Automatic twin tubs : which advantages ?

[favorit]

I mean the match of a non spinning automatic H AX toploader with a spin dryer, e.g. the A.E.G. TURNAMAT 2000.

Here was still on the catalogue five or six years ago (but never seen one in a store).

One of my cousins had a Novamat (Turnamat's granny), but it was 30 years ago ....

I can't realize the advantage of having nowadays this configuration vs a frontloader/toploader.

More : the washer part uses a lot of water to rinse because of the lack of interim spins.

Maybe the battlehorse is the spindryer speed ? So shouldn't be better a normal FL/TL and a separate hi speed spindryer ?

A non automatic TT has water saving capability as battlehorse, but these automatic TT don't.

Any clue ?

Thanks
Carlo

 

[foraloysius]

Cheap, reliable and and easy to work on

Carlo,

When these machines were devellopped they didn't use more water than fully automatic machines. They were often bought by people who wanted a reliable machine for not too much money. These machines don't need a suspension and they are very easy to work on. A lot of them are still around and often they are still working even when they are 30 years or older. The high spin speed of the separate spinner was an advantage too, most washers in the sixties and seventies had spinspeeds under 1000rpm.

A friend of mine still has one, I think his is around 35 years old. The only problem with it is the lid switch, it's a bit wanky and you need to give a good bang on the lid sometimes when it doesn't start tumbling. But I have used it several times and that never happened to me. I don't think he ever had a repair on it.

BTW, the granny of the Turnamat is the Turnalux IIRC. The Novamat is the older compact AEG model, the toploader that dances.

Ciao!

Luigi

 

[launderess]

Twin Tub Washing Machines

On both sides of the pond were a step up from wringer washing machines for many, and or one of few "portable" washing machines for small living spaces.

What twin tubs did was keep the water saving aspects of a wringer washer (resuing wash water for several loads), but replaced the dangerous and labour intensive wringers with a spin drier.

Spin driers also removed more water and detergent from laundry than wringers.

As with wringer washing machines, a twin tub can be a very fast way of dealing with lots of laundry. Tiresome, labour intensive, and often noisy, but fast. However depending upon the unit, certian items would not fit in either the wash tub and or spin basket. An old issue of Which? tested twin tubs for common bulky items such as blankets, and found most came up short, especially for anything larger than twin or double.

Few persons today with their automatic "set it and forget it", mentality would go for twin tubs in a big way, which is why the market is rather small and limited. Aside from Danby and few other Asian producers, no one bothers making the units anymore.

Law changes in the UK and EU regarding spin driers would have caused Hoover and others to redesign their units, at a time when sales were falling anyway. Some units did have automatic brakes on their spinners, others simply coasted to a stop. Either way something that spins at >2100rpms needs to be respected.

Once front loading washing machines started to spin at speeds greater than 1100rpms, the advantages of a separate spinner be it a spin drier or part of a twin tub set up diminished.

 

[foraloysius]

Launderess

The AEG twintubs are totally different machines than the Hoover ones and others. The Turnamats are H-axis washing machines that wash and rinse automatically. There is only no automatic spin cycle afterwards, only then the spinner comes to use.

Here's a picture of the AEG Turnamat of my friend.

 

[launderess]

A-Ha!

Actually such units mimic the first,and still in use in some areas, H-Axis washing machines.

Due to limitations regarding motors, suspensions and designs these washers did just that; washed and rinsed laundry. One removed the laundry and bunged it into an exractor to spin out the water. This is why commercially washers that spin are still often referred to as "washer-extractors".

What you have got ahold of there is unit that combines benefits of tumble washing with an extractor.

 

[Bearpeter]

I would LOVE one!!! (AEG)

Does anyone know of one for sale? I'll pay cargo!!