ryner1988
Well-known member
Hello all! Wow, it's been a long time since I've been in here. From the way it looks, last time I posted here, I was talking about the Whirlpool dryer I had acquired 5 years ago! I hope all are well. 
Last week, my washer, Whirlpool model number WTW4816FW, died and was determined unfixable as the part was equivalent in price to just buying a new washer. We were going to just go to Lowes and purchase the Amana version of this machine, but budget constraints and other factors were going to present roadblocks. My wife's aunt and cousins upgraded to a new washer from an old Maytag several years ago, and they still had the old washer out in the barn. Will it still work? This is what my in-laws wanted to find out before we went on a new washer buying spree.
Well, they brought the old Maytag to our house and hooked it up yesterday, and I ran a cycle on hot with bleach, serving the duel purpose of cleaning it out after years of non-use and sitting in a dusty barn, and also to test whether it worked or not. Everything seemed to check out absolutely fine, so they left and I proceeded to catch up on laundry.
Here is how I can tell just how ancient the washer is. The agitation strokes are long and slow, and I know that Maytag switched transmissions in 1989. I know that the orbital transmission type has the quicker, shorter stroke agitation. So the only logical conclusion is that this machine was made before 1989. I am 33, and to think my daily driver is at least as old as me has me a bit on edge. How long do I have before it breaks? Should I be ready to purchase a new washer anyway at a moment's notice? I can't help but wonder these things, and also the fact that I am blind and therefore would have some trouble doing a repair if something were to go wrong has me feeling a bit anxious.
On a happy note, I do love the damn thing. Call me dorky if ya want to, but I loved being able to just turn a dial to my cycle, pull it out, water started filling the tub, and I could add soap and go fetch my clothes while the washer was filling, like I used to do back in the day. It's also so much less annoying to hear in my one-bedroom apartment while it's running, just a nice background hum, not the whomp...whomp...whomp agitation sound of the VMW machines. Gah, that noise drives me crazy!
If you guys can tell me where the model number is usually located, I will try to get it for you so you can tell me more about my machine. To give a bit of a description, though, it has a relatively small cycle dial on the right hand side, and from what I can tell there are just too cycles, permanent press and regular. You turn the dial exactly halfway around to get a 12-minute regular wash. There are three buttons for load size, and three for temperature selection. As I said, I know a model number would be helpful, so I will try to get that eventually.
As stated, I proceed with a bit of trepidation, but am also pretty excited to have this special old washer in my home.
Ryne
Last week, my washer, Whirlpool model number WTW4816FW, died and was determined unfixable as the part was equivalent in price to just buying a new washer. We were going to just go to Lowes and purchase the Amana version of this machine, but budget constraints and other factors were going to present roadblocks. My wife's aunt and cousins upgraded to a new washer from an old Maytag several years ago, and they still had the old washer out in the barn. Will it still work? This is what my in-laws wanted to find out before we went on a new washer buying spree.
Well, they brought the old Maytag to our house and hooked it up yesterday, and I ran a cycle on hot with bleach, serving the duel purpose of cleaning it out after years of non-use and sitting in a dusty barn, and also to test whether it worked or not. Everything seemed to check out absolutely fine, so they left and I proceeded to catch up on laundry.
Here is how I can tell just how ancient the washer is. The agitation strokes are long and slow, and I know that Maytag switched transmissions in 1989. I know that the orbital transmission type has the quicker, shorter stroke agitation. So the only logical conclusion is that this machine was made before 1989. I am 33, and to think my daily driver is at least as old as me has me a bit on edge. How long do I have before it breaks? Should I be ready to purchase a new washer anyway at a moment's notice? I can't help but wonder these things, and also the fact that I am blind and therefore would have some trouble doing a repair if something were to go wrong has me feeling a bit anxious.
On a happy note, I do love the damn thing. Call me dorky if ya want to, but I loved being able to just turn a dial to my cycle, pull it out, water started filling the tub, and I could add soap and go fetch my clothes while the washer was filling, like I used to do back in the day. It's also so much less annoying to hear in my one-bedroom apartment while it's running, just a nice background hum, not the whomp...whomp...whomp agitation sound of the VMW machines. Gah, that noise drives me crazy!
If you guys can tell me where the model number is usually located, I will try to get it for you so you can tell me more about my machine. To give a bit of a description, though, it has a relatively small cycle dial on the right hand side, and from what I can tell there are just too cycles, permanent press and regular. You turn the dial exactly halfway around to get a 12-minute regular wash. There are three buttons for load size, and three for temperature selection. As I said, I know a model number would be helpful, so I will try to get that eventually.
As stated, I proceed with a bit of trepidation, but am also pretty excited to have this special old washer in my home.
Ryne
