the inside scoop on Frigidaire's very first washer

[mrcleanjeans]

Okay gang,you've likely read the consumer report's articles downrating the 1st Frigidaire,then progressively rating their washers higher and higher till they were numero uno in 1958 and 1959.Have your experiences with these machines agreed with CR, particularly their 1st test, saying the washer left items in a twisted rope,cleaning one end of the "rope"well and leaving the other end not well cleaned,as well as claiming that dirt and lint were drained thru clothes with that earliest machine?Would love all your feedbacks.

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View attachment 3-7-2005-16-58-23--mrcleanjeans.jpg

 

[Unimatic1140]

The first Frigidaire washer's tub design was bowl shaped, this lead to greater tangling, but if it’s loaded properly most of the tangled can be reduced. By far the 1947 Frigidaire and my Westinghouse slant-front tangles the most of any of my machines. In 1949 the Frigidaire wash tub design was changed to remove the bowl at the bottom and this lead to less tangling. The biggest difference between the early models and the 1958 test report was that by 1958 Frigidaire had printed instructions on how to load the washer properly right on the underside of the lid. Had CU taken the time to read the loading instructions in the owner’s manual for their earlier reports, a lot of the tangling could have been eliminated. It takes a bit of practice and proper sorting but you can all but eliminate tangling. It’s important to have the pulsator adjusted properly too, if its not it’s also a cause of tangling.

In the chart below you can clearly see the bowl shape of the '47 Frigidaire, compare that with the '49 wash tub...

http://www.automaticwasher.org/FUN/Early%20Frigidaire%20Washer%20Chart.jpg

 

[pulsator-power]

Robert, how could you adjust the pulsator properly so it doesn't tangle?
Jerry

 

[frigilux]

I didn't notice a tangling problem when I had a 1-18. There was a fair amount of turnover with that pulsator/agitator, but probably not nearly as much as with the 3-ring pusator. I noticed substantially less turnover with the '60's era Deep Action (space capsule) pulsator as compared to the 3-ring, also.

 

[jetcone]

You are correct Frigilux Sir

The Deep Action agitator was designed to slow roll over to prevent tangleling. However it created a dead zone above the upper deep blue cone where clothes in there got trapped IF the user selected TOO high a water level for the clothes put in.

This happened due to the clothes load floating up away from the bottom of the tub where the pulsator couldn't grab them.

The 1-18 corrected this with the "multitude of cones" agitator which grabbed clothes at all levels to force them down to the pulsator where the real cleaning gets done.

Jet Action Baby!!!!!!!

 

[peterh770]

The inner column of the 1-18 Jet Cone has many more openings in it for water movement. You can feel the surging currents sucking and blowing the wash water along the side of the Jet Cone to pull the load under.

Frigidaire... For the way you were meant to wash...

 

[westytoploader]

How is properly loading a 3-Ring Frigidaire different from properly loading any other machine?

 

[DADoES]

Visually divide the wash basket into quarters and drop the clothes into the sections. Do not wrap anything around the pulsator. Which I suppose is good form for any top-loader!

 

[alr2903]

Sure is Dadoes

My parents 1975 kenmore recommended that sheets be placed in 1/4 of the tub and when you pick them up to place in that 1/4 they should resemble the shape of the letter N.

 

[gansky1]

I've found that the key to loading of the three-ring agitator Frigidaires (and earlier) is to load it FULL. We've played with a scale and found that it will wash a 9 lb. load very well with no tangling or roping of the garments. I wash towels in my unimatics almost exclusively with virtually no problems. I'm not saying it NEVER happens, but some of the quirks are part of the fun too.

Well, at least it saves time unloading...

 

[westytoploader]

I know they can hold a 9 lb. load, but what was the largest amount of clothes you have loaded in a solid-tub Frigidaire, both 10 and 12 lb. capacity tubs?

--Austin