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Thread Number: 60474
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
WCI Frigidaire hard on clothes? |
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| Post# 831276 7/7/2015 at 18:42 (3,212 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
For a long period I used a WCI Frigidaire from the early 1990s. (Not by choice--it was what was provided in my rental.) Today, I was looking at a sheet that had ONLY been washed in the Frigidaire the whole time I had it in use (about 9 months or so), and I noted that it had noticeable wear. I can't remember what it looked like when new-to-me, but it seems to me that it was much better. Likewise, I can think of one shirt that looked decent when bought, but now looks passable, but has signs of wear.
Of course, these two items might have some other issue--say, poor quality fabric to start with. Or some really stupid laundry operator error. But...it has raised that question in my mind: are those WCI machines rough on clothes, even though they have lackluster washing action? | ||
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| Post# 831304 , Reply# 1 7/7/2015 at 22:22 (3,212 days old) by cfz2882 (Belle Fourche,SD) | ||
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did notice some of the ads for these washers did claim the indexing tub provided extra "scrubbing action"...seriously though,they should be easier on clothes since they spend so much of the wash cycle held out away from the agitator by the rotating washbasket | ||
Post# 831337 , Reply# 2 7/8/2015 at 06:39 (3,212 days old) by Frigilux  (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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My circa 2005 Frigidaire top-loader was absolutely brutal to sheets. The off-the-charts tub indexing (often close to 180 degrees) and consequent very short clockwise/very long counterclockwise agitation stroke caused sheets to wrap around the agitator. Didn't notice excess wear on shirts, towels, etc.
Had an '86 (or thereabouts) TOL Frigidaire top-loader. The tub indexed, but far less than the 2005. Never had problems with sheets in that one. It had the cool 'circle spray' fill, too; a leftover from the late GM days. The '86 was quickly replaced with the relatively rare Frigidaire front-loader. It was the last of the solenoid, single-direction tumble Westy/WCI machines. No balancing protocol on that baby. You'd hear the loud solenoid BANG and it would immediately ramp up to full spin speed come hell or high water. Saw that machine lift itself off the floor at the beginning of a spin on more than one occasion, LOL. What's your washer these days, Lord Kenmore? 
This post was last edited 07/08/2015 at 09:32 | ||
| Post# 831341 , Reply# 3 7/8/2015 at 07:01 (3,212 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
Junk | ||
| Post# 831389 , Reply# 4 7/8/2015 at 13:57 (3,211 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
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What's your washer these days, Lord Kenmore?
Currently using a roughly 8 year old Shredmore. [Shudder.] SINGLE SPEED Shredmore, even. [Another shudder.] I hasten to say to those also shuddering at Shredmores that it's not mine, but one provided in my rental.
The Frigidaire I previously used is still lingering, but will supposedly vanish at some point. I have used it for some loads in the meantime, since it has a true delicate cycle (none of that "Delicate" with 30 seconds of fast thrashing, and then a long pause...). While I rent, I am toying with idea of adopting my very own washer child, just so I can have something that meets all my desires... | ||
| Post# 831392 , Reply# 5 7/8/2015 at 14:06 (3,211 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
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>The '86 was quickly replaced with the relatively rare Frigidaire front-loader. It was the last of the solenoid, single-direction tumble Westy/WCI machines. No balancing protocol on that baby. You'd hear the loud solenoid BANG and it would immediately ramp up to full spin speed come hell or high water. Saw that machine lift itself off the floor at the beginning of a spin on more than one occasion, LOL.
That could be interesting and dramatic. I shudder to think of what that machine would be like here. The structure is barely solid enough for a top load machine. I don't want to think about what a modern front load machine would be like. And I shudder to contemplate what that "full spin speed come hell or high water" Frigidaire would be like. | ||
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Post# 831395 , Reply# 6 7/8/2015 at 14:33 (3,211 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Interesting and dramatic it was! Most loads weren't a problem, but every once in awhile a load would be very unbalanced and the thing would levitate an inch off the floor a couple of times before it settled down. I was on the 2nd floor of a 4-plex, so I can only imagine what that must have sounded like to the elderly woman living below me.
The spin speed was only around 500-525 rpm---which seems ultra-pokey in the age of 1200-1400 on most new front-loaders. Should have put it in storage; within another year I'd moved to a very cool warehouse apartment with hook-ups. Lived there for 13 years before purchasing a house. But, I digress... | ||
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Post# 831399 , Reply# 7 7/8/2015 at 15:01 (3,211 days old) by peteski50 (New York) |
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Frigidaire! | ||
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Post# 831914 , Reply# 9 7/12/2015 at 01:29 (3,208 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers) |
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Gene | ||
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Post# 832144 , Reply# 10 7/13/2015 at 17:41 (3,206 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Jon-- Had I known they were on the verge of being phased out, I would have made more of an effort to hang on to it. I had no place to store anything at the time, nor did I foresee moving again so soon. It was the machine that made me a flag-waver for the horizontal axis front-loading format.
Make Mine An HE: That washer, as well as the '89 or '90 Gibson-branded front-control/stackable that replaced it (also a WCI) had a water level selector. I almost always used the lowest level because it seemed to clean better and there were fewer sudsing issues in softened water. Purchased the first Frigidaire/Electrolux in '96. It ramped up to an impressive 800 (or was it 850) rpm during the last sixty seconds of the final spin. The accompanying dryer had a criminally small drum, but it reversed, which was interesting. The electric version reversed every minute or two. Mine was gas; it reversed about every six or seven minutes. Had some problems with scorching on large loads---namely a comforter and some bath towels---but never any balled-up sheets or tangled clothes. Wish they would have kept that feature. The drum size was soon increased a bit to better handle a full load from the whopping-great 3 cu. ft. drum of the washer. As much as I like the redesigned 2010 Frigidaire washer, the thing I was most thrilled about was the 7 cu. ft. dryer drum. I strongly disliked my succession of Frigidaire dryers with their puny 5.7 cu. ft. drums. | ||
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