Does anyone remember this washer?

[rolls_rapide]

If I remember correctly, in the early 1990's (maybe about 1993; around the time of the Hoover "New Wave" debut) there was a range of three Electrolux washing machines, one of which could spin at 1500rpm.

One of them also had a facility for automatic dosing of liquid detergent. I think there was a clear plastic 'bag' which you refilled with detergent, then placed it into a cavity at the bottom of the machine.

Does anybody remember this, or did I dream it?

 

[fredriksam]

Yep. I remember these. The plastic bag was for softener. Unfortenly they had many problems with the motors in these machines, so many got scrapped after 2 years.

It was a fault with the collector in the motor, if i,m not mistaken.

It was in 1993 they began to sell this machine.

 

[rolls_rapide]

I didn't realise it was for softener. I thought it was for the likes of "Ariel Liquid": something like a precursor to the current Miele "Liquiwash", or whatever it's called.

 

[aquarius1984]

No you didnt dream it! I was going to ask the same question a few weeks ago and nevr got round to it so the two of us cant be imagining things, the detergent dispensing Electrolux was marketed here in the UK in 1992 - my parents really got into washing machine research after they got stung with a shitty Candy in 1988 and we ended up with loads of washer leaflets from various shops and I remember being amazed at a seeing a washer able to dose detergent.

I used to imagine an Ariel ball being scooped into a liquid reserve in the bottom of the machine and being popped theu a little flap into the drum. The pictures of the chamber didt really show much but it had a bottle of Ariel next to it. ~It was part of the same range my Mums EWF something I forget the number but I will look on Serviceforce website for the manual as her machines manual is on there.

These machines were basically Zanussi Jetsystems with a different control panel and door on them, also a large metal plinth hiding the filter as opposed to a small square door.
Mums was the just below TOL Electrolux but was way ahead of anything Zanussi had out at the time.

It featured ALC (Automatic Level Control) and actually weighed the washing before the programme commenced into filling, there was a 10 second wait between switching the machine on and the water entering.

It was darn amazing as it never ever stopped to refill after taking in the intial amount of water, aided by the same Jetsystem Jet the zanussis shared it washed clothes to a high standard on every programme. Easily the best built machine Mums ever had and was the 2nd longest lasting after her 1979 Frigidaire which did 9 years.

The cottons rinse cycle was pretty good despite the sequence it follwed.

Wash

All rinses with Jetsystem too.
Rinse 1 - stationary fill to high level and top ups as needed. for some reason the rinses were not catered for with the ALC

Rinse 2 - as rinse 1

Spin

Rinse 3 - the machine would start to tumble as soon as the spin slowed down whilst filling.
the rinses were of set times of about 4 minutes and the whole of this rinse the water would be gushing in, depending on the load size the water could be halfway up the door or even as high as 2/3s.

Spin

Rinse 4 with softener as Rinse 1

Final spin at 1050rpm and shakedown at the end.
The spin went up in 2 stages 500 - 1050. It didnt distribute at all just steadily went from a tumble to a steady spin.

Synthetics cycles washed with a low water wash regulated with ALC and did 1/3 up the door with water rinses.
Wools and Delicates had high level washes and rinses.

Option Buttons were Heavy Soil, Spin Care 1050 dropped to 850.
Rinse Hold
On Off and door release.

This model also had vari temp and the programmes were set out unusually too.

the dial went ABC Cottons washes.
D cotton Rinse
F softener
G fast spin.

H Minimum Iron
J slow spin

K Wool
L delicates
M worn once
N Rinses
P Freshen Up
Q Drain

R was an independant prewash with jet system and a low level.

The machine lasted 8 years from 1992 and was probably the best cleaner and reliable one mums had combined.
shame it was replaced with a crappy Candy Activa in Feb 2000 as Mum should have had it repaired instead of throwing it.

Never missed a beat until it went and even then we only had realised it was dead when it wouldnt start its next wash.
Whatever the fault was the machine had finished the previous cycle to the end then decided it wanted to die peacefully.
Mum came to switch it on and it just stood still.

Cant fault it one bit for the convinience of not having to empty a machine of dripping washing or having smoke billow.

Nick

 

[newwave1]

Are you talking about this range of models? They sounded like a great range. I've always liked elux machines. Its a shame they ditched the door release buttons!

Darren

 

[hoovermatic]

They also made excellent dishwashers and my family bought one in 1993 - the exact styling of that washer. One of the very useful features it carried was a cutlery basket that you could move around in the bottom basket depending on where it would fit around the other items. It was almost every day for 12 years before it finally packed in.

 

[aquarius1984]

OMG Darren thats the one below my Mums model!!!!!! Same machine but theres one button missing!

Never thought id see one again. The ALC triangle symbol on the drawer is rather like an Adidas logo dont ya think?

 

[aquarius1984]

another variation of this machine without the temp dial and less buttons can also be seen on tins of Plasticote appliance spray

 

[rolls_rapide]

Darren and Nick

Yes, that's the range I was thinking of!

