Suds Savers

[toggleswitch]

How many loads can one do with the same water?
How much detergent was used to "recharge" the brew?

Logically speaking (assuming no fabric softener) wouldn't it make more sense to use the cleaner rinse water for the next wash? even if you used half a tub and added (more) hot water?

I vaguely recall the need for a double slop/laundry sink with one tub used for water storage with a tall standpipe stuck in the drain hole.

I have never actually seen one of these, and am hoping Convetion 05 will cure this.

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Single Laundry Tub use:

There used to be a special Stand-Pipe piece that had a Rubber Wedge-Shaped Bottom Seal, with a opened bottom that you place the Seal into the Laundry Tub Drain opening. The top of the Stand-Pipe Part has a couple of Holes towards the top, for use as an "Air-Gap." The Washer {normal drain hose} was clamped to the top of this Stand-Pipe piece, to allow the Rinse Water to drain right directly thru to the Drain Plumbing, and the Plugged part with the other Drain Hose places as such over the edge of the Laundry Tub, allowing the Wash Water to Drain into the Tub, as a holding for the upcoming Washes. I was told by our Family Friends that had a Suds-Saver Kenmore Washer, that they would add around a 1/4 to 1/2 Cup more Detergent, for additional uses of the Wash Water, depending on how dirty the following Load of Laundry was. Normally also the first Wash was Whites and using Hot Water and normally by the time the next Wash was ready for the Suds-Return, the Washer was set to Warm and it would still be warm enough coming back into the Washer from the Laundry Tub. There was also a slight extra amount of Water the Washer added, because of not taking all of the Water from the Laundry Tub, because of Dirt Sediment. The Wash Drain Hoses are as long as the length of the Depth of the Laundry Tub and they have a wedged cut bottom on them, so they could pull the Returned Water back, but somehow also enable them to not allow any of the Sediment to return for the following Loads usage of the Wash Water. If you had the space for a Dual-Laundry Tub, then 1-Drain Hose would be sitting into the first Tub, and the 2nd Drain hose would be sitting into the second Tub. The first Tub {assuming} having the Longer Wash Drain Hose in it, would obviously have a Drain Plug in the Drain Opening, collecting the Wash Water, where the 2nd Tub Drain Opening would be not Plugged, to allow the Rinse Water to just go directly down the Drain, after being Drained into that Laundry Tub side.

If anyone should possible know of any further info, that I might have missed or need further info about, please feel free to add to my discription. I tried to do my best to explain it to be understood enough, as to how I remember with our Neighbor's Suds-Saver Kenmore Washer and their only having the Single Laundry Tub and using the Stand-Pipe as I described.

Peace, Happy Suds-Saving Washing and Fun Wash-In's, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[petek]

Trying to jog my memory on how my mothers old Kenmore suds saver worked..We did have double tubs and for regular washing and rinses I think it did go down the further tub where the sudsaver hose filled the closest tub which only had the plug in the drain, no raised standpipe, the divider between the tubs was lower so any overflow would move to the other side tub which wasn't plugged. When it sucked up the saved sudsy water on another load it didn't suck up the whole amount, maybe 3'4's and fresh water filled the balance, that was to allow for the dirtiest saved waterw which would have sunk to the bottom of the tub not to be reused. I think that's how it worked

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Clarify:

Sorry, but I should have mentioned that when someone had a Double Tub, the Stand-Pipe wasn't needed. The respectful Drain Hoses on the Washer were placed over the Side of the Tub, for the proper use of Draining Wash or Rinse Water. As PeteK mentioned the Double Tub's did have a lower ledge between the Tub's so if there should be more Water going into the Wash Water Tub side, the Water would Overflow into Rinse Water Tub side. Some of the Double Laundry Tub's here had the same level of ledge in them, between the 2-Tub's, but they had Holes for the Overflow excess Water, from the Wash to Rinse sides of the Tub's. The Stand-Pipe would only be used in the case of only having the Single Laundry Tub.

Peace and Happy Suds-Saving Washing, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[laundramatt]

Suds savers don't completely refill the tub. Some new water is still added. So the water is clean enough for the entire wash, if you sort loads correctly and go from least dirty first to grimiest last.

When my mother used a Dexter double tub washer, she kept the same water in both tubs for the entire wash, usually 6-8 loads. Sometimes, by the time she was washing the last load (my father's greasy work clothes) the water was actually black. But everything came out spotless. Of course, vintage Tide detergent helped too.

 

[scott55405]

Laundramatt, how was the rinsing accomplished with the double tub washer? I mean, normally you would wash then rinse through both laundry tubs, but with a double tub, you'd "collide" in the middle, I would think...

 

[frigilux]

We had a 1960 KM with a suds-saver and my mom used to use the wash water up to 3 times....which seems kinda creepy now, but, as was mentioned in a previous post, if you start with your least dirty load, it seemed to work out fine. We had perfectly clean clothes, at any rate....

toggleswitch---you bring up a good point about re-using the rinse water rather than the wash water. Most machines back then defaulted to a warm rinse, anyway. And since the warm rinse water would only sit in the sink for a few minutes, it wouldn't cool off too much. Oh well, I guess my best answer is THEY JUST DON'T DO IT THAT WAY, lol!

 

[toggleswitch]

saving water

Tks. All-

I guess I would have to do some rewiring if I had a suds saver ...

I like my way better too! LOL

 

[appnut]

No rewiring needed Steve, just push the proper button or flip the toggleswitch in the right direction for non-suds save.

 

[toggleswitch]

Versatile, by all means.

Flip the toggleswitch in the right direction ? Which way would that be? ... Face up or face down? LOL

I meant to save the rinse water instead of the wash water. LOL

 

[laundramatt]

how was the rinsing accomplished with the double tub washer?

The clothes were washed using both wash tubs, about 10 minutes wash time in each washer. Then they were rinsed in the laundry tubs -no agitation- and wrung out using the wringer, ready for the clothes line.

I don't ever remember the clothes having any detergent left on them. I've also seen Tide detergent ads that said rinsing was optional, although I find that hard to believe with the amount of suds that Tide made. (Oceans of suds)

The only thing I remember my mom using in the laundry tubs was bluing for the white sheets.