Westy Slant-Front Dryer HELP!

[panthera]

OK, we figured out why she was full of lint - somebody didn't put the cover back over the front drum rollers after working on her...full, full, full of lint!

Now the problem for which we really need help. The element box has a fragile, badly damaged coat of asbestos on the bottom. Obviously needed for insulation.

Does anyone have an idea how we can cover the asbestos? I don't want to remove it - not paranoid about asbestos, but this is not good.

Aluminum foil is out, elements sag. Fiberglass is out for obvious reasons. Can't see enough space for a metal plate.

Any help much appreciated. If we can't find a solution (soon, she is in the middle of the kitchen) we are going to have to throw in the towel on a beautiful machine.

 

[turquoisedude]

Isn't there something that can be sprayed on asbestos to keep it from flaking or crumbling?? I don't know if something like that would stand up to direct heat from an element, though. Would some kind of ceramic block (like was once used on those open coil electic stove or hot plate burners) work?? Maybe even a piece of the cement gyproc board used in bathrooms may work...
It's a great looking dryer, BTW. The Westy slant-fronts are my 'dream machines'!!

 

[fltcoils]

I'd cover it with fiberfrax, alumina insulation for blast furnaces. comes in rolls about $20 I think.

fiberfrax.com
some google hits with fibrefrax as well.

 

[ronhic]

Generally speaking

Asbestos is ok provided it isn't mucked around with. If it is flaking or cracked I would contact the EPA and advise them of where it is and it's condition. Take a photo and email it to them. Ask them if there is a product available that you can use to 'cement' or 'bind' it together such as a lacquer where it will soak in.

Once it has been 'set' I would be tempted to take it out and dispose of it as they advise. Take all precautions that you should including a decent face mask/respirator.

I would then look at some other heat insulator. What about a home made 'laminate' using ceramic tiles with say, an enclosed layer of cork treated several times with a fire retardant spray (that you can get for clothing)?

 

[panthera]

Thanks!

Why thank you for the quick responses. We are very disappointed and a bit frustrated. The biggest problem is the clearance between the element 'cage' and the insulation is not even 1/4".

We are wondering if a heat setting muffler bandage would do the trick...certainly set up on a flue stack which just barely got too warm to touch a few years back.

Keep the ideas coming and thank you!

 

[everythingold]

High temp spray paint. Automotive stuff that can be sprayed on a manifold.

 

[panthera]

Here's the game plan, thanks to everyone!

OK, we have tried Everythingold's idea. A couple of coats of a barbecue grill paint, rated for constant duty at 650C.
It definitely left a solid coat on the surface which doesn't flake.
My next step is to lay down a muffler bandage, the kind which does not need high heat to set but sticks to metal and forms a thick skin.

I'm not paranoid about asbestos just lying there, and most substitutes are equally bad for one's lungs as we now know.

Oh - looks like this is the only major problem. Still have to fabricate a cover for the rollers in the front of the drum. That is what started the whole problem, that cover being off, lint built up everywhere. Can't imagine what sort of idiot would do that...now have to check every electrical component and line just to be sure there isn't anything flopping in the wind.

But without your help, I think we would have given up yesterday. Thanks to everyone.

 

[whirlaway]

Beware!!!!

Its not asbestos you really need to worry about its aging fiberglas.Working for Ma Bell for thirty years,I have drilled many brittle asbestos shingles,no problem just carried a water bottle with me and sprayed as I drilled.Fiberglas on the other hand just falls apart like a powder after being in attics for years or around higher than normal temps.It just puffs in the air,Id say more dangerous than asbestos.You might try to preheat that patch before you lay it in there,but the paint should do the job by itself. Good luck Bobby

 

[panthera]

Bobby,

You are so right. Most replacements for asbestos are worse than the original product.
This dryer had no fiberglass - mineral wool all over the place, asbestos in high heat areas. We sprayed the asbestos as Everythingold suggested, then put a light coat of plaster of paris over it.

The asbestos gaskets were replaced with copper/silicon paste. The heat pipe wrapped with fiberglass. Left the mineral wool on the sides, no point removing it - it is not in the air path and seems ok.

I am going to let her blow out for quite a while before we put her in service.

A few questions coming up. One, how can we identify her age? No date stamps anywhere!

How does the 'timer' work? Is is a pure thermostat? Any help much appreciated.

I regulated the one adjustable thermostat to the lowest temperature...but 5KW elements are not to joke about, I doubt that synthetics would fair well in this machine.

Going to hook her up to the 240V split-phase AC this afternoon. Am adding a chassis ground to the frame. I don't like ungrounded appliances around water. Don't mind most chassis being 'grounded' through the neutral, figure the chances of #8 cable breaking are not high. But this beauty has no chassis to neutral bonding and am not going to question why.

Keep your fingers crossed and any instructions or tips, again - very much appreciated.

Oh, have taken lots of photos of the tear down and repair. Will post soon.

 

[panthera]

Weel, nu

As me Scottish grandfather used to say...'tis only a thermostat. One which is designed to 'trip' and stay off until reset. The mechanism to reset it is a simple screw...which some idiot (probably the same one who left the cover off the rollers box and caused the lint build-up) had turned out so far it could no longer reset the mechanism.

I am fascinated. Will put her back in and try her out...if she works, we are done. Still don't think this is a good dryer for anything but linen and cotton, am now quite confident we are either late 1940's or early 1950's.

 

[panthera]

Oh, dear

Well, that's that for the moment - at least one of the overtemp thermostats was played with and I have no means of identifying the temperature at which it is meant to react.

Anyone with service notes or experience would be doing us a great service here.

There are two thermostats built into the heating block. The first one can be set by means of a small set screw in the center, this had been turned completely out. The second thermostat is a one-time unit, it blew (no surprise) when the first unit failed to react, having been set to some absurd temperature.

