New user from Ireland

[nilfiskga70]

Hello - My name is Peter, I am 53 and live in Limerick, Ireland. I work in factory maintenance but repaired appliances and small engines since I was a teen. My first 'proper' job was at a Nilfisk repair centre where I repaired Nilfisk industrial and domestic vacs & polishers, plus other makes of vac. Returned to college for an electronics diploma and spent a summer in 1990 in London - landed a summer job at a firm in Bradmore Park Road, Hammersmith, London called Kevlin Service Co - they were a major Hoover firm, based in 2 separate buildings with a basement that was like an Aladdin's cave of genuine Hoover spares. My job was reconditioning traded in Juniors, Seniors and Hoover washers. Loved that job and sad to have to return to finish college. I am also into classic cars and run a 1977 Triumph Dolomite 1300. Looking forward to sharing all my experience on the forum and reliving and making some memories.

 

[cfz2882]

welcome

you'll like hanging out around here

 

[unclejohn]

Welcome to the forum, Peter !

Hope you enjoy sharing in here and exchanging with others your experiences and remembrances. I am particularly interested in old Hoover washers, mostly twin
tub types. Must have been quite a thrill, that 'Aladdin's cave' full of spare parts...! : )

 

[hippiedoll]

Welcome!

I look forward to reading about your memories and hearing about your collection.
)

 

[chestermikeuk]

New User From Ireland

A warm welcome Peter to AW from across the water nr Liverpool, looking forward to hearing all your Hoover work related stories, especially the washing machines.Was always surprised by how big the Nilfisk brand was in Ireland most friends & family have them.

You are probably now going to be looking through the archives and many sleepless nights.

Enjoy, Mike ...

 

[vacbear58]

And another warm welcome from the UK East Midlands, I hope you enjoy reading all here and adding your experience and stories to the community. Several of our UK members run vintage cars including our good friend Ian who goes by the name "TriumphDolomite"

Al

 

[foraloysius]

And a warm welcome from the Netherlands too!

 

[keymatic3203]

Welcome from Cardiff

Just half hours drive from Hoover at Merthyr Tydfil, looking forward to reading your memories of appliances and what your working on these days.

I have a Nilfisk GM80 I found outside a shop and have been using regularly for going on 20years.

Mathew

 

[vacerator]

Yeah, welcome to our little fraternity!

If little is over 4,500 to 5,000 members. We run the gamut from millenials now, gen Xr's as yourself, to young seniors like me and on up. James May, co host from Top Gear lives in Hammersmith. They featured a Triumph Dolomite, and had one on the set. I have in-laws whose grandparents hailed form county Cork. They visited Ireland last summer. I have some Waterford myself, form Ireland, and Slovenia as well.
I'm also a car buff. Used to do my own work. My occupation was not mechanically related, but my dad was a major appliance tech for decades for the Sears retail company for laundry, dishawahers, sink disposers, and home trash compactors. I learned from dad, and wanted to help him start his own company as a teen, but mom wasn't having it. The man may be the head of house, but the wife is the neck, and the neck turns the head. "I think it was the health insurance issue for our family of seven." Dad had a lot of moonlight side customers anyhow, and sold refurbished machines from the garage.
I could tune the engine on my first car, a 1970 Chevrolet Kingswood wagon (Impala) 350 V8 4 barrel which had breaker point ignition with a dwell meter, plug gap gague, and a timing light. I'm a model railroader as well, European, and Marklin. Not many of those here.

 

[jetcone]

Welcome Peter

Glad you found us!! 

 

 

[supertwin59]

Welcome.

Hello Peter,

a warm welcome indeed. As soon as I saw NILFISK GA70 my eyes lit up. I like the washer site but the vintage vacs are my first love. Amongst my 106 vacs I have a near mint tellus R40, tellus g70; which just popped and died on me, complete nilfisk ga70, another ga70 with a lose fan (by the sound of things?) and inoperative speed control; two gs80s and a gs90.

When I have the courage I will attempt the dismantle them. The G range models with the speed controls are unknown territory for me.

Fellow members, forgive me for talking cleaners on automaticwasher.org.

Regards,
Walter (61 at end of month) Newport, Shropshire, West Mids, 67 miles from Al (Vacbear58).

 

[nilfiskga70]

Thanks all of you for your nice replies. I am working my last night shift tonight and off for a few days, so looking forward to putting up some material. Have found a few pics from home when I was growing up and behold, one of them taken in 1979 in our old kitchen shows the old Gala Hi-Speed cooker, GEC under-counter fridge and an ESGE Bamix hand-blender sitting in its wall mounted bracket, as well as a Krups twin-beater whisk. I also once repaired oil burners and have great memories of the cast-iron 3-section Potterton BOA-108 monster in our boiler shed, with a CTC burner (unusual as most of these had Selectos or Nu-Way units). Our laundry from 1972 to 1993 was looked after by an AEG Lavamat Princess-S washer and compact Minerva-25 dryer which Dad and I fixed whenever the need arose. They were accompanied by an Indesit dishwasher in 1981. Impressed by your Tellus, Supertwin59 - those must be made of unobtanium by now. I will be on the Vacuumland forum as well as I have a lot of Nilfisk memories, indeed, I was working with them when the 1000 watt GMD motor was released in 1989, eagerly remember opening up the motor of the first new GM80 we got into the shop for sale and marvelling at the length of its carbon brushes and the amount of heat from its exhaust! How I wish I had a crystal ball back then - all that lovely stuff to hold on to - even Dad's car at the time was a classy white Vauxhall Victor FD 1600 with sleek 'coke bottle' styling, red interior with front bench seat and the unusual slant-4 engine - never saw one like it at any classic car show.

 

[chestermikeuk]

"I Wish I Had A Crystal Ball Back Then"

Oh Peter if I had a pound for all of us that have spoken those words...

By your appliance history from above I think youll be well at home here !!

Heres one we are repairing at the moment !!

 

[foraloysius]

Oh lawdy Mike, that Lavamat is to die for! A Lavamat 2000 is a washer/dryer, right?

 

[nilfiskga70]

Lovely machine there - that Lavamat 2000 looks like a well built machine. It has the same type fascia and brand typeface as our old Princess-S washer and Minerva 25 dryer. I can't find any pics of those online but I will raid the family photo collection on the off-chance. Love the idea of the '2000' suffix - it lends a brand an air of modernity. AEG were ahead of Bill Gates with his 'Windows 2000' on that one!

 

[chestermikeuk]

AEG Lavamat Washer Dryer

Morning Louis

Yes it is the washer dryer version, or the "Bake Dry" as they called it, uses the three heating elements for the residual heat, no blower fan and then condenses the steam and pumps away the water. Really heavy best, this was found by Luke in Staffordshire and Al then purchased it for the "Electric Sink" to match the dishwasher & dryer he found in 2016.

 

[chestermikeuk]

AEG Lavamat Washer Dryer

Morning Peter , yes these designs really do stand the test of time in looks and branding, a really solid machine they are. Was it this style / model ?

I love how regal the names where, AEG Lavamat, Princess, Regina, Bella, Domina, Nova Regina and even a Lavamat Noris !!

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

Welcome Peter! Greetings from New York!

 

[vacerator]

Peter,

Chester Mike and that gang have it goin' on! When they have a "Wash In" they make it a holday event! The food, the friends, the machines!
Oh, the Vauxhall Victor from the late 60's and 70's was sold in Canada with left hand drive. We live near Detroit, and I used to see them around from and in Ontario.