Germicidal Lamps

[tsteves5]

Does anyone know if Germicidal lamps were ever effective on washing machines? Did they eventually go away because they were too expensive, ineffective, or did the manufacturers finally figure out they were dangerous?

I'm toying with adding one to a washer, but shielded from view to eliminate the skin and eye problems that it can cause.

 

[jeffg]

Probably all of the above. Also, liquid bleaches rendered the lamps redundant. There was also the issue of having to take your washer apart to replace them.

 

[whirlaway]

Hurt You?

I have a Whirlpool and Kenmore with them.Very easy replacement,I doubt they will hurt you.Actually they worked,and also in those days most people didnt have throw away diapers like today and it gave folks a feeling of security.Costco actually sells 2 different size wands to help sanitize your clothes and whatever.Its odd in cleanliness we are going backward today instead of forward.

 

[lebron]

I really doubt they do anything... but they look cool as hell!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Probably one of the reasons that germicidal lamps were discontinued in washers was that they required an incandescent bulb of 40 watts as a ballast with which they operated in series. As fewer amenities like tub lights were included in machines, the ozone bulb had to be discontinued. Ozone is a mild irritant to the respiratory system. I have noticed this when opening the door of the Hamilton dryer just after a load has finished and the current of hot air brings the ozone up to my nose. The lamp comes on with the drum light when the door is opened. Ozone is actually a biproduct of ultraviolet germicidal radiation. Positioning the germicidal lamps above the tub covers in washers makes me wonder how much untraviolet radiation reached the load being washed. Maybe the purpose was to bombard the hot moist air above the wash water with ultraviolet light, causing the production and quick degradation of the triatomic oxygen molecule known as ozone. As the molecule degraded into diatomic oxygen, some of both the ozone and oxygen might have been dissolved into the water, providing a slight bleaching and disinfecting effect and what did not dissolve in the water dispersed into the area above the water's surface, perhaps keeping it fresh smelling by killing anything that might grow in that environment.

These effects were probably more effective in clothes dryers of the Hamilton and Filtrator design where the air movement in the drying chamber was low allowing ozone concentrations to build in the humid environment where the gas could help give the benefits of drying clothes in the sunlight where the ultraviolet part of its light spectrum led to production and degradation of minute quantities of ozone in the moist fabrics. Since the effects of ultraviolet bulbs are greatly diminished in large amounts of rapidly moving air, the design change to high air flow dryers negated the benefits that early dryer manufacturers were trying to offer to potential customers who felt that exposure to sunlight was beneficial to their laundry.

 

[dnastrau]

Ozone

I have had great success using ozone to kill odors. I built an ozone generator out of an old neon light transformer, a piece of glass and some steel gutter screen. I use a small desktop fan to help disperse the ozone.

The two pieces of gutter screen are separated by the glass and the corona discharge that they produce is what makes the ozone. It is great for killing the musty smell in our basement that our dehumidifier can't always clear in the summer. I only run it for a short while and avoid the room when it is on as ozone is definitely a respiratory irritant in larger quantities. I also used it to deodorize the interior of a van with excellent results.

Andrew S.

 

[turquoisedude]

Can you still get replacement germicidal lamps??

I am sure this question has come up on the board before, but when I got my 66 Inglis Sterling and ordered the replacement germicidal lamps, Whirlpool Canada charged me $26 plus shipping and sent me the 'compatible replacement' which was a 40-watt high-intensity bulb for a desk lamp! When I saw that, I returned and bought the same bulb at the dollar store!
If there is a way to get a 'real' germicidal bulb, I would be very glad to find this out!!

 

[tomturbomatic]

jeff adelphi can help you with that.

 

[tolivac]

I would play it safe and disable the ozone germicidal light is I was "washer watching"-the UV radiation will reflect off the water--right into your face and eyes.UV light won't penetrate water deeply enough to be effective.Its short wavelength is blocked by water.If those lights were to be used today-the light would have to shut off if the washer lid or door was opened.Philips still makes germicidal bulbs-they are used in other things besides washers.New ballasts for them are electronic.For the one who built an ozonizer from and old neon sign transformer --I would only use it when NO ONE is in the room.I have two air purifiers that have ozonizers built into them-and only should be run when no one including pets is present-Ozone will burn your lungs.The ozone given off by the washer dryer lights probably isn't hazardous-but the UV light may be-watch your eyes and face if you washer spectate a machine that has one and its on with the lid open.The UV light can damage eye corneas over time-cataracts.

