Our little semi-scientific towel test!

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Kevin,

Great test. Interesting way to compare that beautiful pair of vintage appliances to the upstart newcomers! Well documented as always.

I'm curious what the difference in the spin basket diameters is between the two washers, isn't the front loader's larger? Perhaps the actual spin G-Forces may be close. Did one or the other show a clear superiority in extraction?

Phil
 
Eugene, I also wish they'd change their actual logo. Either something like the '55 script that was revisited in the recent years or even better, the wide block letters used from 1957 to the mid-seventies. 

 

Here on a '58 range



 

And on a refrigerator that was made in France. 

philr++1-29-2013-18-08-47.jpg
 
That was a lot of fun doing the test with Kevin. I felt like we worked for Consumer Reports! I knew the 55 set would win. Nothing like that steam drying of a condenser dryer for fluffy sweet towels.

Robert, Greg and Bob - I know you guys weren't surprised!

Eugene - good idea to retest and isolate the dryers and determine how much difference the Filtrator dryer makes by itself. Kevin already called me to schedule another towel test. We'll wash all 8 towels in the front loader and then split the load into 4 towels each into the electric Filtrator and gas 06 model.

Jon - wish you had been here too! We had a great time. I even let Kevin clean out the lint in the Filtrator with the official lint brush! Ha! Did you notice the cap on the pulsator?
 
Might it be possible

that a less severe extraction would result in an even taller, fluffier stack of towels? (not to mention the more thorough

washing action EASY-ly available in other, more proven brand names!!!!!)

 

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I would be willing to risk a small bet that even loads washed in the new machine would be softer and fluffier if dried in the Filtrator, but you have to look at the economics of drying in a Filtrator. The Filtrator, while rated at less wattage per hour than a modern dryer because of its two 2200 watt heating elements, takes longer to dry than a regular air flow dryer and at much higher temperatures because it cannot condense the steam as fast as it is evaporated, but it is the steam that makes the fluffy and oh-so-soft results. The ozone contained in the almost closed system combines with the fragrance of boiled cotton, and they do dry at temperatures above the boiling point at their higher settings, to make that wonderful Filtrator Fragrance. In the winter, the heat given off by the Filtrator is welcome, as is the humidity, so you at least recover the heat you are paying for.

Any condensing combo will produce the same fluffy, soft results. We have talked about having a drying contest among the combos in the museum with each of them being loaded with an identical load spun out to a uniform degree of dampness to see how quickly they dry. Given good, cold water, most condenser combos condense faster than the Filtrator. With a water condensing dryer, however, you have to save the water it heats, which is just right for warm water washing, to get the benefit of the heat used for drying.
 
This is a great thread..

Thank you, Kevin and Rich.  So the humidity in the filtrator is like a spa for towels?  Would the newfangled steam cycle dryers recreate the same drying environment?   arthur

 
 
Well, there is no newer version of the Filtrator and if there were, it would probably be plastered with warning stickers. The dryer gets so hot inside you could get steam burns if your face was over the door when you opened it. I remember a line from the GE combo manual warning the user to keep clear of the initial swirl of "hot, moisture-laden air" when the door was opened during the dry cycle. That was putting it very diplomatically. It was more like steam that would blister your skin.

The Filtrator, like my Duomatic was great for steaming the wrinkles out of a suit coat or blazer. All I did was toss it in with a very damp towel for a few minutes and the steam did its magic.
 
The last year for the Filtrator (at least here in Canada) was 1967. I wish I had one of these. In 1961, they were redesigned and like other Frigidaire vented dryers, they began using 27" cabinets. 
 
Wish I Had a Time Machine

I would travel back to Marvin Adams Appliances in Thomaston, GA, June 1967. I remember being allowed to go into the attic of the appliance store. It was FILLED with washers, including at least two 1955 Unimatics and 1961/62 TOL machines, and one brand new 1967 with the Jet Cone Agitator. I remember that the 61/62 machines had grey agitators with the turquoise caps and the pink and yellow chaser rings. The 1955 machines had black agitators just like the one in the above picture.

I wonder if these machines are in a barn or shed or junk yard in Upson County somewhere. It's just possible they might be. I think I'll make some inquiries. I know there's a junk yard with some 1950's vintage automobiles, including a 1956 DeSoto with a Hemi engine and Factory AC. I remember it was owned by Alton Odom, who owned and ran the Ritz Theatre there, which is still operating, and on the National Historical Register. Mr. Odom is no longer with us.
 
Extraction G-Force

I was curious about the relative G-forces that these two machines develop during spin. I'm not sure that extraction plays into this test in any major way. Also relative extraction will depend on other factors such as spin duration and basket design etc. Still I wanted to crunch the numbers as I guessed that the front loader had a larger diameter basket which might offset the higher RPM of the Unimatic.

The formula for those that want to know is:

G-Force = 1.12 x Basket Radius (in mm) x (RPM/1000)^2

The Unimatic has a basket radius of 254mm compared to the front loader's slightly larger 282 mm. With respective assumed spin speeds of 1140 vs 1000 RPM the calculated G force is:

Unimatic - 370 G
2006 FL - 316 G

Of course looking at the formula G-force relates to the square of the RPM so increases in spin speed increase G-forces faster then increases in the basket diameter do.

It would be interesting get a weight comparison of the towels after extraction to see if theory and practice meet. It likely has no bearing on the fluffiness test, but it is a curious comparison in itself.
 
Steamers

Another good test result there team, Rich is this your 2nd Frgidaire set now?, they look really nice matches side by side, kevin do you ahve a Frigidaire FL set?

It seems that if you need the test to be with this very hot running Filtrator, then moisture content will come into it, the more moisture left in the clothes the more steam there will be, I bet 800 / 1000rpm with be about right, if it was out of a spinner or 1600rpm spinner then the dryer will quickly evaportate the moisture without the full steaming effect..

Many of the new condenser dryers heat up to steaming point in 10`s of minutes, if you opened the door and shook the steaming clothes almost dry and then pop them back you would reduce the drying time considerably, probably the same with the filtrator, thats if you could hold the clothing according to how they work!!
 
Hi Mike!

Yes, this is my second front load set. We gave the first set to my son when he moved out on his own. Kevin actually has this same Frigidaire Gallery washing machine in his huge laundry collection and likes it alot.

I know what you mean about shaking out the steamy items out of a condenser dryer. The towels almost feel damp, and scalding hot, when you take them out of the Filtrator. After a couple good shakes they cool down and feel bone dry. The cool down on the Filtrator timer is only about 8 minutes and given the temperature it reaches, that is not really enough. Modern dryers bring clothes down to room temp...not this beast! But I love it. I grew up with this exact model.

I had been touting "Filtrated" towels to Kevin for a while...and so this test was devised. We also did a load of towels he brought from home through the 1955 set so he could luxuriate back at home in the bath with sweet fluffy towels.
:-D
 

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