TOL 1969 Whirlpool Mark-12 Washer and Dryer
Wow Ben what a great find, a few thoughts to questions
When WP switched to the more durable polypropylene agitators from black Bakelite they used a blue tint for the first two years till they switched to pure white PP.
The filtering light on the washer is only on when the washer is agitating and collecting lint.
Even though these are both built in 1968 they are considered 1969 models, like car companies appliance manufactures often brought out next years models early.
On these WP 2 speed dryers when switched to gentile the heater wattage is reduced from 5600 to around 3800 watts [ on gas models it went from 30,000 to 20,000 BTUs and a cable operated air damper in the lint-filter housing slightly reduced air-flow. WP did not use a modulating burner in their gas dryers like WP built KMs often did with only about two brief exceptions.
Ben I have the same dryer in gas and in coppertone [ if your washer was coppertone I would be driving in your direction now ] Funny thing I have had the dryer for over a decade but I also wanted a gas one, so I drove all the way to Georgia to buy a gas one only to discover that when I got home that the one I had in storage was gas all along. I stripped the one from Georgia because it was very tired, but saved lots of parts so I may have what you need to fix or even convert yours to gas.
This washer and dryer were truly the best all around machines you could buy in 1969, the only slight fault was the washers spin speed but the outstanding dryers fully made up for that if you compared these machines to what Maytag, GE-HP, Westinghouse and others were offering in 1969.
These 1969 WP Mark-12 machines were the automotive equivalent, of a Chrysler New Yorker, or GM car like a Buick Electra, Ford products to me were always the sister to GE appliances, and I guess that leaves Maytag and Rambler together, and I have a soft spot for American Motors cars.
John L.
