How gentle are Maytag Halo Of Heat dryers on the clothes?
- Thread starter maytag85
- Start date
Help Support :
Since there's only one operating thermostat they tend to run much hotter than modern dryers, and the clothing at the front of the drum can be subject to very high temperatures if it brushes against the front.
Overall operating temperatures will reach 150 to 160° Once the clothing is dry, clothing that hits the front of the drum can easily contact surfaces over 200° in temperature in a normal operating HOH dryer.
The trick to trying to keep clothing safe in an HOH dryer is to use the time cycle and set the timer so the clothing does not dry completely or use the damp dry cycle on the electronic ones and remove the clothing if you're worried about excessive temperatures.
Overall operating temperatures will reach 150 to 160° Once the clothing is dry, clothing that hits the front of the drum can easily contact surfaces over 200° in temperature in a normal operating HOH dryer.
The trick to trying to keep clothing safe in an HOH dryer is to use the time cycle and set the timer so the clothing does not dry completely or use the damp dry cycle on the electronic ones and remove the clothing if you're worried about excessive temperatures.
In most air flow dryers, the evaporation of water from the fabrics keeps the fabrics themselves cooler than the temperature of the incoming air while they are damp. The electronic dry control HOH dryers generally err on the side of less dry rather than over dry. That is the reason for the Permanent press setting; it ran the dryer after the fabrics were sensed to be dry to heat them to 160F to complete the dewrinkling process. What you have to remember is that the HOH dryers were designed to go with the capacity of the small tub Maytag washers (or Frigidaire solid tub machines). Larger loads can pose problems in the HOH dryer, mostly wrinkling, but scorching if you pack it too full. Very small loads do not dry efficiently because they tend of stay out of the air stream which enters around the door opening and is pulled to the center. Small loads tend to follow the outside of the drum and stay outside of the airflow. Whirlpool's 29 inch dryers do a much better job of keeping small loads in the air flow. Ironically, the dryers that Maytag produced before the HOH design had much larger drums. If you look at a HOH from the back, you will see the belt and speed-reducing pulley system that WP and others used in the early 50s, but which was replaced by newer drum drive systems by the 1960s. Maytag did not see fit to do that until the 1980s and stuck with a small capacity dryer even longer than they stuck with a small capacity washer.
When I was working in a department store, a lady came in with a very soft pile nylon bath rug and claimed that it was defective because it had not done well in the laundering process. I looked at the pattern of small squares crushed into the pile and looked up at her and said, "You have a Maytag dryer." She looked shocked but admitted that she did and asked how I knew. I pointed out the little squares in the pile, which were sort of heat set in and told her that she had dried this by itself and it had been pulled against the guard over the lint screen and with nothing else to knock it away, the suction had kept it pulled against the grid the whole cycle; she obviously did not have an electronic control machine and the rotating dynamic disc lint filter had a few bugs. A warm wash would remove the grid pattern crushed into the pile, but because the customer was always right at Rich's, we had to offer her a new one. I cautioned her again against drying it by itself in her dryer. It was a beautiful shade of blue so we marked it damaged and I bought it for a pittance and used it for years.
[this post was last edited: 9/19/2017-09:38]
When I was working in a department store, a lady came in with a very soft pile nylon bath rug and claimed that it was defective because it had not done well in the laundering process. I looked at the pattern of small squares crushed into the pile and looked up at her and said, "You have a Maytag dryer." She looked shocked but admitted that she did and asked how I knew. I pointed out the little squares in the pile, which were sort of heat set in and told her that she had dried this by itself and it had been pulled against the guard over the lint screen and with nothing else to knock it away, the suction had kept it pulled against the grid the whole cycle; she obviously did not have an electronic control machine and the rotating dynamic disc lint filter had a few bugs. A warm wash would remove the grid pattern crushed into the pile, but because the customer was always right at Rich's, we had to offer her a new one. I cautioned her again against drying it by itself in her dryer. It was a beautiful shade of blue so we marked it damaged and I bought it for a pittance and used it for years.
[this post was last edited: 9/19/2017-09:38]
wft2800
Well-known member
Which models fall into the HoH category? I know at one point Maytag replaced the D*806 models with the larger-door D*808.
I believe 06= Halo Of Heat and 08= Stream of Heat, the larger drum with the diagonal back to front air flow.
GREAT WADS O' FIRE/A WHOLE LOTTA LINE DRYIN' GOIN
Sounds like that despite this fallacy, this might be a great dryer to have fun with...
Surely the right kind of use & using the timer as opposed to the so-called infallible automatic drying (although the high-end models have that and ONLY THAT method of drying) will give your laundry the ideal dryness & immaculate care, and without burning your clothes...
