Betty Furness Introduces Frigidaire's Very First Automatic Washer with a Full Cycle Video!

[Unimatic1140]

I've had numerous members over the years ask me to do a full cycle video of my 1947 Frigidaire Unimatic washer, the very first washer that GM Frigidaire ever produced.

Well I finally got around to doing this! The first 10 minutes of the video Betty helps me do a complete overview of the machine, how it works and its mechanical makeup. The rest of the video is a full cycle demonstration with 5 big bath towels.

You can be sure if it's Frigidaire, built and backed by General Motors!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Unimatic By Name

Fabulous video Robert and so good of Betty to finally acknowledge your work and dedication to the Frigidaire Unimatic Washer ...

Carry on !!

 

[Marky_Mark]

Sudscake Galore!

There's nothing quite like watching "twenty-nine and one-half minutes" of Live-Water Action to brighten up your Sunday evening .  Love it!  

 

This has to take the prize for being the best washer explanation and demonstration video I've seen on YouTube.  

 

I enjoy the drama of these machines while the spin ramps up, especially the imposing sound of raw power when the centrifugal switch is about to disconnect the start windings (not to mention breathing a sigh of relief when they do drop out, knowing everything is working correctly!).  So cool to watch and listen to.  Well done!

 

Question: how does the rinsing compare between Frigidaire 2-rinse machines and the 1-rinse-plus-overflow Unimatics?

 

Mark

 

 

 

[agiflow]

Always wondered how this machine performed and now we know ! Great job Robert, that was enjoyable.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Question: how does the rinsing compare between Frigidaire 2-rinse machines and the 1-rinse-plus-overflow Unimatics?

Hi Mark, personally I prefer the over-flow rinse machines. While both designs are extremely effective at rinsing, some of the best rinsing I've ever experienced, the over-flow rinse machines take 26 minutes for a full cycle and use a few less gallons of water.

When I was down in Florida for a few months this winter the place I was staying had an LG washer that is about 6 years old. Placing a quarter cup of bleach in the dispenser and even selecting 3 extra rinses I could still smell bleach in the towels when the load was completed. Using 3/4 cup of bleach on the same towels in any of my Unimatic washers there is simply no smell of bleach what so ever when the cycle is completed.

 

[vacbear58]

Unimatic

What a great video, inventive and informative, one of the very best

 

[qsd-dan]

Interesting, I assumed every Frigidaire washer from the first Unimatic through the last Rollermatic had a solid inner tub.

 

[tomturbomatic]

A friend's family had a 1957 control tower and his mother used a half cup of Tide in it. I remember when the testing magazines tested this machine and they did not like the way the perforated tub left deposits on the laundry, but they were always afraid of Frigidaire washers.[this post was last edited: 4/13/2025-23:13]

 

[tomturbomatic]

Robert, does your machine have the little flip down bail-type prop to hold up the lid for drying out the machine after use?

When I used to fly, I would time the period from when the engines were reved up and the brakes were released until the final thump as the wheels left the runway and compare it to the time when the Unimatic dropped into the start windings at the beginning of spin drain and then came out of them when the machine accelerated to full spin speed.[this post was last edited: 4/13/2025-23:48]

 

[aussie-plugs]

What a wonder!

Both the Unimatic and Betty.

I don't quite understand how the water was expelled from the solid tub at the beginning of spin and then caught "in the cabinet" for the pump to then deal with in its own time. There must have been some other "tub" to catch this water. What dd it look like? Did it then have its own issues with rust/leakage over time?

 

[foraloysius]

This video is awesome! And a coproduction of Samantha and Betty! Now twitch your nose and the next load is in the machine

 

[Unimatic1140]

A friend's family had a 1957 control tower and his mother used a half cup of Tide in it.
Hi Tom, the owners manual of both the '47 and '57 (and I assume all other Unimatic washers) says the following:
High Sudsing Detergents: start with 1/2 cup. Shortly after washing action starts, check the suds level and add more detergent to maintain suds level of about two inches. My water is approx 7 grains of hardness right from the city so it takes a bit more detergent to maintain a 2" suds level.

Oh and yes it sure does have the little vent leg on the lid to keep the lid up about 1" to let the machine dry out after washing.

I don't quite understand how the water was expelled from the solid tub at the beginning of spin and then caught "in the cabinet" for the pump to then deal with in its own time. There must have been some other "tub" to catch this water. What dd it look like? Did it then have its own issues with rust/leakage over time?

Hi Nick, yes the water is thrown into the cabinet and you can clearly hear this as it starts to spin. Betty forgot to mention (she's 109 years old now so I'll let that slide lol) that the entire washer cabinet, top, lid and tubs are finished in heavy duty porcelain so even after nearly 80 years rusting is very little in the outer cabinet that catches the water. In the images below you can see part of the outer cabinet and while there are a few minor rust spots but nothing concerning.

 

[pulsator]

Absolutely stunning video and explanation Robert! I might need to pull my Unimatic from storage and play with it a bit now!

 

[Chetlaham]

Thank You!!

Stunning video and washer. Very charismatic, inspirational to anyone watching it.

 

The cycle is also proportional and well designed. It looks great on the dial! I love that its only 29 1/2 minutes long and I thank you immensely for including the cycle sequence in your video as copy and pasted below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nashmaytagbear]

Robert I loved it! You did an amazing job.

 

[petek]

That's really well done and using Betty's "voice" throughout, great

 

[peteski50]

Frigidaire!

Thanks for the great video. I always thought that Betty only advertised for westinghouse!

 

[washerlover]

Thank you for putting that video together. Quite enjoyable! And here I always thought Betty Furness was just a Westinghouse gal!

 

[Unimatic1140]

I always thought that Betty only advertised for westinghouse!

In case anyone is wondering how I convinced Betty to do a pitch for Frigidaire in my video, when she's obviously the Westinghouse lady, I had to make a phone call to a good friend of mine. You can hear what my friend said for yourself at the link below...

https://www.automaticwasher.org/TEMP/Gladys_convinces_Betty.mp3