1960's very early 70's Indesit Front load FOUND U.K

[paulc]

What an amazing machine.....I have never seen an L5 like that. The ones I have seen all had two dials and 3 switches. My Aunt had the L5 shown in Ricado's pic. A neighbour had a L5 that had navy blue trim and another neighbour had one with a woodgrain effect on the control panel.

You are very lucky to fine one is such good condition as Indesits did tend to rust quite badly. I am sure you are going to have great fun with it.

Paul.

 

[gpo746]

Im sure I will have fun with it Paul! I hope that massive capacitor in the back doesnt go B..A..N..G, I will have to rig up my variac and isolation transformer and wind the voltage up slowly, I will, or should get 5 seconds notice of inpending doom, usually a creaking or an ascending 'click' from a bad capacitor, I really dont know where the hell I would get one of those from, its an oval one about 5 times bigger than modern ones with big nuts on to screw the wires down onto it. I would probably find one in a telephone exchange or railway junction box,No I wont nick one I will get a friend to'acuire' one from British rail ).

 

[matchboxpaul]

done a bit of digging in the old Which magazines!

Hi Dom.

Al was spot on with his spin speed. Its a 400rpm machine rather than 380, that I thought it was.

Also have found out that your machine is an Indesit L5EGB Export, which were reported on in the January 1972 edition of Which, mentioned in 1973, reported on in November 1974, February 1976, September 1976 and was discontinued by Indesit at the start of 1977.

The images that appear in the write ups are all line drawings, as opposed to photographs, but clearly show two dials and only one option button.

The other L5 version was the L5LGB Bio, which boasted more programmes and three switches.

I honestly cannot wait to start reading your restoration progress. I am really looking forward to learning more about this unusual machine.

As Simon mentions, for the true early to mid 1970s front loading automatic washday experience, you would need a spin dryer on hand. There were still a large number of front loaders on sale with low spin speed performance, so extra spinning definately wouldnt have been unusual.

The fastest spinning front loader was the Hotpoint 1600, later the 1830, galloping along at 1100rpm, with most average and high end range machines cantering at 750rpm and low end machines trotting along at 380 to 520rpm.

The Hotpoint machine was a weird exception to the general rule and god only knows what Hotpoint were thinking when they introduced it in 1969, as nothing generally affordable would spin as fast until 1978 with the introduction of the Hoover 1100 'New Magics'.

Cant get over the pile of scrap that your machine was perched on. Had you noticed it before or was it a new arrival in the yard?
i every now and then browse through Classic Car magazine and see the photos of small, private owner breakers yards with cars in them that are more put out to pasture (another Equestrian term there - I am on a roll!) than actively scrapped. Sounds like you have got yourself one of those, rather than the normal 'drag it in', 'crush it' and 'flog it' yards.

A really great find!
Paul

 

[gpo746]

Hi Paul, I have no Idea how long this machine has been there , it wouldnt suprise me if it had been there 10 years or so, I dont think it has as it is low on corrosion, its mainly around the front access panel, I have never seen it before but they usually keep washers in the front of the yard for a few months before they eventually work their way to the end of the yard. The machines gradually get butchered as they work their way down to the end of the yard,slowly yielding their useful parts, by the time they run the carepillar thing over them they are barely a shell. Im amazed myself why it ended up 8 ft up with no dents ect. It was slap bang in the middle of a pile of machines. The photo shows it after we cleared the logics and knackered 95s out of the way.I only went up there on the off chance that there would be an oldie , It paid off allright! Its a very good yard, I sometimes go there just to look at old stuff...I invariably bring some stuff home. You wouldn't believe what they get there. I cant wait to see what machines he has in the lock-up.
When something stops selling he just locks it up and moves on to the next thing. If I could put my house slap bang in the middle of their place..I WOULD! , I would never be short of anything,

Thanks for the information on the L5EGB, I thought it was around 1969/70 I wasn't far off!. The 'Option' switch you mention has two 'Options'.... On or Off LOL! This looks to be a base model unlike the fancy ones with bio switches and chrome soapbox lids. Overall..the same machine!.

 

[riccardol5]

Hi! This is an Indesit L5 E (europa). Without Bio and soft spin button. The L5 L (luxe) was cheap, but the L5 E was cheaper!!! Have a nice work

 

[gpo746]

Hi Riccardo, Thanks for posting these details up, I know which setting to put the washer on now! , Do you have any service data, or an engineers manual? Thanks!

 

[electron1100]

Restoring

Dom you are a bloke like myself.........restoring and making good..........Brilliant find, these are wonderful machines and your one looks to be in good condition, you should have no problems working out how it goes etc.....

Bit of a valve amp fan myself

Gary

 

[electron1100]

My thoughts exactly

"Favorite Modern Brand: Absolutley None, I Hate sterile modern plastic junk LOL!!"

I second that!

 

[foraloysius]

Riccardo, thanks for sharing. As I posted before the temperature settings goes by dots like on irons. I knew that! As I said, it is the BOL model, the one my great uncle had. Brings back wonderful memories!