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Thread Number: 7590
Energized Water Does the Washing! |
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Post# 148311 8/14/2006 at 00:15 (6,458 days old) by gansky1  (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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We drove to Minneapolis this weekend and spent a few days with the boys and their beautiful machines, always a great time and always too short! Don had some fun new things to show off, a few things I hadn't seen before and it's fun to see him rounding out his collection of appliances - many of the machines he only dreamed of a few short years ago have been found and are running beautifully! Friday evening, we went over to John's to see his incredible collection of Bendix, Philco and Kenmore front-loading combos. The work he does on these machines is an art form. I have never seen vintage combos, washers and dryers restored to such perfection - incredible!! Robert's 1947 GE washer was truly a sight to behold - what an incredible machine! The videos don't do the machine justice, it's really incredible. The '56 Hotpoint was also restored to showroom-new - a very different experience than my 64! The most fun (for me) was had with the Thor-O-Matic washer Robert brought home a couple of months ago. That was one of my dream machines for a long, long time and lo and behold, two of them pop up in the same year, one in St Paul, MN and one in Tuscon, AZ. We ran a few loads through Robert's Thor-o-Matic and I was very impressed with the washing action and performance of it. Bearing in mind that it is more of "compact" washer, it seems to do a terrific job moving the clothes up, down and around...just like the advertising proclaims! What a thrill to finally be able to see this machine running!! Thanks again guys, we had a great time all weekend and it was, as always, a great time! 
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| Post# 148336 , Reply# 1 8/14/2006 at 06:20 (6,458 days old) by christfr (st louis mo) | ||
how cool | ||
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Post# 148343 , Reply# 2 8/14/2006 at 06:46 (6,458 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Post# 148349 , Reply# 3 8/14/2006 at 07:09 (6,458 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Greg - Stop Teasing Us!!! | ||
| Post# 148350 , Reply# 4 8/14/2006 at 07:24 (6,458 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
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Post# 148362 , Reply# 5 8/14/2006 at 08:42 (6,458 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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YAY, I purposly didn't want to show any videos of the Power Surge washer until Greg had a chance to come and see it in person. Now that he's been here in person I will post videos of this little machine in action tonight so stay tuned. It has incredible turnover! Here are the original pictures to the Power Surge. CLICK HERE TO GO TO unimatic1140's LINK | ||
| Post# 148422 , Reply# 6 8/14/2006 at 17:51 (6,457 days old) by westytoploader () | ||
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Greg, sounds like you had a great visit...I can't wait to see the videos! I bet watching the Thor-O-Matic made you that much more excited about getting your PowerSurge up and running! Are there any more pictures...inquiring minds want to know! ;-) | ||
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Post# 148446 , Reply# 7 8/14/2006 at 20:25 (6,457 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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POWER SURGE WASHES LIVE!!!
Well as promised here are the videos showing the fabulous Power Surge Turnover, enjoy everyone... How the Power Surge Works, incluidng a Slow Motion Shot Loading the Power Surge One Item at a Time How the Power Surge Works, incluidng a Slow Motion Shot Spin and Spray Rinse Rinse, Overflow Rinse and Final Spin | ||
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Post# 148449 , Reply# 8 8/14/2006 at 20:40 (6,457 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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| Post# 148450 , Reply# 9 8/14/2006 at 20:43 (6,457 days old) by bobbyd32l () | ||
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Awesome Washer Robert! Excellent videos as well! | ||
| Post# 148451 , Reply# 10 8/14/2006 at 20:47 (6,457 days old) by westytoploader () | ||
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Fun videos Robert, LOVE all of those Vubulations! That water throw sure is fast...rivals the Unimatic! Thanks for sharing! Did you add any detergent or was this play laundry? ;-) | ||
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Post# 148455 , Reply# 11 8/14/2006 at 20:53 (6,457 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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| Post# 148458 , Reply# 12 8/14/2006 at 21:02 (6,457 days old) by rickr (.) | ||
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Post# 148459 , Reply# 13 8/14/2006 at 21:06 (6,457 days old) by easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC) |
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Thanks, Robert, for the videos and pictures. What a wonderful machine. Is it made by the same company that made the Thor Automagic that Ross has? I've never seen a machine like that nor have I ever heard of it. Jerry Gay | ||
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Post# 148471 , Reply# 15 8/14/2006 at 21:40 (6,457 days old) by peteski50 (New York) |
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POWER SURGE  | ||
| Post# 148475 , Reply# 16 8/14/2006 at 21:48 (6,457 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
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Post# 148481 , Reply# 17 8/14/2006 at 22:03 (6,457 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA) |
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Post# 148489 , Reply# 19 8/14/2006 at 22:32 (6,457 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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Jon must love that halter-top, it's in every video!
