Washer & Dryer Saved From Scrap In NJ

[brianl]

While coming home from the store last night, I saw a 90's vintage Whirlpool Washer/Dryer pair sitting at the curb on a pile of snow. Being only 1 mile from my house, I went home and got my car to bring them home.

Unfortunately no pics of them where they stood or in the car, as it was cold and a busy street. Here is when they made it safely home and in the living room before moving down to the basement tonight. I did some light cleanup after taking these pics, so pardon the dirt.

 

[brianl]

Washer Pic

 

[brianl]

Washer Timer Pic

 

[brianl]

Washer Tub Pic

 

[brianl]

Dryer Pic

 

[brianl]

Dryer Timer Pic

 

[brianl]

Dryer Drum Pic

 

[yogitunes]

How cool is that......hard to find thrown out ones.......your first DirectDrive washer?

I really need to get to your house and run water and drain lines to the other wall for you.........another mini-meet?......

is the dryer gas or electric?.....

 

[peteski50]

Great Finds!

Hi Brian,
That is really a great find. Looks like someone wanted to get rid of the set to make room for something new - maybe a renovation.
I hope to chat soon,
Best Of Luck
Peter

 

[cornutt]

That washer looks like the exact same model I purchased in 1991. The dryer I had was slightly different: it had a wrinkle-guard extension to the PP cycle in the area where this one has the fluff cycle, and it used an exhaust temp sensor rather than the drum-back moisture sensor for the auto cycles.

 

[brianl]

your first DirectDrive washer?

Yes it is. I am normally a belt-drive fan, but it was a set, fairly vintage at this point, and looked to be in good condition. I couldn't resist! lol Yea we will have to talk more about plumbing, as there is some hurdles to cross first.

Nice hearing from you Pete, it's definitely been a while since we last chatted.

They are fairly rust free and the feet are loose and adjustable. The washer has an awful smell to it which I can only imagine is the remnants of liquid detergent and probably some mold. Any ideas on cleaning? The only thing I recall is something about filling the washer up with hot water and lots of soap. I don't have any bleach as I was never really a fan of it. Is that required or necessary? I prefer not to use bleach on anything unless completely necessary.

 

[brianl]

Asterisk on the washer timer dial

I am curious what the asterisk is in the "OFF" position of the Knits/Gentle cycle, right before the Super Wash cycle? Why would it be positioned where it is on the dial?

 

[polkanut]

Congrats Brian, the stars must have been aligned just right for you to find such a nice set.  Have fun with them.  Direct drive machines deliver some very nice washing results.  What does Matt think about them? 

 

 

[yogitunes]

Most times you can get by with hot water and Dawn dish soap....this will remove most grease/slime........bleach will help disinfect and remove most mold, sometimes a bathroom mold killer spray works better

but for these DD machines, most of the scum and mold/mildew issues is found around the splash shield/upper area of the unit, where the water never touches......

probably best to remove the cabinet, pop off the splash shield, and thoroughly clean/scrub this area......also take out the agitator, and clean all the hidden areas too......

you can also replace the agitator cap with a dispenser.....simple change out

that asterisk after the Knit cycle could be a suds return section...if a model would have that option.....set the timer there and pull out to see what happens, you may have to advance an increment at a time to see what happens.....

SuperWash too!....

only thing that bugs me about these Whirlpool machines....is that GentleWash step down to the lower agitation speed......

 

[brianl]

Hey Tim, he was actually the one who encouraged me to get them. I saw them on the same side of the road we were driving down, and I did a quick turn-around to get a 2nd glance. Once I realized what they were, I was like "ooh, I these are nice machines." So Matt being in his passive fashion said let's pick them up then. As usual I was shocked, but did not question lol. Both my wagons are shot, so I had to use my 1998 Cadillac Deville of all cars! Turns out the mouth of the trunk is around 36 inches wide and from lip to open trunk lid, was about 34 inches. There was enough dept to slide about half the machine in. We just shoved one machine at a time head first in to the trunk and secured it with 2 bungees to the car and drove each one home slowly but swiftly. Being 11pm, it was little traffic, but enough to made things annoying. The shared driveway we used to get the machines of course had 2 residents who both wanted to leave at the time of us picking up the dryer. It was 2 trips, but being so close to home, it was like 3 minutes each way.

 

[brianl]

OK Martin, I will see what I have in my arsenal at home. I was going to fill it up with hot water and let it soak with some additive to help clean it up.

What I really like about the dryer is the infinite tempatures on the dryer. My pieve with my current dryers is the high, low, or air. There was times where I had to line dry stuff because even the low seemed to high. This dryer will fix that big time.

