Twin Tub Comparison Please.

[keymatic3203]

Philips

Hi Keith,

I remember working on what I suspect was one of the 70s philips twin tubs, as the console was blue and would have matched the washers and dryers of the time, but seeing yours the tub deck and spinner were the same, but this one had two pumps running off the wash motor, so you could only run the spinner when the washer was on, the drain was via two seperate hoses coming out of the back and the washer had a spring loaded ball as a sort of stopper to stop the wash tub emptying itself.

Simon,

it's as if you'd been watching over my shoulder, yes I find rinsing in the auto rinse twintubs requires quite a slow flow of water, so as to soak through the clothes rather than run off the top, if this happens when it pumps out the water looks clear but most of it hasn't been been through the load. This may make the rinsing a minute or so longer but it's automatic and you can be pegging out the previous load lol, knowing it is rinsed through.

Has anyone, had any experience with the rinse tube in the AEG lavalux super, I saw one years ago but never so it in operation.

Happy rinsing

Mathew

 

[volvoguy87]

Very interesting.

I'm enjoying reading this, keep 'em coming.

Dave

 

[keymatic]

Morning Mathew,

I think the Philips twin tub you refer to could either be an early/mid 60's one or an early 70's, the latter i think..I have read somewhere that the standard machine (without the discharge arm) use the principal of ball & spring to stop the wash tub emptying.
I think the idea had previously been introduced by Frigidaire, i can vaugley remember seeing an promotional advertising video for the mastertwin(late 60's, not the killer heal's one of the 70's) showing this feature.
I see you mention about the Mk2 AEG Lavalux, i did have one of those machines about 5 years ago, I the rinising is really good, and part of me thought they had taken the principal from "Easy" twin tubs in the US, albeit minus the spray cone in the middle of the can. The big chrome arm was also a good idea, as it enabled filling of the wash tub as well, sadly had to get rid of it as it was a bit beyond restoring.
Cheers
Keith

 

[launderess]

I Told A Lie

There is one maker of twin (and triple) tub washer/extractor in the United States.

Pipe:

http://www.unimac.com/adv_pdf/au04-207.pdf

 

[74simon]

Mickey, hope that improves your rinses! My machine has been used to wash 3-5 loads twice a week over the last three years or so, so I've had plenty of time to experiment! I tend to do four rinses, with fabric conditioner in the last one. The water never runs completely clear, but I put that down to the spinner switching off while there's still water in the outer can, which I reckon leaves rinsed out detergent on on its surface until the final spin starts.

I believe that Apex also built a twin tub, both it and the Easy were either built under licence here or imported over and rebadged by two British appliance manufacturers.

My belief is that those American machines were doomed to relative failure as Bendix introduced their automatic at around the same time, with other makers joining in after the war. The 60s machines seemed to fill a niche in the States for a small and/or cheap machine. In the UK at the same time the market was not as affluent as the USA making automatics too expensive for most, but twin tubs were cheaper than automatics and much less work than wringer machines hence the huge popularity of TTs in the UK. They were seen as full sized over here too, being able to wash a load of between 3 and 7lb in one go, while automatics could handle 5-10lb, depending on who built it.

Mathew, likewise, I'm usually hanging stuff up as one load rinses and spins - love the auto rinse as it does make using the machine regularly much easier. A full spin can of heavy synthetics is a pain though, sometimes I have to leave the water on a mere trickle...

Al, I learnt about the Philips in John Bloom of Rolls fame's autobiography, I'll have to dig it out cos it's got quite a few cool facts in it - the stillborn Rolls automatic was to have been a rebadged Rex, and was to be called the 'Rolls Robot'!

Such a shame so few Philips's survive, it's very elegant, wonder why they stopped building it so early? Maybe to do with the-then upcoming safety regs about interlocks?

Si

 

[launderess]

Quite a few households one knew in the late 1970's had twin tub units, and they were still being sold in the United States until the late 1970's or mid 1980's IIRC.

Automatic washing machines did help kill off semi-automatic machines, sure; but wringers were being made and sold here well until about the 1980's even with the availablity of other machines.

Portable automatic and semi-automatic washing machines were always a niche market in the United States. Aimed at "young marrieds", those living in apartments, and so forth.

Given the relative large size of familes in post war USA, and push to move into the suburbs, small washing machines were shot of as a family could afford. The post war years also brought about something else, easy credit terms which made purchasing "major appliances" something most anyone with a job could do.

Full sized washing machines developed all sorts of designs to allow a housewive to do "small" loads as easily as large ones, thus again why have a small washer when you can have the flexibility of a large one?

 

[aquarius1984]

Out of the 3 UK manufacturers mentioned I feel the Hotpoint Supermatic is the best.

Looking at reasons given why it shouldnt be I feel most of those come down to us guys being over critical on our own part.

The height of the machine would be a problem for todays men but giving that the current average height of a UK female is 5'2 according to some quick Googling I just did, I suspect the average height of the 1968 counterpart may have been a few inches smaller.

