I've always depended on the kindness of not-so-strangers:
Tomturbomatic to the rescue
- Thread starter bajaespuma
- Start date
Tom has provided us with the answers:
The first thing that hits me is how complicated this mini-tub's cover is. Without it, the whole thing won't work.
I'm sorry, but I think MY control panel was a lot more fun than Mr. Waugh's control panel:
where were we?
It's comforting to know that GE/Hotpoint chose to use the same engineers that brought us STS nuclear missiles for the Duo-Load.
This must be the most complicated over-engineered agitator that ever existed. I used to think that the Philco had that title until I saw this article. Now I know why it took the tecnicians at Consumer Reports over 45 minutes to take this thing apart(borrowed an agitator from Filter-Flo):
mickeyd
Well-known member
Loving Life: Thank you Tom and Ken
Only two nights ago, Jon Le Fevre was telling me about the unbelievable gold mine Tom has access to, in a rare collection of "Appliance Engineer" journals, from the Library of Congress. Whenever anything new came out AE would do it up in spades, just like this exposition of the infamous Duo-tub. So satisfying. I live for this stuff.
Wondering and hoping when and if I'd ever see one of the AE journals, and LO! it appears in this morning's Aworg News. Synchroncity, Epiphany, Telepathy, Serendipity Clairvoyance--who cares. I love it!
Now I'm going to read it over again, very slowly, like an eager first-grader, savoring every word.
Thank You both again, very, very much ;-)
Only two nights ago, Jon Le Fevre was telling me about the unbelievable gold mine Tom has access to, in a rare collection of "Appliance Engineer" journals, from the Library of Congress. Whenever anything new came out AE would do it up in spades, just like this exposition of the infamous Duo-tub. So satisfying. I live for this stuff.
Wondering and hoping when and if I'd ever see one of the AE journals, and LO! it appears in this morning's Aworg News. Synchroncity, Epiphany, Telepathy, Serendipity Clairvoyance--who cares. I love it!
Now I'm going to read it over again, very slowly, like an eager first-grader, savoring every word.
Thank You both again, very, very much ;-)
gyrafoam
Well-known member
Yes, this is excellent and facinating information.
Thank you!
Thank you!
The twins are waiting for a home:
I found these at a local appliance parts store about a year ago and am keeping them for the day my Hotpoint appears
Neither of these is a Duo-Load agitator, but doesn't the lint filter look strangely familiar
Problem is, I have no idea how the fountain filter on these two would work. I suspect they're missing some parts, especially the tops which act as a bleach funnel to some reservoir that, I presume, would be housed inside the agitator, next to, above or below the pump apparatus.
Hey Filter-Flo, any chance I could persuade you to take yours apart and photo-document it?
Hey Filter-Flo, any chance I could persuade you to take yours apart and photo-document it?
Wow
What great info and thanks, question please i cannot tell if the cover for the "upper tub" goes all the way to cover the entire top opening? The upper tub water is thrown completely over the top of the main basket? absolutely fascinating that they would take the TIME to engineer this design. And i guess when the top tub is full the "float" covers the inlets to the upper tub and on the next timer increment the water temp changes to what is set for the bottom. Bajaspuma thanks for posting this i always imagined 2 fill flumes and a whole "Rube goldberg" design to make this work. alr2903
What great info and thanks, question please i cannot tell if the cover for the "upper tub" goes all the way to cover the entire top opening? The upper tub water is thrown completely over the top of the main basket? absolutely fascinating that they would take the TIME to engineer this design. And i guess when the top tub is full the "float" covers the inlets to the upper tub and on the next timer increment the water temp changes to what is set for the bottom. Bajaspuma thanks for posting this i always imagined 2 fill flumes and a whole "Rube goldberg" design to make this work. alr2903
Absolutely fascinating! Always wondered how the duo-load worked.
Hotpoint
Well that makes it a whole lot clearer!! I wondered how they could claim no dye transfer but throwing the inner basket water clear with a deflector shield was the answer!!
Now if that mechanism was done on this style that would be my ideal washer!!!
Well that makes it a whole lot clearer!! I wondered how they could claim no dye transfer but throwing the inner basket water clear with a deflector shield was the answer!!
Now if that mechanism was done on this style that would be my ideal washer!!!
launderess
Well-known member
And There Is More
Pipe:
http://books.google.com/books?id=bU...ook_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CA8Q6AEwAA
Pipe:
http://books.google.com/books?id=bU...ook_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CA8Q6AEwAA
aldspinboy
Well-known member
Ken that is so interesting and thanks for the information.
I hope that you find your washer...and you have the best graphics amazing !
Darren k.
I hope that you find your washer...and you have the best graphics amazing !
Darren k.
Thank you to Laundress; that Life magazine ad has the clearest and closest shot of the tub, the "fill horn" and the deflector I've seen. From that ad one also sees that the agitator had an accessory cap that fit over the bleach dispenser and, at least in 1969, had a matching non-GE clone Hotpoint dryer.
