Frigidaire pulsator

[brettsomers]

a question from a new member here, i see the merits/charms of the old Frigidaire pulsator action mentioned very often here, why was it discontinued? and when? i imagine if it was so effective/dependable it would still be used, no? David

 

[appnut]

GM sold it's Frigidaire division to White Consolidated Industries in 1979 and production ceased sometime in 1980 I do believe. A very dark day for many of us here.

Welcome. The Texas contingent grows again.

 

[goatfarmer]

I worked on many a Frigidaire 1-18 under warranty.We usually had 2-3 in the shop at any one time.They were notorious for water leaks,which wiped out the bearings,or ruined the transmission.The bellows that were under the agitator was one major weak link. Something like a nail or a screw left in a pocket would get impaled in the bellows,instant water leak.Frigidaire even designed a small plastic tray that diverted the leaking water away from the motor on later one's,to save the motor! Great wash action,though.

kennyGF

 

[rickr]

What about the clutch problems on those Kenny? I replaced two on my 71-1-18.The machine went to the alley instead of getting the third. They were a very small clutch,for the huge wash loads those machines could do. Never had any problems with the pulsating....But the spin was another issue.

 

[48bencix]

the bellows

One of the old time appliance store owners told me that with the solid-tub machines, both the water and oil bellows could fail. When that happens your wash load gets oil on it. The first time that this happens, most people would junk the machine.

 

[goatfarmer]

We saw some clutch problems,Rick,but by far,the water leaks were much worse.I can still remember my dad cussing and using a torch to cut off a rusted on tub support,after it leaked through the center.IIRC,the clutch disc was a small,thin piece of friction material,not much to it.Not their best design.

 

[bobbyderegis]

Please educate a staunch Maytag man. Did the tub turn during pulsation on the 70's solid tub Frigidaires? My aunt had one, noisy as hell during fill and wash, but dead silent during spin, and how fast! Did they have tub brakes, or was hers just broken? It would take half and hour to come to a stop!
Bobby in Boston

 

[westytoploader]

Hi Bobby,

Frigidaire solid tub vertical-action washers were produced until 1970, when the 1-18 was introduced. However, the Agitub (solid one-piece oscillating tub and agitator used in their 24" washers and Skinny-Mini stacked laundry centers) was made from 1970 up until the WCI takeover.

On the Rollermatics, Multimatics, and Pulsamatics, the tub is supposed to remain stationary during agitation. On the Unimatics, the tub does turn slightly before pulsation to unwind the Clutch Torque Spring (which causes the "ERK" at the end of spin).

I'm thinking your aunt had a Rollermatic machine from the late 1960's based on what you said about the noisy agitation and the fact that the tub took forever to come to a complete stop.

Hope this helps,
Austin

 

[bobbyderegis]

Please educate a Maytag man. Did the tub rotate while a Frigidaire pulsated? My aunt's 70's solid tub model seemed to, but maybe I was imagining it. It was noisy as hell while it filled and washed, but was amazingly quiet during spin, and how fast it was! Did they have tub brakes, or was hers broken? It took half an hour to come to a stop! Maytags intermingling with Frigidaires. What is this world coming to??

 

[bobbyderegis]

Sorry to repeat myself. I didn't think my first thread made it thru.

 

[mayfan69]

Frigidaire Design after 1980

Hi there,

Can anyone tell me then, what Frigidaire design came out after GM sold the company in 1979? I remember a Frigidaire Washer on sale (very briefly)here in Australia about 9 years ago: it had a black control panel, a white plastic tub? and white agitator....does this sound familiar?

What were these machines like? They didn't last very long here in Oz.

Cheers
Leon

 

[mayken4now]

HI brettsomers:

I would like to know the true answer of all of these being discontinued myself. I know about a merger, that's a given, new blood, new ideas, failed, junk, what-evea, etc.!

In addition, all washers that had an odd agitation system have changed. Only centerpost rotation agitators and front loaders are what exists today. Very few others are made. We had Frigidaire, Philco, Kelvinator, and others with all the same story.

Let's all ask WCI via their email "Contact Us" if they will ever consider reproducing pulsators. Ok, I am doing it right now. Bombard them with questions.

Steve

 

[brettsomers]

i simply imagine that the kelvinator and frigidaire designs, though effective, required too much maintenance or encountered too much wear. i havent any experience with these machines but i imagined a machine that requires rubber parts (bellows) to create a seal will run into trouble. more importantly, i am curious why maytag would change a transmission design that has proven soo reliable. maybe thats a topic for another thread. David

 

[mayken4now]

Question to WCI:

Comments = Does White Consolidated Industries ever intend to
re-manufacture pulsating Frigidaire's again?

GM had a real good product with that machine. You don't know what your
missing.

