Wringer Washing Machine for Off-Grid?
Ulysses
seems like wringer washing machines would use much less power than a
convential machine. I'm guessing they fill up with the available water
pressure, use gravity to drain, and the electric motor is only used to
agitate the clothes. Anyone actually used one? Are they a PITA to wring
out the water? Anyone know how much power they use? A servo to
automatically fill and drain the tank would be nice and should use little
power.
Thanks.
Morris Dovey
> I've only seem them in old movies and perhaps at an antique store but
> it seems like wringer washing machines would use much less power
> than a convential machine. I'm guessing they fill up with the
> available water pressure, use gravity to drain, and the electric
> motor is only used to agitate the clothes.
Unless you get a really old one, the motor also powered one or both of
the rollers in the wringer. The original wringer set-up had a crank.
> Anyone actually used one? Are they a PITA to wring out the water?
Have used. They're a pain in the hand when you get your fingers caught.
Most wringers have a quick release, but I recall just reversing the feed
till my hand was free. Feeding the clothes through the wringer isn't a
big deal - it just requires that you participate in the process (and pay
attention) rather than starting a cycle and going off to do something else.
> Anyone know how much power they use? A servo to automatically fill
> and drain the tank would be nice and should use little power.
I'm guessing a 1/2 hp. Probably you won't need a servo to push in the
drain plug and pull it out again. Some had spigot-like drain valves. If
the clothes weren't really filthy, you could wash another load in the
same soapy water, then do multiple rinses.
FWIW, I doubt they use much less power (and I'm certain they use a lot
more water) than recent designs. The spin cycle of more modern machines
makes a big difference in the amount of human work needed.
There's even a (Japanese/Korean?) machine that has no agitator and
doesn't need detergent for normal soiling.
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
daestrom
"Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote in message
news:ne_Zj.341$3R....@fe085.usenetserver.com...
Not sure a motor-operated wringer would use that much less energy than a
spin-cycle. A five minute spin cycle with something like a 1/3 hp motor
isn't much different than running the 1/3 hp motor virtually unloaded for
the fifteen minutes it takes to feed a large load of laundry through a
wringer.
daestrom
Bruce in alaska
"Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote:
Mom had one in the 1940's when I was growing up. It was Electric Motor
driven, but the Originals were driven by 2 & 4 Cycle Gasoline Engines,
via VBelt. When I first started traveling in the bush of Alaska in the
early 70's, they were very prevalent once you got out of the LARGE
Cities. Sear & Robuck's sold thousands of them thru the Catalog Sales,
clear up into the late 90's. I've seen a number of them still in use,
and even a few of the Original engine powered one's once you get out
passed the Electrified areas. On the later Sears, and Maytag's, the
Rollers were also powered by the drive system, on a bevel gear, shaft,
and Forward/Reverse Transmission System. Made ringing a lot easier.
There are still a few being used in my close (close = 10 Sq Miles)
neighborhood. Very much prized, out here in the bush. Saw one with
a ChainSaw Drive attachment, at a Logging Camp once, kind of like
a ChainSaw Winch. Worked ok, for the Loggers.....
--
Bruce in alaska
add <path> after <fast> to reply
clareatsnyderdotontariodotcanada
wrote:
I've used wringer washers that use no electricity at all.
You used to be able to get hand operated agitiators - using a "rocker"
handle, and hand operated wringers.
Then there was the old "Maytag" gas engine operated wringer washer.
Ald lots of other wringer washers operated by Briggs and Stratton WM
engines, and Johnson Iron Horse washing machine engines.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
Neon John
Still available
http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=613
Hang on to your wallet, though.
My granny used one when I was young. PITA! Ever heard the term "tit caught
in the wringer"? It happens.....
No way I'd give up my automatic washing machine. Even if I had to adapt an
external gas engine or something similar, my clothes get washed on automatic.
period! No way I'm going to relive the historical "wash day". I'm into "wash
5 minutes" every few days :-)
John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
Give Blood. 8 Billion Mosquitoes can't be wrong.
Don Young
"Morris Dovey" <mrd...@iedu.com> wrote in message
news:483878f9$0$48217$815e...@news.qwest.net...
