Insured is what I mean as in examples there is no time and no water temperature settings to change all you do is push a button
Has anybody seen a well and truly fully automatic dryer
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A 1959 and 1960 Lady Kenmore comes to mind as well since it was the second electronic dry control dryer to be introduced and the 3rd was a 1961 Westinghouse Laundromat dryer that had a electronic dry control as well and that was the 1000 Laundromat I believe.
The dry function on my 56 GE combo comes close and it was a very early attempt at fully automatic drying! There is no time selection for drying however there are 2 heat settings - normal and delicate. This controls how the 2800 watt calrod heating element is used in the dry cycle - in normal mode, it cycles on while a 1200 watt heater stays on most of the time; in delicate mode only the 1200 watt heater is used, cycling if necessary.
Come to think of it.. my 58 Westinghouse D110 dryer has 'automatic' function on it. There is a temperature selection (normal, delicate or air) but when the 'dry' pushbutton is pressed, the timer is not engaged and the dryer will run until clothes are bone dry. The instructions on the time/cycling chart say to use the normal heat setting for this type of drying.
maytag142c
Active member
My Maytag DE502, all I do is load the clothes and push a button. No timers dials or anything. Push and go.
The 4 button electronic dry control on the Highlander 502 was later chosen as the control of choice for Maytag's electronic control dryers, eliminating the timed drying option from the dial. The 4 buttons were selected and activated by the dial in front of them.
bradfordwhite
Well-known member
My 1985 TOL Kenmore electronic dryer. I can still hear the deep "buuup" sound it made when ever you made a selection. And the smell of newness when you opened the door or if you smelled the exhaust.
If you didn't put anything in the dryer and started it, it would soon sense nothing in the dryer and shut off.
But when actually drying clothing, did it finish by folding and neatly stacking clothing?
No, at that it was not fully automatic and just a total failure. :-( lol
If you didn't put anything in the dryer and started it, it would soon sense nothing in the dryer and shut off.
But when actually drying clothing, did it finish by folding and neatly stacking clothing?
No, at that it was not fully automatic and just a total failure. :-( lol
twintubdexter
Well-known member
Any dryer was easier to operate than this
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">I know I've talked about my mom's old Apex dryer several times on here but I finally found a pic the same model. Here's what you had to do to dry a load of clothes.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">#1 This was the gas on/off knob. You turned it to on which would start the flow of gas to the unlit pilot. If you walked away at this point you'd smell gas after awhile.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">#2 This was the spring-loaded ignition knob. You turned it and held it for at least 30 seconds or so. You would hear the zzzzzzzzzzzz of the automotive spark plug as the pilot was lit. Then after enough time you released it.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">#3 You set the timer knob. It looked like a Robertshaw oven control form an old gas range.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">#4 Then you pushed the start button and things started rolling.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"># 5 You looked through this viewing window to see if the burner was on. If not, you went back to your friendly ignition </span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"> switch because you cheated.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Punishment time when I was a little kid meant you had to go in the laundry off the kitchen and sit on the floor in the corner. If the dryer was on it meant entertainment time for me. I'd watch the clothes tumble in the perforated drum and wonder how they never caught fire with the flames dancing in the upper left-hand cover. That glass would get very hot. The dryer must have had a high cycling temp. There was no temperature control. This is also the dryer my mom told me that if I opened it while it was operating I'd get sucked up inside. It had no door switch.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">I know I've talked about my mom's old Apex dryer several times on here but I finally found a pic the same model. Here's what you had to do to dry a load of clothes.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">#1 This was the gas on/off knob. You turned it to on which would start the flow of gas to the unlit pilot. If you walked away at this point you'd smell gas after awhile.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">#2 This was the spring-loaded ignition knob. You turned it and held it for at least 30 seconds or so. You would hear the zzzzzzzzzzzz of the automotive spark plug as the pilot was lit. Then after enough time you released it.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">#3 You set the timer knob. It looked like a Robertshaw oven control form an old gas range.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">#4 Then you pushed the start button and things started rolling.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"># 5 You looked through this viewing window to see if the burner was on. If not, you went back to your friendly ignition </span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"> switch because you cheated.</span>
<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Punishment time when I was a little kid meant you had to go in the laundry off the kitchen and sit on the floor in the corner. If the dryer was on it meant entertainment time for me. I'd watch the clothes tumble in the perforated drum and wonder how they never caught fire with the flames dancing in the upper left-hand cover. That glass would get very hot. The dryer must have had a high cycling temp. There was no temperature control. This is also the dryer my mom told me that if I opened it while it was operating I'd get sucked up inside. It had no door switch.</span>
One could argue that fully automatic drying has always existed...
