Thread Number: 91973
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
Mechanical Timer |
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Post# 1165212 , Reply# 1   11/30/2022 at 09:43 (779 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)   |   | |
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Post# 1165216 , Reply# 2   11/30/2022 at 11:39 (779 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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Post# 1165218 , Reply# 3   11/30/2022 at 12:03 (779 days old) by chetlaham (United States)   |   | |
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Tragically, none that I know of. There is consumer demand for timer models as this post proves but unfortunately appliance manufacturers have moved past "freedom of choice"
The only option I can think of is buying a used model. One can only hope that one day someone will come to the rescue offering machines that people actually want. |
Post# 1165225 , Reply# 4   11/30/2022 at 12:57 (779 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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At some point it just became unprofitable for mechanical timer producers to remain in business I suppose. When Whirlpool among others stopped using electromechanical timers on their dishwashers, washing machines and dryers there went a huge customer base for Midwest Timers and rest.
“We needed a different product,” said Bruce Chapman, co-owner of Midwest Timer. “Electromechanical timers are more or less going away. They’re going to continue to decline.” The decline stemmed from appliance manufacturers “obsoleting” electromechanical timers in favor of digital components. While electromechanical timers still had a place in commercial applications, Chapman and his partners realized the business was “never going to grow.” mibiz.com/sections/finance/deal-... |
Post# 1165280 , Reply# 5   11/30/2022 at 20:30 (779 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 1165282 , Reply# 6   11/30/2022 at 20:48 (779 days old) by Pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)   |   | |
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here a store that sell use refurbish as new washer dryer with mechanical timer in the quebec region econopluselectromenagers.ca/fr/p...
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Post# 1165283 , Reply# 7   11/30/2022 at 20:51 (779 days old) by qsd-dan (West)   |   | |
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Post# 1165285 , Reply# 8   11/30/2022 at 21:01 (779 days old) by qsd-dan (West)   |   | |
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Post# 1165288 , Reply# 9   11/30/2022 at 21:56 (779 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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The timer on the parents' 1994 KitchenAid is what brought it down at 18 yrs. It was always hard to turn, lotta cycles and functions crammed into the mechanism. Super Wash was the real-deal Whirlpool version with prewash, pause/soak, partial drain/pause, continue into Heavy.
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Post# 1165289 , Reply# 10   11/30/2022 at 22:05 (779 days old) by qsd-dan (West)   |   | |
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Post# 1165293 , Reply# 11   11/30/2022 at 23:41 (778 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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The shaft broke loose from the cam mechanism. Could be turned only by grabbing the dial skirt behind the plastic slip-shield. Replacement timers were available at the time ... but the porcelain top quality wasn't good. The laundry room is an outdoor room adjacent to their carport, not climate-controlled and rusting had occurred through the years. I had a refurbed Kenmore 90 available to swap-in. |
Post# 1165294 , Reply# 12   11/30/2022 at 23:52 (778 days old) by qsd-dan (West)   |   | |
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Post# 1165300 , Reply# 13   12/1/2022 at 04:38 (778 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)   |   | |
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Post# 1165307 , Reply# 14   12/1/2022 at 07:38 (778 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 1165325 , Reply# 15   12/1/2022 at 14:17 (778 days old) by chetlaham (United States)   |   | |
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@Dadoes: Indeed! Dryers still have EM timers. IMO its not so much that electronics have become vastly cheaper than mechanical timers but rather modern appliances require variable functions modified upon varying sensor inputs due to the reduced amount of material and mechanical components compared to older appliances.
If washers still had brakes, dampened suspensions, transmissions, ect- if dishwashers didn't have to purge air out of the sump, take air expanding inside the tub into account, turbidity based fuzzy logic, ect I think new appliances would still have mechanical controls. Reading up about Midwest timer makes me so sad. They perfected Whirlpool's timers with excellence, and seeing a masterpiece, along with the company abandoned, is undeserved. I would give anything to be able to contract with them adapting timers into new models of appliances. One can only dream. |
Post# 1165349 , Reply# 16   12/1/2022 at 22:19 (778 days old) by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA)   |   | |
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We are in a tragic state of affairs. We have washers and dryers that have way too many electronics in them. Who needs fancy touch screens? I don't. |
Post# 1165358 , Reply# 17   12/2/2022 at 00:12 (777 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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I recall someone, somewhere complaining about inconsistency of moisture sensors on small loads due to insufficient contact with the sensor bars but I couldn't find the discussion here via search. And/or a mix of disparate fabric types throwing sensing askew. Preference for temperature-based autodry was expressed, or timed drying in some instances. I had a tragedy today via overturning a bowl of salsa on my leg/jeans while sitting in my office chair. I wrapped the fleece throw that I keep on the chair around to prevent salsa running down to the floor while I arose and walked outside to remove the jeans and flush the salsa off with a hose. Thus, both the jeans and throw needed to be washed. Together. On the Stained/Tomato cycle in the Aquasmart. And dried. On moisture-sensing autodry. One pair of jeans, and one synthetic fleece throw from which 1,010 RPM spin removes an appreciable amount of water. An already almost-dry throw with one pair of considerably heavier jeans. Will they dry OK together? I have no details on how F&P formulated their sensor algorithms but the Aerosmart produced one perfectly dried pair of jeans along with the fleece throw, using the Jeans/Workwear autodry cycle. |
Post# 1165362 , Reply# 18   12/2/2022 at 01:50 (777 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)   |   | |
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It looks like Speed Queen is still selling their commercial home style top load mechanical washer afterall according to when the literature was last updated which was this year. The same goes for the matching dryer.
speedqueencommercial.com/en-us/p... speedqueencommercial.com/en-us/p... |
Post# 1165379 , Reply# 20   12/2/2022 at 10:52 (777 days old) by ryner1988 (Indianapolis)   |   | |
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Since we're talking about mechanical timers here, I'll add on that, at least in my experience, a mechanical washer/dryer is waaaaaay easier to use for someone with a visual impairment. Take this from personal experience as I've used both. As far as I am aware, the only control board type modern washers I can easily use are the BOL VMW machines because they are all electronic knobs, only button on the thing is the push to start, but I don't like how quickly they break down among other irritations about them. So the issue with modern electronic machines is that I would have to go super basic and realize I get what I pay for, or I'd have to go clear up to near top of the line front load units and hope that the smart phone app is accessible enough to make the touch screen on the machine usable for me. The middle of the road options often don't work out because the touch screen is there but the WiFi connectivity functions aren't advanced enough on those machines to use the smart phone app as an aid for cycle selection/modification. On the other hand, a mechanical washer is super easy to adapt for my needs. For example, on my 2005 Whirlpool washer, all mechanical, I put a small piece of tape on the 14 minute position on the regular cycle, which is what I most often use for towels, and one on the 10 minute position, which is what I most often use for clothes. Another piece of tape on the pointer so I can line them up by touch and voila! Easy as pie.
Until electronic modern machines are accessible and usable to all, I can't in good conscience say they are a better option. |
Post# 1166079 , Reply# 23   12/9/2022 at 15:06 (770 days old) by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)   |   | |
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Actually they only make one as of today and that is the LWN432SP115TW01, the AWN432S models has since been discontinued so that website hasn't really fully been updated. This was confirmed to me by a distributor shortly after my last post on this thread. Also, buying one online would be a risk. There's a reason why Speed Queen would encourage you to buy from a local dealer. Below are videos of the LWN432SP115TW01.
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