POD 5-2-2024

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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maytag85

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Sean A806
The Maytag washer in the POD looks to be a helical design from 1956/1957. This particular cabinet dates back to at least 1954, the console to 1956 which remained unchanged with a few tweaks until 1965.

Amazing how Maytag never changed their machines from year to year in terms of styling while everyone else changed their consoles from year to year. May be a bit bland compared to Whirlpool/Kenmore or Frigidaire, but more than made up for it in terms of reliability and dependability.
 
It's an AMP 56-57 which was rhe last year for that design. The helical debuted with the 58 model. One way you can tell it's an AMP from the photo in the POD is the large bolt on the side of the tub. The AMP machines had the inner and outer tubs bolted to each other. Also, you'll notice the lid is much thicker to allow room for the mercury switches inside the lid that control water level and safety switch.
 
Newbie question answered

POD is the Picture of the Day. It's a hyperlink at the bottom of each page, or on the main page it's also a hyperlink under the Daily Double hyperlink near the top of the page. We're not ever supposed to post the picture itself into any of the question forums.
 
Maytag A140 S picture of the day

This is indeed a 1956 and seven model. It was Maytag top-of-the-line washer. It was the first of the center dial look machines in 1956.

This is based on the original very ineffective AMP design. It was a huge improvement when they went to the helical Drive design.

Helical Drive machines came out in 1956 as the model 123 was the first helical Drive Maytag automatic. Maytag made both for about two years. As usual There were a lot of bugs in the original helical Drive machines as there were the AMP machines all manufacturers had problems they had to work out of their early designs .

John
 
 

 

You could do an overflow rinse in the AMP but it really wasn't too effective as the inner perforated tub was higher than the outer container so it was more of an "underflow" than over the top.  Dilution of the water probably would help some but would do little to get rid of the scum and curd of real soap.  Maytag used a long spray rinse in the first spin to help keep that gap between the two tubs clean, but it only helped a little.  
 
We had a 1957 AMP, my mom's sister had a 1958 helical. I remember the loud banging spin solenoid of the AMP. Speed Queens had two of them, one for agitate and one for spin. Unfortunately, our AMP saw the Maytag Man frequently. When he opened the lid to replace one of the mercury switches, the whole insides of the lid were quite the rust bucket. We gave up on it about 1963 when it was replaced with a TOL helical drive model, which was ultra-reliable and much more quiet and distinguished. It was mated with the HOH dryness sensor dryer which was also reliable and quiet. That set lasted for more than ten years.
 
Reply #8: I think Mark (Kenmore 71) uploaded a video of a Maytag AMP doing an overflow rinse, think it may have been Ben’s at the time but that was many years ago.

Reply #9: Yeah, the helical design was extremely reliable, could run for many years without a repair. Very quiet as well since there were no solenoids to shift from agitate to spin or vice versa. Though, the pre-HOH dryers would be interesting since they are a lower air output machine that dried fairly hot and produced fluffy towels. Imagine they were much heavier than the HOH since they had more parts inside of them.

Was the TOL helical machine a A700 or a A702? Pretty sure the dryer it was paired up with was a DE/DG701 by the sounds of it.
 
POD is just a quicker way of saying Picture Of the Day.

I don’t actually know of what AMP stands, someone else might know here on the site.

BD is just short for belt drive, a particular design from Whirlpool which dates back to 1947.
 
 
(Maytag) AMP = Automatic Maytag (or Machine?) with Pump. the early days of Maytag toploader automatics vs. wringer washers.  It was also available without a pump, an AM.

TL = toploader (washer)

FL = frontloader (washer)

WP = Whirlpool

KM = Kenmore

KA = KitchenAid

DD = direct-drive, the Whirlpool mechanical design that replaced belt-drive in 1981/82.  (The direct-drive design project was code-named LEAP, Laundry Engineering Advanced Product.)

VMW = Vertical Modular Washer, the design that replaced direct-drive circa 2010.

POD (or PotD) can also refer to Patent of the Day, but those aren't discussed as much as the Pictures of the Day.
 

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