Washing in the ol Rollermatic this morning
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mrb627
Well-known member
Nice Machine
How does the water level control work?
Malcolm
How does the water level control work?
Malcolm
Beautiful machine
In stellar condition. You're clothes will be clean
In stellar condition. You're clothes will be clean
brucelucenta
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I liked the set I used to have of the Custom Imperial ones. Had the 2nd rinse option and all the push buttons too. The dryer was the bomb! It was electronic dryness control and worked quicker than the washer could wash, using the 2nd rinse feature. Of course the washer was a rapid dry 1000. Always wanted to see the model with the variable speed control, but never came across one. I think it was a WXN model number.
philr
Well-known member
It's similar to my pair of Canadian WF-ISN Rollermatics (who said pairs had to be washers and dryers!?).
I'm curious to know something about your WIN machine, do you need to hold the fluorescent light switch to turn it on or does it have a starter? My '65 set has starters and so does my newer 1-18 set but not my Canadian "N" machines.
As for the water level question, my Canadian set is time filled (as are all Canadian Frigidaire machines) but I have a 1967 US-built Custom Deluxe with the infinite water level selector. These have an infinite water level selector and a small tank under the tub with a tube connected to a pressure switch that fills at the same time as the tub at a 1/10th rate. When the water in the small container was to the selected level, the fill stops and the machine starts. This requires a different pump which isn't reversible so it doesn't pump the water out during the wash (that would trip the water switch again). The overflow periods on the pressure-filled machines are also shortened by one increment to avoid overfilling the outer tub. There's also a 1966 model that's pressure-filled (lower in the line) that doesn't have a water level selector.
I wish the time-filled Rollermatics also had a pressure switch to avoid that they overfill if the timer sticks (that happened to one of my machines when it belonged to the previous owners and it almost happened in my '57 control tower when the timer escapement blocked during the last increment of the overflow rinse).
My Agitub GMini has that safety feature. It's still time-filled but if it starts to fill it's outer tub, the pressure switch will prevent it from overfilling.
I'm curious to know something about your WIN machine, do you need to hold the fluorescent light switch to turn it on or does it have a starter? My '65 set has starters and so does my newer 1-18 set but not my Canadian "N" machines.
As for the water level question, my Canadian set is time filled (as are all Canadian Frigidaire machines) but I have a 1967 US-built Custom Deluxe with the infinite water level selector. These have an infinite water level selector and a small tank under the tub with a tube connected to a pressure switch that fills at the same time as the tub at a 1/10th rate. When the water in the small container was to the selected level, the fill stops and the machine starts. This requires a different pump which isn't reversible so it doesn't pump the water out during the wash (that would trip the water switch again). The overflow periods on the pressure-filled machines are also shortened by one increment to avoid overfilling the outer tub. There's also a 1966 model that's pressure-filled (lower in the line) that doesn't have a water level selector.
I wish the time-filled Rollermatics also had a pressure switch to avoid that they overfill if the timer sticks (that happened to one of my machines when it belonged to the previous owners and it almost happened in my '57 control tower when the timer escapement blocked during the last increment of the overflow rinse).
My Agitub GMini has that safety feature. It's still time-filled but if it starts to fill it's outer tub, the pressure switch will prevent it from overfilling.
phmorrow
Well-known member
lights / water level
Thanks for the kind words on the machine... PhilR, Both the washer and dryer have starters in them. Mrb627, the WIN models are meter filled just like PhilR said..
Thanks for the kind words on the machine... PhilR, Both the washer and dryer have starters in them. Mrb627, the WIN models are meter filled just like PhilR said..
philr
Well-known member
That's interesting, so Canadians had found a way to cheapen their machines by saving the fluorescent starter!
brucelucenta
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I knew about the pressure switch the agitub models had. It allowed me to put a much slower timer motor on them, so it would wash much longer and have adequate time to spin the water out between wash and rinse. I just adjusted the pressure control so that when a little bit of water spilled over to the outer tub, it would trigger the start of the wash. So it was really pressure activated and might not start agitating until the timer advanced into wash. But the water would stop flowing before that.
mrb627
Well-known member
Style
These machines had such style and classiness about them.
Malcolm
These machines had such style and classiness about them.
Malcolm
Bruce: I babysat the kids of the owner of the local Frigidaire dealership when I was a young teenager. They always had the newest TOL appliances and one of them was the variable speed washer. There was an unspoken agreement that if the wife left piles of sorted laundry on the floor, I'd do them just to get to play with the washer. And she'd come home to clean clothes. Win-win!
Anyway, the infinitely variable speeds were a blast to play with. The slowest agitation speed was very, very slow. I would watch the whole wash portion of the cycle and experiment with various settings. Didn't really mess with the spin speed much. I don't recall the machine being a RapidDry 1000, though. Maybe. It was so long ago!
I've mentioned the extreme case of Frigidaire envy I experienced growing up in The House Of Sears. The Frigidaire dealership was the largest in our tiny village, so the appliances were all over town. I loved the ranges, too. Dishwashers seemed to be the weak point. I recall a lot of complaints and saw a number of rusted out units.
This is why, even though it was no longer the real deal, I bought Electrolux-made Frigidaire appliances most of my adult life. I was going to fill my house with the Frigidaire logo and by God, I did, LOL. Now I'm moving more toward the Maytag/KitchenAid axis. Wait, they're no longer really Maytags or KitchenAids, either. I'm seeing a pattern, here.