Since this is on the subject of dryers, here’s my 1963 RCA Whirlpool Imperial dryer. Doesn’t have a auto dry timer, but works well and I always go by the suggested drying times and temperatures and so far it hasn’t let me down and left things damp after I was done drying a load of laundry in it.
neptunebob
Well-known member
For Reply #8, I remember those at Sears, in charcoal gray it was Darth Vader's dryer.
bradfordwhite
Well-known member
I don't know Bob. They had gloss black back in the mid 80s and for a few years a dove (pastel) gray. That's probably what you are referring to.
The charcoal gray I think that was late 90s or something.
The charcoal gray I think that was late 90s or something.
fully automatic dryer
the Hotpoint 9344 is quite a reasonable example, it's a sensor dryer that is fully automatic, manifactured in (i think) 1988, it's not my machine, i just found it on an ebay thread on here
the Hotpoint 9344 is quite a reasonable example, it's a sensor dryer that is fully automatic, manifactured in (i think) 1988, it's not my machine, i just found it on an ebay thread on here
Thank you everyone for your lovely responses,
Although to clarify and Contacts I mean one that doesn’t have the option of a time to dry I mean one that is completely well and truly automatic, can I know even my 1970s GE dryer has an automatic function as well
Although to clarify and Contacts I mean one that doesn’t have the option of a time to dry I mean one that is completely well and truly automatic, can I know even my 1970s GE dryer has an automatic function as well
vacerator
Well-known member
Sears had it all
in the 70's. Even a 30 inch dual fuel gas cooktop range/electric oven by Roper.
The gold elelctric self clean model in the above catalogue scan my mom had after her '55 Frigidaire behemoth until the early 90's, then she got white Kenmores. Just a low end range by GE. My sisters were doing most holoday meals by then at their homes. My folks were retired and traveling more.
It seemed the UK and Australia had slightly different white goods. The pic for today of the compact Speed Queen combo was 25.5 inches wide. Not 22, or 24.
The cars were even smaller. A full size Holden HQ through HZ would have been compacts here until the new millenium. It's under carriage and dimensions were very similar to our GM rear driven X body Nova, etc. but they never offered a wagon (station sedan), only 2 dooe hatches, coupes and 4 drs.
in the 70's. Even a 30 inch dual fuel gas cooktop range/electric oven by Roper.
The gold elelctric self clean model in the above catalogue scan my mom had after her '55 Frigidaire behemoth until the early 90's, then she got white Kenmores. Just a low end range by GE. My sisters were doing most holoday meals by then at their homes. My folks were retired and traveling more.
It seemed the UK and Australia had slightly different white goods. The pic for today of the compact Speed Queen combo was 25.5 inches wide. Not 22, or 24.
The cars were even smaller. A full size Holden HQ through HZ would have been compacts here until the new millenium. It's under carriage and dimensions were very similar to our GM rear driven X body Nova, etc. but they never offered a wagon (station sedan), only 2 dooe hatches, coupes and 4 drs.
Joe, Thanks for the detailed information about the operation of the APEX gas dryer. The timer looked like a thermostat because it was a thermostat. That dryer appeared under two or three other nameplates. The 1950 Speed Queen dryer looked like this and perhaps the early Coronado dryer and the One Minute dryer, too. Thanks again for sharing.
Did the very early Whirlpool and Kenmore gas dryers have some sort of switch you switched on to ignite the burner? Saw a early 50’s Whirlpool gas dryer some in the archives and it has a switch up front for the burner I believe. Never saw one of those dryers operate and only 50’s Whirlpool dryer I’ve ever seen operate was a 1956 Whirlpool Imperial gas dryer owned by a friend of mine but it wasn’t hooked up to gas at the time.