I purchased a Hoover "New Wave" 1300 for my Mum, and it arrived on my birthday 1993. I was in the store a few weeks later, and picked up the Electrolux brochure/leaflet. I was thinking that I should have bought the Electrolux with auto detergent dispensing. (I'm an enthusiast for "new-fangled technology").

I've another question about auto-detergent-dispensing; keep an eye out for another thread.

I'll post my Mother's trials and tribulations with the "New Wave" in a further thread!

 

[ecoclean]

Hi guys,

Well, the opening thread got me thinking, but the photograph confirmed it for sure! The Electrolux range your all talking about included the first washer & Dryer that I bought for my mum back in 1993. I bought the washer specifically for the pump dispenser feature, and needless to say had to have it sitting beside the matching dryer (yep, I'm a salesmans dream customer!!)

The model she had was the next one up from the picture shown earlier. Unfortunately, I cant remember the model number, but I do remember that the control layout was quite unusual. It had a single selector switch that displayed the type of program (Cottons, Minimum Iron etc) AND the colour coded desired temp underneath in a horizontal split on the dial as you turned it round. To the right of this switch, there was a similar sized indicator dial that moved independantly of the first to show what stage the program was at. It was similar to the indicators found on the wascator commercial washers found in laundrettes at that time, and the only example of this that I had ever seen in a domestic machine.

To the left of the main dial was a smaller pop out spin speed selector (up to 1500rpm, again previously unheard of), and next to that was a similar liquid soap selector switch, numbered 1 to 9. (Even with the ALC feature, you still had to choose the quantity of soap you required!?!). Next to that was the square door release button and next again another square button, possibly an on-off switch.

The door was double walled with an outer greyish plastic window. It looked ok, but did obscure the view inside somewhat. The drum held a 13lb load which was cavernous at that time. It was also unique insofar as it used the first shower system that I had ever seen. The water was recirculated from the wash and sprayed out from above the door over the clothes! Now THAT was cool! The liquid soap discharger was situated in a bag stowed behind a removable panel that ran across the bottom of the machine. Despite such an innovation, my mum just couldnt get to grips with the idea of not physically putting powder into the machine. I think she ended up only using the feature when I would visit and check up on her progress!!

The machine was such a dream to use that 6 months later, I purchased the washer/ dryer model for my own house. It was similar in design to the washer, but didnt have the soap dispensing feature and also only reached 1200rpm. However, it took a whopping 15lb of laundry, and could do a dry to dry load in about 2 hours. It also featured a turbo hot air drying system when in drying mode, and the sound of the fan kicking in and gathering speed was quite impressive!

As far as reliability goes, my mums washer ran happily until 2005, and the dryer finally gave up the ghost in 2006. Im not sure what happened to my own machine as I moved about 3 years later and had to leave it behind. However, I do remember that those machines really were top class, and i dont think electrolux ever produced anything quite like them again...sigh.. Anyway, thanks for the liberator-style memory jolt!! )

 

[zanussi_lover]

Btw darren, my friend rachel has that electrolux, its a 900rpm spin model its a really good machine, and it washes well

i want one

 

[newwave1]

Ecoclean!- Thank you for that nicely detailed description! They sounded fantastic. I wonder why they didn't continue the large load size until recently? So they were about 6kg 6.5kg? Correct me if i'm wrong i aven't converted pounds to kilos for abit.Did they use a reasonable amount of water?

My zanussi has the same style dial with a progress ring around it. Its nice and informative!

Was this model pictured anything similar to what you had?

Darren

 

[rolls_rapide]

Large load size

It is odd, isn't it, that the larger capacities disappeared until the advent of the Dyson Contrarotator. I remember reading at that time that Dyson had put the washing machine industry into a spin! And quite rightly too!

Nick/Aquarius 1984:

Was the Candy Activa, the machine which recycled water through the dispenser drawer? What happened to your Mum's Candy machine(s)?

 

[lavamat_jon]

Didn't Bosch have a large capacity machine before Dyson's contrarotator? If my memory serves me correctly the Bosch Maxx machines were launched in 1998!

Hotpoint always fiddled their figures during the 1990s... the same drum had a 4.5kilo capacity (I believe) at the start of the decade, and by the end of the 1990s with the WM60/70 series the load capacity crept up to 5.5kg even though they still used the same drum!

Jon

 

[rolls_rapide]

I think the Bosch was something like 6kg, as opposed to the then standard 5kg.

Hoover had the Ecologic range that took 11 lbs; then the New Wave range that went back (at first) to 10 lbs! Woolly thinking!

 

[ecoclean]

Hi Darren,

Thanks for the photo, and yes, that's one of the washers from the range I'm talking about!

As far as I can recall, there were about 4 different models of washers in the range. Truth be known, I was lucky to be able to buy my mum the soap doser model at all. It was TOTL, and I only managed to buy it because the store had to sell it off at cost. The sales rep told me they hadnt been able to shift the display model for months because it was just so damned expensive! £849 (ir) down to £499 if memory serves me correctly, but value for money since she lived to a ripe old age!! (The washing machine that is....mum is still VERY much alive!!!)