Indesit? Hotpoint? Candy? I got it, but what is it?

[norfolksouthern]

OK, so my buddy the scrapper was out doing his thing, and among the stuff he picked up was this washing machine, a couple old rusted fans, and a dishwasher. More on the dishwasher later. Well, he obviously gets more from me than the metal recycler would give him, so I always get first dibs.

So, here it is, and I'm hoping you brothers in the UK can give me an idea who really made it! I'm assuming that someone made a huge blanket order of these from GE, then put their own label and model number on them.

So, what is it? A Bendix? Hotpoint? Candy? E-Lux? A whachamacallit? Help me out a little here, folks. I've never seen one of these before. And this one WORKS!

NorfolkSouthern

 

[norfolksouthern]

A better look at the controls:

Here's a closer shot of the buttons.

NorfolkSouthern

 

[norfolksouthern]

The control dials...

They're on the right, of course.

NorfolkSouthern

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Cool!! Does it work?

 

[norfolksouthern]

Of course it does...

I ran a short cycle, and it ran fine up until the first rinse. But then water started going on the floor! Well, I spun the thing out and shut 'er down, got the rags out and here's what I got:

NorfolkSouthern

 

[norfolksouthern]

The boot gasket

Still looks like it's in good shape. Can someone give me an idea of what I would need to do to get it properly back in place? Everything works, the timer, motor, pumps, buttons. I think if I can get that boot properly in place and the top cover cleaned up, then I got me a front loader to play with!

Oh, and when this thing fills, it fills HALF WAY UP THE DOOR, just like one of them commercial Milnor jobbers!

NorfolkSouthern

 

[vivalalavatrice]

Zerowatt!

Hi, I'd say Zerowatt... an old Italian brand
Now Zerowatt applianaces are Hoover branded and that brand was a Candy group's one for a while...

Nothing else for the moment... maybe some other member will say more.

CIAO!
Diomede

 

[soberleaf]

keep pluggin away at it!

it looks great, you prob have a fine front loader there! if it doesn't leak till the first rinse that tells me the leak is something minor, maybe a hose or pump seal, at least the bearings seem fine and the motor and tranmission working properly.

don't tell alice about this new arrival, he's very sensitive you know and will definately feel rejected! but this front loader will prob make a great machine for you!

i have a frigidaire gallery that i modified to do what i want it to and when, like fill up with water way past the factory set limit and a timer switch that i can push to turn off timer motor and extend any part of cycle. i love a front loader, i only use my rollermatic on special occasions.

also what about the dishwasher, curious what brand and how old?

good luck and have fun!

 

[askomiele]

Could this be

an ITT washer? My grandmother has a washer that looks very similar to this model. It's over 20 years old now, but still in working order...

 

[norfolksouthern]

I got the boot back on

Both the inner and outer tub are stainless steel, as far as I can tell. When I ran this load, there were no leaks and everything was functioning properly.

Soberleaf: Alice had to do all the spin drying, because this machine just doesn't have the extraction. So, he's not jealous at all. He was quite smug, in fact!

NorfolkSouthern

 

[norfolksouthern]

So here's where the fun begins!

After I got the boot back in place with a little clamping and spring stretching, I figured I'd go for a ride. Not me, mind you, the cloths! There is actually quite a bit of water in that barrel, and the sudsing was very low with the HE detergent I was using. It also did an admirable job of flushing it all out during rinse.

NorfolkSouthern

 

[norfolksouthern]

Note the water level

During one of the flush rinses, I waited until the machine had paused before taking this shot. Note how much water these old Italian machines use during rinse. And this is the normal cycle, not bulky or specialty anything. This is where I'm beginning to understand WHY the vintage European Hoovers, Hotpoints, Indesits, and others are so well liked in the UK.

The extraction speed is not very fast, and wasn't meant to be. This is a soft mount unit, and I assume the balancing technology wasn't fully developed when this machine was new. The other possibility is that a 1,000 RPM spin speed may have been cost prohibitive, as this must have been designed for better affordability. In those days, the high-end competition was with Asko, and the lower cost goods came from Frigidaire and Frigidaire-Kenmore.

