British Twintub Washing Machines 1959 - 1990

[keymatic]

@anthony

Afternoon Anthony,

Great to hear the first hand experience of the Frigidaire Jetamatic washer, on that subject my Mastertwin has independent wash and spin motors.

The whole machine is an square-ish oval shape with worktop to match. As you said basically a Rolls washer side with a Frigidaire spinner side.

Cheers
Keith

 

[matchboxpaul]

Hi all.

Loving the Hotpoint brochure Steve - is there a date on it at all? With it having the 1502 in it and being the older style brochure with fold out pages, i'd hazard a guess at 1967? Mike has a slightly later brochure containing the all the same models, but in a newer style and moving away from the fold out pages style, which I've dated as 1968. Curse Hotpoint for not putting dates on their literature! lol.

Mike - many thanks for checking out the model number of your green Supertwin and apologies for the delay in responding to it. Haven't looked for a while and it slipped my notice until now.
I wonder if green was a later addition to the range, hence it being MK27, whereas at least the red version appeared as a Mk19 and maybe the blue and the yellow?

As for on the telly - the UK Decimal coinage public service film, also has a Frigidaire MasterTwin on the kitchen ....

 

[matchboxpaul]

Hi Anthony.

'The later Frigidaire TT was indeed a Phillips clone but i am not sure about the earlier model of which there were two'

The earlier pre-MasterTwin twin tubs were Models WTS (Standard - unheated) and WTD (DeLuxe - heated). I attach a photo of the WTS model, with it's blue background to the dial and I presume that the heated WTD model would have had two dials and the black background to the dials that you mention.

Both the WTD and WTS look to have arrived on the scene circa 1965, with the original MasterTwin around 1967 and a model called the 'De-Luxe' around 1968, with the later MasterTwin De Luxe around 1973.
The MasterTwin De Luxe in 1973, would tie in with the introduction of the 'new' Philips AAC870, upon which it was based?

Regards
Paul

 

[matchboxpaul]

... automatic labelled Mc Enzie [never seen one since ]

Hi Anthony.

Don't want to divert the thread too much, but I don't ever remember anyone mentioning the brand McKenzie on the forum before.
I attach the only picture I have of any of their offerings, in the form of the 'Biomatic TWINFILL' ....

 

[matchboxpaul]

Back to twin tubs

Does anyone know who provided these twin tubs for a number of the elctricity boards at all?

They were sold through the Midlands Electricity Boards and MANWEB at the very least, but I don't know who provided them.

Cheers
Paul

 

[vacbear58]

Midelec

Paul

According to the Which March 1965 the Midelec machines were made by Easiclene

Al

 

[anthony]

The frigidaire twin tub

nice to see a surviving Frigidaire mastewrtwin complete with its lid.Your right Paul.there were two models [you have jogged my memory a little ] The machine without the heater was the one that had a spindryer motor driving the wash impeller .Obviously made to a budget.If i remember rightly underneath where the induction motor would have been there was a flywheel attached with a v belt connecting the motor pump and flywheel .They were [in my opinion a much better machine than the later Phillips clone which was rather flimsy and cheap looking .the very fast spin dryer was much quieter and efficient than the Hoover models of the day and had a nice enamelled spin can .That McKenzie is the later updated version of the ones i worked on [probably cost a bit more ]As i said earlier its pump was very much like an early Indesit the pump being driven by the other end of the main wash motor and accessible through the round hatch on the front .theres that tel tale small door just like the indesit .Found Sid Abbot having his breakfast in front of the TT this morning

 

[chestermikeuk]

Frigidaire Twinnies

Hi Anthoney , glad we got to the bottom of the "Who Made Which Frigidaire Twinny" ha ha, I think the Philips version looks the smartest IMHO, and great to know in the rolls version the original Spinner was used. fab spinners they are.

Hope the hand injury recovered well, my worst nightmare a plug in the wrong socket, thank goodness for plug in circuit trippers although unless a fault it would not have helped you in that moment.

Great to know the Frigidaire Jetamatic had a powerful heater, heres a pic with the "Fill & Heat" on the first timer position. I must check if the water capacity was more than the Hotpoint toploader . I did love seeing those turquoise thumpers in the self serve Frigidaire Launderette when as a kid with Nan getting the velvet winter curtains dry cleaned.

Did you do much work on the Frigidaire french produced H-Axis Top loader with tumble dryer ? (in 3rd pic)

 

[foraloysius]

Frigidaire Extra-Dry 585

Who built that machine? Thomson Brandt by any chance?