The mini tub did come all the way up and over the main tub. When I saw the thing in person at Gimbel's I remember all you could see was the deflector ring and that crazy science fiction cover; you couldn't see one bit of the main washer. Nothing like a GE mini-basket arrangement which is what I expected to see.
The mini tub did come all the way up and over the main tub. When I saw the thing in person at Gimbel's I remember all you could see was the deflector ring and that crazy science fiction cover; you couldn't see one bit of the main washer. Nothing like a GE mini-basket arrangement which is what I expected to see.
mickeyd
Well-known member
OH MY MY, MIKEY, THE SECRETS WE HAVE HERE AT AWORG
It's a wonder we don't have thousands of viewers to see our delights: she's gorgeous, the roses are gorgeous, and the machine in gray porcelain is just spectacular.
It must be Hotpoint week.
Interesting that we're learning about many brands who had the pushbutton only method of operation, not just the Tag 906 (?)/8. But Hotpoint trumps with the pretty indicator lights and that totally wild Free-span Design, kinda like some of those offset hairdos of the time.
I'd like to learn more about the effectiveness of the silhouette agitator. Our Steve says it's not too powerful, and the narrow width of the fins have me wondering.
Any experience or flix on this, please?
Thanks so much for the absolutely STUNNING scan.
It's a wonder we don't have thousands of viewers to see our delights: she's gorgeous, the roses are gorgeous, and the machine in gray porcelain is just spectacular.
It must be Hotpoint week.
Interesting that we're learning about many brands who had the pushbutton only method of operation, not just the Tag 906 (?)/8. But Hotpoint trumps with the pretty indicator lights and that totally wild Free-span Design, kinda like some of those offset hairdos of the time.
I'd like to learn more about the effectiveness of the silhouette agitator. Our Steve says it's not too powerful, and the narrow width of the fins have me wondering.
Any experience or flix on this, please?
Thanks so much for the absolutely STUNNING scan.
Hotpoint agitator
A coin laundry near a friend's house in the Peachtree Hills section of Atlanta had an assortment of machines, some of which were Hotpoints with the black agitator pictured above. There were no filter pans and I don't remember if they burped. One night this friend took his laundry there and told me he got creative, sprinkling detergent between layers of clothes (like streusel, not that he cooked). He told me that when he took the clothes out, the undissolved detergent was still in the clothes. Most problems like this are operator-based so he probably overloaded the washer, but this might be evidence that the agitation is not powerful.
A coin laundry near a friend's house in the Peachtree Hills section of Atlanta had an assortment of machines, some of which were Hotpoints with the black agitator pictured above. There were no filter pans and I don't remember if they burped. One night this friend took his laundry there and told me he got creative, sprinkling detergent between layers of clothes (like streusel, not that he cooked). He told me that when he took the clothes out, the undissolved detergent was still in the clothes. Most problems like this are operator-based so he probably overloaded the washer, but this might be evidence that the agitation is not powerful.
Gentle machines
As I indicated in a previous post, I don't think that the Hotpoint spiral agitator performed any worse than our respected Maytag "Power Fin". With both machines, I observed first hand that if you didn't overload, rollover happened, probably comparably. I've seen many a Maytag struggle with dense loads that a GE with spiral ramp activator turned over with muscle.
The crucial difference between the Maytag and the Hotpoint is the former was engineered and built to last for decades. I'm sad to say that same can't be said for latter, where the company spent much more time and money on bells and whistles.
As I indicated in a previous post, I don't think that the Hotpoint spiral agitator performed any worse than our respected Maytag "Power Fin". With both machines, I observed first hand that if you didn't overload, rollover happened, probably comparably. I've seen many a Maytag struggle with dense loads that a GE with spiral ramp activator turned over with muscle.
The crucial difference between the Maytag and the Hotpoint is the former was engineered and built to last for decades. I'm sad to say that same can't be said for latter, where the company spent much more time and money on bells and whistles.
mickeyd
Well-known member
Thanks, Tom
The Kvetcher must be correct. One of the Easy Agitators was stlyed like that, no extension of the fins beyond the plate like the white iron one, and no wider flapped fins like the later black one. Very stream-lined and very gentle, like the Hotpoint. Wonder if they had a common engineer.
The Kvetcher must be correct. One of the Easy Agitators was stlyed like that, no extension of the fins beyond the plate like the white iron one, and no wider flapped fins like the later black one. Very stream-lined and very gentle, like the Hotpoint. Wonder if they had a common engineer.
mickeyd
Well-known member
Ken, you must have been typing when I was--never saw your po
So you've seen the Silhouette in action. Is it the short fast stroke, or the long slow version. I'm as nuts about the Hotpoints now as you are. As a kid I was always drawn to them, but they were rare in my neck o' the woods. Would you take your time describing the action of the agitator and the movement of the clothes, when the spirit moves you, aside from the Tag comparisions. T'anks;'D
So you've seen the Silhouette in action. Is it the short fast stroke, or the long slow version. I'm as nuts about the Hotpoints now as you are. As a kid I was always drawn to them, but they were rare in my neck o' the woods. Would you take your time describing the action of the agitator and the movement of the clothes, when the spirit moves you, aside from the Tag comparisions. T'anks;'D
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