Been Frigged yet?

[sudsmaster]

I just got Frigged today!

Yep, I picked up a 2001 Frigidaire Gallery front loader, affectionately known as a "Frigmore". I saw it on the local Craig's List. Seller wanted $100, bargained (a token, really) down to $90. The seller's wife (a real knock-out, too) never used chlorine bleach and washed only in cold water (no mold or odor in the machine, either), and we ran the machine through the spin cycle so I could confirm that the bearings aren't shot (yet!). I like that it's a front control model, which means that eventually, when I find the space, I can stick it under a counter somewhere. Maybe in the main kitchen, or in the master bath (which has an eight foot long vanity counter)

It's also backup for the Neptune. One really never knows when one of these things will go belly up! ;-)

 

[foraloysius]

Congratulations Rich! I always found these machines goodlooking. Is this a MOL model? $90.- is a bargain I think. Let us know what you think of this machine. BTW, no bleach, washing in cold water? I'd love to have a look at here whites!

 

[sudsmaster]

Louis,

She used oxygen bleach. Maybe she used warm water with that!

Not sure where this model place in the frigmore lineup. It's model FWT445GES2. It has the End of Cycle buzzer volume control, the extra rinse control, in addition to the temperature and cycle timer controls. The cycle timer has a pre-wash in addition to the regular, perm press, and delicates selections. Spin speed is set by the wash cycle selection - "Fast Spin" is only with the regular wash selection.

Would you like a closeup of the control panel?

 

[washboy2005]

oooh i love it....

i love that washer design is the wash drum small? , what is the spin speed? it looks very european i think.

its a nice looking washer at a bargain price
well done

 

[foraloysius]

Rich, ofcourse I would like to have a look at the control panel! How could you even ask that. LOL

 

[frigilux]

Looks very much like my first-issue Electrolux-made Frigidaire FL. I think mine was a '96. Is that right? I know I bugged my Frigidaire dealer til he was sick of me, because I wanted one as soon as I could get one. He sold me the pair he was supposed to use as an introduction floor demo. Glad to say they are still back at my old warehouse apartment, now washing loads for three units. And no bearing problems, either! The only thing I didn't care for was that the high spin speed, which I believe was about 850 rpm, only kicked in the last 60 seconds of the spin. Not enough to make a big difference, in my opinion.

At any rate, congrats on your new acquisition, sudsmaster!

 

[jasonl]

Sir Frigemore's cousin

Yep. That's what I had up until I moved out. Of course, mine was a 'more and not a Frig. Ate many pizzas, drank lots of Coke and listened to lots of Fifth Dimension, Dionne Warwick, Herb Alpert, The Beatles, and Sergio Mendez while washing on Friday night.

 

[sudsmaster]

The control panel

Louis,

I've since moved the washer to a cramped area, and can't get a good shot of the control panel (and tripped and dropped the camera anyway in the process!).

Here is a scan of the control panel from an insert in the owner's manual:

 

[retroguy]

you stuck that machine in a corner!? tsk tsk!!

 

[sudsmaster]

Frigilux,

Yes, I think it's more likely that it's a '96 or '97 than a 2001. The sellers said they got it before their son was born, an that he was three, so they estimated four years old. Maybe it was an old model in stock when then bought it. I suppose its top spin speed is 850... but that's probably more than enough anyway. When we did the test spin, it seemed to spin at a lower speed, maybe 600 rpm, for most of the spin, and then ramp up to the higher speed for the last bit.

Washboy,

The drum is 2.65 cubic feet, which translates into about a 7 kg washer, I think. My understanding is that these washers were based on a european design, and of course they had a very long run here, dating from '96 to just last year, when they were replaced by models with larger doors (tilted tubs, I think) but still no internal water heater.

Rigth now my only laundry hookup is occupied. I'm going to have to hook the Frigmore up to a garden hose for a wash session out in the courtyard on a sunny day....

 

[sudsmaster]

No, it's not in a corner, it's in a kind of hallway... I just had to move it out of the rain before I make room for it in a larger space.

 

[nurdlinger]

No tilted tubs for the newer Frigmore

Newer models are evolutionary not revolutionary. Tubs are 0.5 cft larger. Controls are computerized. (no timer dial) Most other design features are the same. AFAIK the older models are still offered by Kenmore, Frigidaire, and GE.

 

[rinso]

Rich, The Frigidaire I purchased in 1997 looked exactly like the one pictured here. (The matching dryer was a reversing tumble model) You will be surprised at how well it cleans. It also is not as stingy with water as other FL machines, and you'll see a goodly amount of splash with it.

