Post# 480816 , Reply# 37   12/10/2010 at 19:24 (4,856 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 481233 , Reply# 40   12/12/2010 at 20:52 (4,854 days old) by qsd-dan (West)   |   | |
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Post# 481241 , Reply# 42   12/12/2010 at 21:49 (4,854 days old) by 3beltwesty ()   |   | |
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The photo posted has one of the shipping rods in place; it is normally not in place in a real working machine. |
Post# 481295 , Reply# 44   12/13/2010 at 06:26 (4,854 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI )   |   | |
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Where is the lint filter on your 1955 Westy dryer? The previous owners left a Westinghouse dryer of similar vintage for us when we bought our house in 1998. I looked all over the darn thing but couldn't find it anywhere. Sadly, it was hauled away by the appliance delivery guys when we bought our Maytag Dependable Care set.
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Post# 481305 , Reply# 45   12/13/2010 at 07:21 (4,854 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 481327 , Reply# 47   12/13/2010 at 08:24 (4,854 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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The three belt machines switched to the round GE motor in the late 1970s or early 1980s I am not sure of the exact year, but this gave a big boost to the reliability of the 3B washers. I often used to say the worst thing about WH washers & dryers was that they had WH motors in them. WH motors seemed to suffer more centrifugal switch problems, more bearing problems and they always seemed to run hotter. This was one of the things that also hurt MTs reliability in the 1970s as they used a lot of WH motors in thier washers & dryers. Even WP used a few WH motors in thier BD washers in 1974-5 when Consumer Reports gave the WP washer the best buy rating and WP was selling so many washers that GE and Emerson couldn't keep up with WPs demand for new motors. And of course we saw some of these fail in warranty and just out of warranty. It used to always take some reselling when we would get a service call on a customers nice nearly new MT washer or dryer and at just 2 or 3 years we had to replace a motor people weren't happy.
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Post# 481336 , Reply# 48   12/13/2010 at 09:32 (4,854 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)   |   | |
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Westinghouse sold off their motor division about 20 years ago. I think it may have been to Emerson, but one article mentioned AOSmith? I am not sure if they make the motors anymore.
To be truthful, I don't even think that the motors used in the new Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plant are made by (what is left of) Westinghouse. |
Post# 481354 , Reply# 51   12/13/2010 at 11:11 (4,854 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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I believe AOSmith is still selling motors. The reason why I said "sell", I am in the Restaurant Business. This summer I had to replace a Condensor Fan Motor on one of the Reach ins. The tech came in with a box that had AOSmith on it. I remember them as a mfg. of good motors. I said to the tech "Wow. Something still made in America". He grinned, turned the box to the other side and there it was "Made in China". The motor failed 8 hours later. His response was "This happens often."
:( |
Post# 481492 , Reply# 53   12/13/2010 at 20:29 (4,853 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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It's a Damn Shame we can't make anything Good here anymore.
It's a Total and Utter Disgrace. Look at the Machines we search for. Why ? Because thet were American Engineering. Every Morning when I go into my "Showroom:, I just look ata everything and it reminds me of Years ago when things were good. In a certain sense. |
Post# 482565 , Reply# 55   12/18/2010 at 19:18 (4,848 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 482572 , Reply# 56   12/18/2010 at 19:33 (4,848 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 482585 , Reply# 57   12/18/2010 at 20:15 (4,848 days old) by austinado16 ()   |   | |
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I did. 100% of our appliances are both vintage, and American made...from the Jane Jetson GE mixer all the way up to the Laundry Twins. |