Vintage Hotpoint


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Thread Number: 5646
Vintage Hotpoint

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Post# 118497 3/29/2006 at 08:36 (6,594 days old) by petey ()
Checkrate/Likes Nick any news on your new old Hotpoint? how are you getting it? Been looking back at the vids on here, brings back some happy days of washing machine watching round friends and relatives houses!! all very impressive!! i was beginning to think i was alone in my fascination for these machines

Post# 118518 , Reply# 1 3/29/2006 at 10:31 (6,594 days old) by newwave1 (Lincoln, United Kingdom)
Checkrate/Likes Certainly not alone petey. old hotpoints rock. i had a similar model to nicks recently aqquired machine & it was fantastic. real workhorse. Darren

Post# 118552 , Reply# 2 3/29/2006 at 14:01 (6,594 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *Hi Petey and Darren* Blasted thing hasn't even been delivered yet - don't worry, when it has you guys will be the first to know via this site. I'm hoping it won't be a huge disappointment! Patience, patience..... Nick. PS You can see a similar machine on distribute in the excellent 1990 Mike Leigh Film `Life is Sweet'....if you want a taster....but the clip on the SLO Washing Machine is more fun. Look on the `Secret Life of The Washing Machine' thread for a link to download - you'll love the show.

Post# 118553 , Reply# 3 3/29/2006 at 14:02 (6,594 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *sorry petey* i'm dumb i just saw it was you who started that thread lol!

Post# 120021 , Reply# 4 4/5/2006 at 04:21 (6,587 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *It arrived yesterday....* ....but is in quite a sorry state. I don't think this thing is gonna be doing any washing for a while. Problems: The drum felt a little `wrong' as i turned it by hand and was quite noisy. I suspected bearrings, but if I disconnect the belt, the drum rotates freely and silently. The motor, however, is what's making the noise. If I spin the motor by hand there is a little resistance, and it makes a sort of scratchy noise. I haven't worked out how to get a good view of the motor yet, because obviously the motor's at the top and this machine doesn't have a lid as such. I've taken the back panel off - easy - but I think I need to remove the entire cabinet, involving (I think) removing the control panel, front panel etc etc. The big black pipe which connects the sump to the pump has totally corroded and there are gaping holes in it. There is a white powder residue all in the drum and also over the components inside the machine. I have no idea what this is or if it signifies anything obvious.... The neon indicator light doesn't work. I don't understand how it ever worked as there isn't anything behind it on the control panel to connect it to. The door `glass' is plastic and has a slight crack in the centre. So those are the main problems so far.......on the plus side, the pump and timer appear to run ok and cosmetically it's not bad. The soap powder drawer cleaned up well. I have run a distribute / spin. Initially the motor was very jittery and intermittent, and I suspected the brushes had gone, but it seemed to sort itself out. The machine hasn't been used for years, and perhaps the brushes were sticking in the holders? It accelerated fine and maintained a final spin. That's what I'm up against......anyone know of or used a decent Hotpoint spare parts stockist? Model is 18580. Also if anyone knows the quick way to get at whole of the motor I'd appreciate the tip. Obviously I can see the `belt' side of the motor but the brushes / commutator / armature aide of things are round the back, if you view the machine from the rear. I am not giving up on it and am looking forwards to the restoration spare parts permitting! Cheers Nick

Post# 120031 , Reply# 5 4/5/2006 at 05:00 (6,587 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill Home of the RailwayTrials Merseyside,UK)
Checkrate/Likes *18580* Hi Nick, congratulations on getting your Hotpoint, keep smiling, I`ve been there loads of times, looking at the pic its great, reality can tell us differently. The Wrap Around top/side panel should come off in one piece by unscrewing the screws/nuts from the base where it sits. I`m certain on this type of machine the control panel is fitted to the front panel... The motor sound is totally normal, when I first heard it I thought all the copper wiring was coming apart it sounded soooo scratchy & noisy, I`m sure it will benefit from new brushes and a clean up... The link is for Hotpoint spares, type your model number in at the top, some parts still available, I dont have a service manual for this machine, but some of the brit guys do, I`ll post a message on the Hotpoint yahoo club as see...you will be able to get a replacement (qualtex) early sump hose to fit, if I cant find one I hit a local car spares shops and have been able to find hosing to fit. The white reside is probably powder and /or limescale, calgon will soon sort that out. I`m sure you could find a spare door on a scrap machine either locally or asking the hotpoint site to keep an eye open. The link to Hotpoint Yahoo site: groups.yahoo.com/group/HOTPOINT_H... Qualtex Spares: www.qualtexuk.com/... Happy renovations, Mike CLICK HERE TO GO TO chestermikeuk's LINK

