POD 7/7/2016

[brucelucenta]

"Filter Flo" was a big selling point of GE for many years. I used to hear people refer to them that way. I just wonder what year it is that GE started making washers with the filter flo system. I know the early models did not have them and I would think sometime in the mid 50's, but I am not sure. One of the first automatic washers I remember quite well was about a 1958 GE filter flo that our neighbor across the street had. I always like to watch it operate. I remember it had the water saver button and I pushed it once to see what would happen. It started before it filled and I had to tell her so she could restart it and let it fill all the way. I was always thought to be such a strange kid that was attracted to washing machines. LOL

 

[easyspindry]

Today's POD . . .

. . . 1956 GE Filter Flo was the first year for the filter flo system.

The water saver button would allow you to wash a partial load. But if you weren't there to push the button for the rinse, it would fill the tub to the max for rinse. The filter flo did not work for a partial load because there was no water going through the holes in the top of the tub, so there wasn't enough water in the pumping system to allow it to do more than drool.

Jerry Gay

 

[tomturbomatic]

There were very hard to miss instructions printed under the lid on how to use the water saver feature. You had to let the washer fill to or above a molded ring on the Activator before pushing the button. This was necessary because there was a hole under the agitator where water slowly ran out to carry away heavier sediment. With a full fill, that was not a problem because the FF system kept the tub full of water. If you did not start the load with water above that ring, there would not be enough water to finish the wash period, unless hard water had formed deposits that clogged the hole. You were also instructed to put the detergent in the tub when using the water saver, not in the filter pan since the system would not work at less than full fill because it depended on water flowing over the top of the tub to feed the Filter Flo system. On water saver loads there was a very loud gurgling noise as the pump sucked air during activation.

The solid tub of this machine pivoted inside the solidly mounted outer tub so the outer tub had to be large enough to allow the inner tub to swing with an unbalanced load without striking the sides of the outer tub. When GE went to the perforated tub, they kept this same design which is what made the V-12 such water hogs because they had to fill that whole huge outer tub with water instead of just the inner tub like in the solid tub machines.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Material Boy AMKrayoGuy...

I bet when the Filter-flo went plastic and when the Mini-Basket and even the agitator-mounted fabric softener came out, also in plastic, Good Plastic (still intact & alive to this day!) was used...

-- Dave