Thanks for posting the videos, Robert - and waiting until I could see it in person, that was very thoughtful! This is such an amazing machine, I didn't expect it to be a miracle-washer but it was very impressive for a "first shot" at the disc agitation and very Philco Automagic-like... It's good to see you posting, Jerry! This history of Thor/Bendix and Philco must all be tied together somehow right about the 1956-1959 time as there were drastic changes in ownership of these three companies. The Thor brand all but disappeared in this timeframe but the name "Automagic" was used in 1959 on Philco/Bendix top loading washers and dryers. Prior to this it was only seen on Thor products - like the washer you found that Ross now has. | ||
| Post# 148533 , Reply# 21 8/15/2006 at 09:00 (6,457 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN) | ||
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The Mighty THOR It's like a Calypso on speed, but it is a fun machine to play with. How many rpms does it spin? It is the same frequency as the agitation? | ||
| Post# 148540 , Reply# 22 8/15/2006 at 09:34 (6,457 days old) by peterh770 (Marietta, GA) | ||
Great videos! Robert, what are the dimentions of the tub? I know you said it is small, and not until the spin videos did I realize how small it really is. Very cool rollover. Very cool how it shifts the load around so that nothing gets caught over/covering the disk. Does it do this quickly when you load it dry and start from scratch? Greg, is there an ETA when you will get yours? | ||
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Post# 148543 , Reply# 23 8/15/2006 at 09:40 (6,457 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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| Post# 148552 , Reply# 24 8/15/2006 at 11:32 (6,456 days old) by westytoploader () | ||
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Greg...even though you want to visit AZ soon, you DEFINITELY need to come to Tucson 2007!!! | ||
| Post# 148557 , Reply# 25 8/15/2006 at 12:11 (6,456 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN) | ||
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OH Is there going to be a Tuscon 2007? We're there. | ||
| Post# 148599 , Reply# 26 8/15/2006 at 16:20 (6,456 days old) by brettsomers () | ||
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the energy disc seems to throb in sync with the spin, during the dry-part of the cycle. | ||
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Post# 148600 , Reply# 27 8/15/2006 at 16:27 (6,456 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Nice One!!!! | ||
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Post# 148602 , Reply# 28 8/15/2006 at 16:39 (6,456 days old) by pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI) |
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| Post# 148636 , Reply# 29 8/15/2006 at 19:29 (6,456 days old) by shawn (Waterford Ct) | ||
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Thank's Robert You did a great job on the video's you have made. Much better than T.V. Shawn. | ||
| Post# 148667 , Reply# 30 8/16/2006 at 00:38 (6,456 days old) by norgeman () | ||
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Energized water does the washing : Robert are you going to post these clips to See It Wash? Danf. | ||
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Post# 148668 , Reply# 31 8/16/2006 at 01:24 (6,456 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon) |
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Robert | ||
| Post# 148684 , Reply# 32 8/16/2006 at 06:32 (6,456 days old) by christfr (st louis mo) | ||
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wow | ||
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Post# 148703 , Reply# 33 8/16/2006 at 08:47 (6,456 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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How many rpms does it spin? It is the same frequency as the agitation? Jason I think its 560rpm or so and yes the same freq for agitation. Robert, what are the dimentions of the tub? Not sure Peter, but it's like a large capacity Mini-basket. Does it do this quickly when you load it dry and start from scratch? Almost as fast. does the water stay in the outer tub for re-using?? Hi Mike only the early GE does that. Did you measure the dry weight of clothes for an average load, or did you gauge it on the rollover?? Just by the look of the rollover. the energy disc seems to throb in sync with the spin, during the dry-part of the cycle. Yes it does David when being driven by the motor. So, is this machine basically a shaftless Philco? That is exactly right Jamie. Robert are you going to post these clips to See It Wash? Danf. Someday when I get around to it. | ||
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Post# 148735 , Reply# 34 8/16/2006 at 14:48 (6,455 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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From the books...
The tub holds 12 gallons of water and is rated for an 8-9 pound load. There are three vanes on the Energy Disc and it moves in a pulsating motion at 600 rpm on the driveshaft, pulsations occur at the rate of 1800 per minute which creates the power surge action and forces the water through the clothes. Since the motor simply reverses for spin, that rate is also 600 rpm. In real life... The tub seems smaller than than their stats would lead you to believe, we should have weighed the load to see what it really was. The spin seems slower than 600, perhaps it's the narrow tub and the visually large disc in the bottom moving that throws off the sense of speed. In any case, because of the narrow tub, the spin result was just OK. Simple multiplication gives them the 1800 pulsations/min. figure but I don't think it has much bearing on the performance. It's very cool to watch, but it's very prone to overloading and much like an overloaded Frigidaire pulsator, performance suffers. | ||
| Post# 148738 , Reply# 35 8/16/2006 at 15:18 (6,455 days old) by compwhiz128 () | ||
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Wow! That was cool! Especialy when it went into spin and all the water instantly rushed out of the tub in like, a few seconds! Nice machine and videos! | ||
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Post# 148757 , Reply# 36 8/16/2006 at 19:18 (6,455 days old) by peteski50 (New York) |
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Videos!
