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Thread Number: 80324
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Mustee Duratub 93 - Vintage Laundry Sink & Cabinet |
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Post# 1042673 8/24/2019 at 21:18 (1,705 days old) by LowEfficiency  (Iowa) |
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 So I've seen these combination laundry sink storage cabinet units in pictures and older appliance advertisements, but never in person or for sale. However, I happened to stumble across this one in a ReStore while traveling out of state, and for $35, I couldn't pass it up! Mustee Duratub, model 93. (Or capitalized as "DURATUB", or "duratub", depending on where you look!)
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Post# 1042674 , Reply# 1 8/24/2019 at 21:39 (1,705 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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So I don't really know when this one was made - if anyone knows, please let me know. All that I *do* know is that this is a Model 93, which doesn't seem to exist as far as the internet is concerned. Any searches will find numerous hits for the Model 91 or Model 94, but nothing at all for the 93... that I've found at least. Using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, the oldest archived copy of the E. L. Mustee website is from October 18, 2000, which lists only the Duratub 94 and 91 models. Those same two models are on their website all the way through the end of 2017, which must have been when they were discontinued. So while mine is a "newer" model with the white poly plastic tub instead of the green fiberglass, it must have been made prior to the year 2000. Photo of the Model 93 tag below, just to prove that it exists! The tub is quite clean, just a little dust in the bottom that will easily wipe out. | ||
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Post# 1042675 , Reply# 2 8/24/2019 at 21:44 (1,705 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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So you might have seen my foot in the first photo above... that's because this one is missing the door hardware, so I had to hold the door in place for the photo.
Mustee does still sell the door hardware (for the 91/94 models) as replacement parts... Looks to just be some long bolts with long springs? I might fashion something different instead, perhaps some magnetic latches at the top to hold it closed, and some limiting straps through the original holes to hold it from falling fully open... We will see... | ||
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Post# 1042676 , Reply# 3 8/24/2019 at 21:49 (1,705 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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I might also add a brace here at the rear, where someone had cut the corner out, presumably to fit around some plumbing or a dryer vent. Shouldn't be too big of a deal, and it won't be visible at all when installed.
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Post# 1042677 , Reply# 4 8/24/2019 at 21:55 (1,705 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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I'll also keep an eye out for the "Handiflo" accessory parts, which added a discharge port for the washing machine directly into the sink. Since we have two washers now and only one standpipe, this would be a nice upgrade to the current system of a hose draped over the side. Our Duratub has a blockoff plate at the rear, so it was made with provisions for this from the factory.
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Post# 1042682 , Reply# 5 8/25/2019 at 00:05 (1,705 days old) by Mrsalvo (New Braunfels Texas) |
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I love the sink. Very cool and useful! | ||
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Post# 1042699 , Reply# 6 8/25/2019 at 08:21 (1,704 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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Post# 1042704 , Reply# 7 8/25/2019 at 09:28 (1,704 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Post# 1042766 , Reply# 8 8/26/2019 at 10:59 (1,703 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Ok, I received a reply! They said the Model 93 hasn't been made in a "very long time", but they did have a copy of the brochure for the Model 91 and 93.
Here is Page 1
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Post# 1042767 , Reply# 9 8/26/2019 at 10:59 (1,703 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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... and here is Page 2
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Post# 1042961 , Reply# 10 8/28/2019 at 13:06 (1,701 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Although they are discontinued, Mustee still has the brochure available for the later production versions of the Model 91 & 94: mustee.com/wp-content/uploads/20... Comparing the two, it looks like my Model 93 has a stainless rim and top surface (molded plastic in the later 91/94), and a 20 gallon capacity rating instead of the later 19. It also looks like the Handiflo system was different - having provisions for suds saver usage in the earlier model, but being simplified to just a drain in the later versions. Does anyone know the approximate age of the washing machine to the left of the Duratub in the brochures? | ||
| Post# 1042965 , Reply# 11 8/28/2019 at 13:55 (1,701 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas) | ||
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Post# 1043170 , Reply# 12 8/30/2019 at 12:06 (1,699 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Thanks, that helps! Theoretically Mustee would have used a semi-recent model washer for their marketing photos, so at least this brochure would have been produced in that late 70s to 1981 timeframe. That doesn't say whether the 93 was available before that, or for how long after, but it does give a general idea of the timing.
