Frigidaire Unimatic washers

[jessed]

I am looking to learn more about the Frigidaire unimatic washers. I really like the control tower unimatics and the ones with the colorful three ring agitators. Any info about these washer will be helpful, as I am just trying to gain knowledge about the early Frigidaire machines.

 

[gyrafoam]

Oh, wow. You are going to get a lot of opinions on this one.
Specifically, are you asking us about repairing one or using one---- or both?

Like most machines of that era they had their drawbacks.
Small capacity by today's standards. An 8 lb load instead of 18.

It took careful loading and as short a Wash cycle as you could get away with, to keep from getting a tangled mess. One became rather skillful after a while.
In 1956 Frigidaire added the Three-Ring Detergent Column. IMO this was kind of gimmicky. I think the Circulator Ring was supposed to slow the rollover a bit to reduce tangling. I feel as though it creates a lot of extra splashing that disrupts the wave the Lint Remover ring should make on the down-stroke, and stirs up a lot of extra suds.

They were great for people who did not own a clothes dryer----- which was most Americans during the Unimatic era, due to the 1140 rpm spin.

Some people had serious vibration problems especially on wooden floors. I never had that issue although I have used many a Unimatic on various wooden floors over the years. Frigidaire actually sold special wide shoes to put over the feet.
Anything less than a full load invited an unbalanced shut down. You had to redistribute the load then restart the machine. An annoyance, however, most other brands in those days were the same way.

Like most busy households, you had to do the wash when people weren't trying to shower or flush toilets because of the Timed Fill. Just one toilet flushed could cause a fill of less than a tub full of water.
You could usually do a full load in about 25 min. Which was pretty good.

IMO best towel and underwear washers ever. Also, in hot weather, casual clothing such as t-shirts and short pants did very well. I saw people stuff them with everything from jeans to Keds and usually everything came out clean.

Just a few observations.

 

[jessed]

Basically I am just in search of general knowledge about them. What it was like to use them, how often they broke down, how difficult they are to repair, which ones were the best models, what are the advantages and disadvantages about using them. I really just would like opinions about them and general knowledge about them.

 

[gyrafoam]

They are pretty tough. I don't think they are easy to break.
They do have some weak spots.
The Torque Spring, Water and Oil Bellows, Tub Nut and Seal Assembly, numerous tiny seals, pot-metal parts such as the water pump, water entering the Balance Ring. Critical parts.

I think most problems began with a tear or puncture in the set of bellows. That would allow sudsy water to enter the Mechanism ruining the oil and eventually leading to the rusting and seizing of the Mechanism.
Re-Operating the Mechanism is no problem for some people, especially those who are gifted in engineering. The Oil Pump has some tiny parts. Tolerances are important. The Frigidaire Techs kept extra Re-Operated Mechanisms on their repair trucks. If there was a problem, they would just swap-out the mechanism.

 

[toploader55]

Ahem...

My Opinion on Unimatics...

Best Washer EVER. Yes There a extreme learning curve to these. well, maybe not extreme, but... Once you get the loading down, I think they are incredible washers.

Impeccable Washing and Rinsing. Whether you have the Double Rinse or the Single Overflow rinse machine, That 1140 Spin is unmatched.

When I got my WO65-2, (single overflow rinse) I was washing clothes with no detergent and the suds came up,and odors (my chef's uniforms) had food odors emitting during the wash. My Clothes came out the BEST.

I know the ins and outs of laundry but the Unimatic to me is hoping there would be a endless supply for them.

My next two machines would be Speed Queen (pre 1960) or Maytag 806 or 906

And let us not forget the Sacred 1-18 !!! (Especially Sound Insulate Ones )

 

[turquoisedude]

All this talk about Unimatics...

Made me find a load of towels to wash... LOL 

I like this machine a lot, despite a few limitations.  The vibration issue is one - I have awful wood over concrete floors in the Ogden Laundry so my '51 can shake like mad while spinning.  I find the '51 is not as bad a tangler as the '59 but it could be that tend to wash larger items like bath towels and sheets in the '51 and use the '59 for more mixed loads.

One happy discovery I made is that the Unimatic handles bedspreads nicely.

I would have to count myself as a big fan of the Unimatic!!

 

[twintubdexter]

Working after school and during the summer, rebuilding Unimatic machines was a real step up from cleaning used refrigerators and stoves at the appliance store. They were easy machines to work on once you put the mechanism up on the bench. I would occasionally work on Whirlpools & Kenmores but they weren't as much fun. This was San Jose's biggest Frigidaire dealer so there were lots of trade -ins. The prize was always a 58' pair. Porcelain machines cleaned-up like new. The main refrigeration mechanic Tommy was a childhood friend of my dad's. When I went to test one of my rebuilds and it sounded like a freight train, Tommy would always yell out "grind me a pound!" My Unimatic machines would always purr like a kitten. Those were fun times for a teenager.

