1961 RCA Whirlpool Imperial Dryer - New Daily Driver

[speedqueen]

I just bought this RCA Whirlpool electric dryer at a local estate sale. I only paid $25. While cleaning it out I realized that the heating element had failed. I have already purchased a NOS one off of eBay. I also have already ordered an UV ozone bulb from Atlanta Light Bulbs. When tested at the sale it powered on just fine, I didn't wait for it to heat up.

It is going to be slotted in next to our SQ AWN432 to replace a modern late 2000s WP 29" gas dryer that has a warped, out-of-round drum that clunks once per rotation. It is driving me crazy! Don't ask how it got that way, I haven't the slightest idea, as it was like that when we got it. This vintage one is quiet. I've noticed how much heavier gauge the steel is vs the modern WP dryer. No contest!

The control panel lights up, too, I'm debating on whether to replace the incandescent bulb with a cool-white CFL, I think it would look better, but then it wouldn't be original. About the two speed fan, what really was the benefit for it? I cannot possibly see it being useful.

Being that the current dryer is gas and this new-old one is electric, an electrician who is a family friend is coming today to wire in a 240v circuit for it.

I also bought a vintage Atlas-Aire box fan and a 100w Drake soldering iron at the same estate sale.

***Please excuse my father's cardboard cutout of George H.W. Bush in the background***

 

[DADoES]

 
Nice-looking machine.  Timed-drying, no auto-dry.  Auto-dry (thermostatic) at that time apparently was exclusive to the TOL Imperial Mark XII.

Gentle drying speed reduces the airflow and may also reduce the element wattage for less-intense input air temperature.

LME is 1965 model year, not 1961.  Serial number indicates manufacture 47th week of 1964.

 

[toploader55]

UV Lamp.

No more Polio : )

 

[norgeway]

A REAL

Dryer, not what is sold for one today!

 

[speedqueen]

Thanks Glenn, I thought it looked more like the mid 1960s but I tried to count back on the center letters of the model number from a known one after trying to find the pattern. I guess I failed! I couldn't seem to find the dating information anywhere.

Thanks for the complement, Hans, I think it certainly is a more well built dryer than made today. I think it has features and style that one cannot get anymore.

Eddie, does that mean I can skip my polio vaccine and trust in RCA Whirlpool instead? Just kidding!

 

[toploader55]

@ Speed Queen

With the UV lamp... You can skip all vaccines.

Who needs all those heavy metals and toxins when you have a Whirlpool UV Dryer.

Now get the UV Washer and there will be no more disease. ; )

 

[akronman]

Very cool

Nice design and fine machine. You can change the console light to anything that screws in, but the drum light needs to remain incandescent. It is the "ballast" for the ozone lamp. I can't electronically explain how it works, but the plain old incandescent light in the drum needs to be working for the ozone light to work.

Take a close-up, HDR pic of the electric diagram, we'll better be able to figure out both the light, and what all happens when you go to low speed.

 

[rp2813]

Mark, that drum light wiring sounds like it works the same as the Intermatic hard wired timer/switch I installed for our front porch light.  It will only work with an incandescent bulb.  Also, if the bulb burns out, the indicator light on the timer goes out too, so I would assume that if the drum bulb burns out, the ozone lamp won't operate.

 

Here's a similar dryer that's been on CL around here for a couple of years.   It has the automatic drying cycle.   I think the price may have started out at $150 and now it's down to $40.  I noticed that the latest version of the ad now has Mike as a contact.  It used to be Vivian.  More pix in the link.

 

 

http://https//sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/app/d/dryer-vintage-whirlpool-rca/6450419180.html

 

[philcobendixduo]

That dryer looks ALMOST the same as the one we had from the early/mid 1960's until 1987 BUT I seem to remember the background color of the dial being BLUE rather than brown. I don't recall it having the ozone lamp either but I may just not have been aware of it since I was but a wee lad when it was purchased.

All I could ever detect that the SUPER/GENTLE knob did was to shift the blower and the drum to a slower speed on GENTLE. When turned to SUPER, the drum and blower ran at "normal" speed and the SUPER light came on.

Sadly, I have no pictures of that set (had the matching washer, too). It was donated to a charity in 1987.
The washer had the "super sugilator", "magic mix filter" and bleach dispenser.