However, I could imagine how much line drying there might have been w/ stuff designed not to easily fit, that people were not in a hurry to get done or were just too delicate for any type of drying machine to handle, or else just from a knowledgeable sales-person just went with another brand...
-- Dave
Sounds like that despite this fallacy, this might be a great dryer to have fun with...
Surely the right kind of use & using the timer as opposed to the so-called infallible automatic drying (although the high-end models have that and ONLY THAT method of drying) will give your laundry the ideal dryness & immaculate care, and without burning your clothes...
However, I could imagine how much line drying there might have been w/ stuff designed not to easily fit, that people were not in a hurry to get done or were just too delicate for any type of drying machine to handle, or else just from a knowledgeable sales-person just went with another brand...
-- Dave
When I was growing up had an old late 1970s UK built Hoover dryer that was based on that Maytag design. I don’t remember it being any hotter than machines with the elements at the back but I do remember it actually damaged some items when heavily loaded.
brucelucenta
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2013
- Messages
- 1,924
I have never actually seen anything damaged by a HOH dryer other than the gas models. Back in the day of standing pilot lights, on many there was only one gas valve with no safety features like today. I have seen more than one of those old dryers that the gas valve stuck on and it burned up everything in the dryer and the dryer itself. I did have a TOL HOH dryer once that was matched with the larger capacity TOL washer. When I washed a really full load of big bath towels in the washer, the dryer would dry them all to completion. It was quite full, but not really overloaded. Anymore than that and it would have been overloaded though. So I would say that the HOH dryers were just large enough to accommodate what the large capacity washer would wash, if it wasn't overloaded.
mrb627
Well-known member
HOH Dryer
Growing up, a neighbor had an avocado set. They moved away before I knew much about them. The only two things I remember about the dryer was it was incredibly quiet compared to the Norge dryer we had at the time. And, if you leaned up against the front of it, it was notably warmer than our Norge.
Malcolm
Growing up, a neighbor had an avocado set. They moved away before I knew much about them. The only two things I remember about the dryer was it was incredibly quiet compared to the Norge dryer we had at the time. And, if you leaned up against the front of it, it was notably warmer than our Norge.
Malcolm
brucelucenta
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2013
- Messages
- 1,924
Yes, the HOH dryer was very quiet in comparison to most other dryers. They were as quiet as their mate, the Maytag washer. The two quietest washing machines I ever had were Maytag and Kelvinator machines. The only sounds you usually heard from either of them was the rush of water when they filled. Of course the Kelvinator was much more entertaining to watch.[this post was last edited: 9/19/2017-14:38]
I have seen a couple of videos on YouTube of Maytag halo of heat dryers, and they sound really quiet. The reason why Maytag kept the old belt and pulley system, is they were really quiet, and Maytag knew that the people who bought them would have them forever. The belt and pulley system is more reliable, than having a belt that goes around the entire drum, and having a belt that goes around the drum is prone to braking.
whitetub
Well-known member
When I was a young teenager, in the mid-1970's, I use to hang at my friend's house, who lived on the same city block as my family. His family had a Maytag washer and dryer set, the 606, in the kitchen. We used to play board games on the kitchen table on rainy days. And the machines were washing and drying, and they were so quiet. The only way to tell that the dryer was on, was by the little red light over the control dial. Every time I looked at that dial, I was intrigued by the words Electronic Control.
bendixmark
Well-known member
Halo Dryer
I have a gold 806 dryer and it works wonderfully well.I have never had a problem with it damaging clothes.I can only conclude those who do are being a bonehead with the machine.
I have a gold 806 dryer and it works wonderfully well.I have never had a problem with it damaging clothes.I can only conclude those who do are being a bonehead with the machine.
beekeyknee
Well-known member
Greetings to Sean, John and all others checking in. Sean, in answer to your question and out of no disrespect to John's extensive experience, I will say that out of all the dryers I have used (Sears,Norge, Whirlpool, GE, vintage Speed Queen and others I can't remember) the Maytag HOH electric is probably the most pleasurable to use. Properly loaded or even somewhat overloaded, properly functioning and vented nearly always provides excellent results, in my experience. There is one caveat, I have found, that makes a huge difference in the performance of these dryers. The replacement of the factory installed cool down thermostat to an adjustable cool down thermostat( set to around 90 degrees), if I recall correctly, makes one of these dryers exceptional to use IMO. The addition of the adjustable c/d stat increases the time between when the bell rings and when the dryer shuts off (approximately ten minutes +or- a minute.
The problem with this is that when the bell rings you should take note of the time and return to the machine after 10 minutes. My mother has a newer machine that as a buzzer that she can't hear when she's in a different part of the house, watching television or doing something else that is noisy. I've considered getting her a baby monitor to correct the problem. Also setting a timer of that cool down interval is helpful. Most of us have one at hand in the form of a cell phone.
