ROLLERMATIC TUNE UP PICS

[soberleaf]

the last pics are of

the pump i took off.

here is pump housing showing the water seal. it uses a bronze washer that rubs against the carbon seal face.

these are available from dave's repair on the web, think he has 2 or 3 left. i got mine from larry in parma but did not use it since i took this pump off. will keep it for future use somewhere.

 

[soberleaf]

here's the other half of that pump housing

with the origional drain hose! at least the short hose going to the coupling that the main drain hose attaches to.

you can see from the shape of this housing that this pump will work in both directions of motor rotation. it will pump out during spin as well as wash and rinse, hence the overflow rinse can function. as you know this washer uses a reversible motor to provide it's spin and pulsate action.

another thing i learned from the rollermatic manual i downloaded here is that the single speed custom models have a smaller pump than the dual speed models. the manual said that on slow motor speed a bigger pump was needed to insure proper water pump out, hence this machine being a dual speed custom deluxe has that bigger pump. the machine i am about to pick up this coming week is a single speed custom model so i am curious to see what it's pump looks like! obviously it will be smaller.

how's that for rollermatic trivia?!

thanks

 

[whirlcool]

Thanks for posting the photos and the explanation of how it all went together.
Those rollermatics look simple in the way they operate, but look very complex how all the pieces fit together. I think I'd get lost in the middle somewhere.

 

[soberleaf]

i felt the same way when i first looked at one

but after dropping one off a truck and tearing into it you'll feel differently! i have the pump and all the rollers off the custom imperial i dropped, and as soon as i get the agitator shaft off the tub will be out and then i can drop the tub support and the transmission and motor and dissassemble them too.

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow, thanks for posting all the details! These photos are going to be a great to help to anyone who has to work on a Frigidaire washer but were afraid to start (like me!)...
Great idea about the gravity drain, BTW - it sounds like a really smart idea to keep the tub and pump of an occaisonal-use machine dry.

 

[soberleaf]

matt suggested when i bought this

washer from him that i gravity drain it. because it has a solid tub it doesn't need a pump. it throws the water out the top of the inner tub and it just drains away naturally.

also unlike the 1-18 that uses a perforated tub and always has water surrounding the main tub seal this solid tub washer only surrounds that tub seal with water when it initially starts to spin and the outer tub has it's max volume of water in it.

my theory is the quicker that water is out of that outer tub the better for that tub seal. that's why on the next one i get running here i am adding a second drain out of that tub. it will be fun to play with at least!

 

[everythingold]

That machine I believe was in use till last fall. A platic bag got stuck in the outer tub! That is all. I don't undertand a pump for solid tubs, a gravity drain ensures a dry tub. with a pump, water is always sitting in the machine. matt

 

[soberleaf]

i agree 100%

the less water sittin around the less moisture and the less chance of rust and corrosion!

one thing i do though is when i use it i always use warm to hot water on the initial fill so when the water and the water vapor does hit that water seal and the bellows it will be warm to hot instead of cold, figure it probably helps the seal and the bellows! in fact i never use cold on it at all, just keep it on warm.

and i think the main reason i like the rollermatics so much more than the 1-18's is the fact that the solid tub keeps the water seal and outer tub area from constantly being submersed in water. i would think it has to help them last longer!

when i picked up that 1-18 it's main problem was a leak around the water seal. this rollermatic is 44 years old and still doesn't leak!

i am anxious to see how these other rollermatics i am aquiring will run, whether they have the same leak proof seal and bellows. hope so!

 

[cornutt]

That fan

What you should do is get a muffin fan (the kind of fan that you see in the back of a desktop PC), mount it in there somewhere pointing at the motor, and wire it to the motor harness so it runs when the motor runs. Make sure the fan you get is an AC type.

Also... don't let the drained water just sit in the crawl space. You'll wind up having mold problems. Arrange some way for it to drain out from the crawl space.

 

[autowasherfreak]

Awesome pics Peter! Treat a machine like gold and it will last a lifetime.

 

[soberleaf]

thanks

i have one of those little fans but i didn't like the output volume of air it produced so i bought that baby at walgreens. it really blows!!! i figure the cooler it keeps that motor the better!

but thanks for the idea and all the comments from everyone!

 

[yogitunes]

we did the gravity drain like that on a SQ solid tub once, we used a drain piece from a bathroom sink, drilled the hole a little bigger in the outter tub, still used the pop-up piece like you said to keep cold weather out, which had the handle to open and close, and this took a 1 1/4 hose to the floor drain, which let it drain fast, this worked great for the garage, never froze up, just a thought....

could you do some videos for us, washing and watching the underside at work, please!

thanks for the great pics, helps understand what a simple efficient design, and how it really functions....

 

[Unimatic1140]

Peter those are totally fabulous pictures! Great restoration and how fun to see it washing and all done! I also absolutely agree with you on gravity drain machines, it's what really helped my Apex survive for so long.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Well Soberleaf, I have plenty of muffins fans. You need to come up and get some. Have you considered mounting heatsinks on the sides of the motor as well?

 

[swestoyz]

Nice photos and a clean machine. Rust free usually means easier to work on! I'm glad the scanned '65 manual has been useful to you - one of the larger ones that I've scanned in.

Love the pump trivia. Typical GM. Surprised the bean counters didn't say - just install the larger pump on all of them!

You always could install a condensate pump to transfer the water from the crawl space pan into a drain near by.

 

[soberleaf]

maybe i should elaborate here

my little house is in a country suburb of cinti. called goshen. yes, land o goshen! it is swamp land! that's why when i had a guy come in with a bulldozer and dig me a hole in the backyard 35 ft. in diam. and 8 ft. deep it was full of water in a week! last year was the first year it had to be filled by me during the hot summer drought! normally this area has a very high water table!

my house is only 800 sq ft. amazing i have 30 dishwashers in it and now working on 12 washers! it sets up on blocks actually as it used to be a modular home that had a living room added to it. from the street it looks like a normal house but when you see it you can tell it's a modular style!

that's why i am not worried about a couple holes in the floor that pump my washer out on the ground below! it can't really hurt anything, at least i'm not concerned! my biggest concern would be the soapy water leaching into the pond and killing all my goldfish but for as much water as i dump on the ground with each rollermatic use it's no big deal.

but i appreciate the concern and the helpful tips, including the mold issue! my old house was built in 1892 and was huge, 3 stories, had a very moldy basement! i lived there for 17 years! guess i just don't worry about that stuff, maybe i should but oh well! i don't smoke, if the mold gets me, well, something will anyway!

but thanks again for the comments and tips!

i'm off on a road trip next week to go back to tenn. and get my rollermatic and dryer i bought off e bay, then to buffalo to finish picking up my last rollermatic from walt and a dryer, then to swing by brian in pa (old appliance nut) for a kds-17a and another goody!

this will be my last excursion! gotta start savin my pennies again after this! now that my truck died can't afford to rent the home depot truck each time i want something.

and i am out of room in this cottage! completely! so it's a good thing my truck died last week, i won't be tempted anymore! this can definately be an addiction for me! something i know a lot about!

we need a 12 step program for appliance collectors who can't seem to stop at the first washer or dishwasher! me!!!!!!!!!!

 

[christfr]

lookin good.. dont ya just love that thumpin sound..

 

[rickr]

Great job Peter! Glad you had better luck with this one. It is a beautiful machine!