NorfolkSouthern

 

[ronhic]

My mid 90's Aussie Hoover did 3 rinses with intermitent spins at about that level...and my current Zanussi based machine does 2 at that level on the quick wash (3 on normal but with a lower level)

At a guess, I'm going to say that machine is rated at about 4.5kg or 10 lb.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

SS drum and cylinder? I'd say you got a nice machine there. Does it have a heater? Do you have any shots of the back(drum and motor)? I bet it's one of the heavier ones. It still doesn't beat my Primus machine though! (ducks and runs)

 

[norfolksouthern]

First,

I would like to thank askomiele, vivalalavatrice, soberleaf, supremewhirlpool, and ronhic for their help on the thread.

Vivalalavatrice: Someone on the modern forum mentioned the same thing as you, that it could be a Zerowatt. So, we may be getting a little closer to an identity.

Askomiele: The controls on this machine look like they have a lot of Zanussi influence. I've never heard of an ITT washer, but would certainly like to see a photo if someone has it. It also has some simularity to someone else's Hotpoint 95490, as evidenced from the photo below, which I of course can't take credit for.

Soberleaf: Yup, the leak was indeed minor. I thought for sure I was going to have to take the poor thing apart. Glad I didn't!

Ronhic: This is where the meat of this discussion is. The water level, of course. It has been my understanding that a modern HE machine would use only a fraction, with the maximum level just meeting the lower part of the boot. And this is what throws many people off with most of what's available here in the United States as far as front loaders go.

The main disadvantage of this washer is the slow spin speed. Otherwise, it cleans and rinses very well from my experience so far. The next plan for this, of course, is to start tackling the rust issue. The inner cabinet looks good, and most of the rust I see is on the surface. I suppose I could sand all that down, and then brush some white Rustoleum primer and paint to match the white cabinet. Then, when I get the inclination and funds I could go for a complete disassembly and have the whole cabinet sandblasted and refinished. But I'm not quite there yet!

NorfolkSouthern

 

[ronhic]

The slow spin speed just gives you an excuse to use an extractor!

 

[norfolksouthern]

Supremewhirlpool:

Your Primus would eat this little critter for lunch. I am NOT going to throw it in the ring, because that would be unfair ! Also, yes I think it does have a heater because the window felt a little hot, and I started with warm water on the first test. Also it took longer when I didn't use the economy setting.

Here's a photo of the back drum and motor. It does indeed look heavy duty. There is no plastic anyplace!

NorfolkSouthern

 

[norfolksouthern]

Ronhic: The slow spin speed gives Alice (my Frigidaire 1-18) an excuse to cop his jollies. In fact, he was playing "extractor" like my sisters would play "homemaker" while I was growing up (LOL). But one of these days, I may run across one to complement this machine perfectly. I want one of those ones like at the laundromat that bolt to a cement floor!

NorfolkSouthern

 

[supremewhirlpol]

It's made very well alright, just look at that big motor! It may not stand up to a Primus, but it does have a lot going for it. I'm glad you didn't let it go to the trash. You have what I would call "one of those very well-built UK machines" over here in the US. I would say that it sure isn't common over here and I think it is definitely a keeper. If you want a commercial hard mount machine, I know a guy in Columbus that may be able to help you. He is a Wascomat distributor and he has his own set of laundromats. You may be able to get a W73 off him for cheap. The only issue is that they are 3 phase machines and you would either have to build a phase converter or convert the machine to single phase. Either making a phase converter or converting the machine to single phase can be done with a little work. You can buy single phase motors for these machines on Ebay and many companies still have parts for these machines even though they are about 35 years old. His machines are beat up, as you have seen the picture of mine(which I got from him). If you are interested please send me an email. I can help you with both projects, and I can show you how I built my phase converter(which I'm always trying to perfect). If you are ever wanting to get rid of the machine that you have, I will gladly make room for it here in Hamilton. Like I said you have a very nice, well-built machine. Maybe you can feature it and show it off like Robert does his Apex, which is a very unique and nice machine as well.