The wash time of 12 minutes is perfect to prperly rinse the clothes in the spinner while the next load is washing without the housewife having to rush in a flap competing against 2-3 rinses in a hoovermatic to beat the 4 minute wash timer only to have to final spin cottons for 4 minutes anyway.

The HP auto rinse is the most even in saturation plus allowing for the pooloing of water on top of the load helps even more.

The wash times itself is more reasonable as 4 minutes in the Hoovermatic certainly wouldnt not remove stains, I think Hoover didnt really give the adverts promoting quickness any favours as one needed to fill the machine with hot (tap hot @ 60*c?) or cold water add the soap then the clothes and heat the whole solution up to 85 degrees for any detergent to benefit whites.
This process can take up to 40 minutes using hot water and certainly more using colder.

Subsequent white loads would not come out as clean or stainless washed in 4 minutes unlike the extra detergent solution contact in the Hotpoints 12 minutes.

I am also a fan of the filterflow especially where pet hairs snd fibre shedding items are concerned.
This feature puts it ahead of Servis in my books although the Servis has the wash times of the HP.
Not a problem in FL's but having washed the garment in a Hoovermatic the moment the action stops you get a crust of floaty crud atop the wash water which one must then drag out clothes through and re litter.

Not to mention the 3100rpm spin in the HP machines. A real boon to housewives even today.

 

[keymatic3203]

Though Rob

if the hoover is leaving a `crusty crud layer' then it's obviously an effective washing action lol.

Yes the filtre is obviously a good idea for lint and pet hair etc, though I find planning the sequence of loads is the key.

As for rinsing i think whatever the machine, it's down to the users skill and judgement as to the results obtained.

You won't be keeping the Hoover then lol.

Mathew

 

[launderess]

Best Set Up IMHO

My vintage BD Whirlpool portable with the Hoover's spin basket, failing that another separate extractor.

While the Hoover *may* hold more than the Whirlpool, this is only due to no center agitator. However the Whirlpool's wash action is far more through (IMHO), and less hard on fabrics. Best of all no tangles.

Hoover says leaving items in the wash longer than the maximum four minutes on the timer is what causes tangles. However some stains or soils won't shift in a short amount of time.

The Hoover can clean well, but you need a good strong and low sudsing detergent. Forget about enzymes because your wash won't be in the tub long enough to benefit. Instead stains should be pre-treated before than to get things started.

Rinsing in the Hoover.

There are as many schools of thought on this as there are grains of sand on a beach! *LOL*

Am almost certain the directions in the owner's manual for my TT states to saturate laundry totally, and until one can see water just over the wash. Doing this however have been "set straight" by some who say this will strain and eventually kill the motor as it has to cope with pushing out all that water. Also the spray of water from this method can lead to rusting out of inner parts of the machine if water goes down that way.

OTHO having to move loads between wash tub, spin basket, back to wash tub (after filling with fresh water), is time consuming and back breaking work if one has several loads to get through. Not to mention if one is rather obsessive about rinsing, having to drain that wash tub and add fresh water for each load adds yet more time. All this while the Hoover is making enough noise to wake the dead.

 

[paulc]

I have used s few twin tubs and have to agree that the supermatic was the best. On the subject of rinsing my Mum taught me to do it this way. Place cotton or sturdy items in the spinner after they have been washed, synthetic items went straight into a basin of cold water and did not get spun straight after the wash. The load was spun, returning suds into the wash tub. When sufficiently spun the laundry was removed and placed on the lid of the washtub then each item was "hosed down" over the spinner and dropped in. Synthetic items were then added. The load was spun and the process repeated, the last rinse was a bucket with softener in it poured over the load.

I always thought this process was time consuming but it did provide better rinsing than just filling the spinner up with water and spinning it out again.

It is only in the past few years I have come to love twinnies again, growing up and washing for our family I hated our supermatic and longed for an automatic. I usually had 11 or 12 loads to do in the twinne on a saturday morning. Our last supermatic died a terrible death when the spinner broke from it's axel at full pelt (3100rpm) and destroyed the machine and nearly finished me off with fright! It was replaced with a second hand Servis Super Twin until I left home and bought my mum an Automatic.

 

[launderess]

Like using my TT for doing soaking of items.

All that metal (tub, lids, etc), means once closed warm water stays at temperature for quite some time. Once soaking is done bung items into the spinner, then on to a wash in either the Miele or Whirlpool.

 

[vacbear58]

European Advantage

Laundress,
That where we score - if the twinnies had heaters which most had - heavily soiled items could be left to soak (I suspect the term for PaulC would be "steeped") in cold or cool water while the water came up to temperature, and with HMDL and Supermatics even better with an interlock between thermostat and motor so that when the temperature was right the wash action would start. That is what my mum would do that while washing breakfast dishes (no DW in those days). After that the next load left in the sink soaking while she went to make the beds and tidy the bedrooms. After that, with the water heated it was time to get the washing properly started.

