Agitating during fill
Hotpoint Top Loaders were not supposed to agitate during the fill cycle - however when the 9-series 'New Generation LE' model was introduced, it incorporated a new timer, based on the concurrent front loader design (where agitation during the fill cycle was of course standard). The timers were supposed to be modified during the serivce-installation check (by modifying a shorting link), and our 9604 had this modification made shortly after it was installed. I imagine many machines failed to have this modification made.
The spray symbol was Hotpoint's standard graphic for rinse cycles - not specifically for 'spray rinses' in the US top loader sense. In fact Hotpoint top loaders did not spray rinse into the inner tub at all; instead water was allowed into the outer tub during the wash pump out, and the first spin to remove suds. The standard Hotpoint cycle after the1502 was as follows:
- Fill
- Agitate approx 1-3 min depending on total wash time selected (called 'prewash')
- Heat (to 40, 50, 60 or 85C as selected - potentially up to five hours on a 85C from cold fill - shorter with hot fill obviously...)
- Wash for the remained of the selected time (upto 12 mins)
- pump out for 40 secs, and then adding cold in and pumping out for an additional 2 mins
- fill for static rinse (agitate for c.1 min on 9-series models, no agitation on earlier models)
- pump out
- first spin (2min 40 secs), then tub flush for 40 secs, with spin motor switched off, allowing the tub to coast while it fill to the selected level
- agitated rinse (2 mins)
- pump out
- final spin (5min 20secs)
I think the 1500, 1501 and 1502 did not have the static rinse section...I could be wrong
On the two-pole motor machine 'short spin' (called slow spin on the 9-series models) involved the spin action running for only 40 sec, allowing the tub to build up some speed (which would depend on the load weight), before cutting out and allowing the tub to coast slowly to a halt. Similarly the so-called 'gentle action' on these later machines involved periodic agitation rather than slower speed. I don't know if the 1500-1504 machines with the four-pole motor actually ran a proper slow spin - perhaps Keith, who has a 1501, knows?
From the 1509/10 onwards the machine could be paused on the final rinse (to allow conditioner to be added, or to suspend creasable fabrics without spinning. On the 1509-15792 this involved pausing after the final rinse fill, but the 9-series allowed 1 minute of agitation either side of the pause. This is the point at which one can get one of these machines to agitate on empty or any level of fill (like Mike's video).
The TL advertised on ebay was a 1509/05 from somewhere between Dec 77 and June 78 - one can tell as the drain panel is in the later, higher position.
D.
