Washplate/impeller. When and by whom?

[huebschman]

I just want a little history lesson here.

What company came up with the washplate type washers and when ? And if it did not originate in north America, when did it cross the pond ?

Thanks!

 

[kalanikaau1]

Unsure

but whoever did most definitely did not have effective clothes laundering in mind.
I've seen a Whirltag washplate machine in "action", to say that the laundering effect being sedate is a lesson in civility...

 

[foraloysius]

You will have to go way back for the first machines with wash plates/pulsators. In Europe Hoover had one, but on the side of the tub. AEG had machines with one on the bottom. We’re talking machines now before automatic washers were introduced. Asia had impeller machines too.

See here for more information about the history of washing machines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washing_machine

 

[vacbear58]

I dont know the exact date when it was launched but I believe the Hoover washer was based on the Monitor wringer washer which would have been around in at least the mid 1930s. This had the impellor on the side of the tub

 

[launderess]

Monitor was first in USA with impeller wash action.

Hoover picked it up for Europe then it was off to races with others across world such as in Asia.











Impeller washers would return to USA first with Hoover TTs and also their single tub units (rare). By 1970's or so you had various twin tubs and washers from Asia that used impeller wash action.

 

[launderess]

"but whoever did most definitely did not have effective clothes laundering in mind."

Actually impeller washers can do a respectable to excellent job. Am amazed at how well the "new to me" little Haier impeller washer does even with grimy loads. Certainly on par if perhaps bit better than top loaders with central beaters.

Many impeller washers do tend to tangle certain loads into a knotted mess. That is one big drawback.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

wash plate machines

Wash plate machines are stupid. They don't clean anything. I'm glad I have Speed Queen Commercials that don't fall for that stupid crap. They know better than to follow the trend.[this post was last edited: 6/26/2024-11:59]

 

[DADoES]

Perhaps the OP is referring specifically to full-size toploader impeller machines on the NA markets?  Were the Kenmore Oasis, Whirlpool Cabrio, and Maytag Bravos the first such offerings, circa 2006?  They were siblings of Fisher & Paykel's AquaSmart.

 

[huebschman]

To reply #7

Yes Glenn! That is exactly what I meant.

Thanks.

 

[ea56]

I’ve owned two different washers with impellers. The first one was a Maytag A50 twin tub that I bought in ‘77 and used as my daily driver until the summer of ‘81 and that little twin tub was dy-no-mite! The two impellers at the back of the tub moved around the water AND the laundry like nothing I’ve ever seen before or since! A load of laundry was spotlessly clean in 5 mins flat.

Then in 2010 I bought a Whirlpool Cabrio with an impeller plate on the bottom of the tub. What a literal POS! Probably the worst washer I ever owned, hands down! The second worst washer was an LG FL, but that’s another story. No matter how I followed the instructions for loading the machine almost every load would become unbalanced, but there was no signal and the machine just continued to refill with rinse water in it’s feeble attempt to rebalance the load. What a complete waste of not only water but time. I would have to constantly run upstairs when I though it was ready to spin at the end of the wash cycle and rinse cycle to be there should it become unbalanced and rearrange the load to prevent the endless refilling of water in its futile attempt to balance the load. And mind you I’ve been doing laundry since 1962 and I know how to follow instructions and load a washing machine properly.

In my searching online in an attempt to determine what the hell was wrong with that devil machine I happily discovered AW.org, so as they say every cloud has a silver lining.

I wouldn’t own one of these impeller TL’s if you gave it to me, they are NO BUENO!

Eddie
[this post was last edited: 6/26/2024-12:54]

 

[foraloysius]

“And if it did not originate in north America, when did it cross the pond?”

This quote gave me the idea you wanted to know a bit more than that.

 

[kalanikaau1]

Reply# 5

Perhaps so, but certainly not with the woeful "Maytag" washplate machine I once saw in action, some of the laundry articles did not even get wet!

Perhaps it was a tub fill setting inherent to the machine, but one would get better results from tossing clothes into a bucket with water and detergent and to let it sit idly...

The last time I noticed effective laundering actually involves submerging the clothes articles in water and detergent.

Unless, of course the machine washes with "virtual" water.

 

[ryner1988]

Reply #9

Eddie, when I replaced my Whirlpool direct drive TL back in December, I was seriously on the fence between the VMW Whirlpool I have now, and an LG TL with an impeller. The LG would have been $100 more though, and honestly I saw your old posts on here about your horrible experiences with an impeller machine, so I decided to stay far away. I'm sure they've improved over the years since you had your Cabrio, but you had such a bad experience that I didn't want to take the chance with that type of machine. So, for me, it'll always be an agitator TL or perhaps a front loader if I can ever afford one. I think that agipeller machines are also fine, which is an unpopular opinion. It's not quite the same as a full agitator, but the way I see it, there has to be something in the middle to balance laundry. If there isn't, I think what happens is the clothes get thrown to the middle and it's downhill from there.

 

[ea56]

Re: #12

Ryne,
I agree with you about the agipeller TL’s, I had a Maytag Centennial with an agipeller and it worked just fine, never became unbalanced but the transmission gave up the ghost after about 4 years and thats when I bought the current Roper BOL TL, which has never had a single problem. Always does just what it’s supposed to do and its the cheapest washer you can lay your hands on. In my mind simple is usually better.

Eddie

 

[DADoES]

 
For sure, they all are astonishingly horrible!   ;-)

 

[qsd-dan]

Some of the earliest wringer washers used a wash plate/impeller agitator before adding a post. The first batch of Maytag Model 80 wringers used this design.

 

[ryner1988]

Reply #14

To every rule, there is an exception.

Floating basket washers, including Fisher and Paykel and some Maytags, Whirlpools, and Kenmores, are great machines. The impeller design really gets the clothes moving, and the auto sensing is overall very good. My dad and stepmom owned a Maytag Braavos with the floating basket design that I quite enjoyed using. In my opinion, these are what HE top loading washers should be. I wish manufacturers had continued to improve upon and perfect this platform rather than abandoning it. I'd likely own one if that had been the case, that's how much I like them and how much potential I thought they had.

One fact to note is that the Cabrio washers in 2010 were offered in both the floating basket and VMW designs. From my observations, it doesn't seem like the VMW impeller washers performed nearly as well. In fact, I don't think VMW machines still do all that great when they're trying to be HE. The agitator versions are usually very good, but the impeller models are fair at best. They tend to be rough on clothes, suffer from poor wash performance, and have balancing issues. I wonder if Eddie had a VMW Cabrio and if he would have liked his machine better had it been the floating basket design.

Someone more experienced, like Glenn, can of course feel free to correct me if I am off track at all.

 

[kalanikaau1]

Reply# 14

No wonder loads take forever to complete in these pitiful machines, the laundry goes on an extended Merry-Go Round ride first!

 

[cfz2882]

i have a 2010 VMW Cabrio(in collection as historical artifact,gets rotated into use on occaision) and i can say that thing can do a good wash job if load size is just right The goofy rebalance routine is bad though.