You let the lose hang down to drain and hooked the end over the top rim of
the tub to stop draining.
Don Young
wmbjk...@citlink.net
wrote:
>I've only seem them in old movies and perhaps at an antique store but it
I doubt that a powered wringer machine would use much less energy than
an efficient automatic. Certainly not enough to make the extra effort
worthwhile to me anyway.
Here's a description of monitoring a load in our automatic, from a
previous post.
Wayne
*****************
I just monitored one of our typical laundry loads.
Machine is a Splendide 2000, vented model. Capacity advertised at 5kg
washing, 3kg washing/drying. Set for regular wash, warm/cold, high
spin, half heat, 30 minutes drying.
Load was a mix of shirts, T-shirts, hand towels, washcloths, socks and
underwear. 5lb according to an electronic bath scale which is too
crude for the purpose. IMO the machine would be quite happy with a 50%
larger load. But since my wife disagrees and I don't need any more
chores... ;-)
Assuming I didn't miss anything (I didn't stand over it the whole
time), it filled once and spent about 45 minutes washing. In this mode
it spends about 12 seconds turning one way, rests for 5, reverses.
About 180W while turning according to a KillaWatt, on which the
display never really stabilized due to the constantly changing
consumption.
After the wash cycle, the machine drains and refills for rinse, short
wash action, drains and spins for a short time. Repeats, two rinses
total.
Next it enters spin mode, perhaps 10 minutes of various tumbling, spin
speed ramp-up and pumping. Power consumption tops out at about 400W
until it goes into scary-spin mode, about 500W steady for another 10
minutes.
70 minutes to this point, .21kWh. Removed clothes and weighed, about
1.5lb gain. Too wet to hang up IMO. Clothes would probably drip, and
dry crispy.
Replaced clothes for drying, 700W steady for 20 minutes. Vent air is
very gentle flow, barely warmer than room air. Last 10 minutes is by
design tumbling with heat off. Consumption down to about 100W when
drum is turning, about 150W with pump combined.
Total time 1:45. Total consumption .45kWh. No detectable weight loss
since spinning, but my scale was too useless to tell. Clothes were
definitely drier though, plenty dry enough to hang up. Shirts clammy
but wearable in a pinch on a summer day. Although I'm sure that any
self-respecting yuppie would leave them in at least another half hour.
*******************
Ulysses
<wmbjk...@citlink.net> wrote in message
news:1opi341sulev87ldi...@4ax.com...
The general consensus seems to be for me to get it out of my head. I am
going to have to take a look at those engine-powered machines though, if
only for fun. From what I've read the $1500 front-loading washers only save
about $12/year and probably cost a lot more to repair.
Now my wife and daughters can stop worrying.
Todd
store for $100. I'm completely off grid using 10 car batteries charged
by a 4kw diesel engine burning filtered waste vegetable oil and
driving a junked car alternator. I have a 1500W inverter. This doesn't
give me enough power to drive the washer.
So I have a 3kw gas generator I run when doing the wash. I have a 50A
charger plugged into it so I'm charging my battery bank at the same
time. It uses about 1/2 gal of gasoline every two weeks or so.
I think my washer is very efficient with water. I use cold water soap
so heating the water is no issue. I do the white wash first; then do
the rest using the same water. I do the same with the rinse. I do
about three loads of clothes and use about 30 gallons of water
(captured from rain). I hang the wash out in the sun which has a
natural bleaching effect. I'm tending away from dark clothing as a
result.
The wringer washer is a little tougher on clothes. It tore the seams
out of my old blue jeans first time through the wringer. I've not had
a problem with any of my newer clothes. Clothes now seem to have
gotten used to going through the wringer and stretch accordingly.
It takes me about 1-1/2 hours to do the 3 loads of clothes. While
they're washing I'm doing ironing, also powered by the generator.
Regards,
Todd Marshall
Plantersville, TX
Vaughn Simon
"Todd" <To...@withglee.com> wrote in message
news:b742f106-46dc-4999...@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> While
> they're washing I'm doing ironing
Ironing? Ironing? We haven't ironed anything in years. Denim + wash & wear
stuff for us!