I've been looking at that Handiflo system, specifically that mine is missing it but should have come with it. The parts are no longer available, but I was able to find the patent for the later (non suds-saver) version: "Washing machine water discharge handling system", US5517833A patents.google.com/patent/US5517...
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Post# 1043171 , Reply# 13 8/30/2019 at 12:07 (1,699 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Page 2
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Post# 1043172 , Reply# 14 8/30/2019 at 12:08 (1,699 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Page 3
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Post# 1043174 , Reply# 15 8/30/2019 at 12:23 (1,699 days old) by a007kirbyman (--->> Originally My Mom <<--- (now Wisconsin)) |
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Mustee Duratub 93 Brochure... | ||
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Post# 1043177 , Reply# 16 8/30/2019 at 13:09 (1,699 days old) by dermacie (my forever home (Glenshaw, PA)) |
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Post# 1043185 , Reply# 17 8/30/2019 at 14:19 (1,699 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Thanks Bill, appreciate the info!
It will take me a while to reconfigure our plumbing and get this sink installed, but in the mean time, I've made a start on designing a replacement for the missing Handiflo spout, based on the above patent drawings. I'll be changing the unit from a 3-piece assembly to a 2-piece for simplicity, as being willing to expose the front bolt heads eliminates the need to create the front spout as a separate snap-on piece. Given how much force that deflector takes from the washer output, the odds are that it would just blow right off if not made correctly!
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Post# 1043186 , Reply# 18 8/30/2019 at 14:25 (1,699 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Back side with the backing plate. I'll probably end up changing these holes to hexagonal pockets for captive nuts, just to make installation easier. The gasket in between will need to be cut from some sheet material... cork maybe?
The inlet pipe will be at a 45-degree angle instead of the original Mustee nearly 90 degree angle, as I'll run the washer output in from the middle of the back of the sink, rather than from the lower side inlet. My outlet spout is just a simple expanding flare shape... but I can tell from the patents Mustee referenced that they had put a lot of thought into the water flow and the resulting pattern of how the water fell as it exited.
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Post# 1043475 , Reply# 19 9/1/2019 at 10:18 (1,697 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI) |
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My late-in-laws had one & it looked exactly to me what old people would have in their laundry room...
That it even moved with them from their old house to their new, of course surprised me by the portability of it... (Surely that newer house wouldn't have had anything in it that age-old, from the decade of when they'd gotten married!) Interesting reading about it at AW.org here, too: (Found while trying to search for this thread, and I am amazed and impressed by the many different cabinet designs, but the one here is the most-familiar, and what they had!) -- Dave CLICK HERE TO GO TO DaveAMKrayoGuy's LINK | ||
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Post# 1043637 , Reply# 21 9/2/2019 at 22:01 (1,696 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Which system are you referring to, Nathan? In the early-style Handiflo, as shown in Reply# 9, the tub maintains an air-gapped overflow tube when used in a suds-saver configuration. Any excess water saved into the tub would simply flow over the top of the tube and down the drain, and any water intended to be drained (not saved) would flow on the other path straight down the tube with no possibility of siphoning back due to the air gap. In the later style Handiflo, the one I am replicating, the spout is simply a drain... and as described in the patent document, this configuration is not intended for use with suds-saver washers. Therefore, the assumption would be that the tub drain would be open, and the water level would never reach a high enough point to be a siphon risk. Neither has any provisions for handling an overflow of the main tub... but nor do standard utility sinks or dedicated standpipes. I'm not familiar with the Australian system you've described, but Mustee states in their patent documents that a primary feature of their design was to eliminate all visible hoses. So any sink or tub with the hose draped over the edge, even into a dedicated receptacle, would have been counter to their goals. | ||
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Post# 1043913 , Reply# 22 9/5/2019 at 16:13 (1,693 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Small update - I redesigned my spout to give it a better flare - should help the water transition from the pipe to the spout more gracefully. Mustee specifically went a different route, a restrictor near the bottom of the tube, to force the water to transition to a sheet. No idea how mine will perform until we put some water through it!
