mr-maytag
Well-known member
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Washboard Laundromat -Redwood Falls, Minn.
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toploader55
Well-known member
I believe
Those are Maytags short strokes with the digital minute count down display ???
Those are Maytags short strokes with the digital minute count down display ???
repair-man
Well-known member
Old Whirlpool belt drive machines.
JUST BEAUTIFUL!
I love all that vintage Wascomatty goodness. Those machines really cleaned your clothes and rinsed them well.
Those toploaders are BD Whirlpool.
WK78
I love all that vintage Wascomatty goodness. Those machines really cleaned your clothes and rinsed them well.
Those toploaders are BD Whirlpool.
WK78
repair-man
Well-known member
See thread #59119 from last week for a closer picture.
Redwood Falls???
That was the manufacturing and repair center for a company called Zytec Corp. I forget who bought them. They had a design center office in Eden Prairie IIRC. I was one of the auditors from a East Coast computer manufacturer that bought power supply products from them. Some of the best people on earth there. We would go out for some fun one of the nights I was there to a casino called "Jackpot Junction." That was before casinos became mainstream (in places other than LV).
What year are those photos from? They don't look recent, right?
That was the manufacturing and repair center for a company called Zytec Corp. I forget who bought them. They had a design center office in Eden Prairie IIRC. I was one of the auditors from a East Coast computer manufacturer that bought power supply products from them. Some of the best people on earth there. We would go out for some fun one of the nights I was there to a casino called "Jackpot Junction." That was before casinos became mainstream (in places other than LV).
What year are those photos from? They don't look recent, right?
mr-maytag
Well-known member
I don't think they're Maytags with those chrome handles and that console. They look like Whirlpools to me.
mr-maytag
Well-known member
I'd say mid to late 70s. I don't know who bought out Zytec. It was Control Data before Zytec...I do know that.
Sensible shoes by the refreshment table!
Two extractors! Talk about a full-service laundromat. Looks like 70s to 80s decor. Somebody sure takes good care of that store.
Two extractors! Talk about a full-service laundromat. Looks like 70s to 80s decor. Somebody sure takes good care of that store.
Control Data
Yes, CDC. I couldn't remember that. I miss my visits to Redwood Falls. I always wanted to get back there, someday.
Yes, CDC. I couldn't remember that. I miss my visits to Redwood Falls. I always wanted to get back there, someday.
70series
Well-known member
Those are definitely Whirlpool top loaders from the 60s/70s era. I will also say that that is one of the nicest looking laundromats I've seen.
Commercial TL Washers
Are mid to late 70s standard capacity 29" wide Whirlpools. These were probably the best TL coin operated washers ever up to that point in time in terms of performance and durability, we still have a few smaller apartment buildings in Washington DC that have some of these washers going strong.
It always amazes me how long basically the same washers as used in homes will last in commercial use, In commercial use you never see any mineral buildup or rusted out outer tubs etc compared to machines used in home.
In commercial use the machines get a varied diet of different detergents, water temperatures, LCB or not that keeps the machines in great shape. In commercial use people seem to use more detergent, LCB etc in their laundry and with no silly 2nd rinse option to rinse away all the beneficial properties of the detergents etc the machines not only last much loner but stay in better shape as well.
Are mid to late 70s standard capacity 29" wide Whirlpools. These were probably the best TL coin operated washers ever up to that point in time in terms of performance and durability, we still have a few smaller apartment buildings in Washington DC that have some of these washers going strong.
It always amazes me how long basically the same washers as used in homes will last in commercial use, In commercial use you never see any mineral buildup or rusted out outer tubs etc compared to machines used in home.
In commercial use the machines get a varied diet of different detergents, water temperatures, LCB or not that keeps the machines in great shape. In commercial use people seem to use more detergent, LCB etc in their laundry and with no silly 2nd rinse option to rinse away all the beneficial properties of the detergents etc the machines not only last much loner but stay in better shape as well.
Good points on the commercial TL WP,SQ machines-they last longer than we think.Used the early SQ,BD WP,and later Amana SQ washers at an apartment house in the DC area.Of course liked the early McGraw Edison SQ machines adn BD WP Surgilator machines the best.Another apartment place I lived in had Hotpoints with the ramp agitators.Liked those,too.They were a no nonsense machine that just got the job done.Suppose the varied "Diet" of detergents and bleaches helps.And patrons encouraged to leave lids and doors open when machines not in use-by directions on the machine adn large wall signs.I am assuming current machines in apartment houses are now FL to comply with water adn energy use rules?