I should have known better than to take an onscreen handle with a brand name in it. It's like a tattoo---what do you do when you no longer want it? I'm known as Frigilux here, so it's silly to change it; but my fascination with all things Frigidaire has definitely passed.
[this post was last edited: 7/18/2016-08:31]
Anyway, the infinitely variable speeds were a blast to play with. The slowest agitation speed was very, very slow. I would watch the whole wash portion of the cycle and experiment with various settings. Didn't really mess with the spin speed much. I don't recall the machine being a RapidDry 1000, though. Maybe. It was so long ago!
I've mentioned the extreme case of Frigidaire envy I experienced growing up in The House Of Sears. The Frigidaire dealership was the largest in our tiny village, so the appliances were all over town. I loved the ranges, too. Dishwashers seemed to be the weak point. I recall a lot of complaints and saw a number of rusted out units.
This is why, even though it was no longer the real deal, I bought Electrolux-made Frigidaire appliances most of my adult life. I was going to fill my house with the Frigidaire logo and by God, I did, LOL. Now I'm moving more toward the Maytag/KitchenAid axis. Wait, they're no longer really Maytags or KitchenAids, either. I'm seeing a pattern, here.
I should have known better than to take an onscreen handle with a brand name in it. It's like a tattoo---what do you do when you no longer want it? I'm known as Frigilux here, so it's silly to change it; but my fascination with all things Frigidaire has definitely passed.
[this post was last edited: 7/18/2016-08:31]
brucelucenta
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Plenty cool! The first time I ever saw a Frigidaire washer working was when a neighborhood lady with no kids had 3 of the neighborhood kids over and since I showed some interest in it, she ran it for me. It was a BOL '57 control tower with the matching dryer. I remember that it washed like a vibrator, it moved so fast. It had the black bakelite agitator with no cap. Of course I didn't know at the time it was a pulsamatic mechanism.
christfr
Well-known member
great vid I just love the sound of frigidaire
I've always loved how the timer indicator was always "Under glass" in the 1960's models.. I think it certainly makes the machines much more classy. I wish more machines used that design philosophy. I admit I'm a sucker for that design language.
brucelucenta
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Frigidaire made soooooo many really innovative looking and operating washing machines. Many were works of art in themselves. All of them from '56 on were extremely attractive, beautiful machines. Knowing that they were owned by General Motors at the time certainly explains a lot about that. The cars of that period in time changed constantly too. I think that Frigidaire washers probably experienced the most changes in appearance and mechanisms of any washing machine ever made. They were constantly trying to create the best machine possible with the most attractive package. I think that unfortunately tended to work against them with many of the repair and service people. They did not like change and preferred machines like Kenmore and Whirlpool that changed very little up to the 80's. Frigidaire certainly did make some interesting machines though. As I stated before, I believe they could have been the leaders of the industry had they not had the issue of excessive tangling in the beginning. I know that toward the end, the 1-18 machines washed as well or better than anything else on the market and held as much or more than any other machine at the time. What a shame, history might have possibly been different.
Tangling: People two houses down from us had a gorgeous '58 pair in turquoise. It replaced an early Frigidaire unit with promises from the dealer that the tangling issue had been solved. Not so, according to the neighbors. Both husband and wife cursed the day it was purchased and swore they'd never have another Frigidaire washer.
I don't know if the neighbors followed the instructions to load 'quadrant-style'; I'm guessing they probably didn't.
The tangling issue was ameliorated with the introduction of the "space capsule" agitator, which slowed rollover.
An early 1960s commercial Frigidaire in my sister's apt. building combined the best of both worlds: The Unimatic mechanism with its 1140 rpm spin and the Jet Action/Deep Wash agitator. Loved watching that machine. Not realizing the commercial machines weren't intended to have a cap on the space capsule---I thought theirs had been lost or broken---I stole one from a washer at an appliance store in Sioux Falls, SD (where she lived). I was thrilled with the results, as the view through the lid was no longer obscured by water shooting out of the top of the agitator. A thief with the best intentions, LOL.
I don't know if the neighbors followed the instructions to load 'quadrant-style'; I'm guessing they probably didn't.
The tangling issue was ameliorated with the introduction of the "space capsule" agitator, which slowed rollover.
An early 1960s commercial Frigidaire in my sister's apt. building combined the best of both worlds: The Unimatic mechanism with its 1140 rpm spin and the Jet Action/Deep Wash agitator. Loved watching that machine. Not realizing the commercial machines weren't intended to have a cap on the space capsule---I thought theirs had been lost or broken---I stole one from a washer at an appliance store in Sioux Falls, SD (where she lived). I was thrilled with the results, as the view through the lid was no longer obscured by water shooting out of the top of the agitator. A thief with the best intentions, LOL.
doug17
Active member
Awesome washer! This one is a classic! I know you are very proud! My grandmother had this exact washer! My grandmother bought this washer in June 1968 and it crapped out in early 1978....
It washed many items in 10 years!
Doug
It washed many items in 10 years!
Doug
brucelucenta
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That's what I'm talking about with the early Frigidaire washer before '64 or so. Many people who bought them absolutely HATED them because of the tangling. I did witness someone with a load of new diapers that you have to fold. It literally tied them into knots! It also went by word of mouth too. I have run into people who never had a Frigidaire washer, but would NEVER buy one because of someone telling them about the tangling. Just a shame because Frigidaire was already synonymous with refrigerator and had the inside line, so to speak. Just couldn't overcome the tangling of those early machines. If they had the jet action agitator to begin with, history might be much different.
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