Hotpoint TL Agitator Washer 96700. I made a full cycle video!

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Marky_Mark

Marky_Mark

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Living in Palm Springs and Madrid. From Liverpool.
Hey guys

My first (and currently, my only) vintage machine is a Hotpoint toploader 96700 from 1984. I've made a video of the whole cycle. This is my first time using iMovie -- it's been fun playing around with it!

I have never been able to find a full-cycle video of this machine, so I thought it might be of interest to anyone who likes these machines and is interested to see how they operate.

Enjoy :-)
Mark

 

<iframe src="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
 
Definitely very splashy and fun to watch!

 

Yes the 1050 RPM spin does a good job.  The machine claims to spin at 1050 RPM, so I measured the spin speed using an app I have on my iPhone and it came out as 1060 RPM.  Although compared to modern Euro FLs it is slow as they now mostly have 1400 or 1600 RPM.<span class="st"><span class="st"> </span> </span>

 

I guess in most ways this machine works the same as any traditional American TL, the main difference being that it has a 2,750-Watt heater to enable washing at temperatures higher than you have your hot water set for.  Maximum wash temperature is 85 <span class="st">°C (185 </span><span class="st"><span class="st">°F).  The rated load size is 4.5 kg (10 lb) which was considered fine at the time this machine was introduced in the 1960s but these days many Euro FLs claim to take double that amount or more.</span></span>
 
Fantastic video.....thanks for all the insights......have seen one on youtube, but not as detailed as yours...

how does that filter pan hold on?....I seen one where it was placed on and given a twist.....are there grooves, or does it snug up to the agitator.....just curious....

willing to bet that machine could handle a good size load with ease...
 
Very unusual machine, at least because I have never seen one before. I wonder how much of the UK Hotpoint is like the US version. They seem to be totally different machines entirely.
 
Hey Martin

 

The filter pan does just snug up to the agitator.  The pan does have grooves the same as the knob on the top of the agitator but there is no particular way to line it up and it doesn't need to be twisted.  It's pretty easy to remove and replace.

 

As for the load size....several times I have used it to wash my kingsize duvet cover and bottom fitted sheet along with 4 pillow cases all in the one load.  I bought this set in the USA so it is an American kingsize set.  It certainly fills the machine but it works great.  Even if it can't roll the load over properly, it agitates throughout the entire basket as you can see from the splashy agitation lol!

 

Bruce, I'm not sure how similar this machine is to any other machine.  I suspect this machine may only have been sold in the UK and Ireland.  I think a modified version of this machine may possibly have been exported to other countries.  I have also heard people compare it to the Filter Flo in the US but I don't think any other machine is the same.  I suspect the Hotpoint engineers in the UK may have designed this machine from scratch but using the designs and experience of Hotpoint in the USA but I don't know.  I would be interested to learn about this.

 

Mark
 
My granny had one of these. She said it was fast, but it was very hard on clothes compared to the front loader that eventually replaced it.

 
 
Hi Mark

Great video - never thought of doing one all the way through! Glad you managed to disable the agitation on the sensored fill. I like the way the new gen machines adopted the agitated first rinse - the static rinses on the timeline machines were good in the day for the old powders but not so great for the lower suds ones of today.

One thing I do think that they should have kept with the new gens though is the 40 second coast down after spin before applying the brake - it seems so harsh going from full speed to stop in about 5 seconds! On the suds flush spin on the timelines, the filling water almost stops the drum before the brake is applied? The final spin sometimes sounds like it goes faster once the motor switches off!

Have you experienced an unbalanced load on spin yet? Most of the time the machine copes well but I did towels in mine earlier with a bath mat and it just couldn't ramp up the speed above 50 I reckon. I tried to wash feather pillows in mine a couple of weeks ago and here was the result lol

S :)

sesteve-2015041916195609157_1.jpg

sesteve-2015041916195609157_2.jpg

sesteve-2015041916195609157_3.jpg

sesteve-2015041916195609157_4.jpg
 
Hey Thomas!
I'm looking forward to it! When are you coming to Sitges? I'm probably going to be stateside towards the end of the month. I hope I'm not away at the time of your trip here.

Hi Steve
The service manual you sent me for this machine is great! I followed the directions for disabling the periodic agitation during filling. It makes sense to mix the water during the temp-sensed fill but I didn't like how it bunched the clothes and I can see why Hotpoint only tried this feature for a short time. On the timeline machines, did they spin after the wash, then purge, then static rinse without spinning afterwards, then final rinse followed by spin?

Yes I have experienced one unbalanced spin, actually it was when Thomas (turnamat) happened to be here from Germany. We did a small load of white bath towels and it was spinning very slowly as they were so unbalanced, so we redistributed them so it could spin.

How did it cope washing those pillows? I have only ever washed pillows in a front loader.

The only time I have found the machine too harsh is when I've washed a load of towels and bath mats. The bath mats are old and the TL causes some of the cotton stands to detach, whereas that doesn't happen in the FL.

Mark
 
Hi Mark!
Will be in Sitges again from May 16-31!Hope to meet You for a Wash In.Will send You an SMS then!

Thomas.
 
Hi Mark, well done on the getting your 96700 !!

They are great machines and mine has served me well now for must be 10yrs and bearing in mind it was 33yrs old when i got it, its doing well.

I had the motor re-wound and put a new relay in, but apart from that nothing else.

This machine is my daily driver doing about 3 loads a week, I honestly wouldn't be without it :)

Keith

keymatic-2015042104315901431_1.jpg

keymatic-2015042104315901431_2.jpg
 
Mike, that's quite a collection you've posted there!  Your link is interesting regarding the design process of these machines.  I'm hoping to eventually have more than just one vintage machine.  But I guess my Hotpoint TL is a good start :-)

 

Keith,  it's good to know that you've been using it as your daily driver for so long!  I love the look of your machine. 

 

Mark
 

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