Post# 120263 , Reply# 6 4/6/2006 at 06:11 (6,586 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *18580* Thanks very much for your reply, Mike. I joined the Hotpoint discussion group on Yahoo! and will ask for some help as you suggested. I was surpised to see that the guy I bought the machine from is also a member of the group! I do actually have the service manual for the machine - I bought it with the machine, but I have only given it casual glances so far - there's lots going on at home including my son's 2nd birthday, so i can't spend too much time on this at the moment much as I'd like to. I suppose the first thing I need to get hold of is the sump pipe as the machine is unuseable without it. I'm very grateful for your advice and no doubt I'll ask for more while I'm doing this rennovation, if that's ok with you! Nick PS You were right - the distribute to 1000 is pretty dramatic with even an empty drum, I'm really looking forwards to giving it a (balanced) load of towels! Nick

Post# 120284 , Reply# 7 4/6/2006 at 08:13 (6,586 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *made a start* while my son was having his midday nap and will write up my findings before his birthday party starts at 1430! Taking the cabinet off did in the end involve loosening the control panel and even the inlet valves... think I'll leave it off until I've done all the work! Spotted that the jubilee clips to the dispenser have basically rotted through - they came apart in my hands so I'll need to replace those. There are loads of white encrustations which I'll need to clean up. Outer tub is in good condition, and not plastic! Heater looks to be ok, and rubber door seal is sound (if mouldy, but hopefully I can sort that). Motor brushes surpisingly meaty and when I refitted them about 2 or 3cm went back up inside the holder. May or may not be worth replacing them anyway. Cleaned motor and put some WD40 on some bits. Looks ancient (perhaps the original) but there doesn't appear to be anything wrong - no broken segments on the armature or anything and no real sparking when running. Pump also runs freely. Removed sump hose - the vertical section with the inspection trap at the bottom was just full (heavy)of white gritty stuff as was the pipe connecting the dispenser to the drum but less so than the sump. Though it would appear to be quite clear why this machine was orginally made redundant (either it wasn't pumping due to the blocked sump, or leaking due to the corroded sump or inlets to the detergent dispenser) I think that this machine could be running again with some TLC. It's really quite badly rusted inside - especially round the base. But I think it's still fairly sound structurally and nothing major has fallen apart as I've worked on it. I do have a big question mark, and it is that there seems to be a fairly large gap between the front of the inner drum and the outer drum - it looks about right for swallowing socks etc. I'll try and post some pics later on to show what I mean. Regards to all Nick

Post# 126549 , Reply# 8 5/4/2006 at 16:34 (6,558 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *Update* Hi guys - just thought I'd update you with progress on the machine. Have fitted the new sump hose with success and ran the machine with some water in it a few times to clear out most of the debris. The machine only has one water level but it looks very up-the-door splashy even on wash! Yey! Level controller works, timer does a whole cycle no probs, thermostats work, drain pump runs extremely well and quietly.....I'm really pleased with the prospects for the machine. The next job is to replace the soap hose from the dispenser to the drum. It has also perished. I haven't a clue what one seals it with around the drum, it must have to be a really good seal because I guess otherwise the pressure of the water during the initial spin would just sort of blow it off. Any tips gratefully received! The motor brushes have loads left on them but if you look at the point where they make contact with the...um.....commutator?.... armature??? Tech knowledge is failing me, anyway there is a very slight sparking at that point. More so on slow wash type speeds than on fast spin, interestingly enough. It's nothing too scary - you just observe the odd blue spark if you watch closely inside the motor. Maybe this is normal...??? The neon is missing. It's just been taken out for some reason. I've studied the engineering book for the machine and worked out where to connect the neon on the timer, but I can't find one as a spare part for love nor money. Stupid question, but are all little neons the same voltage or whatever? If I just take one off something else and wire it in, will it work? Have enjoyed my tinkering tonight, hope you are all well. Nick

