Hoover zodiac 12 480 questions

[lee480]

Hi,

I just bought this great old front loader and have a few questions.
First up, the hot water inlet continues to let water into the machine continuously, even after the cycle has ended and the control dial is at the off position. I have got around this temporarily by turning the tap off and running a cold cycle(5). It seems to have worked ok(hopefully im not doing damage to the machine by doing this). The previous owner said that she has had no problems for 25 years (and was quite sad to let the machine go). Is it possible that something has come loose/ been damaged in transit.

Second question is related to water consumption. How much water can I expect this machine to use?. From my estimation, it seems the machine has used about 120litres to complete a wash. Is this about right or might there be a problem? The water level did not rise above the door level and the load was not quite full.

Last question is- does anybody know how many kg this machine is rated at?

Thanks..Lee

 

[electron1100]

Hoover Zodiac

Hi
congratulattions on getting an excellent old machine.

1st problem is very common on machines of this age, it is the inlet valve sticking, the rubber seal inside distorts in shape and fails to seal the valve, i used to tap the valve on mine with a heavy screwdriver handle to get it to shut off, easiest way is to replace the valve

2nd your about spot on with your water usage, 110-120 litres for a cotton wash

3rd is about 4-4.5kg load though these machines are i think conservatively rated, i often get loads much larger than i would expect to in my old Hoover machine

I like the no soap draw feature on these early models.

Most parts like pumps,motor brushes,suspension kits, drum bearings, door boots are still available, you might have to hunt around for them though.

Good luck and ejoy your machine.

Gary

Ps There are other members on here who will know more about this particular model than I

 

[lee480]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your comments on this post. It's great to know that the valve sticking problem is common and not a major fix. I should be able to do that repair myself.
Regarding the size, I agree that the 4.5kg rating must be conservative as this machine easily fit more clothes than our old asko front loader could handle, I think it was a 6kg.
The water use does seem quite high still, I wonder if it would use less water with more clothes in it to lift the water level. It seems logical that the more clothes in the machine, the less water needed to get the water level to the pre-set water height. Is this correct?

I feel lucky to have stumbled upon this Hoover... A machine that was made to last and not with the scrap heap in mind.. It's in great cosmetic condition too,, a genuine 'one owner'.

Cheers
Lee

 

[ronhic]

Lee

The Zodiac 12 models were designed to have 5 rinses with an spin only between rinse 3 and 4 and then at the end. They are, in terms of modern front loaders, heavy on water.

Now, when it comes to the capacity rating, they are a 4kg machine. However, as pointed out, they do hold a very solid load for a small machine and Hoover re-rated the last of their front loaders made here as 5kg with the same drum.

When washing and rinsing, the water should come up to the lower part of the door, above the bellows and to around the flat part of the glass.