My machine spun at only 650 RPMs for the last 50-60 seconds on the fast spin cycle, which was what was claimed in the literature. When I called customer service to complain about my less than spun dry clothes, the advised me of a simple wire change on the plug of the controller that would increase it to 850 RPM. I changed it and it worked, but it probably contributed to my bearing failure just 5 years after purchase, although Electrolux did replace the rear assembly without charge. I sold the machine to a friend and it is still working flawlessly.

 

[foraloysius]

Thanks Rich, IIRC this was indeed the first model.

 

[frigilux]

Come to think of it, sudsmaster, if you open the door and read the faceplate, the date of manufacture may be on it. That's how I knew which month/year mine was built. Let us know if yours has the date on it.

I agree with the others at this thread. Yours is a first generation Electrolux-made model. Especially if it ramps up to the highest spin speed in only the last 60 seconds of the final spin.

 

[frigilux]

Come to think of it, sudsmaster, if you open the door and read the faceplate, the date of manufacture may be on it. That's how I knew which month/year mine was built. Let us know if yours has the date on it.

I agree with the others at this thread. Yours is a first generation Electrolux-made model. Especially if it ramps up to the highest spin speed in only the last 60 seconds of the final spin.

 

[frigilux]

Now, how the heck did I do that? My trigger finger must be getting shaky, LOL.

 

[sudsmaster]

Rinso,

Do you recall what the wiring change was?

Frigilux,

The door label says it was made 2-98. So it may not be the first generation model. It *might* be very similar to the first gen, but with that wiring change to enable the 850 spin...? I figure the "S2" at the end of the model number may mean, "Series 2"...?

 

[sudsmaster]

Louis,

I think it's a pretty good price. I've seen other used Frigmores of similar vintage advertized on CL for about $250-$300.

Of course, a Miele would be even better, and I've also seen those on CL, but for more like $800.

 

[stainfighter]

re: control panel...

our 2001 FWT647GHSO doesn't have as nearly as a nice control panel. Wish they had not done away w/the e/o/signal buzzer. Ours could wake the dead!!! It holds a LOT of clothes and wish that the dryer could do it all in one load. Unfortunately it usually cannot. IMHO if I do a full load (w/ just a fist of room at the top) we have to break the finished load into two dryer loads. Probably going to be on the prowl to replace it with a larger cu ft dryer. This is only I think a 5.7 cf which isn't enough for a full load.

 

[sudsmaster]

Stainfighter,

You could probably disconnect the buzzer. It might even be possible to add a volume control for it, either permanently set to a lower level, or via an extra knob on the control panel. I think what you'd want is a 25 watt variable resistor - the kind that's wire wound with a ceramic core.

Or you could order a replacement control from one of the online parts web sites, and then wire that into your machine (you'd have to drill a hole in control panel to mount it, of course).

My White-Westinghouse gas dryer is pretty much the same design as the Frigmore dryers. When I got it, I wasn't worried about capacity so much, because it had to fit in a fairly cramped space beside the gas range in my kitchen. At the time it was really nice to have, since my yard was about the size of a postage stamp and I couldn't hang many clothes out there. And the nearest other dryer was in another building on the property, a coin-op electric dryer that vented back into the laundry room, and consequently didn't dry worth a darn.

I quickly learned that there was never any need to put the WW dryer on "hot". "Warm" was hot enough, and "hot tended to scorch. Big items I would save for a day when I could hang them outside, which I still do even with the larger and more powerful Maytag dryer.

Speaking of which, I think the White-Westinghouse-Frigmore dryers' biggest drawback is that their blower fans are kind of weak. I know this because when I replaced the WW dryer with the Neptune dryer, the first thing that happened was a big clot of lint blew out of the exhaust ducting. That also explained why the WW dryer was taking longer and longer to dry, and its cabinet was getting warmer and warmer... Maytag to the rescue! Now I do most of my drying on the line, and for what little drying I do with the gas dryer, it's for socks/underwear or rainy days, and I clean out the vent every couple of years.

 

[stainfighter]

re: weak blower

it's on my to-do list, to reroute the vent line. When our home was built the builder vented it out the side of the house but it is quite long. Think will help with drying times if I have it go straight out to side of front door, no? (lots of air space yet will be hidden by shrubery)

 

[sudsmaster]

Another option is to put in a larger diameter exhaust duct. If it's four inches now, put in a six inch duct. If it runs through an unheated space, however, it's best to insulate it, so the moisture doesn't condense and trap lint.