NuTone Dishwasher

[reactor]

in West Virginia

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[reactor]

correction

Virgina...not W. Virginia

 

[bigalsf]

Whirlpool Clone?

This could possibly be an early 60’s rebadged Whirlpool based on the look and placement of the door handle and timer knob. Also the base assembly and fill flume resemble Whirlpool, but I cannot get a clear enough image.

Any other thoughts? Never saw a Nutone.

 

[appnut]

Alan, would this be a wash-arm model or the impeller one? Neighbors next door had the Whirlpool impeller version.

 

[bigalsf]

It would be a wash arm model, early to mid 60’s. With this series Whirlpool has completely redesigned the cabinet and chassis. They also introduced their first vertical wash pump (the Filterstream pump). It was the first time the iconic big round white filter was used. The lower rack was changed quite a bit to what you see even now in some of the tall tub models. The upper rack, however, remained with the angled tines, but to the left. The change to right angle design was later in the series.

Sorry to go on so long!

 

[appnut]

I don't consider that long. Thank you for the information.

 

[combo52]

Whirl pool built Nutone dishwasher

Never saw a Nutone branded Whirlpool dishwasher before but that dishwasher is all whirlpool whirlpool came out with that line of dishwashers it was an all new design in 1964 and continued that style for several more years.

John. L

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Is it an over-the-range model or does it mount in a ceiling or wall?

Unusual for something like a dishwasherto be a Nutone, so is it likely any any other major appliances to make a full-set, could have ever similarly branded as such?

-- Dave

 

[reactor]

NuTone

NuTone products have an interesting history. NuTone products was based in Cincinnati, Ohio not far from where I grew up in Dayton. NuTone was legendary in the area and we were quite proud of them. They had a msassive manufacturing facility in Cincinati.

The owner and originator Ralph Corbett produced the first doorbell. Prior to NuTone people just had buzzers. They grew and grew into all manner of "built-in" products.

After Ralph died his widow gave millions to the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, with a bulding named in her husbands honor..

Not only did NuTone make doorbells, but "built-in" doorbells. My parent's house, built in '54, had one. All you saw on the wall was a flush mounted brushed aluminum grill with a white perforated panel. (You can see one on "I Love Lucy" where Lucy and Ethel hold the raffle drawing for their manufactured charity at a local hardware store, in the episode "Ricky's European Booking." In the background you can see a display of NuTone doorbells, including the flush mounted built-in model.)

They quickly produced other built-in products such as the kitchen and bath exhaust fans. Their had a unique built-in blender/ mixer. It had a power unit built flush into the kitchen counter top. You just sat the blender, or mixer, or knife sharpener unit onto it when you needed it.

In the late fifties and through the seventies they produced more home intercoms than any other brand.

They then progressed into central vacuums and all but cornered the market for a while.

Keeping in line with their "built-in" products, I supposed they felt the dishwasher fit their image and contracted RCA Whirlpool to badge their units with the NuTone name.

Sadly, as with many companies now days, the NuTone company was bought and sold several times. It is now owned by Broan.

But for a few decades NuTone shined bright in the home built-in products area.

 

[appnut]

The house my parents bought September 1961 had the NuTone built-in kitchen center; an intercom system; and a doorbell that could be set to play the usual "ding dong" or a melody, which my parents always had it set to play, which ended up being 8 notes/dings. Houses on both sides had the intercom as well as the house across the street.

 

[reactor]

Bob's NuTone house

That must have been an impressive home back in '61, Bob! Was the intercom a NuTone? How did your mom like her built-in NuTone food center?

With a food center, intercom and programmable doorbell your house most certainly must have also come with a disposal and dishwasher. Correct? What brands were they.

 

[appnut]

Barry every house that I went into on that street had NuTone intercome systems. The street was the Parade of Homes for spring, 1961 for Houston from what I understand. After we moved in, my mom took great "delight" in using the intercome system to wake us up for school. The Kitchen center had the blender, knife sharpener, and meat grinder. My mom used the meat grinder to grind up left over roasts and turn that into sandwiches (one of my few childhood food nightmares). Mom was impatient with the meat grinder nd eventually it stripped the gears of the motor module. My ad was quite pissed and he wouldn't have it fixed because she'd probably ruin it again. He loved using the blender and knife sharpener though.

The garbage disposer was an O'Keefe & Merrit as was the dishwasher (same as the Dual Drench Tappan). My dad swapped out that dishwasher with our 1960 Waste King we brought from our old house and put the OK&M in our old house. While the home tour was in progress, it also had a gas refrigerator. Our next door neighbors kept the fridge that was in their house, a Norge with ice maker. Our house also had an Arkla Servel gas central heating and air conditioning system. When we looked at the house, I remember it still had the Maytag washer & dryer (gas) in the laundry room.

There have been 2 or 3 owners of the house since my parents sold it in 2002. The kitchen was remodeled and a gas cook top was put on the wall that butted up against the dining room, which happened to be where the fridge was when we lived there. So it was convenient to put a gas cooktop there and remove the peninsula where our cooktop was.

 

[seedub]

Scovill

Barry, what was the Scovill Industries period about? For awhile, Hamilton Beach and then NuTone were under that umbrella. Was there a buyout? A merger?

The family built our dream house - a wood and moss rock A-Frame - in 1977; the builder installed a NuTone Scovill intercom system, but the doorbell and the ventilator fans in the baths were Broan.

A year earlier, we toured a Parade of Homes entry that had one of the Hamilton Beach Scovill food processors that disappeared into countertops: one removed a flush-mounted cover, and pulled the unit up into place; fascinating.

 

[reactor]

NuTone/Scovill

Bob,

That is cool your parents utilized their intercom and Nutone kitchen center--although I think I would balk a little, too, at a ground up roast sandwich for lunch, ha. No wonder your home was so nice since it was on a Parade of Homes Street.

I didn't realize you grew up in Houston--that must have been exciting with Houston that being one of the nation's oil industry centers AND with the NASA space center complex being built there shortly after you moved in! I occasionally look at online houses in the Timber Cove development on Clear Lake outside of Houston. I doubt if I'll ever move there, but that is my dream location. Did you and your family live near that area?

Chris,

From what I understand, when Mr. Corbett died his wife didn't want to run the business and sold it off--that's when she made the very large charitable donations with the proceeds she received. Scovill was the purchaser. I believe Mrs. Corbett insisted, in the purchase contract, that the NuTone name her husband created be kept in perpetuity. That is why you saw NuTone/Scovill on the name badges until the next buyout when the sole name NuTone returned.

There have been at least two other companies, that I know of, that have purchased NuTone since then, they also purchased Broan. That is why many of the Broan and NuTone products (such as range hoods, etc.) are identical units with just different name badges on them. Also much (but not all) of the Cincinnati manufacturing is now gone and they contract other companies to make many of their products, some (of course) in China.

 

[norgeway]

Nutone

Also built a electric range that was a very interesting thing, the oven and cooktop had built in ventilation.

 

[mickeyd]

Fascinating and funny discussion ~

Nutone was part of my childhood too, but it was like Sunbeam, making small appliances. Always thought their stuff was really cool, and I loved their name. A few other companies that made a familiar name in other venues would contract a large appliance operation to make washers, etc. but I can't recall at the moment, which ones. Anyone remember? Bet Bob will.

Now for a light-hearted Monday Morning:

Good laugh over Bob's mom inventing all beef Spam.

Forgot there was really a place called Lynchburg. Are they going to change the name ?

Little wonder Whirlpool DW's would appear in Lynchburg except under an alias ;'D