Condenser drying and mercury switches
In this early dryer there was no fan in the condensing system, just a spray of water to condense the steam. The cold water, the condensate and the lint were pumped down the drain. This early design was refined quite a bit in later styles of the condenser dryer. Maytag water dryers as they were called, had a blower that circulated the steamy air through the condensation chamber and a lint filter. Maytag also refined the drying termperature control system. In this first machine, the temperatures tended to soar once the load was dry. In a test report, the temperature reached 230 after an hour on high heat. Since it took 40 to 50 minutes to dry a load, setting it for an hour of drying time was not beyond what might reasonably happen.
The AMP washers were not pulled from service because of the mercury in the lid switch. The mercury was sealed in glass and not easily accessible. The wiring in the lid to make the machine work had to have good insulation against moisture. In the time period in which the machines were made, that meant using rubber insulation. Unfortunately heat affects rubber, hastening its natural interaction with oxygen in the air and the fumes from chlorine bleach which easily entered the lid through the hole for the "belly button' water level switch. Eventually these heavily insulated wires became stiff and slightly deformed in shape which threw the mercury switches slightly out of position so that they did not work properly. By that time new machines offered a larger tub and more features so there was not so much of an incentive for the original owners to repair the AMPs. Also, by that many years, the very caustic laundry detergents of the time had usually done a number on the aluminum parts of the machine so rebuilding them was often not a cheap undertaking for selling them second-hand.
In this early dryer there was no fan in the condensing system, just a spray of water to condense the steam. The cold water, the condensate and the lint were pumped down the drain. This early design was refined quite a bit in later styles of the condenser dryer. Maytag water dryers as they were called, had a blower that circulated the steamy air through the condensation chamber and a lint filter. Maytag also refined the drying termperature control system. In this first machine, the temperatures tended to soar once the load was dry. In a test report, the temperature reached 230 after an hour on high heat. Since it took 40 to 50 minutes to dry a load, setting it for an hour of drying time was not beyond what might reasonably happen.
The AMP washers were not pulled from service because of the mercury in the lid switch. The mercury was sealed in glass and not easily accessible. The wiring in the lid to make the machine work had to have good insulation against moisture. In the time period in which the machines were made, that meant using rubber insulation. Unfortunately heat affects rubber, hastening its natural interaction with oxygen in the air and the fumes from chlorine bleach which easily entered the lid through the hole for the "belly button' water level switch. Eventually these heavily insulated wires became stiff and slightly deformed in shape which threw the mercury switches slightly out of position so that they did not work properly. By that time new machines offered a larger tub and more features so there was not so much of an incentive for the original owners to repair the AMPs. Also, by that many years, the very caustic laundry detergents of the time had usually done a number on the aluminum parts of the machine so rebuilding them was often not a cheap undertaking for selling them second-hand.