So there we are and there we shall sit for a mite bit...

Thanks for any help or encouragement!

 

[18millstreet]

Westy dryer

HI, This looks like the model D3 I had back in 72!! Mine had the pop up lint screen on the back. Take care,Walt

 

[panthera]

Hi Walt!

Yup, it is a D3.

We got her up and running yesterday. Some very foolish people had left the cover off of the roller compartment, under the drum.
Lint, of course, piled up over everything and this led to the thermostats tripping as soon as she was turned on. So, instead of covering the rollers back up (and cleaning out the lint), they shorted the thermostats.

This caused the one-shot thermal limiter to blow and she ended up in a basement for several decades.

I am impressed at the speed and thoroughness of drying. There is no timer, rather a thermostat which reacts when the drum reaches a certain temperature. We are still experimenting to find the right settings, but she works!

OK, I did add one tiny non-vintage thing. Put in a small switch under the kickplate to select air-fluff, low or high heat. The 4.880KW elements bring the air up to a toasty 260F in no time flat. Since we don't 'do' synthetics, not a problem, but still - for a quick touch up, I'd rather go just a tad bit cooler - the low setting is 170F.

We will repaint her in the spring, at which time I want to properly grease the bearings. They aren't complaining (my guess is, she was lubed and the rollers replaced then the repairman didn't put the cover back onto the roller compartment for some reason).

Now, if somebody happened to have a knob for her, we'd be in 7th heaven. Ours has a chip on one edge.

If anyone wants more details, especially of how the thermostat dryness control works, be happy to oblige.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and help!

 

[panthera]

Four loads, one after the other!

One of my concerns with the 'automatique' dryness sensor this beautiful Westy uses was with multiple loads. There is a fair amount of inertia in any system and I was worried that after drying a load of bath towels, a fresh load of items to be dried to a lower temperature would not be possible.

No hu-hu, she does need to go up one 'diamond' on the control after you pull the knob to reset, but then she is off and running. Only a few seconds later, you can turn the dial way back down to wherever you need it.

I am impressed. Did four loads in the '59 tragimatic Thumper (in PANK!) this afternoon. Dried them all in the Westy in record time.

Such a neat pair!

 

[retro-man]

Hey Kevin. Sounds like you guys did a great job. Any chance we could see a picture of the completed project? I am sure we would all enjoy seeing it. Thanks
Jon

 

[panthera]

Hey, Jon

It is not nearly as interesting as the pictures under her skirt were, but here you are:

 

[panthera]

Jon,

The weather has been cycling around -17 to 20F here these days and I will never, ever make the mistake of using epoxy enamel paint in the house again. So the final trim work will have to wait until the spring. But she works!

Now, if anybody should happen to have that dial lying around, we would be really grateful.

The panels will be removed for the painting, the seal around the drum/door renewed (temporary weather stripping at the moment) and then I can take shots of the electrical setup, our solution to the missing roller cover, etc. in detail, should anybody so desire.

The automatic temperature sensor works astonishingly well. I know that oven regulators wander over time, this one seems to be spot on. Surely, I could not have hit the exact right calibration when I reset the idiot's work this week? Not complaining!
I wonder how well it would do with synthetics? Better than the simple timers or worse. Hmm, have to ask my rednex relations for some shirts next time I see them. Bound to be gen-u-whine poly/cotton. Ick.

Does anyone have one of these beauties still in service? Any experience or stories to tell? I am fascinated by the level of quality and functionality.

 

[retro-man]

Wow Kenin that's gorgeous!!
Isn't it amazing how long it takes that paint to dry and all the fumes from it to pass. I have done painting inside in the past with this paint and I swear it took 3 or 4 months to rid it of the house. Now I wait till spring to do those projects. I am glad your adjustments were correct. Nice and on the 1st try. Many happy loads in your Westinghouse.
Jon

 

[panthera]

Exhaust temperature/done point

I've mentioned that the Westy Slantfront DR-3 doesn't use a timer, rather the 'done' time is determined by the temperature the very top of the drum reaches.

Been taking some measurements of the set-point on the 'dryness' knob and the exhaust air temperature.

Should add, perhaps, that because of the design of this dryer, the top of the drum is not the warmest part of the drum, as it would be, for instance, in many Frigemores from Electrolux or some other US dryers.

Anyhoo - the inflexion of the curve is not smooth and I need more points to plot it, but we are basically looking at a slope of m=f(1) as the relationship between the dial setting and the exhaust temperature.

Pure cotton everyday clothes feel 'done' when the exhaust temp. reaches 150F. Silk at 140F. Towels need to go much higher for all of them to be done clear through, don't have an exact temp yet.

Inlet temp is 240F, by the by.

Interestingly enough, at the beginning of the cycle, the temperature at the exhaust goes up from ambient to the low 90s very fast. It then crawls up to about 112, where it stays forever and a day. Finally, it begins to rise towards 120, from which it goes up rather more rapidly towards 140.

At the beginning, you can see the cycling of the heating elements quite clearly - when they cut out, the temperature falls back a good 10 degrees or more. After about 120, the temperature doesn't fall back more than four degrees or so, after 130 or so, less than 2 degrees and over 140, you the on/off cycle is seen in a few 10ths of a degree. Groovy! I bet the tremendous reserves of 4.84KW have a lot to do with the minimal wrinkling and even dryness of clothes in this dryer.

Of course, the heating pattern is also similar to what European Whirlpool 'took' from Bauknecht with their 'D' drying pattern - air comes in just behind the door and rises diagonally, bisecting the clothes as they fall.

Does anyone know the temp. charts at which we want our clothes to be dry? Obviously, this dryer would not be good for synthetics, but who would voluntarily wear polyester?