Fridgidaire Semi Auto

[brisnat81]

Hi Guys,

Leon found this one for me a couple of months back, and I've just been lazy in regard to posting pics.

The machine looks like its been outside for quite a while, however the rust is only surface, so its not in bad shape.

I've attached some pics, but I'm yet to power it up.

 

[brisnat81]

The Timer knob and heater light

The heater light is just wired in series with the element. When the thermostat is satisfied, the light goes out.

Most of the semi auto's still had a pressure switch if they had a heater, so that you couldnt set fire to a tub of clothes with no water in there. I havent found a pressure switch yet though.

 

[brisnat81]

Function Selector

The 3 way switch that lets you do it all

The motor reset switch is on the right

 

[brisnat81]

Operating instructions

Its amazing how they automated the heater on my old simpson to do this. The enginuity that had to use to incorporate such features on a solid tub machine.

 

[brisnat81]

Washbowl

and pulsator

 

[brisnat81]

Motor, pump

and transmission.

 

[toggleswitch]

FABULOUS machine! What a catch!

I was about to say, methinks it is just a timer away from being an automatic; But how does one fill it with water? Hose thrown into tub?

 

[brisnat81]

There is a hose connected on the back, into a fill flume, that is located inside the control panel.

Its only a single hose however, which probably just means it was purchased for a cold water only hookup.

 

[geoffdelp]

Nathan ... that's really great!! What year do you think this washer is from?

I wonder what the "Hold" position was used for?

 

[Unimatic1140]

OH Wow, its a Pulsamatic frigidaire with a 12lb Tub, that is just incredible Nathan. Nothing like that was ever built here in the states!

By the way, besides the agitator column, does anyone know how I can tell the difference and know that its not a Mutlimatic and its actually a Pulsamatic with 630 pulses per minute agitation?

 

[brisnat81]

The hold position

cancelled out the timer.

So in theory the machine would just run indefinitely.

I think they reccomend to use it on the overflows, so if you forgot to turn the water off and the machine stopped, you didnt overflow the machine. (IE the pump keeps running)

You would use it in the heat portion, so that it stayed running until the thermostat opened.

 

[brisnat81]

Is it the transmission?

This is the machine that washes at 630ppm and spins at 630RPM?

Did the US ones have a smaller tub?

 

[Unimatic1140]

Hi Nathan, yes there is one key difference on the transmission, I won't give it away yet.

Yes this is the machine the washes and spins both at 630ppm/rpm.

Frigidaire discontinued the Pulsamatic after the 1958 line, before 1963 all Frigidaire wash tubs were 8lb tubs. In 1963 they introduced the 12lb tub.

When you come to Minneapolis for a visit next month I can show you guys the difference between the Pulsamatic and Unimatic operating next to each other. There is a big difference.

 

[brisnat81]

Cool

Because this machine has a plastic control panel, I'm assuming that its late 60's if not early 70's.

Although I know we had the 1-18 in the 70's, but i guess it could've been a very budget line for those where price was a consideration.

Usually though, the semi autos were just a cut down version of the auto, rather than a seperate mechanism, so It prob was late 60's.

 

[mixfinder]

Cost effective

It seems like making a semi automatic is almost more trouble for the factory than the cost savings.

Is there a tech who would know what the difference in cost to build would have been?

I see no timer motor and no water inlet selonoids. Since it would have been a timed fill, pressure switch would not have been part of the equation. Anything else come to mind?

Kelly

 

[irishwashguy]

Is this machine Canadian?

I have been doing alot of shopping lately for another item that said the same thing on it and it happened to be Canadian build----had the words limited on it as well. Did they build these in Canada ever? Does this machine have a heating element in it? I am getting more interested by the minute.

 

[brisnat81]

Its not just those two components

Its the time it takes to install them, its the extra cabling that has to be hooked up. It mightnt seem much, but back then it would've all been hand assembled, with no snap in fittings, and probably added an extra $50 or so dollars to the cost of washer. With parts and labour.

In Australia, this was in a time when you could buy a house for $5000, or a new car for $1000-$1500.

$50 was a lot of money. This is the late 60's I'm talking about.

 

[brisnat81]

There is a 2400W element in the outer tub/cabinet.

You fill it with water, put the ball over the drain hose, and set it spin. Thus emptying the water into the outer tub, so it can be heated.

My old simpson gets around this problem, by having 2 sets of inlet valves. For the wash, it fills directly into the outer tub, heats the water, and then pumps it up into the inner tub. For the rinse the second set of valves, fills the inner tub directly.

Then you set it to wash, hang the hose over the side of the washbowl, open the ball, and pump the water back in.

These machines were made by General Motors Holden in Dandenong, Victora AU. Which is to the east of Melbourne. It would appear that we got old tooling, or perhaps access to the old patents out of the US.

For such a small capacity, it has a huge cabinet. Its about as big as a Super Capacity DD Whirlpool.

 

[toggleswitch]

Since it would have been a timed fill

Methinks ya filled it by eye and by working the taps manually.

 

[westytoploader]

Congrats Nathan on the awesome find! From what I've seen in the Archives, the Pulsamatics seemed to be very popular in Australia, IMHO. That will be fun to fire up and a GREAT addition to your collection; keep us posted!

One way I can tell the difference between a Multimatic and a Pulsamatic is that there is only one belt going to the tranny in a Pulsamatic; the Multimatics have 2. Robert, is this what you're talking about?