 

[mayken4now]

Answer From WCI

Thank you for contacting Electrolux Major Appliances.
I am sorry, but Electrolux/Frigidaire is not planning on any designs of
that type at this time. However, we appreciate your comments, and they were
forwarded to our Engineering and Marketing Departments.
Hope this is helpful.

 

[Designgeek]

Okay, so one key point we have so far is: the agitation action is excellent but the rubber bellows was prone to trouble.

This gets me thinking, how could one go about designing a vertical-reciprocating agitator without the need for exposed flexible parts? Perhaps something like a tight-fitting machined component similar to a hydraulic ram (piston and cylinder or sleeve), with a rubber seal, designed with the understanding that a certain amount of water would be forced through that seal so there would be a drip deflector under it to divert that water to somewhere that collected water from the tub for discharge?

It also occurs to me that if an agitator of that type was operated at just the right speed, it would hit a resonant frequency with the tub and could create a standing wave. That might be worth something in terms of cleaning action.

 

[mickeyd]

The bellows was a sturdily constructed column of horizontally ribbed rubber--in some respects, indestructable. With six active kids, our Frigidaire seemed to be running all day every day. Only once did our bellows rupture, a nasty spike left in work jeans by my plumbing father.

Regarding the wave: My gradnmother had the famous black pulsator(there are pictures of it, I think in Robert's collection), and that thing virtually flew. It pulsed so quickly that it appeared to be stationary. Here's a story about the pulsator's cleaning ability: My Aunt Dolores did not like to do laundry. Fortunately, her machine was also a pulsator model. When she washed a load of white clothes, she would stuff the tub in a way I have never since witnessed, the equivalent of three loads would not be an overstatment. Looking at the load, it resembled white cement; yet it kept moving. Coming out of the dryer, the load looked like the ton that issues from a professioal laundry, but--and this is the good part--it was absolutely spotless and pure white. I was in awe of that machine, and properly loaded, yes, it did create a wave. I love frigidaire's, but since our extended family bought them exclusively, (they were "the best on the market" I always coveted the unattainable Kenmores with their fascinating drain cycles, their multiple six second spray rinses, their intoxicating suds-returns. I would have sold my soul to have one

Perhaps robert or someone else who has a pulsator could create a "See it Wash" video of the fastest agitation ever seen.

 

[westytoploader]

Interesting story Mike, thanks for sharing!! The machine you described with the ultra-fast agitation was a Pulsamatic...I saw Robert's 1957 WD-57 at the Convention and it was an incredible machine. Very strong currents down at the bottom of the pulsator, great turnover, and it pulsates 630 times per minute! The other Frigidaires (Unimatic, Multimatic, and Rollermatic) weren't quite as fast...pulsated 330 times per minute on normal speed, with the exception of the 1-18 which was 360.

I agree--many think the bellows seals are weak, flimsy, and leak-prone (I did too, before I had my 1-18, and later, the WO-65-2), but they aren't by any means. Based on my experience they are quite tough and made to withstand normal use. The only thing you really have to watch for is, like you said, sharp objects. Checking pockets is a MUST with a vintage Frigidaire.

Rick, I remember you saying that the clutch linings gave frequent trouble in your machine. That tiny Sure-Spin clutch was a bad design to begin with, especially with the large tub and spin-drain, but I guess some fared better than others. There was an early-70's machine on eBay a while back with the same problem (no spin with clothes). However, my late-model 1978 1-18 has a very strong spin and gets up to speed quickly, which really surprises me since it had 26 years of use before I acquired it!! One design flaw I have noticed, though, is the brake. When the machine shuts off, the clutch assembly/spin roller pushes up against a brake plate, and the brake cam at the bottom of the wheel locks into the spin roll stop. From looking at the diagrams again, it's sort of a "hit or miss"; it can either "lock" and brake or keep spinning. When I first had my machine, the brake was non-existant and the tub took a while to come to a complete stop. Over time it gradually became better, and now (8 months later) it seems to be working perfectly again. I'm completely mystified as to why, but it's more fun to watch the braking action! It makes a rough, grinding "Wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh" noise and the tub "bounces back" after coming to a complete stop. Watch the spin video of the WC-6 that Robert found a while back and you'll see what it looks like.

OK, enough technical ranting for now...

--Austin

 

[mickeyd]

Westy, are there any pics or flix of the Pulsamatic? iIve seen so many Unimatics, etc. over the years but no Pulsers since my gram's a million years ago. HOW I'D LOVE TO SEE OR BUY OR TRADE FOR A PULSAMATIC.

 

[rickr]

HI Austin,
Glad your clutch is working A-OK I guess the real test was a few weeks ago on the "Bob" sized towel load! LOL!!
I would try to avoid any suds lock your 1-18. That would be hard on the clutch.