Vintage GE Compact Dryer

[westytoploader]

Not the WCI machine with the bottom-mounted controls and plastic door; this is an older model and appears to be the matching dryer to my GE Portable! In decent shape and seems pretty rare. $20, Oregon.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[toggleswitch]

Wow I remember those. IIRC they were not markteted for a long period of time.

Looks like the drum is galvanized?
Looks also like no connection for an exhaust hose, could that be?

Wonder why GE dropped portables/compacts (or at least offered the sporadically.)

I remember when GE came out with a 24" wide full-sized washer, prolly to compete with Whir-more. It had a retro-looking chrome strip just under the top where it meets the front (sort of at waist level). Didn't last long. These 24" wide "larger" than compact machines were very very popular here in NYC, in that the allocated standard space for years was 24" for the fridge which was next to the sink. So it was a great location for a washer...

 

[westytoploader]

I have one of the "old-school" GE Portables, made by Hitachi. Wasn't the first model out; this is probably mid-1970's--early-1980's. These were only 20" wide if you can believe that!

And is this the chrome strip you were referring to?

 

[westytoploader]

Here's the washtub. Small, but holds more than you think. The impeller's action is quite strong and fun to watch! The spin is not bad either...

 

[toggleswitch]

No, actually the GE I am thinking of was a full 24 inches and 36" high to the top of the work-surface (without considering the back-splash). It was comparable to a whirl-more 24 inch wide "permanently installed" (non-portable) machines.

I distinctly remember it being a radical deparure stylistally (exterioir) from what else GE made at the time...

Is it Maytag or GE that has a regular width of 25.5 inches? (rather than 27 inches.)

Again the 24" width would have opened up thousands of NYC rental apts. for GE...or whomever else besides WP and KM to make one.

 

[toggleswitch]

Actually i just noticed the porcelaian tub in your GE by Sanyo, Asutin

COOL!

Aren't most Asian machines with a plastique tub?

 

[toggleswitch]

UGH!!

Hitachi, not Sanyo, sorry

 

[Designgeek]

Interesting! The porcelain tub indicates that this predated the switch to plastics. Question is, what's the agitation cycle, i.e. one direction only or two directions? Does it have any troubles with tangling, or no? Is lint filtered out or does it go down the drain with the wash water?

And last but not least, what kinds of clever tricks did people do to sneak these into their apartments in the event that management "frowned on" such things...?

 

[toggleswitch]

Easy.

Get Christmas wrapping paper, bring scotch tape and wrap it up. Buy the machine in November, December or January!

Then try it out once when no one below you is at home. Then let it sit for 30 days, so if your neighbors complain to mgt, you can honestly say "It's been here for a month, now you complain.."

LOL

Been there, done that.

 

[gansky1]

There are much better portables...

1380 Watts! The small tray under the door opening is the lint filter - no venting capability. Slightly warmed air ;-) is blown through the drum and out through the front of the machine and down toward the floor.

 

[Brent-Aucoin]

Austin,
I really like your little GE portable.
I love the way the timer looks like all of the washers of that vintage. It just looks like a toy.
Do you use it a good bit? And if you do, what do you like to wash in it.
I am sure that it is a fun little machine to play with.
You don't have the matching dryer to it do you?
Brent

 

[westytoploader]

Hi Brent,

Thanks for the compliments. I can wheel it up to the sink and use it anytime, so it gets a decent amount of use (in fact, I haven't had time to wash my sheets yet, so that would make a good GE load now) around here. I use it for towels, sheets, and small loads. It's a fun "toy" and spins the same speed that the impeller turns (no reduction; though the impeller/tub are belt-driven; a solenoid pops out to release the tub), so it's not slow! Glenn said it sounded similar to a Unimatic when it started spinning as well.

--Austin

 

[launderess]

Sounds like the same drying as the Hoover and Sayno compact dryers. Both will leave one's home full of dust/lint and very moist. Still if one used an extractor or a washer with a high final rpm spin speed, drying times *might* be doable.

Launderess