Just brought a Maytag 32 home yesterday

[smokeythecat]

The guy I bought it from said it was his grandmother's and he was about 60, I know it was made in the late 30s. It does work, just having some issues with the nasty old grease keeping the wringer direction handle from rotating and unlocking the wringer (I cleaned some out and it turns all the way one way and lets the wringer pivot semi reliably), and the drain hose is leaking. Not sure if it's just come off the drain a bit or if it split, but it wouldn't go farther onto the drain when I tried to push it on. Tried duct taping around the hose but it kept leaking, which is why the little trash can is under there. I'll be replacing the hose but was hoping to get it to quit leaking so I could do some laundry today :/ Later I'll take all the tape off and try again to push the hose onto the drain farther. Good news is that my drain hose extension works. It's a short garden hose that lets it reach the drain in the floor.

In the future I'm gonna replace the cord because it has a couple splits in it. Also replacing the old grease at some point but that'll be a big gross project

 

[gredmondson]

It looks so clean -- and I like your two square galvanized tubs.

 

[smokeythecat]

The tubs came with it! That's how I chose this one out of the 4 or so wringer washers listed for sale. It's got some dusty cobweb stuff and the old grease has separated into oil which leaked out when it was on its side in the van. There's greasy rusty gunk underneath the motor too.

I took another look at the hose and the outer layer is split. If I got it off I think I could cut it past the split part and it'll just be a bit short until I get a replacement, but it doesn't wanna come off. Probably needs to be pried out I guess? Not a bad thing to have a snug fit on

 

[bradross]

Restoration in the works?

If you're considering a full restoration, perhaps you might like to see the results of my restoration of a 1940 Model 32. Lots more pics in the album on Flickr (link attached).

Please feel free to ask any questions!

Maytag Model 32 Wringer Washer

Serial # 717355S - manufacture date April 1940.

www.flickr.com

 

[smokeythecat]

I saw your youtube videos about it. I want to replace the grease someday and the seals that are all dry and cracked, but I'm not gonna bother with repainting it. Does the drain hose just push in? I couldn't get the old one back in after cutting the split part off but I ordered a new one

 

[smokeythecat]

When I replace the power cord, is there any reason I shouldn’t use a 3 pronged cord and add a grounding point? I feel like it’s more likely to end up with an electrical fault than, say, an old sewing machine (which is what I have more experience with, even rewired one for a 3 prong cord) because of the dozen gallons of water sitting above an unprotected motor

 

[bradross]

I would recommend adding a 3-prong plug. I connected the ground wire to the motor housing inside.

Regarding the drain hose connection - there were two elbow connections offered. The attached photos show the more complicated one with the clean-out screw, as compared with the basic elbow. Once the remnants of the hose are dug out of the elbow with the screw, an adhesive will be required to secure the new hose. (second photo is credited to M. Vlasak).

I have the more simple version, shown in the first photo, where the hose is simply clamped to the elbow. These show up on ebay periodically, if you prefer that type.

 

[smokeythecat]

Mine is the more complicated one. What kind of adhesive?

 

[qsd-dan]

Brads informative post above is great advice.

Going through the "been there done that" stage of experimenting with hose replacements on older pre 1940's crimped style drain fittings, I'd highly recommend going beyond the task of simply using adhesive on a 1" heater hose as a permanent fix. It's unstable, and through experience, a slight tug will pop the hose from the fitting and make an undesirable mess.

The solution I came up with was installing a short piece of PVC tubing that tightly fits inside the cast drain fitting, using a high quality sealant. This is a very sturdy setup that can be man-handled like the original design.

Pics below show my work. You can do a better job than I did by cutting the pvc pipe just long enough so the hose covers and hides its existence. I installed this on a mid 1920's Maytag Model 80 wringer I saved (literally hours away) from being destroyed that is well used and....essentially put through the wringer....but 100% complete and worthy of being rescued. A very nice example, such as your wringer, is certainly worth the time and effort to make it more physically appealing.

 

[smokeythecat]

Guess i’m making a trip to the hardware store tomorrow. The new hose is supposed to arrive tomorrow too

 

[qsd-dan]

It's best to carefully remove the fitting and take it to the hardware store. The short piece of PVC pipping I used had threaded ends on both sides. The standard non threaded pieces are too large in diameter and will not fit inside the casting.

 

[smokeythecat]

I found a pvc pipe that fit into the drain with a bit of wiggle room that i would’ve probably been able to get the hose onto eventually, but i asked the store guy that was nearby what to use to glue the plastic to the metal and he said to just use abs cement and glue the hose straight into the drain. So that’s what i’ve done for now. What was the glue you used?

 

[smokeythecat]

Yeah it came out when i was bolting the drain back onto the machine should i try caulk?

 

[smokeythecat]

I went to lowes and found a 90° piece that’s two different sizes and i put sealant on the big end and the small end fits in the hose and i got a hose clamp for that too. Now just to wait for it to dry!

 

[smokeythecat]

It works! I washed all my bath towels and a couple days of clothes between two loads. The washer is set up so the wringer post is in the middle of everything and after the clothes go to the rinse tubs they wring straight into the laundry basket. I have learned that i need clothespins cause hangers slide on my clotheslines, although i do have one doorway i can hang them from (unfortunately i can’t do that with the laundry room door because it’s also the bathroom and the front window is visible from the toilet with the door open!). Also i shouldn’t wait to wash all the bath towels at once until i have somewhere better to dry them than two on the shower rod and two making the clotheslines scream. I had to release the wringer because a t shirt started going in circles around the top roller. Wet t shirts feel like they’re gonna tear just from picking them up. The rinse tub hoses both reach the drain in the floor but i’d like to replace them with longer ones that i can put down in the drain before unhooking them from the side of the tubs because i haven’t been able to pull the stopper out of the current ones without getting some water on the floor.

 

[bradross]

Items wrapping themselves around the upper roll...

That definitely is something one has to be constantly aware of when using a wringer. I always place my free hand at the back side of the rolls to guide small or thin items out so they don't start wrapping around. No danger of getting fingers caught in the back side when the rolls are moving forward.

Also, a useful technique is allowing smaller, thin articles to "ride" with larger items. Socks, handkerchiefs, etc., can be placed on top of larger items, such as towels, as they are fed into the rolls.

Page 9 of the instruction booklet advises how to avoid items wrapping around the rolls...