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Post# 1043914 , Reply# 23 9/5/2019 at 16:19 (1,693 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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... and made a quick test print for fit testing. Unsure what color I will make the real spout.
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Post# 1043915 , Reply# 24 9/5/2019 at 16:21 (1,693 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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I removed the metal blockoff plates and the rubber gasket, and the fit of the new spout was perfect! A few things I would tweak slightly for the next iteration, but nothing major.
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Post# 1043916 , Reply# 25 9/5/2019 at 16:25 (1,693 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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How it looks from the back. It's ready for a water test, but I'll have to tackle the plumbing changes of actually installing the sink before I can do that.
I suppose I could also splice a section of hose from the A209, and just hold it above our utility sink as a test... we will see.
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Post# 1043934 , Reply# 26 9/5/2019 at 20:44 (1,693 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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| Post# 1043939 , Reply# 27 9/5/2019 at 21:58 (1,693 days old) by Northwesty (Renton, WA) | ||
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That is pretty amazing | ||
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Post# 1062209 , Reply# 29 3/3/2020 at 22:17 (1,513 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Thanks for sharing, Dan.
I'm not sure that there was anything particularly special about the original faucet, other than that the tub cover had a matching hole cut in it so that any drips or accidental turning on of the faucet wouldn't flood over the side. If you are missing the top, I'm sure that one could be cut from a suitable plastic or other material, and then you could simply cut a similar round hole in that to match whatever replacement faucet you decided on. Good luck! | ||
| Post# 1070087 , Reply# 30 4/30/2020 at 11:45 (1,455 days old) by VintageGal (PA) | ||
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3" duratub base has rusted out - possible fixes? The metal base frame approx 3" high that the cabinet sits on has rusted out - do you have any suggestions on replacing just this part or other ways to fix it? | ||
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Post# 1070145 , Reply# 31 4/30/2020 at 17:58 (1,455 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa) |
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Post# 1070166 , Reply# 32 4/30/2020 at 20:16 (1,455 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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 In the 80s and 90s, I remember seeing those sudsaver tubs included in most new model homes in the midwest.
In fact, the first home I built in 1991, I had one installed in the first floor laundry room. My parents 1985 built home has an Almond one. My aunts 1972 built home had an Avocado one to match her 1972 Lady K set. She used it all the time.
By 1991, the sudsaver trend was over. There weren't many washers still being made with that option.
But you can still see them in listings. I've found it to be mainly a midwest or upper midwest thing. Can't remember seeing it on the coasts.
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Post# 1070169 , Reply# 33 4/30/2020 at 20:30 (1,455 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.) |
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Yes they came in colors. Even pink from the early 60s. Most likely turquoise, sunny yellow, and 70s coffee.
Friends of my parents had a pink Lady Kenmore early 60s washer dryer set with a sudsaver connected to their duratub in their suburban split level. It had that green fiber glass sink which looked weird.
Sears used to sell these. I can't remember if that's where my aunt got hers. But they did label them for Sears,
I can't remember ever seeing a harvest gold one but it's probably out there. In the midwest you can find these at Habitat on occasion.
The stainless steel bracket around the drain spout moves up and down and is what holds the by-pass tube in place. You place the tube with rubber gasket on base into the drain when you want to drain the spin water from the furthest forward spout direct into the drain and keep the wash water. Then the long rubber sud saver hose which goes to almost the bottom of the sink can suck up the water in the next load.
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