Daily Doctrine Westinghouse 1969 Washers & Dryers

[seeitrun2006]

I noticed on the daily doctrine of the 1969 Westinghouse dryers they do not have a start button.

When did Westinghouse add a start button? When did the goverment require ALL appliance companies have a start button?

These are my favorite washers and dryers. My Grandmother had a middle of the line 1966 Westinghouse washer and dryer set she bought from GA. Power. It seemed at the time (10 years old) it was the biggest washer I had ever seen. Man you talk about having daydreams over a washer!

Thanks!
David

 

[Unimatic1140]

You're right David, I didn't even notice that, as I was more focused on the washers. I suspect it was right around 1971 when they changed safety standards and required washers to have spin-stop safety lid switches.

Also, these brochure most likely show off the very last year of the shiny black Bakelite Sprial-ramp agitator for Westinghouse. After that came the pretty deep blue plastic agitator...

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/DDD/Dispenser.cgi

 

[arbilab]

W also had positive external latches up to that time.

 

[qualin]

You know, I'll admit.. I really love that agitator design... I'd rather have a top loader with a spiral ramp like that instead of the paddle.. Just IMHO....

 

[combo52]

Dryer saftey start switches Etc.

Yes it was around 1971 that all US dryers and the two remaining Combination washers and dryers had to add Push To Start buttons. In addition the lid or door either had to lock or the machine had to have a door or lid switch and a brake capable of stopping a full spinning load in less than 10 seconds when the lid-door was opened.

 

  WP BD washers beefed up their brake by using stronger clutch and break springs they called it [ Fast Brake ].

 

Norge of coarse never had any trouble meeting the standard with their large tub washers, LOL.

 

MT barely met the standards and did some stupid things with a back-up lid switch switch when they brought out new models in 1980 witch didn't help the braking. LOL, Finely around the late 1990s they beefed up their brake spring and eliminated the stupid double lid switches and fuse system that generated thousands of dollars for us in service calls to this day. This is why the MT electronic stack had a lid lock as new models had to be fully complainant.

 

The cheaper brands just added a thermal lock to the washers lid instead of going to the expense of adding a costly brake to the washers mechanism.

 

[seeitrun2006]

Black bakelite and blue agitators

Some where in between the black bakelite agitators and the blue agitators Westinghouse had a kind of taupe color agitator. This was only for about a year or so. They went to this about the time W changed the clothes guard ring at the top of the tub from wire coated plastic to all plastic. The water inlet was changed from 4:00 to 10:00 position.

 

[scrubflex]

OOhh! Unimatic1140, where did you get the photo of the blue SPIRAL-Ramp agitator? Do you have more pics?

 

[arbilab]

That looks subspiciously like an Easy Spiralator.

 

[Unimatic1140]

OOhh! Unimatic1140, where did you get the photo of the blue SPIRAL-Ramp agitator? Do you have more pics? 

Yup more Westinghouse Top Loader brochures will show up in the dispenser in the not too distant future.

 

That looks subspiciously like an Easy Spiralator. 

Actually the Easy and Westinghouse agitators are quite different, when I get some time I'll take a picture of both together so you can see the difference.

 

[scrubflex]

Looking forward to that.