Chris Matthews brought up something last week when discussing the proposed Pacific Trade deal. He talked about how trade with Japan improved our auto manufacturing. He said that it used to be that cars did not last very long, which was a general overstatement, but largely true, but that now Toyotas run for decades which, again, was an overstatement, but largely true. I remember that with every new car daddy bought, he had to make a list to present to the dealer after the first week of things that had to be corrected. Our auto manufacturing spasm was largely brought on by the 2 oil crises in the 70s and the inability or refusal of the American auto manufacturers to offer high mileage cars. When the air pollution controls went on cars in the late 60s, gas mileage really suffered as if the Big Three were saying, don't tell us how to make cars. So, in the absence of domestic cars that got good mileage, the Japanese cars became the standard for quality. As has been said here previously, the GM auto lines subsidized the Frigidaire Appliance line and corporate intransigence led to the loss of profit which led to the sale. It was a very sad time in America for many reasons.
todays POD
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Tom . . .
Why do you consider your Kitchenaid dryer too dangerous to operate in the house?
Why do you consider your Kitchenaid dryer too dangerous to operate in the house?
WOH! Run that one by me AGAIN!
Don't know how I missed "HOW Wash" in the ad...! (A typo-, eh?!)
-- Dave
Don't know how I missed "HOW Wash" in the ad...! (A typo-, eh?!)
-- Dave
lordkenmore
Well-known member
>There are so many things to dislike about WCI washers, but certainly the salt in the wound for the AW family is that we lost GM Frigidaires to these cheap, ill-conceived machines.
>However...thirty-five years' distance from that horrendous seismic shock allows a soft spot in my heart for these red-headed stepchildren. Logic and facts not included, LOL.
Glad some people have a soft spot. I don't, and it has nothing to do with the GM to WCI sale. It is entirely about having suffered with 2 different early 90s Frigidaires a total of 3 different periods of time. (Yes, one of those monsters came into my life two different times, and, yes, the second time I half thought I'd died, and thought I'd gone to hell.) I am guessing the total time was about 4 years. The four longest years of my life--even surviving the last term of George Bush seemed to go faster and be a more pleasant experience.
>However...thirty-five years' distance from that horrendous seismic shock allows a soft spot in my heart for these red-headed stepchildren. Logic and facts not included, LOL.
Glad some people have a soft spot. I don't, and it has nothing to do with the GM to WCI sale. It is entirely about having suffered with 2 different early 90s Frigidaires a total of 3 different periods of time. (Yes, one of those monsters came into my life two different times, and, yes, the second time I half thought I'd died, and thought I'd gone to hell.) I am guessing the total time was about 4 years. The four longest years of my life--even surviving the last term of George Bush seemed to go faster and be a more pleasant experience.
lordkenmore
Well-known member
>If someone gave us a pair of these NIB I would not keep them for the museum
Not unreasonable, although it can be argued that a museum might show a good picture of both good and bad of the past... And by that thinking, what better choice to show washers at their worst than a WCI Frigidaire?
Not unreasonable, although it can be argued that a museum might show a good picture of both good and bad of the past... And by that thinking, what better choice to show washers at their worst than a WCI Frigidaire?
Samuel,
The burner in it is from an OLD Kenmore dryer with a perforated tub back which was a much less efficient dryer and therefore ran at higher temperatures. My KA is, of course, a modern dryer with the solid bulkhead at the back of the drum so much more of the heat actually flows through the drying fabrics instead of flowing behind the drum like in the old dryers. Also, there is not the space for pulleys between the back of the drum and the back of the dryer cabinet like in the older dryers so more heat is closer to the back of the cabinet. Because of this and the fact that newer dryers operate at much lower temperatures and have burners that are only rated for maybe 22K BTUs, the dryer, especially the back, gets much warmer during operation than it was designed for. In normal operation, the load would not reach 165F in the peppermint press cycle until the fabrics were dry or almost dry instead of during the whole cycle. Given that the cement block wall was framed out and that the dryer is extra deep because of the large capacity, I would have to put fireproof sheetrock on the wall and then the dryer would have to sit way forward of the washer to allow for the vent so it is not worth it. This way, the gas dryers outside the basement door under the deck get used during the air conditioning months, usually starting in April and going through part of October. Then they get a rest and the indoor electric dryers get used during the heating season. I have the perfect matching electric dryer and they both
match the KA top loader that dates from the late 80s with the black and chrome control panel.