Vaughn
Neon John
>> 70 minutes to this point, .21kWh. Removed clothes and weighed, about
>> 1.5lb gain. Too wet to hang up IMO. Clothes would probably drip, and
>> dry crispy.
....
>>
>> Total time 1:45. Total consumption .45kWh. No detectable weight loss
>> since spinning, but my scale was too useless to tell. Clothes were
>> definitely drier though, plenty dry enough to hang up. Shirts clammy
>> but wearable in a pinch on a summer day. Although I'm sure that any
>> self-respecting yuppie would leave them in at least another half hour.
>>
>> *******************
Just for shits'n'grins, I ran my 1955 model Whirlpool washer (the one my Dad
bought Mom to celebrate my birth :-) against the Kill-A-Watt. This one has a
BIG full framed motor with lots of iron and copper.
About 10 lbs of clothes (no wife present to confuse things :-) Cycle time,
about 15-20 minutes. Washing watts 382 with a PF of 0.50. Spinning watts, 395,
PF 0.51. Power used, 0.08kWh. No, I didn't drop a decimal point. This
includes the 20 watt appliance light behind the control panel. I ran another
load with a different KAW to make sure. Same result. Interestingly enough,
when I set the water level from MED to FULL and ran a third load, the total
energy draw went to 0.10kWh. Guess it took a little more energy to slosh
around that extra water.
The clothes come out moist but not wet and far from dripping. Suitable to go
directly to the dryer or clothes line. I am NOT impressed with that
Splendide!
>
>The general consensus seems to be for me to get it out of my head. I am
>going to have to take a look at those engine-powered machines though, if
>only for fun.
One of the most vivid recollections from my early childhood is watching my
great-granny kickin' and cussin' her gas powered Maytag. She was a tough,
wiry snuff-using lady who probably weighed 80 lbs soaking wet. Normally a
Church-going, God-fearing country Christian, that Maytag could make her lapse
into cussing like a sailor! More often than not, she'd give up, get out the
wash tub and scrub board and do the laundry over a fire in the back yard like
God intended :-) Hers was exactly like this one including the flex exhaust
hose that got tossed out the back door.
http://www.neon-john.com/RV/Trips/Daytona_Turkey_Run_2000/slides/DCP_0793.html
http://www.neon-john.com/RV/Trips/Daytona_Turkey_Run_2000/slides/DCP_0786.html
After having played with several of the Maytag engines, the problem with hard
starting became obvious. The magneto was so weak that it could barely light
things off even under the best of conditions. The flywheel magnet had only
barely detectable magnetism. Drilling out the magnet faces and epoxying in
rare earth magnets solved that problem. First kick start almost every time.
BTW, there's a guy on the net out in the midwest who is selling off a massive
collection of Maytag engines - over a thousand of 'em. I stumbled across his
page awhile back. Reasonable prices too. $150 for a single cylinder one, I
think. Google should find him.
>From what I've read the $1500 front-loading washers only save
>about $12/year and probably cost a lot more to repair.
I have a Maytag Neptune front loader that a friend gave me after he got pissed
off at it because it wouldn't release the door latch, yanked it open and broke
the latch. The replacement door latch is going to cost me more than I've ever
paid for a washing machine. I may fabricate one instead. It has a few other
problems that are probably sensor related. Funny, my 1955 Whirlpool doesn't
have ANY sensors and only has one water level switch :-)
>
>Now my wife and daughters can stop worrying.
>
Heh. Sounds like what you need to do is to find an OLD washer so you can save
some energy over what these new "energy efficient" washers use.
My Whirlpool never exceeded 800 watts even when bringing the wet clothes up to
speed on the spin cycle. It would probably comfortably run on a 1500 watt
inverter. I can find out if you'd like. All that iron and copper in that
motor really does make a difference. This is more or less confirming my
suspicion that those skeletal framed, aluminum wire wound motors being
installed in current production washing machines are heaters that also just
happen to turn.
John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
No one can be right all of the time but I'm getting close.
clareatsnyderdotontariodotcanada
I wouldn't waste ANY money or much time on a Neptune.
