Vintage Westinghouse Washer Test/Commercial

[liamy1]

I don't know if this has been shared before, sorry if it has, but for anyone interested.

I love how formal everything is, and how the ladies are being introduced by Mrs (husbands name) surname.

How times have changed.

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[mayken4now]

The webmaster has a whole bunch of commercials/videos from long ago set up under the AW Icon then click Video/Audio.

Thanks for posting anyway, it's one of my favorite!

 

[tomturbomatic]

It would not have been nearly as dramatic if they had used a top loader with a perforated tub.

 

[frigilux]

I'd like to see the "Two Cups Of Sand" test done with perforated-tub top-loaders, as well.

Anyone willing to give this classic test a try with their machines?

> Frigidaire 1-18
> Maytag
> Whirlpool/Kenmore
> HE impeller-based machines (LG, Samsung, Maytag, Whirlpool)
> Speed Queen
> WCI-era Westinghouse/Frigidaire/Gibson/Kelvinator
> GE Filter Flo

 

[brucelucenta]

It would probably DESTROY the HE impeller machines!!!

 

[gansky1]

Years ago, Robert bought a GE Profile top load washer and dryer made by LG with the washplate.   I tried to find the thread and pics but had no luck.  He picked up a throw-rug from the back door in winter, full of sand and grit tracked in from outside and without shaking it out, dropped it into the washer.  Very quickly the washplate locked up tight and an error code came on the screen.  A bit of the gravel was wedged between the plate an the basket causing the motor to stall.  Fail.

 

RE the Westinghouse test, John L. pointed out years ago that because of the way the pump on the machine was designed, that it was likely that all of the sand settled down into the bottom during washing might have blocked the pump impeller from turning and caused the spring drive shaft on the pump to strip and break.  2 cups is a lot of sand.  

 

The other thing that hobbled the top loading washers in the commercial was that most were timed fill and all started at the same time.  Pulling on a single water line run to the set on stage, most of these likely didn't get a full charge of water for washing and thus the overflow portions of the wash & rinse was largely ineffective.  The GE and the Westinghouse were metered fill and would have had a full tub of water, but the solid-tub GE wouldn't have been able to get rid of all that sand in one go.  The Frigidaire pulsator looks like it did the best job of distributing the sand even throughout the load, if that counts for anything.

 

I've never had a desire to try this test in my '49 Westy, I'll take their word for it

 

 

[frigilux]

I thought the same thing: Two cups of sand is a hell of a lot of sand. It's difficult to imagine a load with that much sand in it. I certainly wouldn't want to try it with a recirculating system, ala my previous washer, a 2010 Frigidaire front-loader. One can only imagine the frustration of pulling out load after load with traces of sand in it. The Maytag's tub-cleaning cycle is very aggressive and would probably take care of the problem...but I can't say I'm eager to find out.

It's probably best that no one attempts the Two Cups Of Sand Test.  If you can't trust the board of The League of Women's Clubs of New York State, who can you trust?

 

[combo52]

Two Cups Of Sand

I am sure that the WH FL washers pump can easily handle this challenge as would about any older high water use washer. I also dough that the timed fill Norge and Frigidaire washers in this test under filled and changed the result, an overflow rinse really won't float much sand over the tub no matter how long you rinse the clothing LOL.

 

This was a very dramatic and valid test of sand removal in several automatic washers from the mid 50s, it is very noteworthy that WH left out the two best selling brands, the Whirlpool and Kenmore washers from this test, I will be glad to run two cups of sand through one of my older BD WPs or KM washers, and while the result may not be as perfect as the WH I would bet it would be darn near as good.

 

The Bendix FL washer and any of the Combination WDs that were also market by the time this test was run would also have aced this test.