Robert, I watched the videos of this machine again and really love it. The turnover is really good and nice long spray rinces which are non existant any longer and great overflow rinse. I also really love the sound the machine makes while washing. Very soothing sound of the water flapping. Thanks again, Peter | ||
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Post# 148766 , Reply# 38 8/16/2006 at 20:30 (6,455 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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Sorry Tom | ||
| Post# 148777 , Reply# 39 8/16/2006 at 21:54 (6,455 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida) | ||
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Post# 148786 , Reply# 40 8/16/2006 at 22:28 (6,455 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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You're right Tom! I took a couple of towels and placed them in the machine dry and set it to the first spin. After three minutes of dry spin the spray rinse started and look, only the bottom of the towels get soaked, the tops are only very slightly damp. Check out this Flash Freeze Frame Picture taken during the spray rinse... 
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| Post# 148805 , Reply# 42 8/17/2006 at 02:55 (6,455 days old) by brettsomers () | ||
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very nice photo. im starting to believe that spray rinses, in general, are as much for clearing the tub and pump of suds, as rinsing clothes. | ||
| Post# 148816 , Reply# 43 8/17/2006 at 06:16 (6,455 days old) by retromom () | ||
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Absolutely Amazing!! Greg: What a fun machine! It almost looks like it's "shaking" the dirt out of the laundry!! It sure has some rinsing action as well!! This is definitely a keeper!! Enjoy! Venus :-D | ||
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Post# 148847 , Reply# 45 8/17/2006 at 10:55 (6,454 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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How is the "tangle" factor without a centerpost? Steve it's too soon to tell, we wont know until October when can start wearing long sleeve shirts again. I find the only items that can really tangle in these machines are long sleeved, light weight, button down shirts if washed all together in one load. | ||
| Post# 148850 , Reply# 46 8/17/2006 at 11:49 (6,454 days old) by jmirawm (Barling Arkansas) | ||
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ohhhh........ I am fine....I just had to give ya a little hell Robert :) Thanks for the cool test ! Tom the ornery one | ||
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Post# 148984 , Reply# 48 8/17/2006 at 22:47 (6,454 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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So for some strange reason my PowerSurge washer originally had two gray rubber agitator disks mounted together on the top of the Energy Disk. So over the weekend I soaked them in hot water and got the two original disks to separate and we tried just the one disk and it worked much better for rollover as you had seen in the videos posted above. I have no idea why two disks were installed in this machine since the parts manual only calls for one disk. So after seeing that difference I wondered what would happen if I try some brand new rubber.. The old rubber on the agitator disk was very hard and it was going to crack, so I went to my rubber supply store and bought 1/4” neoprene rubber to match the thickness of the original disk. I cut a new disk in the exact same size as the original and look what happened…
CLICK HERE TO GO TO unimatic1140's LINK | ||
| Post# 148985 , Reply# 49 8/17/2006 at 23:03 (6,454 days old) by westytoploader () | ||
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WOW, what a difference new rubber makes, I can't believe how FAST the turnover is now! Reminds me of a Unimatic! I'm willing to bet this increased the working capacity a little bit as well. | ||
| Post# 148988 , Reply# 50 8/17/2006 at 23:24 (6,454 days old) by brettsomers () | ||
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wow you should thrown in a couple pairs of grandpas farm coveralls! imagine using Tide? | ||
| Post# 148994 , Reply# 51 8/18/2006 at 00:28 (6,454 days old) by frontaloadotmy (the cool gay realm) | ||
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Robert Have you done any loads with detergent? How's the sudsation? An incredible improvement. Even with a brittle energy disk it is still a wonderful machine. | ||
| Post# 149027 , Reply# 53 8/18/2006 at 08:22 (6,454 days old) by westyslantfront () | ||
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Hi Robert. Yes, the new disk does make a difference. Thank you for the video....it was fascinating. Ross | ||
| Post# 149030 , Reply# 54 8/18/2006 at 08:42 (6,454 days old) by peterh770 (Marietta, GA) | ||
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Post# 149032 , Reply# 55 8/18/2006 at 09:15 (6,454 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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This Time It's Neoprene
Have you done any loads with detergent? How's the sudsation? Yes I have done lots of loads with detegent Dan. I would say its a medium sudser, it would be a lot sudsier if there was an agitator post sticking up above the water. Do you see any difference in the rubber between the two machines? Peter I can't tell because in the '59 Philco the OEM Philco rubber is soft and pliable just like when it was new, but in the PowerSurge the rubber disk was hard and brittle. The difference here might be the type of rubber, six years ago when I cut the rubber for the my first Philco I used hard store gasket rubber, this time I used Neoprene which might make all the difference. Neoprene is the type of rubber that was mainly used in the 1950's on rubber style agitators. | ||
| Post# 149050 , Reply# 56 8/18/2006 at 10:43 (6,454 days old) by golittlesport (California) | ||
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Post# 149071 , Reply# 57 8/18/2006 at 15:02 (6,453 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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Bursts of energy escaping at the surface! | ||
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Post# 149079 , Reply# 58 8/18/2006 at 16:20 (6,453 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Soooo | ||
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