They had more problems than enough - and actually put Maytag into
recievership IIRC. Maytag is now owned by Whirlpool?
>>Now my wife and daughters can stop worrying.
>>
>
>Heh. Sounds like what you need to do is to find an OLD washer so you can save
>some energy over what these new "energy efficient" washers use.
>
>My Whirlpool never exceeded 800 watts even when bringing the wet clothes up to
>speed on the spin cycle. It would probably comfortably run on a 1500 watt
>inverter. I can find out if you'd like. All that iron and copper in that
>motor really does make a difference. This is more or less confirming my
>suspicion that those skeletal framed, aluminum wire wound motors being
>installed in current production washing machines are heaters that also just
>happen to turn.
>
>John
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
Ulysses
"Neon John" <n...@never.com> wrote in message
news:cfaj341oejrv29adr...@4ax.com...
Wow. That looks like the sort of thing that gives little kids reoccuring
nightmares.
>
> After having played with several of the Maytag engines, the problem with
hard
> starting became obvious. The magneto was so weak that it could barely
light
> things off even under the best of conditions. The flywheel magnet had only
> barely detectable magnetism. Drilling out the magnet faces and epoxying
in
> rare earth magnets solved that problem. First kick start almost every
time.
Sounds like maybe she scared the magnetism out of the flywheel.
>
> BTW, there's a guy on the net out in the midwest who is selling off a
massive
> collection of Maytag engines - over a thousand of 'em. I stumbled across
his
> page awhile back. Reasonable prices too. $150 for a single cylinder one,
I
> think. Google should find him.
I'm not ready to get a gasoline-powered washing machine quite yet, but ya
never know.
>
> >From what I've read the $1500 front-loading washers only save
> >about $12/year and probably cost a lot more to repair.
>
> I have a Maytag Neptune front loader that a friend gave me after he got
pissed
> off at it because it wouldn't release the door latch, yanked it open and
broke
> the latch. The replacement door latch is going to cost me more than I've
ever
> paid for a washing machine. I may fabricate one instead. It has a few
other
> problems that are probably sensor related. Funny, my 1955 Whirlpool
doesn't
> have ANY sensors and only has one water level switch :-)
>
> >
> >Now my wife and daughters can stop worrying.
> >
>
> Heh. Sounds like what you need to do is to find an OLD washer so you can
save
> some energy over what these new "energy efficient" washers use.
I have a Kenmore somethingorother that I bought used when my wife finally
managed to kill off the old Whirlpool. That thing withstood a lot of abuse.
My plan was for the Kenmore was to hold us over until I decided what to get
next. That was several years ago. I have not measured how much power it
actually uses to do a load of laundry but, according to the Mate display on
my OutBack inverters the combined draw of the washing machine in spin cycle
and the well pump going at the same time is about 2900 watts. I have two
3600 watt inverters but only actually use one of them. So far I have not
had a power failure with the pump and washer running at the same time but my
family is well-conditioned to manage electrical loads. In any case the OB
inverter seems to have a very significant surge capability. Meanwhile I'm
always looking for ways to use less electricity. On the average we are down
to about 4.5 kWh/day but that does not usually include the well pump because
I usually fill the water tank with a seperate generator.
>
> My Whirlpool never exceeded 800 watts even when bringing the wet clothes
up to
> speed on the spin cycle. It would probably comfortably run on a 1500 watt
> inverter. I can find out if you'd like. All that iron and copper in that
> motor really does make a difference. This is more or less confirming my
> suspicion that those skeletal framed, aluminum wire wound motors being
> installed in current production washing machines are heaters that also
just
> happen to turn.
I have the motor from the old Whirlpool and it it fits that description.
Now I'm beginning to regret having tossed the rest of it. With what I've
learned in the last few years I could probably repair it. BTW my wife made
be go back to the used washing machine store and get the matching dryer.
When the igniter coil burned out on the Kenmore dryer I looked in the
Whirlpool and it was exactly the same part. Matter-of-fact the entire
insides look exactly the same only reversed. Kinda makes me think it was
made by Whrilpool.
