A little teaser...

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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Yes, while it still needs a bit of "tweaking" (condenser solenoid on the water valve is staying open, pump and drain hose will need replacement in the future, and of course some touch-up cosmetic work), the 1961 GE Combination Washer-Dryer I found last month is finally connected to 240V and washing away! It heats up rather quickly even on Delicate or "Rare" but I haven't tried drying in it yet...my poor window unit will really be working to keep the Studio cool, but give it a couple of months!

So far, this is the second load I've washed in it, and needless to say, with 6 vanes in the drum, the wash action is INCREDIBLE (makes a Bendix look downright boring if you can believe that!). As you can see, Fresh Start wins out with even the splashiest machines, providing just the right amount of suds! The cleaning ability and washing capacity are both stunning as well, since the entire load stays moving at a decent speed. The load you see here consisted of 7 shirts, 4 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of boxer shorts and 1 hand towel with room for more!

To add to the overall "fun factor", this is the most jet-like of any FL I've seen or heard...you really have to experience one of these in person to know! It's fairly quiet and sounds like any other machine when washing (except there's no gearbox so it's a little quieter, than, say, a Bendix or Westinghouse slant-front), but on spin, the gearmotor winds up the chain to shift the pulleys, and then all of a sudden it's time to prepare for liftoff! You feel the floor vibrating and hear a grinding noise which sounds like the engines starting up, and then it revs even more until it reaches full speed! "WooooooooOOOOOOOOOOO!" That's where the bouncing system kicks in, since the machine has virtually no suspension. The left front leveling leg is connected to a switch which stops the gearmotor from winding up the chain. Surprisingly, it holds its own on spin and doesn't shake as much as I thought. After a while, the gearmotor winds back (which sounds similar to landing gear extending), and there's more vibration and grinding similar to hard braking on the runway. It switches back into distribution mode and then ramps up to spin again. After the third distribution phase, it removes enough water from the clothes to where it gets up to full speed without tripping the switch. The water extraction isn't the best, though, as it spins somewhere in the 250-300 RPM range. Does anyone know the exact speed?

More to come in the future...since it's sitting with its front bottom access panel off, I'm not doing an official reveal yet, but stay tuned!

9-20-2006-23-49-51--westytoploader.jpg
 
Draining...there is no drain valve, and it uses a regular 2-port GE coupler-drive pump! It simply reverses the motor (and tub) for draining, spinning, and drying.

9-20-2006-23-54-21--westytoploader.jpg
 
CONGRATULATIONS Austin, It looks like so much fun. I would love to hear that baby go into the spin!! Terry
 
Austin this is just great, GE combo's have some of the best wash cycle drama for splashing. Thanks for the great pictures.

Did you get 220 volt service hooked up in your laundry shed?
 

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