Whirlpool Calypso set!

[pulsator]

Well, lucky me! I just had a "pewter" (aka gray) Whirlpool Calypso set dropped into my lap! A coworker said that she had the set for three years and then the pump went just outside of warranty and that her father surprised her and her husband with a brand new Kenmore HE4T set and the Calypso set was pushed aside! The dryer still works but the washer needs the new pump... Any idea if that is a part that might still be obtainable? I have always wanted my own Calypso, let alone in gray, let alone a SET! GEEZE! The only obstacle I face now is convincing mom... That leaves me with throw away or sell the Bosch set, and throw away or sell a washer as well unless her Fisher Paykel dryer has bit the dust!

The coworker is having me over Sunday evening after work to look at the set which she wants to just give me as she knows how much I love washers and weird ones at that! I'll be sure to take pictures!

 

[andrewinorlando]

Jaime, the pump is still available at RepairClinic.com. I believe the later Calypsos have the one piece pump, that is, motor and pump as a single unit while the older Calypsos like mine have a two piece set-up whereby the actual pump snaps off the end of the motor shaft via two clips which hold them together. You should check yours before you order.

The link will take you to the one piece unit, which will replace either the one or two piece pump. It's $102.

http://www.repairclinic.com/Whirlpool-Washing-Machine-Parts?s=b5a11c261

 

[DADoES]

Old-style pumps are sometimes listed on eBay.

 

[laundromat]

"calapso"

I had 4 different ones all but one were in puter.Three of the four needed control board replacement as well as pump replacement.The fourth needed a new outer tub because the recirculating tube losened during a spin and the friction caused the outer,plastic tub to melt and leak water everywhere.They weren't too hard to repair but the person who designed these should have included their well known,well liked MagiClean lint filter in the pump assembly.I had to replace their pumps so many times due to lint build up that,even though I truly liked and admired that method of washing and loved watching it operate,the cost of maintaining them was driving me crazy as well as sending me to the poor house.I sold all four for $1200 to a single buyer.

 

[aamassther]

Jaime, I would be interested in the Bosch set. Todd

 

[andrewinorlando]

Mine is 8 years old now, and still washing away just fine....never had those lint build up problems others said were an issue, and mine is the original Calypso. Never had control board problems, leaks, balance or vibration problems of any kind (machine has always been connected to a surge supressor, along with the dryer). What the hell do people put in their washers??? Is it possible that the wrong types of detergent or too much detergent can cause lint buildup problems, especially if the pump keeps foaming up?

 

[DADoES]

I've heard that if the pump frequently runs starved for water due to oversudsing, the bearing in it tends to overheat and suffer excess wear. Both my machines have the two-piece pump, I assume both are original.

 

[gansky1]

The two piece pumps are NLA now, you must replace the whole motor/pump assembly as one piece. Very easy repair, the one I bought last was around $80 wholesale. You'll do a little better on price by going to a local parts supply that most anyplace online - and no shipping. The new pump is supposedly a better design, many of the previous problems have been eliminated.

The Calypso is a fine washer, rinsing is a bit marginal as we discovered putting a load of rags from the Calypso into the Super-Unimatic, but there is no reason to condemn a machine just because of poor performance ;-)

 

[laundromat]

I used either Wisk HE or Gain HE liquids and washed the same way as I did with all the other machines I had found and restored over the years.Sorting and measuring correctly.I never overloaded and kept an eye on things.When the recirculating tube loosened and caused serious,permanent damage to the outer tub for the second time in 2 months,that was enough for me to condemn them.I had no problem finding them at my local dump.Every weekly visit I had to go see what I could find,showed at least 6 units there I could either use for parts or try to rebuild.They are easy to repair but became a true pain in the ass after 3 repairs for the same problem.I never got the nerve to even attempt to repair the top loading Neptunes!!

 

[gansky1]

Do you remember when Sears first started selling them with the one-year money back guarantee? I remember being in the store a year after this and there must have been 35 of them, returned in various degrees of abuse, for sale for $400 to $600. I bought one at the time to play with and used it for six months or so. No troubles with it at all. I sold it to a family who called back a month or so later to tell me that it was the best machine they'd ever had. Back in '07, I found one on C/L for free - needed a pump. It worked OK but was in need of a wobble plate and bearing job. I sent it to live with Ben, another foster-washer placed in a loving home!

 

[pulsator]

Well, with a little shoving here and there, I managed to make room for the Calypso washer without getting rid of any machines!!!! YAY!!! (Sorry Todd!) The only problem is that I won't be able to hook up the dryer because A) it's gas and I have only one gas hookup which is being used and B) there is no room in the laundry room anywhere for it.... Sooooo, the dryer will be put in my room and used as a hamper until I'm able to put it to use!!! lol, I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I'm able!!!

 

[tlee618]

Hey Jamie, I am really happy for you!! What a great deal. I will be looking forward to your video!!

 

[tuthill]

Awesome Jamie. I've always wanted to see a Calypso run.. I remember when they came out.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Carl, you're definitely right about the fact that these machines are very easy to fix! Come apart and go back together pretty easily. Interesting design, too. Some of the parts, though, seem to be a little ridiculously expensive, like the wash plate or the center plastic hub...crap, they're just plastic!

What still surprises me about the Calypso is the fact that it does such a good job washing big things, like comforters. I put my dog's queen size comforter in there, which gets very dirty/smelly from her sleeping and eating on it, and it cleans great. Given its wash method, I still find it surprising that it can turn over such a big, heavy item, at least enough to clean it and get the "doggy" odor out of it!

 

[swestoyz]

the dryer will be put in my room and used as a hamper

Priceless Jamie, priceless!

When I brought home the Standard Bendix, my grandma just went nuts over it. Her idea was to, "put it in the bathroom to store hand towels!"

Looking forward to seeing your gray Whirlpool!

Ben

 

[pulsator]

My mom shocked me on this one!

When I first told her about the set, there were 3 possibilities for her response. There are 3 whenever I ask about getting another machine, let alone a set...
1) "Where will you put it? You don't have any room! You'll have to sell one or 2 first."
2) "No."
3) "If I let you get it, you'll have to do something for me." (That usually means either "clean your room" or "clean the garage")

However, I didn't know that there was a fourth option! She told me 2 pieces of info that I didn't know about the Calypso!
1) She has always that the Calypso was a really smart and extremely interesting design (This coming from someone who despises doing laundry!)
2) It's the last washer from Whirlpool that my grandpa had a hand in designing before he retired! I'll have to ask him which part he had a hand in designing! I just hope it's not the pump! lol

Anyway, so my mom's response was, "I think you should get this set, we'll make room for it."

Naturally, my jaw hit the floor, I never thought I'd see the day my mom tells me that!

 

[pulsator]

Jed, almost forgot to mention, there is a vid on youtube of a Calypso running!

 

[jaxsunst]

I have been using mine for almost two years now as my daily driver. I bought one for $20 intending to fix it and found that it needed an outer tub replacement. I found another one at one of my appliance haunts was badly suds locked. I bought it for $60 and cleaned it out. After a month of using it, I had to replace the control board ($50 AHS co-pay), and it has been great since.

I have only had rinsing issues when I have run "Bob-loads" in it. If I do over load it (sometimes you just have to) I use the 2nd rinse and all is well.

 

[jaxsunst]

Also, I have the Kenmore version in white. If anyone can help me find a dryer that matches it cheap (I mean ccchhheeeaaappp) I would be forever grateful.