Photo of Preway Dishwasher...

[chachp]

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">...What?  Tammy Grimes is in the photo too?  Gee.  Didn't notice.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">Are these the machines that had the wash arms on the sides and heated the water with gas?</span>

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[appnut]

Yes, precisely Ralph.

 

[chachp]

I fond this scan of the interior.

<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva;">I downloaded the brochure and found this photo of the interior.  Seems awkward to me.  I guess they weren't a big hit?</span>

 

[bajaespuma]

Would love to find one of these somewhere.

She would have looked a lot more like Agnes Moorehead's daughter than Montgomery, but I'm not complaining.

 

[delaneymeegan]

So.... a dishwasher that required a chimney?

And I'm guessing it was a standing pilot?

No portable version of this, I'm sure.

 

[tomturbomatic]

No pilot. No chimney. A combustion tube ran diagonally across the sump When the burner was ignited to heat the wash and final rinse, a spark plug provided the flash for the bang which vented out the front at toe level so you did not want to have a throw rug too near it nor did you want to be standing there at the moment of ignition. The final rinse was heated to 180F, which was not great for plastics, not that most pitchers or non-dish-shaped objects would fit into those regimented loading pattern racks anyway, and for drying, the door eeked open a few inches to flash dry the dishes.

 

[gansky1]

A friend here in town sent me some pics of one that was in his grandparent's home out in the western part of the state. I believe it's still in their barn/shed/garage.

Very strange loading for sure but the side wash arms always intrigued me. It's curious that of all the gymnastics that d/w makers are trying now to get clean dishes with a thimble-full of water that side arms haven't made at least a comeback. Be careful what you wish for? Lol

 

[scoots]

The companion photo

... and here's Tammy showing off her empty Whirlpool refrigerator, with special guest star appearances by Maytag Washer and Dryer.

 

[scoots]

It's not a real kitchen... it's a set

The first photo got me thinking why she would be crouching in front of a dishwasher with no expression, but the lack of a ceiling in the second photo with the refrigerator clinched it... it's a set for her TV show in 1966 called "The Tammy Grimes Show". Clearly these were both technical photos to be sure the lighting showed off the set, make up, and the costume without over/under exposure.

Here's a few screen captures from a really poor quality print.

 

[roto204]

Fascinating

Amazing, that loading pattern--let's hope Preway supplied the dishes and tumblers. I bet that silverware basket received merely a lick and a promise.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

"...a lick and a promise."

 

ROFL!

 

[bajaespuma]

I vaguely remember this show. I recall a scene where Ms. Grimes was riding some sort of electric go-cart through a store. I also seem to remember her playing a Samantha-like witch in a comedy series that featured different stories each week; she even had a mother in that show. I'm I imagining all this?

 

[tomturbomatic]

The silverware basket: you can see why they loaded saucers between the wash arms and the silver basket. You probably can't put bowls there.

 

[delaneymeegan]

I like the fact that the door opens to let the dishes dry quick. There was a GE top-load that did that.

The set kitchen is cool. Very country 50/60s feel.

 

[toploader55]

"A lick and a Promise".

 

My Grandmother used to say that when she didn't have time to clean something properly or had the time to spare.

 

[gansky1]

Reasons for "Rarely Used"

It appears the lower rack is sloped toward the center.

Don't think I've ever noticed that in the pictures before.

 

[combo52]

Preway gas heated dishwasher

My brother Jeff and I had several of these and used to use them. I still have one which is slated for installation in the museum in the wall of dishwashers.

It had a very cool gas burner system, the gas was burned inside a stainless steel tube in the sump of the dishwasher, it had a 16,000 BTU burner and used a champion lawnmower spark plug for ignition on one end. There was a small electric blower to supercharge and mix the gas and air on the spark plug end and on the exhaust end there was a second blower to dilute the combustion products and heat and vent it out the front of the machine.

The wash action was very powerful with the dual arms on both sides. The first wash was heated to 165 then it followed with a rinse heated to 165 and then a final rinse at 180. The cleaning action was excellent and the sanitizing was also great it's biggest downfall was probably that it only had one Wash and no detergent dispenser.

While the loading Pattern was a little awkward it's certainly better than a Frigidaire wash tube dishwasher and really not all that much worse than a Maytag reverse rack. But it is certainly another design that would never make it today people just don't have enough sense to load something like this properly.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I would be interested in knowing if pans could be loaded in the lower rack facing the blasters. It would not have much capacity for non-dish items, I'll bet.

 

[toploader55]

The Clampetts had a Preway right ?