Video of Dexter WCA20/Visit to Wash basket Laundromat

[speedqueen]

My aunt lives in the East Lansing area and every year we go to her house for Thanksgiving. Charlotte is only about 40 minutes from her house thus I convinced my mother and we took a trip there. We took some of my aunt's rugs to wash, of which I recorded most of the cycle. While others went shopping on Black Friday, I went washing long distance!

Mark(bendixmark) has mentioned that these Dexter washers are close to being duos inside. The owner of the laundromat, Gary, wasn't in at the time, it seems as though he comes at beginning and end of day to open and close shop and the laundromat is otherwise unattended - eccept for cameras.

I hope everyone finds this footage interesting. I pre-apoligize for any issues with the camera work and/or inaccuracies.

 

[foraloysius]

Thanks for a great video! I see there is a cycle selector with a small dial. Can you set the dial yourself or does it need some kind of key from the owner? The spinspeed seems rather low, do you know what that speed is?

Those Dexters sure are nice sturdy machines!

 

[bendixmark]

The Wash Basket

Cool! I bought my Dexter from Gary. Did you see the sign on the wall?I gave him that I had it made at the Topsfield fair.That laundry has been in business since 1947 and was originally an all boltdown bendix Laundromat.Those machines he has are all gravity drain but he said there is a conversion kit to make it have a pump but I have been unable to locate that so far.He also told me he is replacing all these machines if anybody wants one.I love mine and I haven't even run it yet. In the 80s and 90s these machines were commonplace in Laundromats around here and I used to go use them all the time just for the fun of it but now they are all gone.How awful.

 

[speedqueen]

Cycle selector

No key required. It is just a sturdy METAL knob!

Mark, I was unsure of what sign you meant? Gary has many signs, posters, and rule sheets. I would have done a walk through tour, but other customers arrived and I didn't want to look stranger than I already did. When I started filming, I was thr only person there, but after the cycle completed, there was both a family and an elderly gentleman that I didn't want to frighten.

 

[bendixmark]

Sign

I had a hand carved sign made for him at the Bottomsfield Fair (It is actually the Topsfield fair but I call it that because its in a field at the bottom of a hill,the countrys oldest aggravated agricultural fair to be exact) because he was so helpful that said The Wash Basket Laundry est. 1947 but I don't know if it is there or in his house but he was quite pleased with it. My future home The Hotel Costa Plente has a whole bunch of those signs.

 

[jeff_adelphi]

Some photos of my Philco-Bendix washer,

Photos 1 thru 9,   I found this new in the box several years ago.

http://automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/00ShowCollectionGETD.cgi?photoshow=11@Youngstown DW, inside view@JEFF_ADELPHI.jpg&dir=/COLLECTIONS/JEFF_ADELPHI

 

[speedqueen]

Wow!

That machine is very nice! These certainly seem well built, I wonder how the reliability compares to a modern commercial front load automatic washer-extractor?

Jeff, how does one go about bolting a machine like that down? How long of bolts, etc?

I may just try and buy one of those machines from Gary. Even If I cannnot find a pump kit I am thinking I could wire an electric washer pump to the same wires as the drain valve solenoid.

 

[jeff_adelphi]

My washer is bolted down to the concrete floor with 3/8" lag bolts about 4" long into lead shields. I think it would be easy to install an electric pump, I thought about doing it when I had a pump seal leak, but was able to find a new seal and repair it.

 

[speedqueen]

Thank you Mr. Lefever,

One more question, how are these machines for washability? The large drum and water amount plus the addition of a prewash would suggest that they clean and rinse well, but those are just assumptions. My one rug load wasn't much of a test.

 

[gorenje]

Thank you Richard for posting this video!

Very very cool machines indeed.
You mentioned a spray rinse in the video. Can you explain me some more about it. Is it more a suds and tube rinse to flush the dirt from the prewash?

Thanks

Ingemar

 

[speedqueen]

I would have to guess that you are probably right. Probably also helps to make sure that the wash fill has the hottest water available as it flushes the lines after they cooled during the prewash. Don't trust me on this though, I'm certainly not the expert. What is your view on the post prewash spray rinse, Jeff? You know more than I do.

 

[jeff_adelphi]

My washer cycle is, Prewash, Wash, Spray rinse, 200 RPM spin, Rinse, 200 RPM spin, Rinse, 400 RPM spin. Total cycle time is about 25 min. The washer cleans very well, but the spin speed is low. I'm lucky to have a Bock extractor that I always use.

 

[bendixmark]

Dexter

One thing that is nice about that machine is it is essentially a duo minus the dry but without the weight.My Dexter is relatively light compared to my 58 bendix duo,oh my god is that machine heavy when the day comes to move that into the next room I will need four strong dudes. All this talk of Dexters is getting me excited about building my Laundromat.Ohhh Ive got to get busy busy busy!

 

[johnrk]

Thanks!

I've already saved your YT video to my hard drive.

As for that Philco Bendix, it's past stunning. And in that color!

I've always had a perverse interest in commercial vs. residential items, whether it's the machines discussed here, or food mixers, or large appliances, etc. I always bought pro-level cameras incl. view cameras for the same reason. There's just something special about products where function outweighs fashion.

 

[speedqueen]

Commercial...

washers always seem to be no-nonsense machines even the newer WP VMW commercial TL machines, they dispense with the auto load sense routine.

These old commercial machines have a "its going to go through the cycle no matter what" mentality, when the solenoid latches, its going to spin, no ifs or buts about it.

 

[johnrk]

SpeedQueen:

I noticed on the front of this Dexter that there was a sticker stating not to open the door while the drum was in motion.

Did/do these machines not have a positive lock when they start like both of my residential FL's did?

 

[speedqueen]

Lock

I'm not completely sure, shall we say I didn't test that feature! There is a good chance that there isn't a lock as when I opened the door of the machine the latching mechanism didn't look as though it could support a lock.

Let the others chime in though, they're the experts.

 

[revvinkevin]

Another video

 

Thanks for the video Richard!   When that shifts into the high(-er) speed, it sounds exactly like at Duomatic when it shifts into high-speed spin.

 

Not trying to steal any of your thunder Richard, but here's a short video of Jeff's Philco/Bendix commercial washer and American Motex extractor (at nearly 1800 rpm!) mentioned above.

 

Kevin

 



[this post was last edited: 11/27/2017-11:05]

 

[bendixmark]

Video

Hey Richard, just wanted to thank you for posting that video I watch it over and over again.Brings back happy memories of 30 years ago years ago visiting Laundromats that had those machines and of a time before the world and my life turned to sh**. That machine has a simple majestic beauty.How is that for crazy talk? People tell me that all the time.Boneheads. I cant think of a better way to spend a thanksgiving afternoon.When I bought my washer Gary sold me a stand to go with it short money freshly painted.What service. I noticed from your profile you aren't even 18 yet I am sure some of my fellow discussomatrats (speak for yourself) would like to know how you got interested in these machines as they are well before your time.