Thread Number: 37813
Machines of Ill Repute, Volume II - The Westinghouse Wards |
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Post# 562287   12/9/2011 at 23:48 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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If you ever followed General Electric and Westinghouse's designs, it seemed that--most especially in the later years of laundry and dishwashing design--they obsessed over ways to knock off each other's engineering. Or, probably more aptly, Westinghouse knocked off GE.
If the ramped-agitator top loader didn't have you convinced, the dishwasher had to. Unlike the earlier iteration in the sixties with the micro-screen filter, V-profiled wash arm, and butt-kicking performance, the cheaper, later model--with its horizontal-mount pump, offset-sump, snapping drain solenoid, and all--well, if you closed your eyes, you'd swear it was a GE. Ever since Greg regaled me of his Radiant Rinse machine, I wanted to play with one of these. Yes, it may have been a WCI product by this point, but the genesis of the design was purely from desperate, depleted early-seventies Westinghouse. For starters, I have to say that I liked the aesthetics of this machine. It was handsome, and even though it had a Contact-paper top, it was one of the nicest-looking I'd seen in a while. The flush kick panel gave it a smooth, continuous look, and unlike some portables I've used, the hose and cord pullout actually worked smoothly. This post was last edited 12/10/2011 at 00:25 |
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Post# 562289 , Reply# 1   12/9/2011 at 23:52 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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The cycles on this machine were mostly sensible and based on the GE logic of "heavier soil needs more washes and more water changes, with some Calrod heating thrown in for good measure." In its own environment, that's a sound strategy. What filters lack, serial dilution can make up for, when you're not concerned with energy conservation or resource efficiency.
The most unusual feature was the Econo Wash, which--according to the Wards documentation--allowed for a very long main wash, with no water changes in between, but two separate dispensings of detergent. This idea seemed odd to me, and possibly detrimental to the dishes if used over the long-term--but also harkened to the days of suds-saving: When the detergent gets exhausted over time, just refresh it with more. As you'd expect, the difference in Normal and Short was how far you moved the timer dial. Aside from Econo Wash and its bizarre behaviors, Pots and Pans served to provide a heating delay, long wash, and--yes--a chance for a control panel light to illuminate, so that you and your friends would know that your dishwasher was seriously at work. |
Post# 562290 , Reply# 2   12/9/2011 at 23:54 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Unlike D&M/WCI over in my Deluxe thread, this machine sported no "On" light; Westinghouse correctly assumed you'd know when this machine was operating, when the cat ran and hid under the sofa from the racket.
Instead, they chose curious conditions for illuminated display--activation of the Pots and Pans cycle, and selection of the heated dry. The latter's kind of nice, in case you washed all your plastics and forgot to switch it off. This post was last edited 12/10/2011 at 00:28 |
Post# 562291 , Reply# 3   12/9/2011 at 23:54 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 562293 , Reply# 4   12/10/2011 at 00:00 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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File this photo away in your mental Rolodex for my next installment, and see if you don't experience a very curious sense of deja vu. But more on that later.
The cups were very Westinghousian/WCI; two retractable cups swung out on an arm, with a static third cup for the Pots and Pans cycle. The rinse dispenser was jiggered off a huge, rotary cam, which we'll talk about more in my next Machine of Ill Repute installment. Clearly, the designer of Whirlpool's cam bars defected to Westinghouse to come up with this little gem, all fired off one set of bimetallic strips. Oddly or happily, the dispensers did work reliably. Despite the glossy exterior of this machine, the potato-chip-thin porcelain left much to be desired (note the distinct lack of gloss, and spot of rust in the picture). Build quality made D&M look like a Mercedes, and the multi-segmented control panel (look back at the first full-panel shot) was a nightmare to work on; the top, bottom, left, right, and inset segments all came apart separately, and like car trim, were rather hard to get back together seamlessly. The fill flume on this unit was fine, but the sump had a ring of rust, which you'll see more of in a moment; the machine, on acquisition, leaked from the drain valve actuating arm seal, which later fixed itself, as well as from one of the legs of the heating element, which was easy to fix but ended initial testing abruptly when the machine shorted out on its maiden wash. |
Post# 562294 , Reply# 5   12/10/2011 at 00:06 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Where GE ate it--in my book--was the wash arm with the gigantic holes. Big, open holes generate volume, but not pressure, which generally accounted for most of my disappointments with turbine-pump GE dishwashers.
