My 1st Maytag Automatics

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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macboy91si

macboy91si

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Jan 10, 2009
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Location
Frankfort, KY
So today marks the beginning of a new era for me. Today I enter the world of Maytag. I have Maytag appliances, an N2L wringer and the Porta-Pair but no full-size automatics. That changed today, and the only thing I could muster up was "why didn't I get a Tag sooner?". They are in great shape, it was about 90 miles away, but things went smooth, just me and the trusty old Nissan pickup. The dryer is a DE309, Dec. 1979, timed and auto-cycles; the washer is an A407 S1, March 1976, Fabric-Matic with a 30 minute soak. I did some cleaning on the washer and dryer but they needed minimal detail. I bypassed the lid switch on the washer so I could watch though.

So here they are!

macboy91si++10-15-2011-19-35-33.jpg
 
Tim, remember, the dryer has two heat settings--heated is low temp and then air fluff.  And congratulations on a beautiful set!!!
 
Thoughts

Pete: Happy belated birthday and thanks for the scan!

Bob: I realized this earlier when I was looking at the machine. Does the normal cycle do any cool down at all?

My thoughts on the set are good. I think they're pretty versatile machines. The only thing I don't like about the washer, and it's not a "dislike", but more of a "why not", is the lack of a low speed for delicates. That said, for a 1-speed machine, it's very flexible I think. One neat thing that I found out about the washer was that the HOT water setting gives a warm rinse automatically, not something I use much, but kinda neat. If I ever need to Soak anything I could not have found a better machine, one whole half of the timer is SOAK. One thing I don't get though is why there are 2 soaks, one is like 30 minutes and there is a smaller increment marked SOAK ONLY, not sure about that one.

The dryer is one of my favorite combination in the Maytag lineup from the day. I always said if I had a Maytag set ever, particularly the dryer, it would be a 40x or 30x because these have time and auto-dry. I don't think I could have lucked out better personally for these. I am very happy. The dryer has a good capacity and seems to dry fairly quickly which is also a plus.

Thanks Gadget Gary for the initial post of all of these machines that sparked this trip to get these!

-Tim
 
Tim, the soak only is just that.  It fils with water, agitates for aocuple of minutes and then soaks until you decide to advance the timer to the damp dry setting to drian out the machine.  the 30 minute soak is all automatic and ends with a spin period.  The delicate cycle works like this.  Load the machine about 1/2 to 3/4 full at the most and use the highest water level.  Set the timer at the 10 minute mark with the delicate button pushed in.  the washer will fill, soak, agitate at the 8 minute mark for aminute, soak for 4 more minutes, agitate again for a minute, then soak, spin with spray rinse, fill for rinse cycle and have a shortened agitate period for rinse, and then will advance through a shortened damp dry period also.  the final spin period is shortened also for Perm Press.   Remember, this is the machine that was used in commercial laundromats with the 6 position fabric selector knob.  It was Maytag's way of getting a machine that had a delicate setting to satisfy customer's desire for such a setting and not have the expense of a 2-speed motor.  Speed Queens of the time had a gentle agitationn on the fabric selector, but all spins were thenormal spin speed.

 

Tim, the only difference between the two auto dry cycles is the Perm Prss cycle has a longer cooldown period of around 10-13 minutes.  the regular cycle has a cooldown period of only about 4-6 minutes.  also, if the dryer does have a buzzer, then it will sound during the cooldown phase as a reminder to come get the clothes when it finishes. 
 
 

 

Hey Tim, those look AWESOME!   CONGRATS!   And yes.... what took you SO LONG???   LOL

 

I'm VERY pleased to hear you are so happy with them!   I'm sure you will enjoy them for a very long time!

 

There is nothing like the sound of one of the "original" Maytags!

 

Congrats again!

Kevin

 
 
Tim

Congrats on your new additions.

And you are more than welcome for the scans.

I too have a preference for Maytag.

It happened during the 2007 AZ wash-in.

I was never the same(LOL).

 

Love my two 806's, 712 and 108.

 

Maytags are really workhorses!

 

Best of luck Tim.

 
 
Very nice!

You will more than likely have years of trouble-free service!

It's good that they are nice and close to the water heater.
 
Congratulations Tim!
I did not know that you had space or connections for full sized machines. I fugured that was why you were so interested in the small, portable sutff. I Hope you have years of enjoyment from them.
 
Congrats on some nice machines! Those are some of the most commonly seen models around here. Single speeds were very popular for the homeowner who didn't care for all the options in the washer yet wanted a few for the dryer. Very clean! Make sure you check your dampers as a preventative on the washer...

RCD
 
I loves me some center dial Maytags!  You have a pair of beautiful machines that will provide you with many years of enjoyment combined with reliable service and the associated soundtrack of superior build quality. 
 
Thanks

Thanks everyone for the comments, I am really thrilled with these. They are no perfect, small things to work out on the washer and dryer, but they work and are a great example of how far a little care can go in the long run.

John, I'm posting the "other" find now, I had to get the pics off my camera as I didn't have that handy when I posted the Maytag pics, which I posted from my phone.

Martin, yes, it's a nice machine for a 1-speed, I was surprised that it was a 1-speed in fact. As I said earlier, it's a very versatile 1-speed machine, and the cycle modifier buttons are a neat way to do this. The Perm. Press cycle is very interesting.

Mike, Happy belated birthday and yes, compared to the porta-washer (which I also have) these are like Cadillacs. The washer is very smooth and I like the sound it makes. I bypassed the lid switch so I could study the wash action, and it's very reminiscent of the wringer action with the "wave". It also has no issues turning over a load. I washed a large fleece blanket in it and it had no issue whatsoever, but as I recall the GE FF did have some issue with it.

Ralph, I intend to enjoy these for a while. They will be daily drivers for 2 people and I feel that they would have any issues out of the norm.

Tom, the case with the portables partially stemmed from space, but mostly it's my preference, I like smaller machines for some reason. I think the 24" machines are just neat or twin-tubs.

Andy: I will be chatting with you very soon! Thanks

-Tim
 
Tim -

Those are SPECTACULAR looking machines. Best part of this thread is how happy you seem with them! Its neat how one person's discard is another's treasure. I am sure we all know that here many times over.

I'm really glad you've got a full-size set now to use, and glad that you gave an MT set a GREAT home!

Congrats, and many happy uses with them Tim!

Gordon
 
1-speed

Yogi and the rest, see my reply #10 above for the fairly detailed description of the cycles!!!  (If you haven't alreqdy read that and missed my explanation). 
 

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