The burner in it is from an OLD Kenmore dryer with a perforated tub back which was a much less efficient dryer and therefore ran at higher temperatures. My KA is, of course, a modern dryer with the solid bulkhead at the back of the drum so much more of the heat actually flows through the drying fabrics instead of flowing behind the drum like in the old dryers. Also, there is not the space for pulleys between the back of the drum and the back of the dryer cabinet like in the older dryers so more heat is closer to the back of the cabinet. Because of this and the fact that newer dryers operate at much lower temperatures and have burners that are only rated for maybe 22K BTUs, the dryer, especially the back, gets much warmer during operation than it was designed for. In normal operation, the load would not reach 165F in the peppermint press cycle until the fabrics were dry or almost dry instead of during the whole cycle. Given that the cement block wall was framed out and that the dryer is extra deep because of the large capacity, I would have to put fireproof sheetrock on the wall and then the dryer would have to sit way forward of the washer to allow for the vent so it is not worth it. This way, the gas dryers outside the basement door under the deck get used during the air conditioning months, usually starting in April and going through part of October. Then they get a rest and the indoor electric dryers get used during the heating season. I have the perfect matching electric dryer and they both
match the KA top loader that dates from the late 80s with the black and chrome control panel.
John (LordKenmore)-- I had two of those washers, as well. The first was a 1987 or '88 Frigidaire. WCI had already been acquired by Electrolux at that point, but a few features remained from the GM 1-18 days; the circle-spray fill and spin-drain for example. The tub indexed, but not so wildly as would later versions. Washing sheets wasn't a problem. The machine behaved quite like an early 1970s Westinghouse.
Then came the 2005 Frigidaire top-loader. Tub indexing increased to a startling 180 to 270 degrees depending on the load size. This ridiculous amount of indexing, though fun to watch, was problematic in two ways: It seriously reduced the effectiveness of its new dual-action agitator due to the very short clockwise power stroke and it tangled large items like sheets and tablecloths unmercifully---as I'm sure you remember. It wasn't unusual to open the lid at the end of a cycle to find sheets in one huge, tangled ball, occasionally lock-wrapped around the agitator. In fact, the machine's only strong point was its ability to spin these extremely unbalanced loads at full speed without walking.
So, to be more precise about it, the logic-be-damned soft spot I have for WCI Frigidaires is limited to the early-to-mid 1980s.
Then came the 2005 Frigidaire top-loader. Tub indexing increased to a startling 180 to 270 degrees depending on the load size. This ridiculous amount of indexing, though fun to watch, was problematic in two ways: It seriously reduced the effectiveness of its new dual-action agitator due to the very short clockwise power stroke and it tangled large items like sheets and tablecloths unmercifully---as I'm sure you remember. It wasn't unusual to open the lid at the end of a cycle to find sheets in one huge, tangled ball, occasionally lock-wrapped around the agitator. In fact, the machine's only strong point was its ability to spin these extremely unbalanced loads at full speed without walking.
So, to be more precise about it, the logic-be-damned soft spot I have for WCI Frigidaires is limited to the early-to-mid 1980s.
brucelucenta
Well-known member
- Joined
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Wow! That means that Frigidaire sort of reverted back to the days of the early pulsator agitator that used to tie your clothes in knots! The knots were practically dry when it finished though.
lordkenmore
Well-known member
>Tub indexing increased to a startling 180 to 270 degrees depending on the load size.
Wow. I never tried to figure out how much the ones I used indexed, but it was nothing like that!
I never had huge problems with tangled sheets. I think they did tangle, but I don't recall any huge nightmares. Instead, the sheet problem I had seemed to be a problem where part of the sheet would just sit above the water, sort of like an iceberg. Trips to visit the washer to make sure sheets were getting washed or rinsed properly were very much a fact of life.
And I never really felt that the cleaning ability was very good. It worked OK for me, since I seldom get anything very dirty. Most laundry here is about freshening. But even there there may have been issues; I noticed differences between laundry detergents more than I have in any other washer I've used. I feel sorry for those who owned one of these, and who had really messy laundry (spouse of mechanic, parent of active three year old, etc).
