Oh how wonderful Austin, congratulations! It's always nice to have interchangeable agitators, I love that and I do that quite often with some of my machines! It keeps it interesting. 
Notice anything different?
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bosch2460
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Nice GE, Austin..... Its very similar to my sisters Filter Flo. Hers has the temps and two speeds on the toggles, and the ramped activator. I am not sure what year it is, though. I bought her the used, matching set over 3 years ago, and I know it washes thru about 15-20 loads a week and shows no signs of slowing down. I adore the straight vaned agitators....My aunts Dispensall had one, and could just sit and watch the entire cycle. Hers seemed to turnover pretty well...but I know they cant beat the ramped activators for turnover. But I just love the way the straight vanes whip up suds. I can still envision my aunts Dispensall washing, with suds oozing out of the lid and spilling over onto the floor. Have fun with your new machine!!!
Congrats Austin
Grew up with Filter Flo washers.
Boy was I in for a shock when I got a Maytag last year. No comparison to the sound of a Filter Flo. That tub brake...and the shaking of the cabinet during the spin.
No signs of that with the Maytag.
There is something about seeing how much lint was removed in the filter pan...Simply amazing machines!
Grew up with Filter Flo washers.
Boy was I in for a shock when I got a Maytag last year. No comparison to the sound of a Filter Flo. That tub brake...and the shaking of the cabinet during the spin.
No signs of that with the Maytag.
There is something about seeing how much lint was removed in the filter pan...Simply amazing machines!
Good to see another FF
Nice machine! My grandmother still uses her GE FF, circa 1978 or so. It is a MOL model, of unknown capacity, with a "white" straight-vane agitator. She just put on a new pump. I love that machine and although it may not be a Maytag, it will clean circles around just about anything else.
Great save,
Dave
Nice machine! My grandmother still uses her GE FF, circa 1978 or so. It is a MOL model, of unknown capacity, with a "white" straight-vane agitator. She just put on a new pump. I love that machine and although it may not be a Maytag, it will clean circles around just about anything else.
Great save,
Dave
~sudsshane
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Austin~
How exciting! Thanks for sharing the pics of your filter flo. Those were fantastic machines! I would love to get my hands on one.
Happy washing!
~Shane
How exciting! Thanks for sharing the pics of your filter flo. Those were fantastic machines! I would love to get my hands on one.
Happy washing!
~Shane
~sudsshane
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Austin~
Where did you find Bold Plus?.I had no idea P&G even made that detergent anymore. That was a very good brand.
Where did you find Bold Plus?.I had no idea P&G even made that detergent anymore. That was a very good brand.
Outstanding washer, Austin, it has the speed selector and everything! It looks like you’ve already taken care of the lid switch. Smart move, and thanks for the clear pictures of the control panel. How is the roll over with the strait vain agitator?
Jeff
Jeff
brettsomers
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no youtube vid, austin? the str8-vane agi would be cool to see in action. is that why you wanted standard capacity?
Congrats, Austin! Thanks for all the great pictures, too. There's nothing like a Filter-Flo and it's great you can change-out the agitator whenever you feel like it. One of my friends had a FF when I was in college and I remember water backflushing into the bleach dispenser on that one, too. Must be a common trait with them.
Nice find, Austin. You really have a great collection.
mayken4now
Well-known member
Cool Austin. Hey, wonder if you could try the "mini basket" water level without the mini basket in it. Bet the spalsh action would drench you.
I have aquired a Filter Flo as well. Mine leaks all over the floor when spinning. I am not sure if I will keep it. Gyrafoam and I fooled with it for about 2 hours one day, and I was over it.
Steve
I have aquired a Filter Flo as well. Mine leaks all over the floor when spinning. I am not sure if I will keep it. Gyrafoam and I fooled with it for about 2 hours one day, and I was over it.
Steve
Austin, Congratulations on the GE. GE washers were always more exciting than WP-KM machines in my book; the water splashing into the filter pan and the way the solid tub GEs would spin drain then stop, pause and spin again. While the pause was to help kill suds, it had to be there because from the start of Activation up until that point, the motor circuit ran through the water level switch in the collector basin in the outer tub. After all of the water was pumped out of the basin, it caused the switch to reset and the machine to stop, then the rest of the spin was directly between the timer contacts and the motor. I liked all of the GE's pauses, even if they did make the cycle last forever. I think I liked almost any machine with a spin drain (except the AMP which you could not watch) better than a neutral drain, although I would not pass up an opportunity to watch a WP Surgilator or a straight vane KM agitator to compare it with our big Roto Swirl.
GEs would spin drain then stop, pause and spin again.
Tom,
Thanks for that info. I always wondered why my grandmother's GE did that. Now I understand why.
Very interesting.
Tom,
Thanks for that info. I always wondered why my grandmother's GE did that. Now I understand why.
