Possible Maytag A806 score

[robbinsandmyers]

Well after a bout of pancreatitis kicked my ass the last 4 weeks I was finally able to go to a friends house this week he just bought to fix up and sell. Saying the old guy was a slob is an understatement. The place is a dirty pig stye. I originally went there to look at some old VW's and a truck on the property but he took me through the house and basement. And lo and behold in the laundry area was a 70's Maytag washer. The tub is 3/4 filled with water and theres a dripping pipe over it. Its still plugged in so I turned the timer to spin mode and pulled it out, just hummed. So Im thinking the motor or trans is frozen. he said he'll take a wet dry vac and suck all the water out for me. It has a Lucite timer knob and blue band on the console so its -1974. I opened the lid and it has the bleach dispenser on the right side. Lighted console. I cant tell if its a 606 or 806 but it has lots of buttons like my HA806. It also has the chrome trim on the top of the front cover which makes it an 806 correct? Im hoping he lets me get it out of there before its beyond hope. I would like to go through it and replace my A407 with it. Did the 606 have that chrome trim on the front cover as well?

 

[repairguy]

Sounds like you’ve stumbled upon a great new addition. Congrats!

 

[goatfarmer]

Lighted console makes it an 806. If there is a floor drain, just drop the drain hose on the floor.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Well he called me tonite to tell me he sold the Mazda carcass and moved it out of the garage so I have lots of room to come get it out now if I want it still. I asked him how soon can I grab it and he said Thursday because tomorrow is gonna rain pretty good. I gotta figure out how to drain that water. Maybe take the trans belt off and turn it on. Hopefully it isnt the motor thats locked up. This looks like a good winter project in my apartment without the landlord or upstairs neighbor knowing lol. Once I get it totally refurbed I'll put it into service then work on my A407 as a friend laid claim to it if I go through it as well. Hopefully pics to follow as soon as I get it. Wish me luck!

 

[goatfarmer]

If you can drop the drain hose to the floor, it should gravity drain.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

I asked my friend if it had a floor drain in the basement he said no. Unless I can get it pump water with just the pump belt on we'll have to hump it outside with the hand truck full of water then drop the drain hose to the ground and let it empty before loading it into my Tacoma. Unless he comes through with the wet dry vac he mentioned.

 

[drummerboy928]

another possibility is buckets. You can use a similar method to the floor drain, just drain it into buckets and make sure to lift the hose above the water level at the end to keep it from siphoning out. it may take multiple trips to a bathtub or sink to dump the bucket out, but it will help to get at least most of the water out.

 

[bradfordwhite]

You certainly can't move it full of water.
1. It will be extremely heavy and awkward to move.
2. As you tilt the machine the water would slosh around making a mess.
3. You could potentially damage the machine by tilting it with that much weight in it.

You'll need to get, or buy, a vacuum to suck the water out OR do the bucket technique mentioned above.

 

[wayupnorth]

Does it have a siphon break? If the drain hose comes out of the top of the machine, you cannot gravity drain. The hose must come out of the bottom of the machine for it to gravity drain.

 

[hobbyapocalypse]

You should be able to siphon all the water out of the tub with just a hose about 10 feet long. Fill it with water, stick one end in the tub all the way to the bottom and stick the other end down in a bucket and the water will flow. To empty the bucket plug the hose end first to keep the hose full of water. It's easier with 2 or 3 people.

 

[good-shepherd]

we'll have to hump it outside

Empty it by hand.

With a gallon size jug and a five gallon bucket you can have it mostly drained in 15 minutes or so.

 

[bradfordwhite]

If you can't afford to buy a 1 gallon $30 Shop Vac to use, then you are off to a bad start. You may have to spend other money to get the machine working correctly as well.

 

[robbinsandmyers]

He said he would have his guys wet/dry vac it out so lets hope he comes through. Im banking on the motor not being the stuck part so I can at least remove the trans belt and pump the water out. If so Ill fill it back up with hot water, pour bleach in it then pump that water out because this will be coming in my apartment to repair and wont see any water after that point until I put it into service.

 

[sudsomatic]

A lot of good ideas already, here's one more suggestion

 

If you don't want to try the manual labor of a two bucket system or buy a wet/dry shop vac, but you also don't mind making a small investment, look for an aquarium siphon. Here's a link for reference.

 

Robot or human?

 

it uses the excellent technique that Goatfarmer describes, using a hose and draining with gravity into a 5 gallon bucket (since you said there is no drain). ,

 

The aquarium siphon has an advantage over the traditional hose method because it has a hand squeeze pump built in to it's hose that will get the process started easier, as it draws water into the main hose for you with some rapid pumping which brings you up past your working height so that gravity can kick in and take over... rather than having to get the suction effect started by gravity alone. It also can work in shallower water where the standard fill/lift/dunk-back-in-real-quick technique is even harder to get started.

 

I've used these things to drain everything from a plastic koi pond to toilets (but not the same one for both jobs obviously). My local Walmart has them in stock in store, so you may just be able to get it off the shelf at yours, Home Improvement stores sometimes have them but generally only in summer, and you can usually find them at pet shops also. If you have the time to wait a little bit for shipping, these are easy to find just about anywhere online from the usual retailers.

 

They generally run 6 to 8 dollars, and you'll likely find a lot more future uses for it, particularly since you are repairing the washer and there's a chance it will need drained again.. and possibly again and again during that process.

 

 

 

Robot or human?