Almost forgot to attach, here is the washer tag.

 

[brianl]

And now the dryer tag

 

[brianl]

I never understood the step-down from high speed agitation to low speed. Was there a purpose for this?

Does anyone have scanned manuals for these?

 

[cycla-fabric]

Whirlpool Washer Instructions

Hey Brian - you will like those Whirlpools as they are great machines. I have almost that same washer and my dryer is one model up from your dryer. Mine is gas too. The attached link will get you a copy of the washer instructions my next post will give you the dryer instructions Enjoy

Doug

http://laundry.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/whirlpool/la558oxt.html?idRes=508460

 

[cycla-fabric]

Whirlpool Dryer Instructions

Here is the Whirlpool dryer instruction link

Doug

http://laundry.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg/whirlpool/lg7681xs.html?idRes=504215

 

[toploader55]

Hey Brian

Nice score. And better than that... Free.

Your basement must be getting "tight". ???

Maybe I'll be down to NJ soon. Eddie

 

[combo52]

ALMOND DD PAIR

Congratulations on saving these very capable machines. Brain you now own the most produced automatic washer and dryer models in all of human history. The washer was made the 3rd week of 2000 and the dryer the 5th week of 2000, so they are having their 22nd birthday, Oh how I love 22 year olds  LOL.

 

The asterisk in the long off period is the Suds return position, you had to buy the optional suds-saver attachment to use this feature. However you can set the timer in this position and the machine will dry agitate and if you take the drain hose and put it in a laundry sink full of water it will suck it back into the washer. The Gentle wash speed slow own was a great idea to minimize over washing of the clothes while still allowing the clothes to remain in the wash water for the full wash period.

 

The WP gas dryer is the fastest most durable and economical dryer ever made in the last 30 years. The temperature control is actually not infinite as it has only 36 different positions on the dial LOL.

 

[brianl]

Thank you very much for the info Doug!

What made your dryer a one up over mine? Any special features or extra cycles?

 

[yogitunes]

For the most part GentleWash is based on, first high speed agitation for scrubbing, and then the step down to give the detergent/chemical time to work....you would think it would be the other way around.....Soak and then Scrub....

but yeah....I think these machines were calling you.....mainly the GAS dryer with variable temps.....good thing you have those extra ports...we should add 2 ports to the left as what was done on the right side......and for the window, cut a board to fit, and cut 4 ports for vents......

you need one more gas dryer.....lol

we have a plan......nothing we can't do or handle!......

4inch plastic pipe makes great venting....inexpensive....minimal lint buildup....easy to clean........

I need to get you to my house to see the new setups....for the washers and dryers, plumbing and venting.......

 

[turquoisedude]

Nice save Brian!!  These machines are far too nice to wind up in landfill somewhere.   Have fun with them!!

 

[gadgetgary]

Nice catch Brian and Matt

Enjoy your new toys!

 

 

[brianl]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! Hey Martin, the window is already covered. I bought a piece of plexi and installed it. Fits very snug and is sealed from moisture. The only thing I need to do now is secure the vents to the window. I may stick with two for now lol. I have to get rid of a few machines, as my space priorities have changed a little bit. We can discuss more on setups, I'm curious to hear your ideas.

The dryer is what set me off to grab the two, so the dryer was the first to be saved. I've been going nuts have only a two temp dryer lol.

The low speed action should have been limited to only the last 2 minutes if anything. The manual claims this system is for better fabric care. Sure it is -cough-. They also say the last few minutes but 6 isn't a few, it's a lot.

Funny enough these are the exact 2 that are in my mother's house. They were bought in 1991 when we bought the house in August and needed machines. The dogs on the agitator went once or twice and the timer knob on the dryer is picky, but otherwise they still work.

 

[yogitunes]

yes....that 6 minutes is an eternity......and a waste.....I could go with 2 myself for these, but not 6......once you hit that step down, all action/rollover STOPS!.....I used to limit it to only loading half full of clothes---basically your washing on a Gentle cycle.....I think the only fix/modification for these is to install the large base KA agitator...

I can take a few pics of my basement for you......but actually would rather have you guys come down for a visit to play, since most everything is hooked up and running..........bring laundry!......theres 8 washers and 5 dryers, plus 2 TwinTubs, so far!

pick a day......

 

[cycla-fabric]

Brain - my dryer has the press guard feature on the PP cycle, so when the drying is done it does a brief tumble every 5 minutes, up to 45 minutes after the drying is done.

Doug

 

[washer-kid]

This set looks exactly like mine....awesome....they are workhorses for sure ....mine are from 1987!