I blew up a 2000 watt inverter accidently when I *thought* it was connected
to a generator. Oops. That was with the Kenmore washer. I also melted the
stator coils on a 5000 watt generator with the same washing machine (it was
a crappy generator anyway). I'm not worried about damaging my OB inverter
cause they just plain seem to be built to take it. I think I did actually
overload it once and it simply shut down. This may be beside the point but
I'm surprised that a whole house, with all the usual appliances, can be run
with a single 3600 watt inverter. When I bought the two I inquired about
adding more later, if needed. One of the very nice features of the OBs is
that to get more power all I have to do is flip a switch and turn on the
other one. It will automatically (so they say) balance the loads and take
care of any 240 volt loads etc. I have tried running the Kenmore with small
generators (1500-2000 watts) and they would always have problems when the
spin cycle started which is why I was interested in the wringer machines.
If I can ever manage to find a 6-8" pulley that will fit on a 7/8" shaft I'm
going to try running my alternator/battery charger with a 10 HP engine and
see how many amps I get. I can get up to about 34 (including phantom loads)
with the Honda 4 HP engine. I don't know exactly how much the internal
diodes will withstand but if I can get 45 amps or so I can just run the
battery charger while the well pump is going and I should break about even.
I can't believe how hard it is to find pulleys or how much they want for one
that might work.
Ulysses
"Todd" <To...@withglee.com> wrote in message
news:b742f106-46dc-4999...@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
> store for $100. I'm completely off grid using 10 car batteries charged
> by a 4kw diesel engine burning filtered waste vegetable oil and
> driving a junked car alternator. I have a 1500W inverter. This doesn't
> give me enough power to drive the washer.
>
> So I have a 3kw gas generator I run when doing the wash. I have a 50A
> charger plugged into it so I'm charging my battery bank at the same
> time. It uses about 1/2 gal of gasoline every two weeks or so.
>
> I think my washer is very efficient with water. I use cold water soap
> so heating the water is no issue. I do the white wash first; then do
> the rest using the same water. I do the same with the rinse. I do
> about three loads of clothes and use about 30 gallons of water
> (captured from rain). I hang the wash out in the sun which has a
> natural bleaching effect. I'm tending away from dark clothing as a
> result.
I only buy clothes that don't show dirt easily and can all be washed
together ;-)
>
> The wringer washer is a little tougher on clothes. It tore the seams
> out of my old blue jeans first time through the wringer. I've not had
> a problem with any of my newer clothes. Clothes now seem to have
> gotten used to going through the wringer and stretch accordingly.
>
> It takes me about 1-1/2 hours to do the 3 loads of clothes. While
> they're washing I'm doing ironing, also powered by the generator.
Does it fill and empty the tub automatically? Do you need to wring the
clothes after the wash cycle and before the rinse or just go straight to the
rinse?
My daughter and I spent a few years filling the washing machine with a hose
from the well pump and running it with a generator. It took a lot of going
back-and-forth and making sure the washer was off before starting the well
pump. The only time we got warm water was when the hose had been in the sun
for a while. We were just using regular Tide detergent and it seemed to
work fine with cold water.
Neon John
The way this machine works (and like most machines up through the 70s at least
worked) is that the motor has to be turning before the solenoid can shift the
transmission into spin or agitate or whatever. Therefore the motor inrush is
all over with by the time the spin cycle starts.
One thing that limits the power draw during the spin cycle start is that the
belt is fairly loose. It is a major mechanical operation to change the belt,
involving dismantling part of the clutch and gearbox and so I haven't done it.
The belt is in good shape - it's just stretched a little.
This might be a strategy that would make an older model washer live happily on
either a smaller inverter or a small generator. One could even put a delay
timer module on the spin cycle solenoid to let everything settle down before
applying the load.
This type of machine COULD be run directly from a gas engine. Only the
controls require electricity and that could be converted to 12 volts or simply
run on a small inverter. The motor can run all the time - the transmission
engages the various loads when needed.
A hybrid option that wouldn't be very expensive but would get the electrical
load off your inverter would be a hydraulic drive. Hydraulic motor inside the
washer and an engine/pump assembly outside. If the engine is electric start,
the washer operation could be pretty much as automatic as with the electric
drive.
