Hitachi 1970's Portable Washer (Showa Era) PS-100

[Chaos Storm]

I just recently aquired this washer, and there is very little info online about it. It's going to be shipped in about a month or so's time from Japan, and I am preparing some info on repairing it. I know it will need new hoses, I am unsure about what type of seals it may use.

I do have a transformer that will allow it to run on it's native 100V 60Hz. (I have both a 1000W and a 600W)

Apparently it's called a "Blue Sky", and Hitachi wasn't the only one making them. National also made a very similiar model. In my searches I haven't been able to find much and even on Yahoo Auctions they tend to be rare.

I'm willing to settle having it as a collector's item but it would be even more amazing if it works. I would think models of this age likely are very simple, I see there are screws to remove agitator and underneath screws to likely remove motor.

II do not think this has a pump but I could be wrong. I think it's designed to go on the counter where the water pressure would fill the unit and gravity would empty the contents. There is a schematic showing the basic wiring, and from this it looks fairly simple, but I'm wondering if anyone has seen a mini washer like this before.

 

[cfz2882]

Cute little washer-love the colors. We had nothing like this in US,GE did sell a little impeller top load automatic washer made by Hitachi from about 1971-80 and there were Hitachi built twin tub washers in the 1970s

 

[Chetlaham]

Nice, that is a charmer.


I wish they made a full size fully automatic version of your washer. The amount of clothes a 27 inch version would hold without an inner tub, suspension and transmission like that found on a standard top load washer would be enormous. Automatic impellers have an allure.


JC Penney offered a fully automatic medium size version with attached spinner. Always liked the idea. Though I wouldn't want to use one permanently due to the poor rinsing and of course having to transfer over to the spinner. But it is better than having nothing.

 

[Chaos Storm]

The amount of clothes it can wash is limited to 400g, so likely (my guess) it was marketed as a solution to washing sensitive items that otherwise would suffer from automatic wash/spin cycles.

I've worked out that 400g is like a bunch of socks, a few T Shirts, a few pairs of intimates, or possibly some shorts or pants if they were light enough.

It's just big enough for small loads where (in my case) you don't want to lug out the portable unit to the sink and spend the next few hours focusing on laundry.

A few more of these items have shown up on Japans flea markets, although mine is in good shape for the most part. Some have heavy wear although they were tested. But as it is big enough that it has to be shipped FedEx (I am going to try and see if it can go Surface or EMS) I won't be getting another one at least for a while.

The one saving grace is I've been saving money by buying items from Japan for a few years so this time I am splurging a bit.

I am going to browse the markets and see if I can locate any spare parts or even items that can be used to retrofit in case it's needed.

 

[Chaos Storm]

It's been a while but I finally got the washer. It's in fair shape but will need some service.

The outer casing of the motor has rust, but it only looks like surface rust, so I think I can ignore it.

The Darin hose needs replacement, so I measured the ID and will source a replacement. The timer actually is rated for 125V/5A if I read it correctly, so I'm not sure if the unit can actually run on 120V or not. I do have a transformer just in case.

I'm currently browsing replacement hoses in Japan as I'm not sure Amazon would have this style of hose as most modern washers use different connectors.

If anyone has insights feel free to let me know.

I also will need to take the agitator off and make sure any gaskets or seals are replaced as I am unsure what seals it uses.

Otherwise it's well built but simple so this should be a simple repair.