I must say that I agree with a great deal that has been said about the Supermatic as it did kind of have everything (in de Luxe version anyway) and I appreciate that the lowness of the machine would not have been an issue for most women. But even with that my favourite is the Supertwin (Speed Queen/Simplicity) - I suspect that twin tubs (and actually all laundry appliances) are a bit like cars we like what we like, and quite passionatly at that, in spite of the pros and cons
Al

 

[hoovermatic]

LOVE the pictures of the Philips Top Twin. Mum had the Top Twin De luxe and although it didn't have automatic rinsing the spin can was not perforated like the Hoovers and the pump could be run all the time so rinsing was very easy and effective. All round great looking machines. As rare as hens teeth now I reckon!

 

[chestermikeuk]

Twinnys

Dave, yes interesting question, There isnt one definitive "Best" IMHO..they all have their own unique traits & features, a lot of the time its what you have been used too, which one was a family machine etc...we regularly use a selection of twinnys at our mini meets here...and at usually it gets very very competitive about "Whats Best"

I think as well you adapt your own laundry requirements to produce good results, even with the most undesirable machine, (is there one) I`m sure all of us here could get good results just by observing what works best with each machine!!

The hoover twinnys are rather fun to use, plenty of "SplashDrama" and loads of noise, you could always tell when the neighbours where washing, you`d here the sounds across the lanes, estates & parks of the UK.. The older machines with metal tubs had a vigerous wash turnover, due to a large motor and fixed tensioned belt, the spinners where designed to whizz out your suds at 2,100, and then (whichever rinsing method, hose - hosing the water around the clothes, bucket - sloshing water over the clothes - either leaving them or sloshing them through the water with your hand or hauling it into the sink for a few quick swills!!!

Heres the first Hoover twintub the 3174, 1957 model in action:

<object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value=""></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>

 

[mickeyd]

Oh MICHAEL--sittin' here watchin' your stunning flix

and then I flashed,O MY GOD ! the 62 Multi is running with the suds-valve closed waiting for me. Flew to the garage and she was a minute or two into the overflow rinse. All of the wash water, (first overflow, plus the wash water throw, and now rinse water all in the outer tub) and she was still chugging away happily. I popped the valve and the water gushed out for so long. HOW MUCH can that outer tub hold. I know it's not as big as the Unimatic cabinet, but my God, it was a ton of water. I had a true a Paul Turquoisedude moment, I'm telling you.

Now back to the twinnies: They're just fabulous. I'll keep viewing, later on till I find one spin-rinsing at high speed; the HP was slow, wondering if you had to bypass a safety switch or if HP had the kindness to let it all be. This is a delighful treat, Mike, thanks.

Your steel tub with the strong motor sounds so deep, strong, and powerful: "Look out!!!! we're gonna wash, then we're gonna boil. You don't stand a chance."

 

[chestermikeuk]

Twinny Spin Rinsing!!!

Mikey, heres a faster one, 2,300, later version, lovely colourway...listen to when the spinner stops and you hear the gentleness of the Hoover wash motor with the motor just hung on to the flexible belt, it surges the clothes rather than a fixed pacy speed!! then judge how that spinner pump thrashes that water out, now that laundry sink is deep, try doing that in a designer sink, you`l have water up your walls!!!

<object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value=""></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>

 

[mickeyd]

A Perfect Washing Machine and IT HEATS!!!! How neat. Thanks

And you've revealed the rinsing secret your mates have been ballyhooing: light water pressure. That baby rinses great: slow easy steady till the wallop.....

Wet walls and wet overalls, indeed. ;'D

Wish we had them here. Some things can only be had in another country.

 

[keymatic]

Semi - Automatic's……

Where do I start, well I over the years I have had quite a lot of exposure to these machines.

I guess it all started when I was about 5, we use to stay at a self catering cottage in Looe Cornwall, the lady who ran it lived next door, on the Monday following the change over day she would set to and start the washing of all the linen, I would get up early and whizz round to watch her, she would lift me up and watch what she called the "Thumper" aka a mk3 Thor Automagic, I would watch the to & fro action agitator through the glass porthole, then watch her stocking stuffed sandals press the pedals to switch between Wash-Stop-and Spin..excited to see the hot steamy wash water come flowing out of the big grey hose which was hooked around the sink tap, but disappointed when nothing came out, only to realise that the Suds Saver cap was in place….

Well, fast forward 10yrs..and at the age of 15 or so, I set to try and get hold of one of these machines, well finally managed to get hold of two, but were not in the best of condition and had both died due to the clutch, which was the main reason most failed. In 1997 I was offered a Thor Automagic Mk 2, not quite the same as the "Pedal model" but the principal was the same, and restored to perfect working condition, this was followed a few years later by one of two Parnall Spinwasher's, which was the updated and modern version of the Automagic..

I am currently waiting for a friend to convert a video I have of my spinwasher showing a full cycle to dvd which I will then be able to upload to here. Any questions regarding semi-auto's please ask, they are great machines !!

Keith