A Dutch newspaper ad with a 1957 Frigidaire Unimatic in it

[foraloysius]

Robert’s thread about the introduction of automatic washers in the newspapers made me have a look again at the Dutch archives. I have posted a few threads with Dutch ads in the past. The first ads are from 1953. I looked a bit furder and much to my amazement I found a 1958 advertisement with a 1957 Frigidaire Unimatic in it. Apparently this model was sold in the Netherlands.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Wow I had no idea that the Unimatic was sold there, although they did make a 50hz/220 volt motor for the mechanism so it isn't surprising.

Okay Louis you know what that means, it's time for you to go out and find one .

 

[foraloysius]

I have no idea how many Unimatics were sold here. This is the first time I have seen an ad with this machine. Actually the same ad turned up a few times more, also in 1959.

Westinghouse frontloaders are the most advertised American washers. But GE and Bendix were sold here too in the fifties. I never saw those on auction sites so finding a Unimatic here would be a real miracle.

 

[Chetlaham]

I bet that 50Hz Unimatic would dry even faster if run on a 240 volt 60Hz supply.

I wish the US would had gone to 220 volts at some point. If not 60Hz, 50Hz would have worked too but as long as it was somewhere between 220-240 volts. Preferably derived via two hot conductors but thats just me.

220-240 volts would have allowed for high powered heaters in front load washers and dishwashers making for faster, more efficient front load washers. Including the possibility of cold only hook ups. Appliances like dryers, stoves and ranges would be simpler by not having 120 volt components. And of course none of that grounding through the neutral stuff would ever have been likely.

FWIW, this is how I imagine an electrical panel in the US if everything was all 240 volts. 20 glorious double pole breakers

(Click to enlarge the pic)