 

I never touched any Frigidaire made after these, they didn't want them on the resale floor anyway.

 

[norgeway]

Remember..

In myopinion, a load that is tangled up is a sure sign it has really been washed, tangling never bothered me, when you take a load out of a Unimatic, a Philco or a Westinghouse slant front, you can be sure they have really been WASHED!!

 

[toploader55]

Paul...

You have spoken against the Ruling Board of the Unimatic Universe.

This is in comparison of Samantha going against the Witches and Warlocks of the Supreme being.

There are no flaws in the Unimatic Universe.

You... as a mortal have cursed yourself in the frigidaire Order.

God knows what he has in store for you. You, You Seathing Heathen

Hmphhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Disappointment is not even scratching the surface. : ) .

But I Love you !!!!

 

[jessed]

Availability

I am also wondering how common it is to come across these machines. Are they easily obtained or does it usually take years of searching? What condition are they usually in when they are found?

 

[toploader55]

Jesse,

They are border line "Rare as Hen's Teeth".

I have been here for a bit and back in 2010, there was a sighting in NJ and I seized the opportunity.

Most show up in Top Notch or OMG condition. That's the pattern I noticed.

If you find one, treat it as if you found a a Piece of the Titanic or another rare piece of history.

I am blessed enough with a dear friend that knows these machines. Otherwise I would cease Pulsating forever.

That is a horrible thought. It's nice to Pulsate elsewhere, but when it becomes a part of your home... It's a empty feeling when 1140 is not at your finger tips.

My Uni...

 

[jessed]

I really hope that someday, I will fine a Frigidaire Unimatic washer. It would be a wonderful piece to add to my collection.

Very nice machine, Eddie. I cannot imagine how awesome it is to own and use one of these machines.

 

[gansky1]

We do love the Unimatics around here, they are amazing machines in many ways. Not without their faults and limitations, but they are totally captivating to experience and is probably the very best washer for towels. Here are a few raw pics from my phone of Unimatics. The first load I did in my WO-65 is the first picture. The tangling rumors are all based in fact, but there are many good things that far outweigh that. After all, it saves time unloading and nothing falls on the floor. ;-)

 

[jessed]

Those were some awesome machines in those pictures! Thank you so much for sharing them.

Is it true that the first unimatics did not have an outer tub?

JesseD

 

[Unimatic1140]

Yes all early Unimatic washers (1947 to 1954) threw the water into the cabinet as opposed to having an outer tub. In 1955 Frigidaire added the outer tub. They were not alone as Hoptpoint, ABC-o-Matic, Apex and Thor machines did this as well. For the past few months I've washed in nothing but my 1958 Unimatic which I have installed in my kitchen. It's a wonderful machine and while it has a few drawbacks, no washer is without other drawbacks, so it all comes out the same to me in the end. I can wash and dry an entire load in under an hour since it spins out so well and is so fast.

You can see the lack of outer tub in this chart I made years ago...

Here the Unimatic that I've been using as my only washer over the last few months, it sat outside for over 25 until I found and restored it...
<img src="http://www.automaticwasher.org/TD/JPEG/LEGACY/2017/unimatic1140++1-7-2017-22-21-55.jpg".[this post was last edited: 1/18/2017-09:52]

 

[Unimatic1140]

And here is a picture of the lid instructions for you Jesse, printed under the 1958 Custom Imperial Unimatic lid...

 

[mrb627]

10. TO UNLOAD WASHER

What is the significance of the unloading motion?
Is it to prevent catching things on or under the agitator?

Malcolm

 

[gyrafoam]

Really. Who cares how you remove the items? I suppose something small like a sock or washcloth could roll out of view under the Energy Ring. Before they added a clothes-guard it was easy for small items to hide under the rim of the tub.

 

[rickr]

Worst machine, I've ever used

Tangles,goes out of balance, deep set wrinkles, ect. I sent mine to the scrapper, about five years ago. Don't miss it either.

 

[gyrafoam]

Greg-----

I like the image of the flat-top with the top turned so the lid opens sideways! That's a different look!

 

[jessed]

1957 Frigidaire

Could anyone give me some information about Frigidaire Control tower machines like how to set the water temp. And load size. I would like to know how to use the control tower unimatics. Pictures would make.it easier to understand.