Very interesting.
I remember my mom's 52 GE washer doing that. I thought it was to settle the clothes down away from the top of the tub. GE washers were known for small articles of clothing going past the clothes guard and into the outer tub. Sometimes just blocking the drain outlet, sometimes wrapping around the pump impeller.
With all the water they use, the FF machines were very thorough at their tasks. Congrats!
westytoploader
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Thanks everyone! This machine is really growing on me, especially because of the color (so much "louder" than the gold color of the 1-18 next to it, which is more of a sunny yellow than anything) and the fact that the stream is considerably less splashy than the Dispensall. I think that even after I change out the pump on that machine, I'm keeping "Goldie" in to play for a while. Tom, very interesting information as well...I never knew that the solid-tubs paused during spin. Although I didn't really pay much attention to Greg's 1960 solid-tub at the Convention so I never saw it pause.
Vintagesearch, the problem with GEs rusting (and mildewing) under the lid, top, and whatever else is the fact that with the lid left down, nothing can dry out. With that design, the top and outer tub are completely sealed from the cabinet. On other machines (such as a DD Whirlpool or later plastic GE), both the cabinet and tub assembly aren't sealed from the top, so most of them don't have this type of problem. The best thing to do with any machine, though, is to just leave the lid up for a day or two so everything can dry out properly. That's what I do with mine.
Baja, beautiful coppertone 70's model you have there. The "Extra Large Capacity" designation means an 18-pound tub, while "Large Capacity" is the 14 lb. (I believe) like mine. I'll go down there and get the model number and the serial number to post. If anyone has an 80's GE date code book and can determine the date, please post it! I tried it with my 78-80 book and it said June of '78, which is way off! I guess they re-used the first two letters of the serial number (which on mine is LD) over the years.
Shane, I got the email you sent me about the varieties of Fresh Start and I'll be replying after I post this! As for Bold Plus, the last time I was at our local store (before the October wash-in) to stock up on detergent, it was still on the shelves. I'll go back and look (hey, any excuse for me to pick up much more detergent and FS than I need, LOL), and if it's still there, let me know if you want a box or two. It's a great (if a little sudsy) detergent with a pleasant, not too overpowering scent.
Jeff and David, the 4-vane large-capacity Activator in the Dispensall has AWESOME turnover, so I thought that theoretically this one shouldn't do badly either. Before I tried it, I was talking to Steve R/Gyrafoam and he described this agitator as "worthless." I'd say that's pretty much how it is! Lots of splashing and thrashing, but NO turnover whatsoever, not even on the load of soft darks I put in there (no jeans). Needless to say the ramp went back in very quickly, and the straight-vane was banished to the shelf again. Makes a better decoration than anything, LOL.
Steve, I guess with perforated-tub GEs you either love 'em or hate 'em, especially since they are the polar opposite of a Maytag or a 50's Blackstone (the epitome of smoothness), whereas others (like Whirlpool, Westinghouse, etc.) fall in the middle of the spectrum. If someone likes loud, aggressive, shaky, and splashy machines (like Gary said earlier), then they'll LOVE a GE. These types of machines are my favorite, so I love mine (even if the Dispensall does like to throw water on the machines next to it). The only thing I really don't care about on a GE is the general design. Sure, it may be easy to work on, but other than that, it leaves a lot to be desired. There are MANY leak-prone areas; pulling the inner tub is a must when inspecting it. I siliconed the hell out of mine so it should be OK. With yours, there could be a number of possiblities. Holes in the side of the outer tub, a bad top seal, a bad overflow port, etc. Best thing to do is to raise the top, pull the inner tub, and thoroughly examine any trace of a leak! I ran the Mini-Basket setting on mine, and while it's a little higher than the one in the Dispensall, it's still low and doesn't cause that much splashing. In Tucson last year, I was checking out the water level on Roger's GE, and that one was much higher than usual. When the clutch snapped to 100 OPM, the ramp shot water out way above the lid opening!
--Austin
Vintagesearch, the problem with GEs rusting (and mildewing) under the lid, top, and whatever else is the fact that with the lid left down, nothing can dry out. With that design, the top and outer tub are completely sealed from the cabinet. On other machines (such as a DD Whirlpool or later plastic GE), both the cabinet and tub assembly aren't sealed from the top, so most of them don't have this type of problem. The best thing to do with any machine, though, is to just leave the lid up for a day or two so everything can dry out properly. That's what I do with mine.
Baja, beautiful coppertone 70's model you have there. The "Extra Large Capacity" designation means an 18-pound tub, while "Large Capacity" is the 14 lb. (I believe) like mine. I'll go down there and get the model number and the serial number to post. If anyone has an 80's GE date code book and can determine the date, please post it! I tried it with my 78-80 book and it said June of '78, which is way off! I guess they re-used the first two letters of the serial number (which on mine is LD) over the years.
