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Thread Number: 78908
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
UK Hotpoint 1501 Top Loader Washing Machine |
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Post# 1028770 4/2/2019 at 17:01 (1,844 days old) by Ricky5050  (Durham Britain) |
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Hello I thought I’d do a thread on my daily driver, how I got it and it’s repairs up to date. I’d like to see if a UK Hotpoint has similarities to its US cousins. This was the the first automatic top loader launched in the UK approximately 1965 from Hotpoint I believe, and this range ran until the early 1990s with a similar basic design but changing to a plastic outer tub and changes to the control pannels. Top loaders in the 60s mimicked the very popular twin tubs of the time but even then only a few manufacturers made this sort with central agitators as the front loader was just starting to gain in popularity. These machines became popular with small businesses and farmers etc as they were seen as work horses and having larger capacity. They in fact had a 4.5-5 kg 10-11lbs capacity which isn’t huge by today’s standards but more than most front loaders of the time. This model has enamelled drums and outer tubs, with a floating gearbox and a 2.7 kw heater. They initially had spin speeds of 850 rpm and moved up to 1050 rpm which was nearly double the front loader competitors of the era.
This machine was spotted by my friend Mathew languishing outside an old cottage in Hawes in Wensleydale. He told me about it in the summer of 2017 whilst on holiday. As my job allows I chose to travel the beautiful journey home from Yorkshire that way. Hawes is a small picturesque village popular with bikers and walkers who go there for the beautiful dales. I parked up and wandered around not expecting to find the house never mind the washer as it was 2 months after Mathew had mentioned it. But sure enough outside a lovely little cottage undergoing renovation there was the machine sitting forlorn in the garden. I went to see it and knocked on the door but the house was empty. The machine had sat for so long it was full to the brim with rain water. I left a note through the door and on the machine “please don’t scrap this I want it !!” About a month later I got a call. It was the daughter-in-law of the house holder who had sadly passed away. It had been her machine since new. She had also had two of this type of machine and praised their strength and was delighted I might save this one. So that weekend I bribed a lovely Russian chap I was seeing at the time with the promise of a pie and a pint in the local pub and a nice walk with his dog, if he’d come with me to help lift it up the garden steps and into my car ! That weekend we arrived and the machine was still there and we set about getting it to the car. The full of water machine wouldn’t drain due to the design of the flapper in the pump but all the original hoses and tap adapters were there so I had to insert them into the drum and siphoned the dirty rain water out. Sadly I found in the bottom a plastic pouch all printed with Hotpoint logos containing all the instructions and bill of sale all sadly kept for all those years and now a big pile of mush ! Hey ho ! It was loaded in to the car and as promised a pub lunch was had and we began the 2 hour journey home ! More to follow Richard | ||
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Post# 1028806 , Reply# 2 4/3/2019 at 02:56 (1,844 days old) by Ricky5050 (Durham Britain) |
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Continued
I got the machine home and let it sit a while to dry out and decided to power it up ! It sprung into life but wouldn’t spin! These machines have a suspended gearbox that driven by a motor and belt. If the motor turns one way the gearbox locks against a brake and the motor turns a pulley allowing the to and fro sweep of the central shaft and agitatior for wash. If the motor reverses the whole gearbox spins with its outer shaft turning through a support tube and turns the drum for spin. Clutch shoes on the base of the motor separate this drive so the motor can turn if the brake is on so the pump connected to the top of the motor can pump out water. These clutch shoes slip quite happily if the brake is on but over time can become sticky or worn and then refuse to catch on to provide a full spin.This is what happened with
mine. I removed and cleaned them then all was well. A new flapper in the pump was needed , this blocks one of the outlets of the pump and depending on which way the motor turns allows water either to pump out or recycle back in to the tub through a filter pan on the agitator. The bump on this flapper wears down as it hits the pump impelor. A new hot water hose and a re spray of the chassis was all that was needed inside as it was in immaculate condition. The drum and top cleaned up really well. Only the cabinet had a little bit of rust where it sat against the sink. So a quick respray tidied it up ! This was then my daily driver working well until this month. More to follow | ||
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Post# 1028821 , Reply# 3 4/3/2019 at 08:45 (1,843 days old) by Ricky5050 (Durham Britain) |
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Continued
Last year I began to notice the machine seemed louder on spin and sometimes it wouldn’t spin at all. So parts were ordered as I thought a full service was needed. In the meantime it stopped spinning so I put the new clutch shoes on and boy what a difference it roared up to spin but sadly on the second load it started to make very unhealthy noises. My friend Steve was due up the following weekend and had offered to help me service it as he has had rebuilt many of these and knows much more about them than I do. So we started to dismantle it. Once the agitator is out the tripod top nut should easily undo however 55 years of washing had welded it together. So 3 hours later after much heat and hacksawing the old tripod was cut into bits and removed! The drum lifted out and we found the problem. The old spin race was dry and very worn. The new super fast spin had been the end of it. All parts were removed and greased. We also slid out the gearbox and cleaned and greased it’s shaft and support tube as this was stiff too. The outer drum was incredibly clean and rust free for its age. A few small rust spots were treated and the machine reassembled. So would it work. Well no not at first but we realised we had the slow spin button activated ( well Steve did !) this holds the brake on until the last second so the 4 minute spin is only a few seconds. Once this was released it span perfectly and so much quieter !! A water test the next day revealed no leaks and a few hot washes were done to clean out any debris. Sadly on the second one the heater stopped working which I will investigate this weekend hopefully it’s a loose wire if not who knows? Unless a new one can be sought. Ah the joys of vintage washing !!