If you were really clever you could harness the engine's waste heat to dry
your clothes.
>
>If I can ever manage to find a 6-8" pulley that will fit on a 7/8" shaft I'm
>going to try running my alternator/battery charger with a 10 HP engine and
>see how many amps I get. I can get up to about 34 (including phantom loads)
>with the Honda 4 HP engine. I don't know exactly how much the internal
>diodes will withstand but if I can get 45 amps or so I can just run the
>battery charger while the well pump is going and I should break about even.
>I can't believe how hard it is to find pulleys or how much they want for one
>that might work.
Have you checked the farm stores like Tractor Supply? I'm pretty sure I've
seen stamped steel pulleys that large there. The stamped steel ones aren't
very expensive.
z
@fe085.usenetserver.com:
damn.. that brings back some memories..
i grew up here off the grid almost my whole life -- went to college and
marveled at meat in packeges etc .. light switches, TVs
We had one of those suckers and I can't remember much about how it worked
but I wonder where the hell it went. I could use it now!! Eventually my
parents gave up on it and took the washing to town when going to work to
do the laundry. But this was when a gallon of gas was like 80 cents or
something.
This one had an electric motor but we used to jump up and down on a see
saw thing my dad rigged as kids to agitate and then ran it through the
roller to ring the water out. We could only use it in the summer since
you had no hope of drying cloths on an outdoor cloths line in the winter
Crap that thing was in the shed for years.. they must have gave it way at
some point. I think my grandfather gave it to my dad from the old farm
they had from way back in the day
Neon John
>damn.. that brings back some memories..
>
>i grew up here off the grid almost my whole life -- went to college and
>marveled at meat in packeges etc .. light switches, TVs
Where is "here"? Were/are you off-grid because power wasn't available or just
cuz you want to be?
>
>We had one of those suckers and I can't remember much about how it worked
>but I wonder where the hell it went. I could use it now!! Eventually my
>parents gave up on it and took the washing to town when going to work to
>do the laundry. But this was when a gallon of gas was like 80 cents or
>something.
>
>This one had an electric motor but we used to jump up and down on a see
>saw thing my dad rigged as kids to agitate and then ran it through the
>roller to ring the water out. We could only use it in the summer since
>you had no hope of drying cloths on an outdoor cloths line in the winter
>
>Crap that thing was in the shed for years.. they must have gave it way at
>some point. I think my grandfather gave it to my dad from the old farm
>they had from way back in the day.
Is this the type you're talking about?
FYI, the Cumberland General Store, located just outside of Crossville, TN, has
most of the stuff Lehman's has and usually at a slightly better price.
http://www9.mailordercentral.com/cumberlandgeneral/
They are, however, supremely annoying in that they haven't yet discovered that
the internet is a pretty nifty sales channel. Only a tiny fraction of their
inventory is on that half-assed website. Wouldn't be so bad if they didn't
try to charge for their catalogs.
z
> On Mon, 26 May 2008 01:44:06 -0500, z <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote:
>
>
>>damn.. that brings back some memories..
>>
>>i grew up here off the grid almost my whole life -- went to college
>>and marveled at meat in packeges etc .. light switches, TVs
>
> Where is "here"? Were/are you off-grid because power wasn't available
> or just cuz you want to be?
>
Not by choice. I live in an area where there was never any power. I
think we were quoted 100,000 dollars to get a grid connection and that
was in the early 80's. Feck knows what it would cost now. If I could
afford the grid I'd do it in a heartbeat. I mean you flip a switch and
you get power?? shit yeah!!!
Basically my family bought timber land and moved up here before any
building restictions came in, built a log cabin, outhouse, gardens,
goats, birthed me and my bro, ran cows and so on and I grew up here --
we were lucky. Then the laws changed and nobody else could build a house
legally (a few illegals are around though).