Wow. I never tried to figure out how much the ones I used indexed, but it was nothing like that!
I never had huge problems with tangled sheets. I think they did tangle, but I don't recall any huge nightmares. Instead, the sheet problem I had seemed to be a problem where part of the sheet would just sit above the water, sort of like an iceberg. Trips to visit the washer to make sure sheets were getting washed or rinsed properly were very much a fact of life.
And I never really felt that the cleaning ability was very good. It worked OK for me, since I seldom get anything very dirty. Most laundry here is about freshening. But even there there may have been issues; I noticed differences between laundry detergents more than I have in any other washer I've used. I feel sorry for those who owned one of these, and who had really messy laundry (spouse of mechanic, parent of active three year old, etc).
lordkenmore
Well-known member
Another thought, too...
Unlike some here, I have generally had only one washing machine at my disposal. My tolerance of the Frigidaires might have been a lot better if there had been a better machine available. ("Hmmm...load 1 has some tough stains. Those go to the Kenmore. Load 2--sheets, yes, Kenmore. Load 3, towels to freshen. Well, I can do that now in the Frigidaire, and entertain myself watching the tub index!")
At one point, I did toy with the idea of purposely having one of those Frigidaires as a second machine. At that time, I was the lucky user of an old Kenmore BD. That washer was fabulous. The only practical problem was the capacity was limited. It was enough for day to day laundry. Indeed, it was ideally sized for me and my needs day to day. But...every now and then, one needs to wash bigger loads. It occurred to me that Frigidaire tubs seemed bigger. It wouldn't work as well, but for blankets and the like, I don't need super powerful cleaning action.
Unlike some here, I have generally had only one washing machine at my disposal. My tolerance of the Frigidaires might have been a lot better if there had been a better machine available. ("Hmmm...load 1 has some tough stains. Those go to the Kenmore. Load 2--sheets, yes, Kenmore. Load 3, towels to freshen. Well, I can do that now in the Frigidaire, and entertain myself watching the tub index!")
At one point, I did toy with the idea of purposely having one of those Frigidaires as a second machine. At that time, I was the lucky user of an old Kenmore BD. That washer was fabulous. The only practical problem was the capacity was limited. It was enough for day to day laundry. Indeed, it was ideally sized for me and my needs day to day. But...every now and then, one needs to wash bigger loads. It occurred to me that Frigidaire tubs seemed bigger. It wouldn't work as well, but for blankets and the like, I don't need super powerful cleaning action.
"MAN!" ("Woman" and "Children", too!
One Frigidaire Washer ad in our P.O.D.'s, after another!!!!
Primitive-, Refined-GM, or WCI? Don't know which to go with!!!!
That is, these "One Speed, Tiny Tub" Sh-Boom ("Sh-boom, sh-boom"...) Boxes of the '50's, the "not ready for Prime Time" of the '60's, that at least have the features, including the tearin' up everything you put in 'er!, something from the '70's w/ the Capacity, but "Not All Models Available In All Colors" and the "disagreeable dashboards" that have the more they do, the less room given for the print that rubs off w/ age, or the 1980's "we're jus' gonna make these like ANY OTHER DAMN WASHIN' MACHINE w/ a CONVENTIONAL BLADE, but somehow the way they used to be, only with LOT'S'A PLASTIK!!!! junk...!!!!
-- Dave
One Frigidaire Washer ad in our P.O.D.'s, after another!!!!
Primitive-, Refined-GM, or WCI? Don't know which to go with!!!!
That is, these "One Speed, Tiny Tub" Sh-Boom ("Sh-boom, sh-boom"...) Boxes of the '50's, the "not ready for Prime Time" of the '60's, that at least have the features, including the tearin' up everything you put in 'er!, something from the '70's w/ the Capacity, but "Not All Models Available In All Colors" and the "disagreeable dashboards" that have the more they do, the less room given for the print that rubs off w/ age, or the 1980's "we're jus' gonna make these like ANY OTHER DAMN WASHIN' MACHINE w/ a CONVENTIONAL BLADE, but somehow the way they used to be, only with LOT'S'A PLASTIK!!!! junk...!!!!
-- Dave
