Back on the board and look at what I got!

[turquoisedude]

Hi all,
The past few months have been, well, challenging so I have not had a lot of time to post or check in on the discussion boards; that and the fact that I moved to a rural home where there is no decent high-speed internet..
Anyway, here is something worth sharing - I finally received my 1956 GE 'all-in-one' kitchen a week and a half ago! It was claimed to have never been used; I think the washer/dryer may have been, though.
I am going to need to some work on it and I am going to need some help and advice 'cause I have never tackled a rebuild project before!
The washer is a model 1WD - 562N1G; most of all, it will need a complete re-wiring job (you'll see why in the following pictures).
I'll try and get some pix of the absolutely pristine dishwasher posted between now and the end of the week.

 

[turquoisedude]

Took the washer apart to start work and....

50 years of storage have had some ill effects. I think a few generations of Texan mice grew up here!

 

[turquoisedude]

Critter damage

Hence why the re-wiring will be a must!

I do have a partial wiring diagram from the washer/dryer, but I am going to need a complete one. If anyone knows where I can get one, I would really appreciate your help.

 

[DADoES]

RJ just happened to ask last week if there has been any news on the GE kitchen.

 

[turquoisedude]

It was a bit of an ordeal....

I don't know if you remember my intense disappointment that when it finally got from Houston to Stanstead, Quebec, the movers couldn't get up my blessed driveway because of the snow! It was in storage since December and it was killing me. I even started shovelling my lawn in March in preparation for delivery!! Thank heavens the front deck held the weight...

 

[toggleswitch]

Glad you got it. How amazing!

Does this thing get one connection to power or three?
What is behind the unit, matching upper cabinetry?

 

[turquoisedude]

Cabinets AND a wall-mount fridge

This was truly a 'kitchen in a box'! The cabinets have built-in lights and a radio; not sure if I am going to be able to use them in the kitchen I want to build around this.
The fridge is just awesome; I will try and get a picture of it that is not too big to post (damn high-resolution images!)

 

[norgenocker]

beautiful---

growing up had a GE dishwasher with that control--loud, as they all were back then. But I loved going to sleep to that distant roar--

 

[filterflo]

Hi Paul, that is a fabulous set of appliances. I have the 1955 models of the dishwasher and washer/dryer combo (the 1955 model does not have a door window) a 1956 version of the range, a 1957 AND a 1959 model LW11 wall refrigerators. I have the Model 562M ("M") series of wiring diagrams which should be very similar to your 562N ("N") series. If you would like copies just shoot me an email and Id be glad to send them out to you.......

 

[frigilux]

Beautiful! How do you move something like that? It's huge!

 

[christfr]

that whole set is so so cool.. congrats ---- love the little mouse poo have had my share of that but it all cleans. looks like they had some wire for lunch

 

[tlee618]

Paul that is one beautiful set you have there. What a fantastic piece of appliance history! I am sure you have your work cut out for you but what a fun kitchen you will end up with.

 

[turquoisedude]

Power connection & other questions

Toggleswitch:
There are three power cables (range,oven,timer and a disposall which didn't come with the unit); I have an ad for the 1955 version that said there was only one electrical connection to make. It probably had to go right into the power company's main feed! I think I will have to convert the supply cables for the washer/dryer and range to current cord/plug ones to stay legal with the electrical codes here.

Frigilux:
I kept a photo chronicle of the unit's progress from Texas to the Vermont/Quebec border - the guy who sold it to me built a crate around the units so that a forklift could pick them up. When it came time to get them into the house, I had to take down a part of my front balcony and take out the patio doors, but that was worth it 'cause the movers were able to just roll them in. How I am going to get them from the front room into the kitchen will be a whole other story... I have started looking for chiropractors in anticipation!

 

[toggleswitch]

Thank you for your kind response.
Yah. I'm thinking

40a Cooker (sometimes 50a)
30a W/D
20a DW
--------------
90a TOTAL
=============

Of course, code may allow for a smaller gauge wire and circuit protection than that. Chances of using everything full-blast simultaneously are slim. Wonder what the manual says.

Also in Canada the ground/earth conductor and the neutral (white) conductor MAY NOT BE SHARED in the flexible cord connectors. This was allowable in the U.S.A, so you may have to remove a ground/earthing bar/bus or connector from the unit's (metal) frame to comply with local /provincial/ national codes in your area.

Boiled down: Your flex cords will have to have 4 conductors/prongs, not 3.

Perhaps it DOES pay to hard-wire this beauty in.

 

[turquoisedude]

Oh, I would love to get my paws on the manual for this baby! It probably warns not to run the range and washer/dryer at the same time...

That's right about the non-shared neutral/ground wire - I used to have a '58 GE dryer that I needed to hook up to a 'modern' outlet and I remember having to disconnect the white neutral line and ground the frame to a green conductor in the hook-up cord. They're 4-conductor by default here; I think too many folks got fried by ground faults!
Actually, I am planning on upgrading the main house panel 'cause it's full already, so I figure I might as well add the extra circuits for the 'new' appliances.
Do new US electric ranges and dryers come with a cord and a honking big four-pronged plug? The codes changed here in the late 70's and they have been standard equipment here since then.

 

[jeffg]

A month ago we bought a new dryer from Sears, and the cord set was sold separately (they asked whether we needed 3 or 4-prong). We specified 3-prong and the dryer was delivered with it already installed.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

tdude

I have the Canary Yellow version of your base unit.
I don't know if its original installation included the
refer with some wall cabs or not. Mine was alleged to have been installed in 1959. I got it from its original site, which was an inlaw apartment in a custom home in the "Hills"
of Oakland California. It was "hardwired" with its own subpanel. It had a big fat length of that flexible conduit
running most of the length of the back splash, with other smaller diameter branching off. I had the impression that it
would have been ok to operate the stove and washer/dryer at the same time. It is possible that the house had a 200 Amp
Service at the time, though I supect that may have been rare
for residential electrical services at the time. Perhaps it had 2 separate 100 amp services coming to the structure, I didn't think to ask the lady I bought it from. I agree about
getting ones paws on the manual for the system . I bet it was filled with priceless data. How is the rubber on your dishwasher; the close gasket, the vents,etc.? Don't you love
the "garbage can" attached to the door under the sink!!!?
Mine was alleged to have had very light use. The story was that the builder/owner of the house built the apartment for his sister, and she refused to live in it. The couple had two children and only used the apartment amenities when
entertaining.

 

[fa_f3_20]

3-wire and 4-wire in the US

turquoisedude: There are a few areas in the U.S. (Chicago comes to mind) which have been requiring 4-wire installation for ranges and dryers for some time. As far back as I've known anything about appliances, which goes back to the late '60s, they have been sold with the option to take either a 3-wire or 4-wire pigtail. I think the NEC mandated 4-wire for new installations in 1995, but I'm not sure. Existing 3-wire outlets are still grandfathered, and new appliances are still sold with either -- when we bought our GE Harmony set last year, they asked whether the installers needed to bring a 3-wire or 4-wire pigtail.

 

[batterymaker]

I might be able to help you with the radio--you'll need to replace all the paper capacitors and filter caps, and it'll be all set. It's probably a standard AC/DC model.