So as long as I keep the house going we're good, but nobody else can ever
move here .. which is pretty freaking nice if you don't mind not having
power or toilet and you build your own bridges and fix your own roads and
cut your own firewood and kill your own food etc... Nothing like being
able to shoot in any direction and know you won't hit anybody from your
porch :) :)
the coolest thing was when the telecoms were de-regulated and we did our
own phone wiring ..Never had a phone till I was 17 before that it was
illegal to run your own phone, so I can sit up here in the middle of
fucking no where and type on my computer and you'll eventually see the
text.
Nice huh? I sure am glad my dad bought this place when he did.
So I grew up this way .. just trying to improve the situation. Man the
hydro system makes such a HUGE difference -- my old man is dead but he
would have thought it was pretty fucking cool.
>>
>>We had one of those suckers and I can't remember much about how it
>>worked but I wonder where the hell it went. I could use it now!!
>>Eventually my parents gave up on it and took the washing to town when
>>going to work to do the laundry. But this was when a gallon of gas
>>was like 80 cents or something.
>>
>>This one had an electric motor but we used to jump up and down on a
>>see saw thing my dad rigged as kids to agitate and then ran it through
>>the roller to ring the water out. We could only use it in the summer
>>since you had no hope of drying cloths on an outdoor cloths line in
>>the winter
>>
>>Crap that thing was in the shed for years.. they must have gave it way
>>at some point. I think my grandfather gave it to my dad from the old
>>farm they had from way back in the day.
>
> Is this the type you're talking about?
>
> http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=4084&item
> Type=PRODUCT&iMainCat=673&iSubCat=674&iProductID=4084
>
Naa.. maybe similar. I'll have a look. This was one of the first models
of electric washing machines maybe from the 30s?? .. it was white enamel
and bakelite and had the option for running by hand if the power went
out, which my dad modified.
I'll have a look around on the internets, but sheesh this would be an
antique now for sure. But the ringer worked real nice as I recall.
hal...@aol.com
is the $ saved in energy worth the time and effort?
lets say wringer washing takes 3 hours, of time, you arent working the
entire time but must be in the area to babysit and do things.
now a automatic washer gets you back that time.
if you want you cold get a part time job for those say 6 hours a week,
if you were lucky enough to find a close by one for 10 bucks a hour
you would definetely be ahead..... money wise.
but if you sat and watched tv, the wringer might be a good choice.
have used them myself they arent worth the effort. plus spinning drys
clothes better than wringing, and wringing probably shortens clothes
life.
all of this should be considered.......
Ulysses
I'll check the feed stores. I tried my local tractor shop and they would be
happy to special order for me but I was hoping to find a "lot" on eBay or
somewhere so I could try out different ratios because I'm not certain what
would work best. One place directed me to an electric motor shop that was
out of business. Pep Boys and Harbor Freight both see small Chinese engines
but no pulleys. There was an engine store on eBay selling Chinese engines
but I can't seem to find it (not smallenginewarehouse-- the other one). I
was going to check for parts availability before I buy an engine. It would
be nice to know if I could just buy a new ignition module or muffler etc
rather than trying to make something else work.
Todd
> Does it fill and empty the tub automatically?
No. I have a pipe running from my elevated cistern. I just open a
valve and the water runs in.
> Do you need to wring the
> clothes after the wash cycle and before the rinse or just go straight to the
> rinse?
Yes. I wring out the clothes each time I remove them from the wash
tub.
/Todd
Ulysses
<hal...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:3290fd7e-19e1-4fba...@59g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
This kind of personal experience is what I was hoping to find out. Add that
to the torn stiching in the blue jeans that someone else mentioned and it's
not looking very promising. Thanks to this NG I also learned that a
conventional spin-dry washer does not necessarily have to use huge amounts
of power when it goes into spin mode.
Pete C.
I think the real question is how much benefit is that style washer over
just a wash tub and a clothes line? My impression is not much benefit at
all, perhaps save you 5 minutes. The modern automatic washers will in
all probability produce greater savings both time and water, without
using a whole lot of power.
Daniel Who Wants to Know
news:aghj3492l77288urp...@4ax.com...