 

[brucelucenta]

I agree that the front load westy or bendix would have gotten rid of the sand, IF it did not plug up or damage the pump which is a real possibility. But if the load was really a grimy, dirty bunch of clothes they would certainly not have been very clean and stain free and would have retained more water from the poor spin capabilities of those machines. Who goes out of their way to wash 2 cups of sand anyway? Kind of a stupid and unrealistic test just to try and prove their machine could do something that is not a usual thing that one normally encounters. That old Norge machine would wash clothes cleaner than any of the rest, could get rid of moderate amounts of sand and was the best looking machine to boot![this post was last edited: 6/23/2016-04:30]

 

[combo52]

Two Cups Of Sand

Yes two cups of sand is extreme, but a 1/2 cup of sand and grit is a common load for me when I wash rugs, shop rags etc at the shop and home and a 1/2 C or so of sand will not hurt any well designed washer in the least, as it is more common than you think. { maybe a Korean TL impeller washer might have a problem, LOL ]

 

And I have seen first hand the mess left behind in ST TL washers and in spin drain perforated basket TL washer that spin drains. It is especially dramatic when we are rebuilding a WP-KM DD TL washer where the neutral drain no longer works to see the huge mess left in the wash basket when the rags are taken out, YUCK.

 

[brucelucenta]

I agree that top loaders in general leave residue in the tub like sand and grit. It never really bothered me since I threw stuff into the dryer anyway and it knocked loose any other residue while drying. If the washer tub was too bad, I would just spin and spray rinse the tub before the next wash load. That's where front loaders really shine by washing rugs or bulky items well.

 

[brucelucenta]

On another note, when exactly did Westinghouse come out with their top loading washer? Seems like it was in the mid sixties. I remember that a store here that sold them had a display model that was cut away to show the layers of the actual machine.

 

[combo52]

WH TL Washers

Came out about 1964, these were just Easy Solid Tub models, about a year or two later they came out with their own design, they worked ok but were not durable and were a PITA to repair, the only repairs we ever did no them were inlet valves or a belt, if anything else was wrong they were too costly to fix and the customer junked them.

 

[revvinkevin]

Dirt left in the tub at end of the cycle

 

 

We have a 6-7 year old WP DD TL washer at work that's used to wash a variety of mostly micro-fiber shop towels.   Some are used to clean marks off windshields and as these cars are usually outside 1 to 3 weeks at a time, the windshields get rather dirty.  

 

When these towels get washed they are SO dirty, I'll have to run 2 complete cycles to get them clean.    Even after the 2nd complete cycle, there is often a fair amount of silty-dirt remaining at the bottom curve of the tub between the drain holes.  

 

So my point is, while it's not 2 cups of sand, maybe a 1/3 to 1/2 cup(???) of fine - silt doesn't get "washed away" either, even in a fairly new washer. 

 

 

[tomturbomatic]

I have to wonder how well the WP-made combos would handle the sand with the pump intake in the sump at the very base of the outer tub so that any heavier-than-water soil that falls into it would be recirculated back into the fabrics as they pass through the roto-spray. Lint in the pump protector/lint filter would trap a certain amount, but the filter would probably then clog. After unclogging the filter, remaining sand could be pumped into the ballast tanks during the final spin. I would not trust such a delicate machine with such an abusive test.

Beside that, who would want that much sand going into the plumbing? It could remain in traps

 

[brucelucenta]

I do remember seeing an ad in an old magazine showing a westinghouse top loader from the early 60's that appeared to be an easy machine. I also remember seeing some of the first ones that westinghouse made. I am surprised they were much trouble. The ones I encountered seemed to be fairly heavy duty machines. They even had a big solenoid valve that would kick in when it spun out the water. It seemed to neutral drain to a certain point and then kick in the solenoid. A neighbor of ours had one and said it was the best machine she had ever had. I know it outlasted the matching dryer to it.

 

[frigilux]

I've seen three mid-70's Westinghouse washers last a couple of decades, as well.

Another machine that seems to have a freakishly long life is the (admittedly crappy) late '80's WCI Frigidaire. A co-worker finally put hers out to pasture recently and replaced it with a new front-loader. It outlived a couple of dryers, washing for a family of four back in the day. I suppose the indexing tub takes some strain off the transmission and motor when washing full loads.

I've never kept a washer for its full, natural lifespan...although considering the cost, I may keep the Maytags 'til death do us part---theirs or mine, LOL.

 

[brucelucenta]

I would have kept my Maytags I had, if I had not needed one with huge capacity. There are still running strong with the gal I gave them to.