Westinghouse tracked a different course, opting instead to use the goats-eye holes very similar to those you'd find on a Filter-Stream or PowerClean Whirlpool dishwasher. The bowed-out, oblong orifice made for better wash action all around. Also, instead of ceding rack space to a saucer shelf, the wash arm on the Westinghouse was mounted on a stem that could telescope slightly under pressure. When it did so, it would jump up and mate with the rotating wash turret, which as impressively jetted in its own right. Two apparent items in this picture: The rust ring from the deteriorating porcelain around the pump intake in the rear, and the wear on the tank ledges from the ever-chintzy rack glides. That's right--glides, not wheels. Surprisingly, the rack was as smooth as anything else I've used, but the idea of foregoing little plastic wheels (fewer moving parts, I guess?) just made my toes curl. This post was last edited 12/10/2011 at 00:30 |
Post# 562295 , Reply# 6   12/10/2011 at 00:09 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Here's the pump intake. And actually, there was an olive pit laying on it. It was pretty good at stopping the large, scary objects. And, the smaller sump--and smaller cavity below--prevented this machine from doing the GE trick of retaining up to a quart of water, and occasionally all the particulates it might contain.
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Post# 562296 , Reply# 7   12/10/2011 at 00:12 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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The wash turret in this machine was nothing short of sensational. With the exception of the GE Twenty Eight Hundred--a true class-act in its own right, and a design apart from its kin--no other wash-tower machine has scoured the top rack so well, or reached the corners so thoroughly. No tall glasses in the corners ever emerged dirty, or filled with trash.
The only problem was the slit in the middle, which tended to act as an inadvertent filter from time to time. A quick rap on the turret with the handle of a bread-knife usually sent whatever-it-was back onto the door liner for easy removal. Note that the turret rests in a sleeve, so you can (gently) rest items on it, and still not interrupt the rotation of the turret itself. The vinyl coating on the racks was ahead of its time--much more closely mirroring today's atom-thin coatings of nylon. (And the rust spots show it.) |
Post# 562297 , Reply# 8   12/10/2011 at 00:17 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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The silverware basket in this machine was an oddity, until you learned why it was so great.
Not quite to the side, not stuck in the middle, you could move it around, or remove it, or leave it where it was, and there was still ample room for casseroles and cookie sheets behind it. Or, there were two more rows of tines for dinner plates and such, if that's what you had to work with. At first, I was puzzled, but over time, I really began to enjoy this configuration. Combined with the high top rack and lack of a top wash arm, you could do other cool things with this machine, like load cookie sheets and casseroles around the sides AND BACK of the rack. (I suppose you could have done it on the front, but you'd end up with a glob of detergent, more than likely.) The top rack looked sensible, but failed in one crucial point--the ribs that ran from side-to-side were spaced too widely from front-to-back. You only realized this when you loaded the sides with drinking glasses and tumblers. When the cycle finished, and you pulled-out the top rack, they all fell over on each other--there just wasn't enough wire beneath them spaced closely enough to give them a solid footing. |
Post# 562299 , Reply# 9   12/10/2011 at 00:24 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Overall, this machine was great. It was like owning a GE portable, only one that washed dishes. Performance-wise, this machine never let us down, and we never had a single reject. If you fired-up the Pots and Pans cycle, your Corelle would emerge minus the pattern. Plus, the styling matched your Wards washer perfectly (yeah, we found the matching washer in Phoenix...).
The low points were the janky top rack, and the lousy (LOUSY) build quality. If you ever wondered why Wards ate it while Sears soldiered on, you have to step back and compare Kenmore versus Wards Signature sourcing and build quality. Sometimes, it just felt like Sears was the Filet Mignon, and Wards was the cube steak. Interestingly, though, this machine featured wide, cylindrical casters, one of the very few types that both roll smoothly, and distribute the weight such that they do not mar your linoleum or sheet-vinyl floors while the machine sits. This machine was mercifully free from the ill-conceived and raucous "let's air-dry the dishes by running the turbine pump throughout the dry cycle" design that some of these machines featured, so it was really no more annoying to use than the average GE...and after a while, your brain learned to increment the cycle from across the house by the number of times you heard the drain solenoid snap. Ultimately, this machine was phased out in favor of the Filter-Stream Whirlpool, and eventually met its fate as the rust that had already taken root ran its course. |
Post# 562371 , Reply# 12   12/10/2011 at 09:51 (4,492 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 562409 , Reply# 13   12/10/2011 at 12:14 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Kevin and Tom, thank you so much!! I really enjoyed putting this together--and I miss the old Consumer Reports that actually contained detailed testing information, pictures, and the infamous "advantages" (A, C, D, L, N) and "disadvantages" (e, g, j) notation. So detailed! Now it's like the article gets maybe two pages, contains two tiny pics, and just has a list of Best Buys, with no real reasoning behind it.
I love reading AW members' posts when they wax literary and detailed, it makes things so fun and captivating to read about.