Yes they are unfortunately :-(. The Neptune problems depend entirely on
which model number it is. The earlier models used a "wax motor" to lock the
door which would overheat and short which took out the triac on the control
board and rendered the machine unable to spin as the door would no longer
lock. BTW the wax motor is just an electrically heated version of a car
coolant thermostat where the wax expands as it melts which pushes out a
metal pin. The later models used an actual solenoid to lock and unlock and
seem to work just fine. The solenoid equipped model is the one my parents
have had for several years and the set is still going strong despite seeing
LOTS of use.
washer model #: MAH5500BWW
dryer model #: MDE5500AYW IIRC.
The problem with mildew growth on the rubber drum surround in the washer is
also a true problem but is easily solved by leaving the door open from time
to time to let it air out and occasionally wiping it down with bleach.
Wilson
that spun the flywheel till it started. Much swearing I think I recall. She
also had an Alladin gas-powered iron that you had to pump up like a lantern.
I myself ran a wringer washer for a while. One option you have with them
over an automatic is that you can use your wash water over if you choose as
there is no spin cycle to jetison it. You could either pump it out to a sink
or simply let the hose down to empty it. Once washing was done, things rung
out and you're finished with the gray water, you have to refill with water
to rinse the clothes which you can use again as wash water.
As to the lack of auto, it gives you a nice chance to multi-task and if you
had an old one, it would outlast anything on the market today 'cuz they they
were built without planned obsolescence in mind.
--
Wilson N45 W67
tim
news:e8d%j.4881$mh...@nlpi067.nbdc.sbc.com:
>
> Ulysses wrote:
>>
>> I've only seem them in old movies and perhaps at an antique
>> store but it seems like wringer washing machines would use much
>> less power than a convential machine. I'm guessing they fill
>> up with the available water pressure, use gravity to drain, and
>> the electric motor is only used to agitate the clothes. Anyone
>> actually used one? Are they a PITA to wring out the water?
>> Anyone know how much power they use? A servo to automatically
>> fill and drain the tank would be nice and should use little
>> power.
>>
>> Thanks.
>
As a former user of said system, I can tell you that today's
automatics are head and shoulders above the old wringer types. For
those of you who have never seen such a setup, it goes like this:
The washing machine itself, with the usual agitator in the center
and a manually operated set of squegee rollers, and two rinse tubs
of water, each holding about as much water as the washing machine.
The sequence is as follows:
- Wash a load in the washer
- Swing the rollers so that they are between the washer and the
first rinse tub, and set the flowback drain from the rollers to
flow back into the washer.
- One by one, fish the 'clean' clothes out of the washer, run them
through the wringer and drop them into the first rinse tub.
- Reload the washer with the next load of dirty clothes
- While that load is washing, manually stir the first load in the
first rinse tub
- Swing the wringer so it is between the first and second rinse
tubs
- Run each piece through the wringers and into the second tub
- Move the wringers back to their original position
- Wring the next load of 'clean' clothes into the first rinse tub
- Next load into the washer
- Move the wringers to the second rinse tub and wring the clothes
into a laundry basket
- Hang 'clean' clothes on line or place in dryer
- Repeat as necessary to finish laundry
- Drain washer and rinse tubs (usually by hand)
The reason I put the quotes around clean is that the water in the
washer and both rinse tubs is not normally changed between loads,
so they gradually get dirtier as the day goes on. The normal
laundry sequence is whites first, then colors, then darks, with the
dirtiest at the last. The whites got pretty clean, but who knows
about the rest.
The other thing to keep in mind is that when this type of setup was
in major use, all clothing was cotton, wool, linen, or silk, with
the majority being cotton. Now consider that the wringer was two
rollers with a variable space between them to squeeze out the
water. Visualize the very sharp creases being pressed into the
material as this is done. Now visualize the hours of ironing
(what's that?) needed to remove those same creases after the
clothes are dry.
I for one think it is a very good investment to purchase one of the
front loading washers of any size as opposed to the old wringer
style. One would get totally clean clothes with not much more
water usage, and without destroying today's fabrics and finishes,
not to mention the time and energy saved not having to iron
everything. I know you are talking off-grid, but unless you
purchase a wringer-type with the small gasoline engine you will be
talking about using essentially the same amount of energy for both
machine types.