Richard | ||
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Post# 1028822 , Reply# 4 4/3/2019 at 08:55 (1,843 days old) by Ricky5050 (Durham Britain) |
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Hawes
I thought you might like to see the village where it came from
Richard | ||
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Post# 1028823 , Reply# 5 4/3/2019 at 08:59 (1,843 days old) by Ricky5050 (Durham Britain) |
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The Hotpoint line up
Here is a picture of the full line up. Some model numbers changed but these the full style versions !
This is at Als washer emporium! Just after installation. I’m doing my best Nick Camden impression ( uk tv advert !) Ahem Richard | ||
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Post# 1029011 , Reply# 7 4/5/2019 at 02:33 (1,842 days old) by marky_mark (From Liverpool. Now living in Palm Springs and Dublin) |
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Post# 1029089 , Reply# 8 4/6/2019 at 04:28 (1,841 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hotpoint 1501
Great thread Richard, glad you and Steve managed to get your Hotpoint 1501 toploader up and running for the next 50 yrs. You can see why fitting the new clutch shoes caused the scream, that poor spin bearing race lol...
Just remembering we where all up at yours while Mathew was out walking and coming across said washer !! And whats not to like about Hotpoint Toploaders, Russian men, Schnauzers and quaint villages !! CLICK HERE TO GO TO chestermikeuk's LINK
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Post# 1029090 , Reply# 9 4/6/2019 at 04:31 (1,841 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hotpoint Top Loaders
Heres Al using the line up, my 1501 was found by John Danks in a communal bin store about to be collected for scrap...
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Post# 1029091 , Reply# 10 4/6/2019 at 04:35 (1,841 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hotpoint Top Loaders
The Hotpoint 1501 toploader was designed by Oliver Hill, Industrial Designer who headed up Hotpoint AEI inhouse design consultancy...
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Post# 1029092 , Reply# 11 4/6/2019 at 04:37 (1,841 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hotpoint 1501 Toploader
Everything about it is simple in design for ease of use.
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Post# 1029093 , Reply# 12 4/6/2019 at 04:43 (1,841 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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Hotpoint 1501 Toploader
Hers a great thread that Paul, (MatchboxPaul) did previously on the range at the time , including some great inside and cut away shots of the 1501 !!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO chestermikeuk's LINK
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| Post# 1029096 , Reply# 13 4/6/2019 at 06:23 (1,841 days old) by Slowspin66 (lincoln uk) | ||
Brilliant work 
Well done Richard and Steve getting the old lady going again . The older machines are my personal favourite . I remember doing up the 1504 and seeing it in a pile of bits and thinking it will never go back together again !!!!!!
That dr Steve Mckinnell is an expert and so confident with these machines . I remember the many conversations and text messages to him when I did up mine ! Well done to you both . It’s such fun working together on a project . Thanks again for sharing | ||
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Post# 1029103 , Reply# 14 4/6/2019 at 08:08 (1,840 days old) by Ricky5050 (Durham Britain) |
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Well done Darren | ||
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Post# 1029104 , Reply# 15 4/6/2019 at 08:09 (1,840 days old) by Ricky5050 (Durham Britain) |
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Heater fixed ( hopefully )
The dead heater was simply a burned wire. I replaced the spade connector and tightened others in line so all looks well!
Richard | ||
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Post# 1029105 , Reply# 16 4/6/2019 at 08:17 (1,840 days old) by Ricky5050 (Durham Britain) |
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How much ? | ||
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