Paul, I *remember* that machine! That definitely needs to come back out! :-D My dream someday is to find the infamous spring-loaded timeline-control units--or even better still, one of the old filtered models that gave KAs a run for their money. |
Post# 562410 , Reply# 14   12/10/2011 at 12:17 (4,492 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Post# 562414 , Reply# 15   12/10/2011 at 13:38 (4,492 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)   |   | |
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Come East, young man. John and I found one back in the 80s, It's avocado and has the linear timer. |
Post# 562418 , Reply# 16   12/10/2011 at 14:44 (4,492 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)   |   | |
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Post# 562777 , Reply# 17   12/12/2011 at 12:18 (4,490 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)   |   | |
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I looked and looked for Volume I, hoping it would be about a washer--the Imperial Searchalator yielded nothing--till a clue in your text led me to the Super Forum.
These are Masterpieces of Dishwasher Doctrine, all three released in one fell swoop. Nate, I think you may be a certifiable genius.
Awestruck,
Mike
PS: Yes, got to love a dishwasher that pushes to start just like a washer. Didn't know they came that way--how cool! And thanks for the magnificent readings in truly canonical threads.
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Post# 562803 , Reply# 18   12/12/2011 at 13:07 (4,490 days old) by retropia ()   |   | |
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Thanks, Nate, for the thorough reviews on your three dishwashers. At least now, if someone else wants to try one of these, he will know what to expect. |
Post# 562814 , Reply# 19   12/12/2011 at 14:11 (4,490 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Thank you so much, Mike! You're too kind!!! *blush* And it was fun to put together--I've been meaning to for several months, LOL!
Doug, you're very welcome--these three are still fun machines, just as it would be a blast to find a rotating-cylinder Tappan and play with it, even if you know what you're in for. There's nothing quite like exploring the diversity of design engineering that, unfortunately, just doesn't seem to exist quite the way it used to.
(And then you can just keep your KitchenAid in the obligatory second-dishwasher spot ;-) )
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Post# 562826 , Reply# 20   12/12/2011 at 15:02 (4,490 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI)   |   | |
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Mont. Ward, 1989: When I was looking at appliances, in pursuing my interests in 'em at age 19, (& when I was old enough to take myself out to the app. stores & app. departments when my family "really didn't need anything), the saleslady I saw was telling a customer I saw buying a washer that everything he was looking at that was the "their brand" (SIGNATURE 2000) was "made by WHITE-WESTINGHOUSE!"...
(He didn't seem to want to spend much on it, either, despite Ward's was at the time, beginning to add nat'l-branded lines...) Color choices of the appliances were only "almond" and "white"...! (& the customer just shyly said "white")... Wondering if it were true, or the last of the NORGE/FEDDERS-made M/W's... The dishwashers I remember seeing if not a Maytag or GE which Ward's was beginning to see was a D&M design (such as this one & the WCI-made Frigidaires, this retailer was also beginning to sell)... -- Dave |
Post# 562972 , Reply# 21   12/13/2011 at 08:00 (4,489 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Yes Nate I loved the reviews of your DW experiences [ and I won't say I told you guys so about the Waste-King, Thermadors LOL ].
About 25 years ago we removed an unused Tappan rotating drum DW from a house. And at the time I had just purchased a 2nd home and thought that it might be a fun machine to use for dishes only near the formal dinning area. So we hooked it up in my home here and in ran perfectly and quietly, so in went some lightly soiled dishes. Well it easily holds the title of the worst cleaning DW that I ever put a dish in, it was pathetic, it just moved food soil from one side of the machine to the other.
I am now sorry that that I trashed it as it was a very interesting machine. And I really hope you find one some day and get to play with it as I would love to read your review of it. Just don't go to much trouble permanently installing it in your kitchen, LOL. |
Post# 564857 , Reply# 22   12/23/2011 at 14:56 (4,479 days old) by roto204 (Tucson, AZ)   |   | |
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Thank you so much, John!! Yes, your words of advice about the WK-Thermadors rang fresh in our ears, LOL! Now, we just have to find one of the real Thermador Masterpiece dishwashers for a comparison!
That's sad to hear about that Tappan dishwasher--it was so pretty! That would definitely be one to have installed just for potato-chip storage. Or, loading with clean dishes prior to running! :-) |
Post# 564911 , Reply# 23   12/23/2011 at 21:35 (4,478 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Nate as it happens I do have a real TD DW, it looks to be in great shape but I have never even tried it out. Many years ago I had a little older model of this machine and a pored varsol in it and used it to clean old washer transmissions, it worked great for a while. But I would really like to try this one out sometime as it is a very interesting machine. |
Post# 1008324 , Reply# 25   9/23/2018 at 18:13 (2,013 days old) by RE563 (Fort Worth, Texas)   |   | |
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