I started with a 1966 Avocado under counter model like I have had in my kitchen for the past 30+ years and a white 67 free standing model and one of the last a harvest gold 72 under counter model.

The goal is to have the white FS model for the museum and the 72 UC model will go to Sarah Purdue for her new mid-century kitchen she is planning and building.

I should have taken pictures before disassembly but here are some pictures of them dissembled, I promise some pictures of them assembled and working.

John L.

The GE combos were one of the simplest and most rugged US combos built durning the 20 year rain of US combos, 1952-1972.

GE was the only US manufacture that sold most of their combos to builders for rental housing as well as making them part of their famous GE metal cabinet kitchens along with their other cool built in appliances.

The only parts of GEs regular FF washers that found they way into the combos was the same water pump that the very basic non FF washers used and the pump drive and of corse a high quality 1/3 HP GE motor, to wash&dry a full load in a GE combo this motor often had to run around 2 hours and they ran fairly cool and I never saw one fail. I also never saw one of the GE Calrod heating elements fail on one of these machines.

There were 12 almost totally different combos built in the US over this period of time, almost without exception all washed really well and did a superior job of removing lint and sand from clothing. The only one that tangled even slightly was the Easys with their slightly slanted tubs.

All dried really well and none ever went out of balance and required any additional attention from the user once started till the clothing came out clean and dry.

The only major shortcoming of many was poor water extraction and therefor higher energy consumption and water use for the water condensing electric models with condenser drying.

Overall they are very different and interesting laundry appliances as they all did the same thing but they all had to work around each others patents to do so.

John L.

Sadly, a number of combos had a fairly low spin speed.  I've got one of the early GE's (a 1956 model) and it only spins at 208 RPM.   

Is up and working after a few problems, the old Water-pump leaked at the seal and main seal so we took a regular GE FF pump and removed the FF pump and used the cover off the original pump.

The timer also had a bad motor contact, I found a MTS rebuilt timer new in box and installed, however it was not indexed properly between the main cam switches and sub-interval cam switch so we had to use the escapement from the old timer and Jason and I got it to work.

Will put the pump back in later today and do more pictures and maybe Jason will even do a video or two of one of the best cleaning FL washers you have ever seen. This combo has 6. baffles and fills with over 5" of real hot or warm water [ there is no cold wash option ].

John L.

Hi Eugene, the original inlet and drain hoses were rubber with steel coils around the outside to keep them from kinking when the machine was installed in tight places.

On the green combo I installed a modern corrugated plastic drain hose when I rebuilt it 25 years ago which worked well.

I may transfer the outer springs onto new inlet hoses for the machine going to Sarah since this is an under-counter model.

John L.

"208 RPM" ?  That's a defo. disappointment.

I hope the new FL washers/dryers are improved.  The clothes coming out of a newer FL are often so dry it doesn't take long for them to dry.  Usually less than 25 minutes.

GE was always trying unique things.  We have to give them credit for that.  From wall hung frigs to under sink dws to Advantium ovens that cook with light.  

The combos are both running well, the only thing left to do is rebuild the inlet valve in the white free-standing combo that is going to stay in the museum, I am also going to put in a heat relay to protect the motor centrifugal switch, timer heat contacts and dry thermostat.

Pictures of washing a few loads, these machines wash really well and even handle non HE detergents well.

Reply #33, Hi David, you are correct there is just one main timer and a dryness thermostat on the right, all drying is auto-dry and if set correctly it works well.

As loaded in Tims  [ macboy91si's ]1993 Dodge 5 Sp six-cylinder magnum sport van.

John L.

Here ya go!