Matching Maytags

[opticalpopsicle]

I acquired this matching Maytag set today! I drove the next state over to get it. They seem to be really clean and in really good shape. This will be my first 80’s Maytag dryer and my 3rd 80’s Maytag washer. The first one broke and I will be taking it apart to see how these washers are made and hopefully fix it. The second one is now my daily driver, and this one will be my spare. It’s so cool to see the little differences. For example: my first one has a brown and silver control panel, my 2nd and third have a brown and gold control panel. None of them have the “extra large” setting yet the highest water level on the second one is lower than the highest water level on my first one. The third one I don’t even know how well it works yet because it hasn’t been hooked up or tested. Does anyone know about these dryers? Do they work well?

 

[nmassman44]

Yes. Those Maytag Stream of Heat dryers are very effective and depending on how long the venting is...the shorter the better for these dryers. The DE 710 dryer that I has was one of the fastest dryers when it had just about a foot of venting attached to the dryer to exhaust to the outside. The dryer drum is about 6.2 cuft in capacity but the drum size is matched to the wastebasket size on the washer. The combo of drum size and airflow pattern that moves about 180 cuft a minute makes this dryer one of the most effective in my opinion. And these dryers are built well.
As much as I love my LG's if I was given the opportunity for a set like this, I would take them in a heartbeat.

 

[qsd-dan]

Beautiful condition. Is the washer a 212 or a 512?

The dryer looks like a DE612, one step below TOL.

These dryers are fantastic. Very easy to work on, full frontal service through the front panel, no need to tear the cabinet apart. Maytag used this design from 1976-2006 in residential use and few years prior (1973?) for commercial use. Parts are still everywhere.

I would recommend tearing it down and checking the "meat" on the front glides, the condition of rear drum rollers and oil with turbine oil, check the belt idler and oil with turbine oil, check the belt for cracks, blow the lint out of the cabinet...especially the motor, check the condition of the front and rear seals, remove the blower cover, clean, and check the blower wheel (grasp it and quickly/aggressively rock it clockwise/counterclockwise feeling for play. These strip out after a couple of decades). I'd at least replace the belt while you're already in there if everything else checks out.

 

[woodjack99]

Your washer looks just like mine (an A506)! It’s either that or a 512, the difference was the 512 had the bleach dispenser, the 506 did not. Sadly, I don’t have the matching dryer as it died years ago. I too love spotting the subtle differences in the control panels of this generation ‘Tags. Yours must be a little later than mine (1985), because it says HEAVY-DUTY on it, which was added in about 86. Mine just says FABRIC-MATIC LARGE CAPACITY.

 

[opticalpopsicle]

Model numbers

This washer is a 512. My other two brown control panel washers are a 282 (brown and silver) and a 211 (brown and gold). They appear to be almost identical but differences between the three are, the control panel trim color (gold vs silver), the set water levels, the length of the lint filter agitator insert, and the water level control…buttons vs slider. I really hope that this one has the higher water level because I like that better. I can’t put as many clothes in the lower level one.

 

[woodjack99]

You are in luck, the 512 is an XL capacity model, same with the 506! The 282 is a pre-facelift model of this generation Maytag, so the silver trim is correct, as is the lighter colored dial. Do you have the serial #s for this new set, and for the others?

 

[opticalpopsicle]

Oh I should mention, this 512 has no bleach dispenser, none of mine do.

 

[qsd-dan]

Dryer disassembly, rear drum rollers, belt:



Glides:



Idler:

 

[DADoES]

The LA512 I have does have a chlorine bleach dispenser, which of course is a simple funnel that directs immediately into the outer tub for dilution as the wash water fills.

 

[hippiedoll]

CONGRATULATIONS...

On your 3rd 80's set of Maytags. They look to be in really good shape!

I hope they turn out to be in plug in & play condition for you.

WOOOOO HOOOOOO...


CONGRATULATIONS again!

 

[opticalpopsicle]

Yes, here are my serial numbers:

LA282 04 207778 XO
LA211 04 220020 XE
LA512 04 151335 VV

 

[opticalpopsicle]

qsd-Dan thanks for the videos! Do you have any videos of how to take apart a Maytag washing machine?

 

[qsd-dan]

LA282 04 207778 XQ July 1989

LA211 04 220020 XE March 1989

LA512 04 151335 VV Nov 1988

 

[electronicontrl]

Congratulations!

Congrats on your Maytag set!

 

[super32]

More matching

We have a few of those matching Maytags. Congratulation on your latest acquisition! (left-to-right) A matched set of A712/DE712"s, an A613, and a DG512.

On a side note, with having solar and the heat here in the NE, I have been trying to run the electric dryer (712) as much as possible. The solar will offset most of and/or more of the energy used and still charge the battery/batteries or feed back to the grid.

 

[combo52]

Gas dryer versus solar electric

Hi Scott, nice lineup of laundry equipment there.

I have also questioned as to whether it’s better to use my gas dryers or use electric ones I have 42 solar panels on the roof it’s a 12 kW system at peak output.

I figure it’s still better to use the gas dryers because it’s far more efficient use of gas since Around half of the electricity on the East Coast is generated by burning natural gas since they have to burn 2 to 3 times as much natural gas to generate electricity to run an electric dryer as is used by a gas dryer I figure I’m better off helping out my neighbors etc. with the efficient solar energy.

On an annual basis my 42 panels are generating twice the electricity I use in my home.

Scott what have you done about water heating to heat water for those water thirsty Toploader’s?

Has anybody else tried to figure out this equation as to the best way to do this.?

John L

 

[maytag85]

Reply #15

I kind have wondered the same thing since I have solar as well. I usually try to use my Maytag DG306 gas dryer in the summertime when the electric rates go up and try to use my electric dryers in the fall and wintertime when the gas rates go up. When I get my customized Maytag dryer all together, I might just put that into service one day since the HOH dryers only have a 4500 to 4800 watt heating element which will only pull power from the solar panels when nothing else is on in the house.

 

[combo52]

HOH Electric Dryers

Have a 4800 watt element usually rated at 230 volts depending on when the HOH dryer was built, so your dryer may deputing out over 5200 watts assuming your home has a normal 240 volts.

 

[super32]

Reply 15

We have a tankless gas on demand water heater. We also have 2 sets of the older full sized Bosch front load laundry that is not shown in the picture. The front load sets are the go to for most things.