Energy Regulations On Commercial washers
There are few to none, but on commercial machines common sense takes over as NO Laundromat owner would ever buy anything that wastes water and energy, likewise no apartment building owner would buy energy wasting machines today.
The same thing has applied to lighting in stores, offices etc, they were the first to adopt more efficient lighting [ when did you last walk into a commercial building that was lit with incandescent lights ? ] Yet I do still see some incandescent lights in homes, homeowners are just too stupid to make decent energy choices many times. And after all the goverment was elected by us and they are doing the job I elected them for to help save energy and help every person and other living thing on this planet live better and longer.
John L.
There are few to none, but on commercial machines common sense takes over as NO Laundromat owner would ever buy anything that wastes water and energy, likewise no apartment building owner would buy energy wasting machines today.
The same thing has applied to lighting in stores, offices etc, they were the first to adopt more efficient lighting [ when did you last walk into a commercial building that was lit with incandescent lights ? ] Yet I do still see some incandescent lights in homes, homeowners are just too stupid to make decent energy choices many times. And after all the goverment was elected by us and they are doing the job I elected them for to help save energy and help every person and other living thing on this planet live better and longer.
John L.
Look carefully---some stores still use halogen lighting for their displays-clothing stores and such-the light from the halogen bulb is hard to duplicate with LED.Some of these spotlights are ceramic metal halide-better-they do use less power-like 1/3 as much and can produce more light and last longer.A grocery store(Food Lion) is using CHM over their produce displays.These would be EXCELLENT lights for the home as well.Disadvantage-they do have a warm up time-take 2-3 min to warm up.I DO NOT elect gov't to MAKE THEIR choices for me----YOU should be the one making the choices for your washing,dishwashing,and lighting equipment.Gov't really doesn't have that sort of knowledge-they seem to still think "one size fits all" This doesn't work.And same with the water saving potties-they may actually WASTE water rather than save it.Look on your street where your home is-the street sewer lines from your home have to be cleaned and flushed out more often-this involves use of LOTS of WATER and other cleaning agents and running a large diesel or gas motor powered "snake" more often then when hi flow toilets were used.
some stores still use halogen lighting
Yes some do, but the number is dwindling FAST. Being a lighting geek I look at the lights in every store I walk into. The only stores in the big malls here in MN that still use incandescent lights are the low budget or old stores that haven't been remodeled.
SORAA and other LED manufacturers have bested 95 CRI with better then 3-4x the luminous efficacy of Halogen lighting. And the designer can pick the color temp at will. With lifespans of 20 to 50 times longer then the incandescent lamps the choice is easy.
LED technology is gaining in leaps and bounds while incandescent and discharge lighting is stagnant. They are even doing baseball parks with LED's now for significant savings and vastly improved color.
Yes some do, but the number is dwindling FAST. Being a lighting geek I look at the lights in every store I walk into. The only stores in the big malls here in MN that still use incandescent lights are the low budget or old stores that haven't been remodeled.
SORAA and other LED manufacturers have bested 95 CRI with better then 3-4x the luminous efficacy of Halogen lighting. And the designer can pick the color temp at will. With lifespans of 20 to 50 times longer then the incandescent lamps the choice is easy.
LED technology is gaining in leaps and bounds while incandescent and discharge lighting is stagnant. They are even doing baseball parks with LED's now for significant savings and vastly improved color.
GREAT!!Another "Flashoholic"I like lighting too, and yes LED technology is growing.So is HID-esp Ceramic Metal Halide.Currently the race of LED and HID is still neck-to-neck.Venture Lighting and Philips are the big promoters of HID-Philips also does LED.The LED yard and parking lot lights at our workplace are a big improvement over the mercury ones.But there is still a quality of mercury light folks like.I saved a few of the old mercury fixtures and use them.Mercury light is reliable,long lived,simple,(Some of the bulbs in our fixtures were over 10yrs old and still working)LED is still the life is not fully predictable.We will see how our new fixtures do.The ballparks out here have been redone with newer MH.Suppose LED will be next.When our lighting system was redone--it was done with American Lighting 215W LED "Cobraheads" and GE 415W LED floods.The floods light around the switchbay and power substation.It is a nicee improvement!Before the substation was not lighted.Made it hard if you had to check the generator switchgear at night.Good that another guy looks at the lighting in stores.Some of this lighting should be available for homes,too.Much home lighting is outdated,inefficient, inadequite,and short lived.Something interesting and strange about LED-like discharge lights LED lights fade from age as well.And sadly their fixtures are extremely expensive-like twice to four times that of an equivelent HID fixture.