--Austin

 

[panthera]

fascinating

It seems to me that this might well be the best of both worlds. The suds-saver solution (which I always thought was so very clever of Frigidaire) together with heating.
What simplicity!
What clear thinking!
I can understand how you might be inclined to set it up this way. If water and electricity for heating it were at a premium, you would want such a solution - the automation involved makes my head spin. I have tried to list what "decisions" would be involved in a fully automatic heating and washing cycle.
1)Fill the tub with water, this means a water level sensor. ( Since you are building for low water pressure areas, timed fill doesn't make sense.)
2) Start the spin to spin the water out of the solid inner basket into the outer tub. Another water sensor? Or do it buy averaging? Or just install a cut off so the pump can't pump the water out of the machine?
(Not bad - we haven't even started to wash anything yet and already have at least one water level sensor and solenoid control for the pump.)
3) Now have the timer wait for the water to be heated to a pre-set temperature. Hmm, you could add an infinite thermostat or just say 120 degrees…or whatever. This is no big deal - you already have the sensor and light bulb set up, so this point would probably not cost more than a simple relais.
4) Pump the - now heated -water back from the outer tub to the inner tub. Another set of hoses and solenoids…probably at this point you are looking at a solution as complex as the Maytag suds-saver system.
5) Now you can wash and everything else follows pretty much the same pattern as our other well loved mulit-matics…except, of course, since you need to save water and the energy to heat it, you will have the first load spinning out through a separate hose to a separate sud-settling basin.

Did I miss anything?

 

[chestermikeuk]

Sudz Saver

Well done Nathan, quite a collection, all these new old machines showing up!!!

Please dont tell me you will automate it, cant think of why you would, all that extra time standing over it, marvelous!!!

I bet those wires get warm pulling the current, would it be 3kw heater??

This works like the UK Thor/Parnall Spinwashers, Spin to Heat & Save etc..

Enjoy, Mike

 

[swestoyz]

Awesome!

Wow, that is a super cool machine! Austin - I think you are right on the money with this one - Looks to only have one belt, where as Multimatics have two. I love the flexibility of this cool machine.

I would hypothesize that since GM was 'finished' using the Pulsamatic mechanisms in the US by 1959, that the allowed the Holden division of GM barrow it for later use in Australia - no need to sell patents when the parent company would have held the rights.

Enjoy this fascinating machine!

Ben

 

[gansky1]

Oh, what a cool washer! Have you been able to date this machine yet? It has motor mountings that were intro'd in the 1960 line here in the states. The top & panel styling is different, ours had more of a swept-up design to the porcelain.

Too cool - keep hunting, we love seeing these familiar, yet strange looking machines now and then!!

 

[mickeyd]

What a find--Jesus Mary --I'm coming down under tomorrow

That's the famous--and I think, original--pulsator. The one Robert shows is a later model. As soon as i saw yours, I grew faint not yet knowing if it would pulsate at 630, but I was so excited regardless. That's my Grandmother's Pulsator. YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THE WATER ACTION YOU'LL SEE when you pump heated water into the empty pulsating tub.

I know this because the American model, trying to compete with the amazing Whirlpool/Kenmore Suds-saver, started out with a system that saved the rinse water. Pull the hinged ball over the hose opening to hold the water in the huge outer tub. To return saved water, place the amazing "SQUARE-SHAPED HOSE--I HOPE YOU SHOW IT; IT'S A TRUE ONE-OF-A-KIND ORIGINAL--over the frame and advance the dial to wash, skipping the fill. Has anyone seen this hose and water-saver system on the American models?

Sadly, for all its genius, our beloved Frigidaire was way behaind the curve in suds-saving; Whilrpool just creamed them.

The lid instructions are the absolute best I've ever seen and all the classic Frigidaire signatures are there: four divided sections; fill loosely; and my favorite: do not wind the clothes around the agitator which made me laugh even as a child--who the hell would wind the clothes around the agitator?? Answer Only the Chinese. Have you seen the new agitating Haier. GUESS WHAT? It winds the clothes right around the frigging agitator.

Good Luck and Godspeed on getting it to work.

Would you please plug it in right now and see. I'm so excited and happy for you

Mikey

 

[veg-o-matic]

"Roll ball over end of drain hose."

Whaaaaa?

veg

 

[veg-o-matic]

Oh, fascinating machine, by the way!

veg

 

[Unimatic1140]

One way I can tell the difference between a Multimatic and a Pulsamatic is that there is only one belt going to the tranny in a Pulsamatic; the Multimatics have 2. Robert, is this what you're talking about?
Yes Austin you are correct, only one belt is the key give away that its a pulsamatic.

we love seeing these familiar, yet strange looking machines now and then!!
I couldn't agree more with you Greg, I love seeing all these pictures of vintage Australian Top Loaders!

That's the famous--and I think, original--pulsator.
No that the agitator that was introduced in 1955, the original pulsator and agitator from 1947 looks like this...

 

[panthera]

this is just great

I wish I could afford the flight - you'd have me camping on your doorstep overnight...please take lots of pictures and let us see everything. Especially the wiring harness behind that very squared off panel. It seems (yellowish residue) that it must have had chrome trim strips at some point?
Since Australia is out of the question...I am really looking forward to being back in the 'States and hope some of you will be kind enough to lay me down and show me all the details. There is so much about these pulsating beauties I don't know.
Just found the "unimatic-reoperation" manual Robert posted a while back, went to bed with the print out. Some of those tolerances...I could never do such high quality work. Maybe that is why my roller-matics were always pitching a fit?
But I digress, Nathan this is just great - have fun! Thanks for sharing.

 

[mayfan69]

More Vintage Machines still to find...

I remember when this was found, the guy who had it had a treasure trove of stuff on his lot...old cars etc..but i didn't venture any further.The dog scared me off..

I would love to know how many vintage Frigidaires are still in existence here in Oz...

Gansky....Nathan and I still have another 18 months of kerbside hunting to go...as our city (Brisbane)still has the southern, Eastern and Western suburbs to go....

Stay tuned...

Leon