 

[qsd-dan]

Most ozone lamps were disconnected or disposed of during the 70's due to the issues listed in this post.

One of my grandparents colleagues has the exact matching dryer to Roberts new Montgomery Wards washer and MW came by during the late 60's and removed the ozone lamp, free of charge. The dryer has continued to run over 45 years without a single repair.

 

[tomturbomatic]

With the agitator circulating the load, the UV light would not have to penetrate very far into the water to have all of the load exposed to any benefits the light would offer. I think they were, by and large, gimmicks to appeal to germaphobic Americans when used in washers. In low airflow and semi-sealed system (Filtrator) dryers, they probably did help impart a fresh smell to clothes.

I remember the cabinets at each barber's station at one shop had UV bulbs in the compartments and glass in the doors of those compartments showed the purple light. There was a chain of coin laundries in the late 50s/early 60s with the name VIOLET RAY that claimed some sort of sanitation, but I never got into one to see what the deal was. I also remember, around that time, in some public men's rooms at the Atlanta Airport, maybe, that there were stalls with coin meters on the door and purple light coming from within. The toilet seats must have been on a spring because they were in the upright position against a seat-shaped shroud with a glowing purple tube that must have been the source for germicidal ultraviolet radiation.

 

[westingman123]

whirly uv lamp

Didn't Whirlpool offer this on the '64 dryer? I recall being fascinated by the violet light in our dryer as a child, IIRC there were two bulbs, one white and one violet. My Aunt Ruth had an electric faucet on her sink that offered "ultraviolet disinfecting" and push button water controls. I've never seen one since.

 

[gansky1]

These lamps are still a popular option on HVAC systems today, I've seen a few installed in the ducting above the units. Not sure how much they sanitize the moving air (high volume, etc.) but they get a nickel or two for them!

Tom is correct, the Filtrator dried towels do have a bit of "freshness" that loads from other machines don't have. It's very slight, but noticeable. I've left the Filtrator door open from time to time to "air" out the laundry room for the same reason - and you can smell the ozone after a while.

 

[bajaespuma]

Old is new again

My brother-in-law has been telling me about some new appliance technologies that he's seeing in Europe. One that seems imminent is the heat-pump dryer, which to me is an "we'll it's about time" idea. The dryer runs on ordinary current, but the heat and humidity are transferred to the outside using the same technology that operates most home heat-pump HVAC machines. Wizard!!
The other is an ozone generator for automatic washers. Apparently they have engineered a small ozone generator that works under water to create enough ozone to sanitize the laundry as it washers. Anyone else who has information about these technologies is welcome to share. To me, these innovations would be very exciting and market changing.

 

[bwoods]

Whirlpool Dryer with UV

Keith,

Yes, Whirlpool TOL dryers came with a factory installed UV lamp in the early 60's.

My parents Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII dryer (I believe it was a 1961 model, give or take a year.) Had a UV light in the back upper right corner of the drum.

(By the way, this was the first dryer, I can recall seeing, that did not have a mechanical timer knob, but only a start buttom and the temperature buttons. Very ahead of its time for 1961, but we had incessant problems with it.)

Barry

 

[whirlaway]

Kenmore Dryer

My 1955 Kenmore dryer has ozone light and drum light in it,T would think the Whirlpool would also,my 1952 Whirlpool washer has one Thanks Bobby

 

[neptunebob]

What about the halo?

The new Oreck Halo vacuum cleaner has an ultraviolet light that David claim kills germs on the carpet. It shuts off if you lift the vacuum. Is that just a gimmick too?

I also know ultraviolet light is used in water treatment plants.

 

[beevac]

ozone lamp. Frigidaire Imperial dryer 1956.

I had a DI-56 filtrator dryer as boy. I looked at that blue light all the time for 11 years.Those bulbs are harmless. I am still fascinated when I recall the memory of it.

 

[mielabor]

Real germicidal lamps are not harmless and can cause severe eye damage. Many paints and plastics will rapidly age when exposed to the radiation and ozone will do a similar thing with rubber parts.

Maybe these bulbs are just what they look like: blue lamps?