Thanks for the info so far as I have gained an understanding of these machines.
Jesse D

 

[beekeyknee]

Interesting thread, guys. I too have always found these machines to be so intriguing. The only time I've ever seen one was at Greg's house and was mesmerized immediately. Are these the machines with the matching dryers that vent into the house and use a solid calrod type element? If I recall correctly, they are and I also find that really interesting. Rick-Surely you didn't send one of these machines to the scrapper?

I guess Robert's turquoise Custom Imperial set is the most rare that we know of? I assume the pink set is just a dream set waiting to be found???

B.

PS. The fact that they're solid tub machines makes them that much more attractive to me.

 

[frigidaireguy]

1957 Control Tower Washers & dryers

Jesse:
I have a set of Non-working Control Towers. To answer your question The temperature and load setting (on the customer imperial) were two knobs that were to the left of the control tower. You only had hot and warm (all warm rinses) and the load size had a normal & small load setting. The small load setting made the timer advance quicker thru the fill cycle thus only a half full tub of water.

The dryers were calrod element dryers. You also had a knob to the right of the control tower that you could control the temperature of the dryer. Yes, these were filtrator dryers which condensed the steam back into water which collected in a tray. No moisture in the house just nice warm heat. Hope this helps answer some questions.
Bob

 

[jessed]

1957 Dryer

Do the filtration dryers require 220v electricity or are they regular 120 electric? Please leave me know because I would love to obtain a matched set but I have electrical limitations. Do you know of any control tower sets for sale?

Thanks
Jesse D

 

[toploader55]

@ Malcolm

That would make sense. If there was a slight tear in the pulsator, I would imagine pulling on a garment or towel that was under the Pulsator Flap, I could envision it tearing a chunk out.

 

[vacerator]

I think the internal

works of these machines are as attractive as their exterior's. Very robust.
Color choices were also nice.
I also liked the monitor control styling before the full consoles. When the collector club was featured on the CBS Sunday morning news last fall, a set was shown in a modern platinum color. It looked like it was made today. The shows commentator called them Blackstone's though.

 

[brucelucenta]

Seems like the control tower model is the one that there seem to be more of now. I think they not only must have been a big seller, but they were so appealing looking that people hated to get rid of them. Seem to be a lot of Imperial models still around of those. It's amazing to me that I have actually had so many models of this machine from the past that I sold off to people needing a washer. I have had every single model of the unimatics at one time or another. You never really think about them not being around at some point, at least I never did. Scrappers have really done away with most anything that was left from the past. Who'd have thought??? Had I hung on to all the machines I came across, I would have a collection like non other. Nearly every single kind of machine went thru my fingers at one time or another. [this post was last edited: 1/24/2017-08:59]

 

[frigidaireguy]

1957 Filtrator Dryer

Normally yes these dryers were designed to run on 200 volts but you probably could convert one to 110. Someone with more expertise than I would have to weigh in on this. Frigidaire didn't come out with a gas dryer until probably the mid 1960's. I don't know of any for sale at the moment but every so often you will see one for sale.
Bob

 

[Unimatic1140]

I decided to put together a quick and easy tutorial of washing a queen size sheet set and 4 pillow cases without any tangling in a Unimatic. It doesn't take rocket science to do this and I can load the machine in 15 to 20 seconds...

Picture #1: Load the first sheet in 1/2 of the tub.

Picture #2: Load the second sheet in the other half of the tub. You can see the line between the 3:00 and 9:00 position between the two sheets.

Picture #3: Load the four pillowcases into four section 12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00.

Picture #4: Unlike oscillating agitator washers that many times produces air bubbles in the sheets that prevent the sheet from being pulled down, in a Unimatic the entire wash load is always underwater and turning over.

Picture #5: Wash load completed and you see nothing is visibly roped or tangled.

Picture #6: First sheet comes right out without anything tangled around it.

Picture #7: Second sheet also comes right out as well.

Picture #8: All four pillowcases are free and untangled.

One thing to note is that with the earlier 2-Ring agitator washers I usually get similar results and little to no tangling, but the Three Ring agitator is more consistent in not tangling sheets if loaded this way.

edit: Oh I forgot to mention that I selected 7:40 of wash time.[this post was last edited: 1/24/2017-15:11]

 

[brucelucenta]

Looks good, but getting the average housewife back then to load it differently than she did her wringer washer or whatever she was using was the real problem. Some things like diapers for instance, I have seen loaded properly and still come out tied in knots. It never really bothered me that much, but I can see where it would a housewife with lots of other stuff to tend to. Kelvinator was kind of bad about tangling too. Sometimes I would find everything crammed into the sleeve of a shirt.