Maytag makes prime time

[sudsmaster]

Here in Northern California the local utility company, PG&E, has been running conservation commercials. These are touting the fact (to an elderly man, in his basement) that customers can get a $75 rebate for replacing their old washer with a newer high efficiency model.

In the background I could see a harvest gold washer, with the unmistakable button pattern and faceted lower panel of a Maytag center-dial washer. The color bottom trim is blue, so I know it's a 606 or close relative. But the elderly gentleman's body is blocking view of the center dial. Finally, for a split second, he moves and there it is, a glorious center dial without the pilot light. So it must be... a 406 or lower end model. Anyway, although it's a shame that people are being urged to replace older washers with likely imported HE FL's, this also means that there will be more vintage washers up for grabs for us collectors.

 

[tolivac]

Yes,more machines unearthed for collectors-but that $75 isn't much to apply to the payment of a new HE machine-what a rook!The consumer would be better off to keep his old machine-esp if its a good one-and his old one just may outlast the "new" one that replaces it!!In some of the "appliance dump" pictures-remember mentions of new machines already "interred" there.At one of the swap shop dump piles out here-they were waiting for the "krusher" were many DD WP,KN,Neptunes,and "plastic" GE.Their dump piles were picked up regularly-they don't accumilate.

 

[harvestgold]

Electric company rebates

They do the same thing here in san diego especially for old refrigrators they give you $75.00 to turn in your old one, Big deal that won`t buy you Nothing!!! a new frige looks cool but they are all plastic junk anyway

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, it all makes sense for fridges that were made, say, between 1970 and about 1995. The thin-walled auto defrost models from that era are real energy guzzlers - usually consuming three times or more the energy of a modern fridge of the same capacity. Earlier thick walled manual defrost fridges probably have reasonable energy consumption, but then you get to enjoy tiny freezers and the defrost chore.