When I run across a HOH I'll grab it, if nothing else, for the parts. If you go for the HOH keep your eyes out for service manuals. There's probably some in Ephemera. Keep duct runs short, as straight as possible and clean. That goes for any machine though. Removing the lint filter, holding the door switch button down, pressing air fluff and blowing the impeller out with an air compressor really helps keep that impeller and housing clean and the air flowing. Something you can't do easily with a SOH without disassembly. Something else a HOH has. No stationery bulkheads. Much quieter.
All machines have their positives and negatives. I for one appreciate the HOH. Hope some of this was helpful to you.
The problem with this is that when the bell rings you should take note of the time and return to the machine after 10 minutes. My mother has a newer machine that as a buzzer that she can't hear when she's in a different part of the house, watching television or doing something else that is noisy. I've considered getting her a baby monitor to correct the problem. Also setting a timer of that cool down interval is helpful. Most of us have one at hand in the form of a cell phone.
When I run across a HOH I'll grab it, if nothing else, for the parts. If you go for the HOH keep your eyes out for service manuals. There's probably some in Ephemera. Keep duct runs short, as straight as possible and clean. That goes for any machine though. Removing the lint filter, holding the door switch button down, pressing air fluff and blowing the impeller out with an air compressor really helps keep that impeller and housing clean and the air flowing. Something you can't do easily with a SOH without disassembly. Something else a HOH has. No stationery bulkheads. Much quieter.
All machines have their positives and negatives. I for one appreciate the HOH. Hope some of this was helpful to you.
I had one
For a few years til I sold it. PERFECT and QUIET drying every load, but very small drum. And it was electric, I have gas lines and gas is cheaper.
But it dried exactly correctly every time, and was a tank.
For a few years til I sold it. PERFECT and QUIET drying every load, but very small drum. And it was electric, I have gas lines and gas is cheaper.
But it dried exactly correctly every time, and was a tank.
whitetub
Well-known member
None of us were saying they were not heavily built machines that ran quietly; they just have certain design flaws that were not taken care of. For example, the felt seals at the front can allow loose coins to drop through and short out the heating elements. To replace the heating element, which is attached to the inside front of the cabinet, the cabinet has to be removed from the dryer base and moved forward enough to allow the tech to be able to crawl into the cabinet to allow the new open coil element to be restrung. Given that vulnerability, Maytag could have replaced the open coil element with a sealed Calrod-type element that was less vulnerable to shorting out or put a baffle in to deflect coins. The closeness of the heat source to the load also mandated that the heat source be below the average wattage or BTU rating that most other dryers supplied which prolonged drying time. They are not serious flaws and certainly would be overlooked by anyone who reveled in the joy of owning Maytag laundry appliances, until a coin is left in a pocket and it falls through the felt seal and shorts out the heating element.
Both the electric element and the gas flame were located very close to the fabrics in the HOH drum. Maytag was not the only one. If you look, you can often see traces of melted synthetics on the back of GE and 27"Westinghouse dryer drums because the heating element was located behind the drum and if the dryer was overloaded the airflow was compromised and the load at the rear of the drum got too hot and the tightly packed load was smashed against the hot drum so stuff scorched or melted, probably not more than once per user, but it happened. That is the reason that WP designed the outward bulge in the rear bulkhead just before the heater inlet to help deflect the tumbling load away from the hot inlet grill, but WP changed their dryer design three times while Maytag stuck with the HOH dryer. Even GE, which also had a porcelain drum, changed their dryer design several times over the course of the machine's run. Maytag just convinced themselves and their customers that their dryers were just fine as they were, even when you had to reach into the back of the drum to clean the lint filter. My DE806 is a beautiful dryer, but not the best one I own.
Both the electric element and the gas flame were located very close to the fabrics in the HOH drum. Maytag was not the only one. If you look, you can often see traces of melted synthetics on the back of GE and 27"Westinghouse dryer drums because the heating element was located behind the drum and if the dryer was overloaded the airflow was compromised and the load at the rear of the drum got too hot and the tightly packed load was smashed against the hot drum so stuff scorched or melted, probably not more than once per user, but it happened. That is the reason that WP designed the outward bulge in the rear bulkhead just before the heater inlet to help deflect the tumbling load away from the hot inlet grill, but WP changed their dryer design three times while Maytag stuck with the HOH dryer. Even GE, which also had a porcelain drum, changed their dryer design several times over the course of the machine's run. Maytag just convinced themselves and their customers that their dryers were just fine as they were, even when you had to reach into the back of the drum to clean the lint filter. My DE806 is a beautiful dryer, but not the best one I own.