 

[anthony]

the Frigidaire top loaser [french ]

Sorry to say i never got my hands on one of those .getting back to the jetamatic .I was never impressed by its performance .Although the agitation process was quite vigorous under a full load it did not work well [we would often do load tests with say a full load of towels ] the machine would be loaded up to say the top vane on the agitator and then soap powder was sprinkled directly onto the clothes switch on [usually with a screwdriver stuck in the lid switch]the machine would fill and start to wash now although the thing was thumping up and down as it should the load would barely be moving .Simply by removing one towel the roll over would work perfectly so although the machine was not overloaded its not true to say it can wash a 9 Lb load .the spin was very average and the water usage was astronomical by today's standards .In my opinion the Hotpoint wins hands down and unless my memory is playing tricks on me i am sure the Jetamatic was a lot bigger than the Hotpoint.I was given a Hotpoint top loader around 1977 [I had just got married and we only had a twin tub ]and after using it for a week or two i was thoroughly impressed. My wife at the time was enthralled at what it could do to a load of dirty nappies .She loved it consequently when we got divorced she took it with her

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Bless This House"

I've been watching most of the episodes recently on ITV3 and CCXTV. CCXTV is a few series behind.

In the early series, there is generally only a wooden folding clothes horse where the washing machine would later sit.

Series 2 Episode 2 'Love Me, Love My Tree', features the Indesit L5 automatic - with a square flap for the pump/filter access - for one episode only - as far as I can see.

Then it is back to having no machine and the wooden clothes horse again.

The Frigidaire Mastertwin makes its appearance in Series 3 Episode 1.

There is an episode in Series 5 (Episode 8), where the 'kids' bring a tramp home, and wash his clothes in the Mastertwin, breaking it in the process. The spin dryer section is referred to as a "tumble dryer".

 

[chestermikeuk]

British Twintub Washing Machines 1959 - 1990

Heres a short video showing the Hotpoint 1400 Supermatic Twintub (Hotpoints first from 1959) and the Spin Guard accessory. There was a slight gap between the spin drum and outer can so it was possible to lose small items inbetween
while transferring from the washtub.

Here is Mathew (Keymatic3203) with his Hotpoint Supermatic demonstrating the use of the Spin Guards, love the colour and matches the filter flow perfectly.

 

[mickeyd]

Thanks, Mike ~

Love the turnover, the steam, the ship-like port window on the spin hatch, the instant suds-return. Such cool wonderful little washers. Everything's so fast and energetic. HOO-RAY for Hotpoint!

 

[chestermikeuk]

English Electric Liberator Twintub

Hi Mickey, glad you like the Hotpoint which was their first twintub, nice machine, taller than their later models which I like.

Now here is the later model by The English Electric Company, which has a powder clutch for the spinner and a built in brush filter for wash water filtering.

 

[keymatic]

Hi Mike,

Luv Darren’s English Electric Liberator Twin, really like the slightly raised wash control deck and the ribbed wash & spin lids.

Nice one !!
Cheers

 

[supertwin59]

Two clever features

The lint filter and panel that can raised to open the spinner chamber.

Unique to English Electric?

 

[keymatic]

Afternoon Walter,

Hotpoint first introduced the Filter clean action when the original Supermatic was launched in 1959, with regards to the access panel on the spinner side I believe this first came out on the 1420 Hotpoint Supermatic - consumers obviously found small garments slipping between the spin can and outer drum.

Keith

 

[supertwin59]

Keith

....thank-you for info.

I have learnt so much about UK twin tubs from this thread.

Walter.

 

[chestermikeuk]

English Electric Liberator Twintub

Hi Keith , yes it is one smart looking twintub, whats the timeline as to which came first the EE or Hotpoint 1420 ?

Very different with the jazzy lids and the spin open cover for checking the outer can. Love the brush filter as well. Is the one Kevin Cox has with red agitator and brush filter a later model then ? (pic courtesy matchboxpaul)

Walter thats great & how we all learn, everyone pooling their knowledge, and always more to lean as well !!

 

[chestermikeuk]

AEG Lavamat

While the thread say British Twintubs, the AEG is included as it was sold here and many are still about. Its a very sturdy twintub, with an aluminium washtub and a heavy copper spin can. The spinner drive is very unique,
the brush motor is horizontal with a rubber wheel on the end, this sits against a rubber flywheel attached to the spin can. It also boasts 3 motors for wash, spin and pump, love the large clunky pump lever feels like driving a tractor ha ha...