Question about windows in lid of Frigidare Washers

[scoots]

There's a late 1970s Frigidaire washer with a window in the lid for sale on eBay. This window has some metallic grids that resemble the defrost elements in the rear view windshield of a car.

My question is what are they for? And in fact, why have window in the lid? To check rollover?

 

[appnut]

The "grids" are aesthetic.  "Style".  Frigidaire had some of the most "busy" oven windows with grids and such on their oven windows.  You're on a washer enthusiast site and you're asking why have a window in a washer lid? 

 

[brucelucenta]

In the sixties thru the 70's they started making some of the models with windows like this in the lids. It was the "Gold Crown" models that had the window glasses, as I recall. I think it started with the rollermatic series for the home washers. The design of the grid is just that, a design. They just added to the cosmetic looks of the machine. After WCI took over, they continued putting the glass insert windows in the Gold Crown models for a while,but without the design in them. The windows were always a part of the coin op machines, from early on. The earlier coin op machines had round glass inserts and the later ones had the same square one you see in the picture. One interesting thing you might note is that the coin op machines made in the late 60's had the appearance of the rollermatic machines, but were actually a multimatic mechanism with the two belts. They also were rapidry 1000 machines. At least the ones I have seen were. I know that in the 70's they still had the solid tub coin op machines, but had the newer rollermatic mechanisms with the one belt like the home style units without the large perforated tub.

 

[panthera]

I kept

several dozen rollermatics working at our college in the mid-70s. They were pretty much at the end of their lives - college students are rough on machines and quality was not what it had once been.

Nothing, compared however, to the shit WCI was about to throw on what had once been a proud mark of excellence.

 

 

[launderess]

Probably for the same reasons

There are glass portholes in front loading washer doors and some dryers. To allow those wishing to observe....

Front loading washers don't need glass portholes, neither do dryers, but yet you find them on most commercial and domestic units.

Glass portholes allow one to peek and check how things are going without having to open the lid of a top loader.

How could anyone not want to watch this?

 

[frigilux]

A neighbor had a window-lidded Frigidaire when I was a young teen. I thought it would be cool if the white-line grid could heat up like the rear window defogger in a car. That would eliminate the pesky fogged glass problem during hot washes.

 

[glomain]

well

if you ever herd one, you want to see it in action too.they are just awesome machines.i think GM knew this & it was a easy way to make a couple extra bucks at very little cost. PS. as stated above the grid was just for looks(but it looks cool)

 

[Unimatic1140]

And the very first Frigidaire window lids were round with instructions printed on them for the commercial machines, starting in 1959.

 

[brucelucenta]

If you ever watch "Rosemary's Baby", there is a laundry scene early on in the movie where the machines are Frigidaire washers with round glass lid inserts. In "My Beautiful Launderette" the first machines in the launderette are the same type of machines too. There were machines of this type even in an old episode of "The Andy Griffith Show", where Andy takes on owning a laundromat as a sideline.

 

[combo52]

Frigidaire Commercial Window Lid Washers

Also used the Uni-Matic Mechanism into the early 60s and skipped the early troublesome Multi-Matic mechanisms for a while.