Post# 127036 , Reply# 9 5/6/2006 at 16:23 (6,556 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)
Checkrate/Likes *neon* Hi Nick, I can answer the neon question for you definitely, if nothing else. No, they are not all the same. There are two common types in use. But first (just) a bit of tech-talk. Neon "bulbs" consist of two parts. The part which glows and a second part, called a resistor. Usually, the resistor is soldered or crimped right onto a leg of the bulb (and today this is mostly enclosed in plastic and clearly labled 240V). Some neon bulbs, however, come without the resistor. They are never labled 240V. If you hook up one of these directly, it will blow. www.maplin.co.uk/... Is a link if you absolutely have to mail order. There are lots of mail-order suppliers in the UK. But any half-way decent electric shop should be able to help you. The correct resistor would be 270kohm; 1/4 W, wired in series for a NE2 bulb.(I assume you are running 240VAC). One thing to be careful of. Even if neon bulbs are very low current, they still carry enough voltage to kill you or do serious damage (fire). So make sure you wire this in properly. Oh, it doesn't matter which lead you attach where...both ways work just fine. As to the sparking in the motor, I am no Hotpoint expert, but from the way you describe it, it sounds normal. If you do replace the brushes, the new ones will spark for a little while until they "wear in". Can you take some pictures and post them? Maybe if we see things we can say more - and I love to look at all the pretty pictures. Keven

Post# 127146 , Reply# 10 5/7/2006 at 06:42 (6,555 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *Thanks Keven* That was really interesting about the neons. Since I posted I have actually stumbled across a spares stockist which has most things for my machine, including the neon! So I will probably just order it from there. I would love to show you pictures and indeed have tried to upload some, but the Discuss o mat control thing always tell me my files are too big. If you have any tips for me on what I'm doing wrong I'd gratefully receive them and gladly show some pics of whatever you'd like. I must say the machine is currently in the garage with all the casing / control panel removed so she isn't very glamorous right now! Thanks again for your help Nick

Post# 127157 , Reply# 11 5/7/2006 at 07:42 (6,555 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK)
Checkrate/Likes Nick, If you want to email the pics to me, I'll upload them to my Webshots album if you want? Take care, Jon

Post# 127160 , Reply# 12 5/7/2006 at 07:48 (6,555 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)
Checkrate/Likes *Hey Nick,* Glad you found a parts supplier. This sounds like a wonderful machine. Robert (Unimatic 1140) could much better tell you how to cope with the size limits, but you might try the following: Reduce the size of the picture below 300K. This means you need to save it as a jpeg (or gif, but jpeg is better) in lower quality than your camera is delivering. You can do this with any one of many free programs, if you like, drop me a quick note at panthera_pardus@gmx.net and I'll get back to you with detailed instructions. Don't want to hijack this thread with my boring descriptions...But mention in the email whether you have "Microsoft Photo Editor" or Gimp already on your system - if so, this can be done super fast. (And don't everybody now write in how dare I recommend a Microschrott Produkt, that's why I am taking this off thread.)

Post# 127174 , Reply# 13 5/7/2006 at 09:08 (6,555 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *Cheers Jon* I'll email you some pics to you. There's a corker of the filter before I cleaned it :-) Keven thanks very much. I'll need a couple of stiff drinks then I'll re-read your post and see if I can bring myself into this century - until then, I will kindly accept Jon's offer. I'll send some pics I already have now, and tonight I'll take some of the motor etc. I was going to save taking video until the machine is restored....then I'll buy one of these web shots things myself.... Nick

Post# 127176 , Reply# 14 5/7/2006 at 09:18 (6,555 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK)
Checkrate/Likes *Pictures* Nick - have uploaded the pictures to my webshots album - hope this helps!! Jon CLICK HERE TO GO TO lavamat_jon's LINK

Post# 127183 , Reply# 15 5/7/2006 at 09:57 (6,555 days old) by nickuk (chelmsford UK)
Checkrate/Likes *Thanks Jon* Sorry to all - the pics are limited, will try to get some more later. The filter, by the way, is supposedly a clear plastic chamber which sits in the sump hose under the drum but as you can see - it was just packed full. The `debris' picture is a selection of some of the stuff from the filter. It's now cleaned and disinfected back in the machine. Can you see all the white stuff in the drum? That was powder residue / limescale and just rinsed away. I think the drum is incorrectly installed and I may have to take it to bits. There is a huge gap between the inner and outer drum perfect for swallowing socks. The manual says there is some kind of triangular shaped spacer which can `adjust the space between the inner drum and the door boot' which is clearly what I'm after. Regards

Post# 127233 , Reply# 16 5/7/2006 at 16:43 (6,555 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)
Checkrate/Likes *sorry 'bout that, I doubt I could have been more dense* Nick, I promise to try to be less difficult to understand if/when you write. These things are much easier to do than to describe! At least when I am describing them... I enjoyed the pictures - gave me a much better feeling for what you are doing. Good luck!

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