Introduction / Maytag LA408 and LDG608

[scooter]

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hi, I am new to the community.  In the last nine years, my husband and I have been replacing our newer not serviceable appliances with older ones that can be repaired.  It all started after we had three basic toasters fail in four years.  </span>

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<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></strong>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had a Frigidaire Gallery Commercial Duty top load washer and gas dryer that we purchased in 2004.  They were moderately used and last year both began failing.  My husband replaced the solenoids on the dryer himself, but on December 23rd a gas leak started.  The total cost of repairs was $300 and we were told that this failure would likely happen again.  We decided that the cost for repairs was more than we wished to spend and that a new set would need to be purchased.  The research began, but in the meantime we would need a dryer until we could decide on a set. </span>

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<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></strong>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We went to local used appliance stores looking for a temporary replacement and found a an older electric Kenmore dryer with great style for $89.  Luckily we have both gas and electric hookups in our laundry room.  The dryer is great condition inside and out and works perfectly.  The research continues, speaking to friends and relatives about their laundry sets… most of them are happy.  We then hit the big box stores to look at Kenmore, GE, Whirlpool, Frigidaire and Maytags, but are not sold on any of the newer HE or top loader machines.  </span>

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<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></strong>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An internet search on the Kenmore Dryer helped me identify the year of production and that is how I found this site.  I realized that finding the matching washer to my Kenmore dryer would take some time but that anything of new production was off the table. My husband grew up with mid 70s Kenmores and I grew up with late 60s Maytags.  Why didn't we think of this before?  I wish I would have found this site sooner as my Mother-in-Law’s Kenmores both failed last year and she had them hauled away when she purchased her new set.  </span>

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<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></strong>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the next month, I began looking every few days in the used appliance stores and searching daily on Craigslist.  We started hitting estate and garage sales on the weekends for an older Kenmore set, as I was totally focused on Kenmores.  I finally got a lucky break on January 24th and found a set of Maytags posted on Craigslist that looked similar to the ones I grew up with and were only 20 minutes away. They looked extremely clean in the picture and I hoped that the inside would match the outside. I contacted the seller one hour after they were listed and picked them up the same day.  They are in fantastic condition and needed very little cleaning.   </span>

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<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I joined the forum, downloaded a couple of brochures and through searches of this site I think I was able to determine the year of manufacture.  If anyone has additional information, my husband and I would be grateful.</span>

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<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></strong>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washer - LA408 (no series number) 542426 CG    (April 1979)?</span>

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dryer     - LDG608  Series 01    557840 CL       (June 1979)?</span>

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This site is AWESOME!</span>

 

[scooter]

Inside of the washer.

 

[scooter]

Cleaned up and in service! 

 

[mrb627]

Love It!

I love hearing stories like this. Congrats on your new old set. They look fantastic.

Malcolm

 

[danemodsandy]

You Have Been Bitten....

....By the Bug!

Your washer and dryer will be only the beginning - you will soon have a vintage range, dishwasher and fridge.

After that will come a vintage TV, a vintage console stereo and a Betamax.

Later, dishes, silverware and glassware from back in the day will beckon to you....

Pretty soon, you'll start moving backwards in time, replacing '70s items with ones from the '60s or perhaps the '50s.

You will end up like the rest of us - going into big-box stores only for groceries, necessities and restoration supplies, because all the new appliances and other household items look intolerably cheap to eyes re-educated about quality by exposure to vintage goodies.

The Bug is the most pleasant affliction you could possibly have, so don't worry about it. You'll be fine!

In other words, welcome. And don't say we didn't warn you, LOL!

 

[electronicontrl]

Sweet

That is a beautiful Maytag pair!!
Enjoy!

 

[frigilux]

That's a beautiful pair of Maytags. Congratulations! May you wash many trouble-free loads of laundry. And welcome to the wonderful world of AW.ORG, as well.

 

[scooter]

Thanks for the warm welcome!   So far so good, they seem to operate perfectly and I love the Electronic Control on the dryer. We are so lucky to have found them and this site.  

 

 

danemodsandy,

 

Over the last several years we have replaced most of our small appliances as they failed with older more stylish (and or course repairable) versions . When our Bunn drip coffee maker died we replaced it with a Sunbeam Coffeemaster C20B.  Dishes and silverware were the first to bite us!  Next was stand mixers...for some reason they keep following me home. 

 

We inherited vintage stereo equipment from family and have purchased some at thrift stores.  We still have and play all of our records.  I vacuum with an Electrolux Model G.  Sorry, I could go on and on here - LOL!

 

How right you are, it seems that we keep going further back in time.  We love the things we grew up with and most of them were from the 50s and 60s even though we are children of the 70s.

 

You nailed it with how we feel about the big box stores.  None of the items we looked at seemed as if they were built to last.   Things in my house were repaired, not thrown away.

 

We have embraced the bug.  It is nice to know that we are not alone.  A Kenmore Series 90 model 110.72690100 (Suds Saver with Pentaswirl agitator) washer tried to follow me home from a foreclosure clean out sale yesterday morning.  At the time I did not know what a Suds Saver was but now I must have one!  OUCH!

