Vintage Water Cooled Condenser Dryer Query

[launderess]

At school, our Home Economics lab had a large brand name washing machine and dryer. The dryer am almost sure was a water cooled condenser type as teacher had to turn on water behind the unit before staring the machine. Miss. also complained that even during water shortages she still had to use water when operating the dryer.

Can anyone shed light on whom might have made such a unit? Want to say Whirlpool as some how that name comes to mind, but not sure. These were not small compact units at all, but a large full sized washer and dryer.

TIA

L.

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Condensor Dryers:

Hey! Laundress, one of our Neighbor's of a long time ago had either a late 50's or early 60's Maytag Washer and Dryer and I remember when the Dryer was running, it had a small Copper-Looking Drain Pipe sitting over the edge of the old-type Concrete Utility/Wash Tub Sink, that the Water would constantly Drain out of, instead of an "On-and-Off" Pumping that my LG Compact Condensor Drying Combo does. I never at that time, not really knowing then much about Condensor Dryers and their needing Water to operate them, but I'm assuming that the Cold Water Faucet had a coupling that had an additional Hose going to the Dryer, to fill a Tank/Reservoir in the Dryer. I'm also not totally sure, but I seem to remember that there was also a small Access Door on the Bottom area of the Front of the Dryer, so I'm guessing that it was also a Gas Dryer, instead of an Electric Dryer.

I wouldn't know if at that time that Whirlpool also had Condensor Dryers, the only other Brand that I would guess would have been quite possibly a Bendix.

Peace and Holiday Cheer, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[launderess]

Bendix?

How old do you think I am?????? *LOL*

This was in the late early 1980's but the applinances were probably from the 1970's or so as most of the other kitchen appliances in the Home Economics kitchens/areas were.

Thanks for the help though!

L.

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Well:

Laundress, I don't see any pertenent info on your Profile Page, although I know that it isn't polite to ask Girls, Gals, Women their Age, and I've still not seen as with everyone else any Pix's of you either and I still wonder why!!!

I've not really noticed any Condensor Dryers of more recently, until I started knowing about our wonderful Club Site, when it was still the Classic Appliance Club name, before becoming Automatic Washer Club Site...

Sorry, I was mearly assuming that you were talking about quite some time ago, because of talking about School time and being an older Condensor Dryer, matched to it's Mate Washer...

Peace, Holiday Cheer, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[gansky1]

Maytag had a water-condenser dryer up until about 1965, it would have looked like a gas model as there was a small door on the lower right front of the machine that was the lint trap. Hotpoint had one in the early years, Jimmy (filterflo) has one from about 1956. There were also condenser models from others as well but they were usually combined with in a combo washer-dryer. Westinghouse had a condenser dryer that was a spacemate, meant to be mounted on top of the f/l washer and used a gravity drain. I've never seen or heard of any condenser units from Whirlpool, GE, etc and I don't know of any stand-alone dryers made into the 70's though...

 

[tomturbomatic]

She might have complained about having to use water to dry, but the alternatives were an unvented dryer spewing steam and lint into the classroom or hanging the stuff outside. The Maytag used a third of a gallon per minute of drying. Now, if she had been as resourceful as some of the club members with condenser dryers, she would have saved that nice warm water by draining it back into the washer to do another load of clothes. The water from the Maytag and my Duomatic was not linty, either. I think Hotpoint sent most of the lint down the drain. After drying a load of clothes, the only fuzz to be found was on the little plastic cage on the inner door that held the air freshener tablet.