Recent content by Designgeek

Ken, very cool GE fridge there (ha). The lazy susan shelves are clever, probably make the unit easier to clean in back, and of course easier to access all the food. Was there actually a separate cooling system in the butter & cheese compartment? How did that work? I'd like to know more about...

I'll guess that the lid is fully removable and is hiding behind the woman's laundry basket in the photo. Reason is: If it was hinged at the rear, it could slam down hard if you didn't close it while tilting the unit back. If it was hinged at the side or the front it could jam and break when...

Re. manual water fill: but at least that means you're turning off the taps, rather than leaving them open (as most people with automatics do) and risking a hose bursting when you're away from the house. Better to have an occasional small spill while you're home, than a huge flood while you're away.

Exactly. Buy from the local places whose employees are properly trained and who stay on the job for years. It's hardly worth it to save a few bucks at the big chains if you end up with a stress hassle or a damaged unit on your hands.

Washboy, it gets better from there. Let's say you've installed it in the kitchen. You're washing clothes whilst cooking some food, and you spill something on the floor and say "Oh sh--!" The washer hears you and says, "Activating sanitize cycle, one moment please...." What would be really funny...

Very interesting! Simple & straightforward mechanicals. I asssume the white Reset button is for switching off a Wash or Spin setting in order to change from one to the other? And the red Motor Reset button is for in case someone runs a cycle too long and the motor overheats and shuts down? Is...

But does it understand, "Tea, Earl Gray please."...? And does it also talk to you, e.g. "Hi, Jim. Your load of ...underwear... will be finished in ...forty-five... minutes." This could get interesting when you have guests over. "Hello Bob, this is your washing machine speaking. According to...

Thor- 8 to 9 cubic feet total, of which about 5 - 6 would be refrigeration, and 3 to 4 would be freezer. The smaller size could also be configured as a fridge, so 3 - 4 cuic feet each. Though, I agree that power consumption does not increase linearly with size. Near as I can tell, if it were...

Re. fill from the opposite side from the motor: Possibly because the air path on that side is narrower, so the air flow is more constrained, hence faster? And then as the container fills, the airflow is constrained around the outer edge starting at the front, concentrating more suction toward...

Oh, I see!, yours has a cord holder of some kind built in (which is not insignificant)! We had one of those, in light green, when I was a kid. Holy cow, nothing I've used before or since has had that kind of suction power. We used it without disposable bags, the dirt container itself was easy...

My usual routine is 1400 rpm spindry in the twin tub, and then hang on the indoor clothes lines. I wouldn't risk outdoor clothes lines here (in the city, theft risk by wandering vagrants; also soot from traffic on nearby main roads). In the winter, since I keep the place about 60 - 65...

While hardly as interesting as the vintage electrics, I'm quite happy with my B&D ScumBuster electric scrubber. The bath/shower here (rental property) is one of those nasty fiberglass units that has been just about impossible to get completely clean without hours of scrubbing by hand, even...

"By appointment of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, suppliers of vacuum cleaners..." Does this specifically mean that Hoovers are used in the various Royal households and offices, or something else? Hoover ad: Picture, HM the Queen, with Hoover. Headline, "By Royal Appointment." Caption...

Hey Rocketwarrior, you just hit on an interesting business concept. "Formal Cleaners," office cleaning crew in formal attire. Anyone here ever hear of Metro-Vac or Metropolitan Vacuum? Located in New York, manufacture all their stuff in the USA, and the machines appear to be oldschool...

I'm just starting an R&D project on high-efficiency fridges & freezers. Goal is to get total power consumption down below 175 KWH/year. A good modern fridge typically uses 600, old energy-hogs use @ 1,000 and up, and current best-practice commercial models use about 350. The best available is...