 

Carolyn

 

[rp2813]

I loved my gas electronic control Maytag dryer!  The best, fastest, easiest to use I've ever owned. 

 

Enjoy both of those nice machines!

 

[DigAPony]

If you want to go a little further on the clean up the agitator is removable by loosening the set screw on the lower area, not easy to see as it recessed.

Once removed, the under side of the agitator and stem can be scrubbed. they usually need cleaning. With the agitator removed I also scrub the inner tub with Bon-Ami or an oxygen bleach cleanser, followed by a hot wash with lots of bleach, You'd be surprised at the improvement even in a well cared for machine

Finally, a coat of automotive wax on the cabinets really makes them gleam.

 

[washdaddy]

Scooter-YOU'VE BEEN INFECTED- BUT IT'S A GOOD THING!

It's called "VINTAGITIS"

Symptoms- the uncanny feeling you get when presented with purchasing anything of vintage nature when it comes to household goods, appliances and incidentals! That feeling of total euphoria and the proverbial sense of being sucked into Shangri-La once you make that purchase and the happiness you know that it brings to you. The distinction of being able to look at an item in question and determine quickly it's JUNK AND LEAVE IT, OR AGED QUALITY- I GOTTA HAVE IT!

Side effects-
1- second hand shops have the ability to draw you into them because they knowingly
stock their stores with desirable temptables and must haves.
2- the unfortunate feeling of not having enough and the uncontrollable desire that you've just got to have at least one more, possibly many.
3- the fact the disease is infectious and easily passible to others without warning.

Treatment Options-
Share all your experiences with those who are looking to enjoy in the afterglow.
Listen to others who've enjoyed the same type of scenario as you.
Lend a helping hand or ear to those in need of help or advice looking to obtain a sense of nirvana.

Long Term Prognosis-
Unfortunately, at this time there is no known cure for this disease. However it is manageable (sometimes a little difficult because of the urges, but... manageable). Those afflicted with this disease find comfort in knowing there are many others suffering from this and are willing with open arms to welcome new people into their fold and offer them help in any way that they can.

In short- you have stumbled into the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with an endless amount of "elves" from around the world (literally) who welcome you with big hearts and smiles.

So don't worry yourself about the "Vintagitis". As Martha would say,
IT'S A GOOD THING!

and for once...she was right! LOL

Have Yourself a Great Day!
Rick

 

[hippiedoll]

what a beatiful pair of almond maytags....

welcome to the group scooter/carolyn!!!

i'm pretty new here too and little by little, i'm learning at very tiny baby-steps.
sounds like we are about the same age and at the same level of "infectedness". well, i've always like vintage things. it's just recently that i've been buying them!
ha ha.....

lovingly,
christina )

 

[rberryiii3]

The bug

The above post was right about being bitten by the bug. Im now in the process of replacing lmy 2 year old dishwasher with a a 35 year old model...... Welcome,

 

[ovrphil]

Welcome and congrats on a beautiful Maytag pair, you'll have to restrain yourself on this website...or you won't be sleeping a lot, looking through aw.org, if you're not already there...lol. Going back in time, here as well.

Best wishes!

 

[washdaddy]

OOPS I goofed!

I got my little helpers terms all mixed up. I used the term "elves" when I should have used the term "leprechauns".

What can I say....no one's perfect....but hopefully everybody understood where I was coming from.

 

[goatfarmer]

Nice set of 'Tags!

 

[scooter]

DigAPony
We will definitely do the recommended cleaning and waxing. Thanks.

Christina
Thanks. The same goes for me.  I have always liked the styles of the 50s and 60s.  My husband and I concentrated primarily on purchasing furniture at the beginning and have slowly been moving onto kitchenalia and now appliances.

Ovrphil
Too late...you are not kidding!  I was on for hours last night reading and looking at photos.  OOPS - I forgot to check my post for replies.  I think I may have fried my brain a little bit.  

rberryiii3
That is fantastic! A dishwasher is next on my list.

Rick
I definitely suffer from vintageitis!  Luckily, my husband does too.

Symptoms - yes, yes and yes.

Side effects - I have all three but #2 is the worst.  I like to think that things follow me home.  This is especially true of stand mixers, toasters and coffee pots.

Treatment Options - that seems way too easy. Done!

Long Term Prognosis - Darn!  No cure, but manageable.  I can accept that.

Leprechauns? Cool, being Irish I will feel right at home.

 

[washerlover]

Scooter, welcome, welcome! Love your "new" Maytags and hearing about all of your "retroness!! We, too love to listen to records on our hi-fi (1959 Zenith and 1960 Sylvania console stereos) and have toast in our early 50s Sunbeam toaster! I'm still trying to talk my husband into doing all vintage kitchen appliances but he'll only tolerate the toaster and all my washers and dryers..!

 

[washdaddy]

Scooter -
What I listed before was just a quick breakdown to give you some insight to the illness.

There are too many other facets and traits that can attribute to said illness. I just listed the most common. You've already stumbled across another side effect-
late night reading and gazing at photos.

The only thing that matters is that you willingly have accepted your L.T.P.

So...IT'S A GOOD THING!
Rick

lmao