Picture Of The Day 3-5-2023

[maytag85]

It was 6 years ago around this time when I discovered the Maytag Halo Of Heat dryers (this was in early 2017 before I was on AW). Absolutely was intrigued by the design, sure it’s not a Whirlpool 29” dryer or any unique dryer from yesteryear but an interesting design/concept nevertheless since it moves the heated air from front to back vs back to front. As for the supposed 26 minute drying time, probably was true for certain delicates and synthetics but not really for a load of cottons unless you were drying a shirt and a pair of shorts separately. The average drying time for a small load in a Halo Of Heat would be about 40 minutes, medium load drying time about 50 minutes, normal load drying time about 55 minutes, large load about 60 minutes.

However, I do have a few theories on how they archived the 26 minute drying time/how the drying time were possible in the early Halo Of Heat dryers that debuted in 1957/1958. The earlier Halo Of Heat dryers had a slightly different air inlet compared to the Halo Of Heat dryers made from about the 60’s to 1975 which allowed for a bit more airflow and kept clothes in the air stream more vs Halo Of Heat dryers from the 60’s to 1975. The blower wheel had a total of 16 vanes on it compared to the Bakelite blower wheels that only had 8 vanes which means the metal style of blower wheels moved a little more air. The lint screens were also different since they were made of a screen mesh which probably didn’t filter out as well but allowed for more airflow. The high limit thermostats in those older Halo Of Heat dryers were rated for 170F vs the 1966 to 1975 Halo Of Heat dryers that only had a 155F to 160F high limit thermostat.

 

[maytag85]

Early style of Maytag Halo Of Heat dryer drum. Credit maytag63

 

[maytag85]

Second Maytag Halo Of Heat dryer drum. Credit combo52

 

[maytag85]

Third style of Maytag Halo Of Heat dryer drum. Credit RedCarpetDrew

 

[maytag85]

Older 16 vane Halo Of Heat blower wheel. Credit maytag63

 

[maytag85]

8 vane Bakelite Maytag Halo Of Heat blower wheel. Credit volvoguy87

 

[maytag85]

Mesh screen lint filter, 1957 to about 1964 or so.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thanks

Amazing the lengths they went to to prevent scorching laundry especially when they refused to redesign the dryer to match the capacity of the deep tub washer. I am glad that I was not the only one to choke on that claim of 26 minutes. Most of the time that I was using my HOH dryer I was extracting in a Frigidaire washer which helped reduce the drying time.

 

[DADoES]

 
Tom, I immediately LOLed at the 26-mins claim, based one experience running a full load of bath towels in an early 1970s HOH.

 

[maytag85]

Reply #7

The 26 minutes drying time is true for some things but not for all fabrics or large loads of laundry.

“Amazing the lengths they went to prevent scorching laundry especially when they refused to redesign the dryer to match the capacity of the deep tub washer”

From my experience, the Halo Of Heat dryer drum may be a tad on the small side but is adequate for the standard and deep tub washers they made. The Halo Of Heat wasn’t the only small drum dryer that was out there, many of the Westinghouse and WCI dryers had a capacity that was similar and had a blazing hot 5600 watt heating element that was near your clothes and to add insult to injury, they had a high limit thermostat that would cut off at a much higher temperature which scorch clothes or cause a fire. GE dryers are essentially the same as the WCI dryers though the WCI is a copy of GE’s dryer designs.

In the 4 years I’ve owned Halo Of Heat dryers gas and electric, never had anything get scorched or damaged in my Maytag Halo Of Heat dryers and frankly the Maytag DG306 that’s paired up with my Maytag A606 is the gentlest gas dryer I’ve ever owned, even more gentle when I installed a low heat thermostat.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Y'all did notice that when the door was opened, the drum was not even half full of laundry. Maybe that is a 26 minute load. And that 110F temperature was when the laundry was still damp. It got hotter when the laundry was dry, in fact that was how the Wash 'n Wear process worked because the dewrinkling required a temperature of 160F.

 

[maytag85]

Reply #10

Looks to be about a medium load. If you remember, I’ve been looking for a Maytag 808 console since about June of last year since I wanted to put a customized Maytag Halo Of Heat dryer together with dual temperature selections. The high heat would be 175F and the low heat 120F, I am willing to bet it probably would dry a small or medium load in about that time.

 

[circlew]

In 1973 my parents bought a Maytag set - A207 washer and DE407 dryer.

Not much trouble out of either in the 30+ years both were used. Washer had to have a new motor when it was a little over a year old because of flood damage. Only other repair was a new air gap and its associated hose after about 25 years. The dryer had to have a new element at about 20 years, and thermostats a couple times. A wire between the thermostat and element had to be replaced once after a lightning strike.

We usually set the dryer for 45 minutes for most items; towels a little longer.

I still have the dryer, though haven't used it for 15 years or so. The washer was given away when I bought the Whirlpool in 2004.

 

[tomturbomatic]

If you want high heat drying and greater drying you can set the electronic control to Permanent Press which allows the dryer to run after the control signals that the clothes are dry and allows the air temperature at the exhaust to rise to 160F before the cool down is initiated. It would be interesting to find out the degree of dryness or how far into the dry cycle the load in a HOH dryer would reach before the operating thermostat cycled the heat given an unobstructed vent of nominal length. I know from John's telling me that the HOH dryers with time temp auto dry were poor performers with long vents because the dryer cycled on the Hi limit thermostat when obstructed venting made the temperature rise which shut down the heat which started the timer motor so the dryers often shut off with damp laundry.