Shane, I got the email you sent me about the varieties of Fresh Start and I'll be replying after I post this! As for Bold Plus, the last time I was at our local store (before the October wash-in) to stock up on detergent, it was still on the shelves. I'll go back and look (hey, any excuse for me to pick up much more detergent and FS than I need, LOL), and if it's still there, let me know if you want a box or two. It's a great (if a little sudsy) detergent with a pleasant, not too overpowering scent.
Jeff and David, the 4-vane large-capacity Activator in the Dispensall has AWESOME turnover, so I thought that theoretically this one shouldn't do badly either. Before I tried it, I was talking to Steve R/Gyrafoam and he described this agitator as "worthless." I'd say that's pretty much how it is! Lots of splashing and thrashing, but NO turnover whatsoever, not even on the load of soft darks I put in there (no jeans). Needless to say the ramp went back in very quickly, and the straight-vane was banished to the shelf again. Makes a better decoration than anything, LOL.
Steve, I guess with perforated-tub GEs you either love 'em or hate 'em, especially since they are the polar opposite of a Maytag or a 50's Blackstone (the epitome of smoothness), whereas others (like Whirlpool, Westinghouse, etc.) fall in the middle of the spectrum. If someone likes loud, aggressive, shaky, and splashy machines (like Gary said earlier), then they'll LOVE a GE. These types of machines are my favorite, so I love mine (even if the Dispensall does like to throw water on the machines next to it). The only thing I really don't care about on a GE is the general design. Sure, it may be easy to work on, but other than that, it leaves a lot to be desired. There are MANY leak-prone areas; pulling the inner tub is a must when inspecting it. I siliconed the hell out of mine so it should be OK. With yours, there could be a number of possiblities. Holes in the side of the outer tub, a bad top seal, a bad overflow port, etc. Best thing to do is to raise the top, pull the inner tub, and thoroughly examine any trace of a leak! I ran the Mini-Basket setting on mine, and while it's a little higher than the one in the Dispensall, it's still low and doesn't cause that much splashing. In Tucson last year, I was checking out the water level on Roger's GE, and that one was much higher than usual. When the clutch snapped to 100 OPM, the ramp shot water out way above the lid opening!
--Austin
GE Filter Flo's
Nice Filter Flo Austin! Looks to be in mint condition for the land of rust too!
The FF does a great job on cleaning, but they are water hogs, and a bit rough on clothes. I use my 64 FF mostly for "car towels" ect. Things that are REALLY dirty. They are great for washing sheets and blankets also, as they do not tangle, even if you wind the material around the Activator.
I will be selling my FF soon. Hate to see it go, but same old story.... Running out of room, for new arrivals. <:
Nice Filter Flo Austin! Looks to be in mint condition for the land of rust too!
The FF does a great job on cleaning, but they are water hogs, and a bit rough on clothes. I use my 64 FF mostly for "car towels" ect. Things that are REALLY dirty. They are great for washing sheets and blankets also, as they do not tangle, even if you wind the material around the Activator.
I will be selling my FF soon. Hate to see it go, but same old story.... Running out of room, for new arrivals. <:
Something happened to the later perforated tub FFs. They did get noisier and shakier than the earlier models. Don't know if thinner grade metal was used in the cabinet or what, but there is a world of difference between one from the 60s and one from the 80s. GE found a cheaper way of making them, for sure.
Austin,
I found the same exact machine last year. Mine is boring white. But I was lucky enough to get the minibasket and fabric softener dispenser with it though. Mine was absolutely filthy--- and full of mildew. I had to soak everything in bleach, then wash the whole thing down with bleach and then spray it down with Lysol. It took me almost 2 days to get it clean. Unfortunately, it still has a mildew smell. It always amazes me how people let these machines get so bad--- then wash their clothes in them. Simply disgusting !!!
I found the same exact machine last year. Mine is boring white. But I was lucky enough to get the minibasket and fabric softener dispenser with it though. Mine was absolutely filthy--- and full of mildew. I had to soak everything in bleach, then wash the whole thing down with bleach and then spray it down with Lysol. It took me almost 2 days to get it clean. Unfortunately, it still has a mildew smell. It always amazes me how people let these machines get so bad--- then wash their clothes in them. Simply disgusting !!!
Very nice machine...
I just restored an identical, including color, machine over the last few months. It is a WWA-7070-BAL[AD], circa 1981. That machine worked continuously for 25 years and was never serviced until the oilite motor bushings finally ran out of lubricant last fall. Amazing.
Congrats!
I just restored an identical, including color, machine over the last few months. It is a WWA-7070-BAL[AD], circa 1981. That machine worked continuously for 25 years and was never serviced until the oilite motor bushings finally ran out of lubricant last fall. Amazing.
Congrats!