 

[tomturbomatic]

With the perforated back of the drum in an electric dryer, this will be much slower than in a gas model due to the great inefficiency of the dryer design being compensated for by the higher BTU gas burner while the electric element stayed the same wattage. If you take the drum out, you can place strips of felt below and to the right of the heat inlet and to the left and above and below the exhaust port. This helps make sure more of the heated air goes through the drum and the tumbling fabrics instead of scooting behind it. At some time if you find a solid bulkhead dryer with the small door, you might be able to do a top or control panel transplant. I have a 37K BTU perforated drum back match all dryer and it is extremely fast.

 

[jeb]

auto dry

Isn't one half of the timer dial auto dry

 

[DADoES]

 
Drum rotation speed does not change on Super vs. Gentle ... only the blower speed changes.

Auto dry ... no.  The non-Wash 'n Wear cycle labeled for cycles 1 through 6 but it's timed.  There's probably a legend sticker under the lint filter door that outlines those cycles being for various fabric weights.

 

[speedqueen]

Sadly no sticker, I presume I will get a crash course in timed drying specific to this machine.

I am going to guess that the 40 watt appliance bulb ballast for the UV lamp is just a glorified dropping resistor to take line voltage down to the 10 volts used by the UV bulb.

Anyone have the manual for a model similar to this one?

Not having used it yet, I don't know how much longer it will take. How bad are the inefficiencies in the design? Is it really that concerning? I don't want to have to modify the design. All the other perks of the design still outweigh any inefficacy in my mind, lighted controls, germicidal lamp and quieter than the current one with the damaged drum.

I am, however, ready to make a comparison of cycle time once installed. The current gas model clunked through 5 bath towels, 3 hand towels and a wash cloth spun out of my Maytag A207 in 45 minutes.

 

[askolover]

"Drum rotation speed does not change on Super vs. Gentle ... only the blower speed changes"

 



 

How does that work?  The blower belt is connected to the motor pulley.  Is there some kind of mechanical something or other in there to slow it down? 

 

My parents were married in April, 1966.  They purchased a basic Maytag washer and a Whirlpool BOL dryer both new.  The dryer had the same drum as this one except no lights inside, but I've read that '66 had the next model drum.  Would theirs have been a left-over 65 model?  I have yet to see any pics on here of one like it.   The back side of hers looked much like this one too.  I changed the blower belt once when it broke.  It lasted 25+ years until the motor seized.   She just replaced it.

 

[speedqueen]

Speed selector

I'm not so sure that all it does is change the belt to the other pulley, I opened the back cover to the control compartment and not only is there the Bowden cable arrangement for the pulley shifter but there is a switch connected too. It does more than just the pulley, whether all the switch does is light the "Super" light and nothing else remains to be seen, but the schematic had quite a bit on just the switch.

I will have a picture of the wiring schematic/diagram tonight.

 

[DADoES]

 
The long-time CraigsList dryer cited in Reply #7 includes pictures showing how the blower belt shifter works.  The blower belt changes position on a dual-diameter pulley.  The drum is driven by a separate belt that does not change.  The switch is either only for the panel indicator light, or it may also change the element to a lower wattage if it's a dual-element.

Two-speed models of the direct-drive blower design had a baffle that moved to reduce the airflow rate and also reduced the element wattage.

Models offered for a few years in the 1970s that truly had multi tumble speeds did not change the airflow rate or element wattage.  The motor pulley to drive the drum was tapered from a smaller to a larger diameter, the drum belt shifted position on it to change the tumble RPM.

 

[combo52]

Pre Solid Back 2 Sp WP Electric Dryer

The speed Sw changes the blower speed and the heater element wattage, On super the heater wattage is 5600 watts and on gentile it is 4600 watts.When you replace the element be sure that you got the exact element, and be sure to connect the three wires to the proper terminals. There was a similar looking element used in KM soft heat dryers around this time and that element will NOT work in this dryer.

This is a really cool well built dryer, but it will cost at least 3 times as much to run as your current gas dryer and emit at least three times the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in using it. It will also take around 50% longer to dry most loads.

In any event you should have fun using it for awhile but it is not a good long term solution for drying clothing if you dry more than about 2 loads a week.

John L.

 

[speedqueen]

Thanks, Glenn and John

Also, for reference, what is the difference between the KM soft heat element and this one?

I hope I ordered the right one, is this one right?

I ordered this:
(you have to scroll down as this is a completed listing and it shows suggestions first)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DE183-Drye...4OkV3igMyoQx%2FVcDwVQ%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[potatochips]

Beautifully styled dryer! Thanks for sharing, great find.