Hoover Keymatic

[brisnat81]

Hi Mike,

I havent seen another Cold fill Cold wash Keyplate, and my Service literature from the late 60's seems to predate it as it only talks about the two standard Keyplates and two types of readers.

I assume Hoover's promise of being able to adapt the machine as new technologies arrived came true, and with the Energy crisis and the advent of Cold Power in the 70's, they released a cold wash keyplate.

 

[ronhic]

I've commented...

....about my keymatic owning aunt before...

BUT...

I should comment that she always held the 'cold water washing' mantra near and dear to her heart and had done since the early 1960's....

I would bet my 'you know what's' that she had a cold wash keyplate....even the replacement Zodiac was only ever put on a warm or hot wash when I was there...

 

[chestermikeuk]

Keyplates

Well that sound like a spring/summer plan boys, lets get playing & fixing!! Al, get your Kenwoods at the ready!!!

Chris thanks for the explaination of the workings, I thinks those clicks & whirrs are fab, "Spit Roast, not Spin Roast...Lol that makes sense now!!!

How long did the wash take on "Cold" then ?? these cycles are very short even after heating (8mins & 4mins), so was the wash time extended??

 

[ronhic]

Mike...

..I honestly have no idea. I remember the Keymatic being used, but not to the degree that I can remember the cycle times.

 

[hotpoint9534]

Keymatic Door Seals

If enough members got together would it not be possible to get a company to specially make up some of these door seals? I know a new mold would have to be made but couldn't this be made up from an existing seal?

The minimum order may be 100 or something but it might be worth it in the long run. Might be worth doing before every surviving example perishes to nothing. The same could be said for the sump hose aka. bagpipes as they were known in the trade.

Failing that, perhaps Hoover or Qualtex still have a mold for these and might be feeling charitable and donate it if someone explained their cause?

Just a suggestion.

Tom.

 

[ronhic]

Now there's a thought...

 

[brisnat81]

No extension of the washtime, the timer doesnt allow for it. It just skips straight through the heat phase and goes into the main wash.

 

[ronhic]

That would be one very quick cycle....

 

[gizmo]

yes, 8 minutes for delicate or 4 minutes for cottons / regular cycles.

(the reason the delicate cycle is longer is because the vigorous wash action uses the pulsator as well as drum tumbling, the delicate cycle uses tumbling only so extends the wash by 4 minutes.)

The pulsator drive clutch is a weakness in these machines, when I still had my machines I spoke to a couple of Hoover mechanics who said they always disconnected the pulsator drive by removing the clutch, and told customers to always use the delicate cycle to get the longer wash. One of these old guys was a Keymatic enthusiast and used one to wash all his workshop rags. He still had several dead Keymatics behind the shop. I went there a few years later to chase some parts, the business has closed down.

 

[ronhic]

Mayner and Cochran

..In Canberra had one years ago that they couldn't get the keyplate out of....

May just give them a call tomorrow and see if they still have it....

 

[chestermikeuk]

Wow

So I take it cold wash powders had to do their job in these machines!!! would you maybe have to pre-treat stains or did "Cold" powder really work on its own?? Gosh at that rate it would be quicker pound for pound than a Hoovermatic!!!

 

[vacbear58]

Four minutes makes sense

For the cottons/regular cycles as that was the maximum wash time on all Hoovermatics. They must have used quite a lot of water to have made the pulsator action any good. How was it for tangling given that that was a critism often directed at the Hoovematic?

I was wondering how the Keymatic might have fared in the US had it been sold there - presumably as a portable given that it was on wheels etc. I presume that it was not sold in Canada either.
Al

 

[mynameismiele]

Question for timon90

When are you going to post new vids of your washers on YouTube?

 

[matchboxpaul]

My two penniesworth and guess what, its a question!

Me being daft but why were the Australian Keymatics, that I have seen pictures of, called MkIV or Mark IV.

Silly question I know but were there Mark I, Mark II and Mark III versions, or was it a simple marketing name?

cheers
Paul

 

[ronhic]

LOL....

....no, that is a GOOD question

 

[gizmo]

I have never seen a Mk anything except a Mk IV.

I have owned a couple of the early ones with a timeline display and the green body panel. The one I restored was the round display type with the word "Keymatic' with the capital K and lower case other letters, like Brisnat's photo above. The one I have now is a Mark IV, with the "KEYMATIC" in all caps.

So as far as I know, the only Keymatic called "Mark" was the Mark IV.

Chris.

http://automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/...atic Mark [email protected]&dir=/COLLECTIONS/GIZMO

 

[chestermikeuk]

Could it be...

Is it that the early ones where imported from Merthyr Tydfyl and that the ones presented Mark IV etc where made at Meadowbank??

 

[mayfan69]

No Keymatics made in Aus

Hey Mike

My contact who used to be an engineer at Hoover told me ALL Australian Keymatics were imported from the UK. Why they were only called Mark IV, don't know. I'll ask him the next time i'm chatting to him.

Leon

 

[ozhoover]

Looks like mine was Ozzie made

Hi Leon

My Keymatic's rating plate shows it was made at Medowbank, here's a few pics... Think the early one's where imported from the UK.... as have seen machines with both made in the UK and Australia in the past...

Mark

 

[ozhoover]

Pic 2

.

 

[gizmo]

Mine definitely says made in Australia, and I think the older timeline one was too.

 

[mayfan69]

My mistake then

My mistake then

Sorry!!!!...i bow to the experts! Hoover isn't my favourite brand unlike Simpson and Wilkins Servis
Leon

 

[ronhic]

Still....

Leon,

I've had a look around my mothers laundry as promised some months ago for the instruction book for her Simpson washer...no luck I'm sorry to say...

Given that Hoover isn't your most favoured brand, and I now have a HUGE by our standards laundry, if you happen to see anything interesting....say a functioning Keymatic......on your travels, feel free to let me know