Durability of Wash Tubs

[whirlcool]

With the laundry business migrating towards Stainless Steel tubs (Amana & Speed Queen amongst the early adopters of these) they hype the fact that the more you use a SS tub, the smoother it becomes. Susposedly, this isn't the case with other types of tubs.
Then if this is the case, how long can we expect to get out of a porcelain or even a plastic tub? How can you tell if your porcelain tub needs replacement? Do they get "rough" with age and use? Is there any maintenance you are susposed to do on your tubs to keep them smooth?
I know lots of you use washers from the 50's & 60's so this doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

[mrcleanjeans]

a grubby tubby

I believe that it's marketing hype.Yes,sometimes porcelain chips and rusts, but that is rare.However,I would prefer SS over plastic,if for no other reason than aesthetics.

 

[petek]

I would shy away from a washer with a plastic tub for a couple of reasons, one is that it just seems cheap to me and secondly since I have well water, plastic discolors terribly in no time at all with iron stains etc and is impossible to remove. That happened with my GE dishwasher, was an awful sight inside after a year and no amount of bleach, cleansers, scrubbing etc would remove it. Stainless is best and porcelain while it can still discolor can be cleaned

 

[tolivac]

I would too-not just for aesthetics-prefer the metal porcelean tub or SS one.Plastic can be scratched-causing a snag-or cracks from age causing leaks-or if its a spin basket-perhaps to break from stress when in spin mode.speaking of early adopters-didn't Blackstone use a SS tub in their 150 series machines?

 

[gansky1]

Exactly, Blackstone used a stainless steel tub from the very start of their model 50 (Mechanical Mandy) automatic in 1940. Speed Queen started with SS tubs in the early 50's but their first model automatic (their wringers had SS tubs for a long time before) had a porcelain tub and a SS top of poor quality, as it tended to rust! Easy used some SS tubs in the 60's with their velva-power tranny machines and also made some for Easy after they stopped making their own automatics.

I can't stand plastic tub washers, I had a Kelvinator WCI machine for a while back in the 80's and always thought it just seemed cheap. I know plastic technology has improved and they are more durable and yadda, yadda, but there's nothing like the gleam of shiny porcelain or stainless steel inside a washer.

 

[westytoploader]

One of the worst characteristics of a plastic tub is the fact that it is not stain-resistant. I don't know how they are now, but by the time our 1996 GE's short life was over, the tub had taken on a shade of blue.

SS is the way to go; durable and it looks good!

 

[tolivac]

Yes-I think SS is a good way to go and that would apply to BOTH tubs-NOT the plastic outer tank.I had the plastic outer tank crack and leak after the porcelean steel inner one clashed into the plastic outer tank-this was in a new KN80After I had the tubs in it replaced under warranty-swapped it at the Ayden Swap Shop for a WP Imperial 90-the WP is a light years better machine-both baskets of porcelean steel.If I were to get a NEW washer it would be the SQ TL with the SS basket.
It sounds like in early SS tub SQ machines the SS they used was a poor quality alloy with too much iron in it.That would cause the rusting.How did the Blackstone tubs hold up-I envisioned discarded Blackstone machines corroding around their SS tanks!!
Did the Easy SS tub "Velva-Power" still use that cool Spiralator agitator?Would like to have an Easy machine-even the twin tub one-just to see how that Spiralator worked-looked like it would generate quite a splash!!It almost looks like the spiral blades in some hydropulpers used in paper plants.
I don't see how plastic tubs could be said to be more durable than metal ones-esp if the plastic tank cracks after the metal tub crashes into it!!The washer makers need to reevauate this.

 

[whirlcool]

I think I first saw a plastic inner tub on a BOL White-Westinghouse or a GE at Best Buy around 1991 or so. In fact the top of the washer was a flimsy plastic as well! I thought that if you used enough hot water to wash in, you'd eventually warp the lid!
I thought who would actually buy something like this?

 

[hoovermatic]

In the UK the twin tub ruled from the late 50's through to the early 70's and as far as I know, most of the tubs were either stainless steel or porcelain. Certainly the spin drums were metal. Today's new Twin tubs are plastic and as such they don't seem to have on board heaters and there is a limit to the temperature of water that can be used. That would certainly not have been acceptable in the 60's with the prevelance of terry nappies (diapers) and proliferation of boil washes, where the water was frequently heated to 95 degrees

 

[toggleswitch]

Keeping your DW's plastic tub white-

The trick appears to be IMHO NO HEAT DRY. My 1991 WP Portable's plastic tub was sparkling, as late as 2002 when it was left in the apartmentI sold. [I had installed it in that kitchen.]

CASCADE makes a tube of stuff (shape of toothpaste) that is marketed to get the red our of plastic items. It has a pine scent and uses peroxide to bleach the plastic "tuipperware" items. Side benefit its that it makes the tub pristine as well.

LOL- here's antother one of Toggleswitch's useless tid-bits: With a plastic tub it it probably wise not to dump coffee, tea or dark soda into the machine. LOL BLUE? WOW

 

[bostonwash]

Stainless is easily dented

And will discolor also over time.

But if you are having a problem with rust stains in any machine you need an iron filter or some other main source water treatment. Just think, if this is what the water is doing to your appliances what is it doing to your clothes and dishes or to you when you shower in it.

Stainless s. is useable for sure. But its ugly and of a negative color. Kitchen sinks and mixing bowls, yes. But these days its a nasty fad. "stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops" are the rage in real estate listings. And they are sooo ugly. (This fad came in with the bush group, no wonder) Add factory finished hardwood floors and you have the equivolent of the 1960s pink and green fad or 1970s avacodo, burnt orange, and carpet squares.

5 years from now people are going to be asking, "what were we thinking, throughing all that money down the drain on those?"

Funniest yet, Faux Stainless steel, LoL, certain midgrade appliances have plastic panels coated with a metalic paint, supposedly to look like ss. LOL, It's like bad on top of bad. It's so bad, its almost good. Almost