Stop appliance genocide

[Kamakiri]

Reminds me, do the drum springs on washing machines wear out? No matter how many times I level my old Maytag, I have to readjust the load about 30% of the time or it will start to BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG

[Username1]

On some machines it is a ball joint kinda suspension, and there is a movement limit thing. Both of these can use a lubricating to make it all work better.... And my favorite dry lubricant is chapstick, so lube up the 4 rubber balls, and that rubber/plastic movement limit and it may just work better...

[Tim R.]

The "genocide" affects newer stuff mostly - as in 1980s and newer appliances. The really old stuff tends to get spared because it looks cool, tends to work, and is usually moved to the basement/garage/man cave. Or ends up in the hands of retro enthusiasts.

Having worked as a deliveryman for Lowe's, and being a regular visitor to appliance junkyards, I can assure y'all that 90+% of the stuff being replaced is boring junk made within the last two decades. And the few vintage appliances you find in the junkyards are usually in really bad shape, already stripped of any useable parts.


-Tim

[DavGoodlin]

Tim, Thanks for the reality check. I was originally reacting to the Power Utilities "power hog" contest and thier shameful "recycle the oldest appliance" contest.

Normally a reasonable and mellow guy into pre-1970s anything, I became obsessed and enraged at this mis-characterization of vintage USA-built engineering marvels, so I raved to whoever would listen that old stuff was NOT inefficient and should be saved, and deserved a place somewhere in a home or business if not the kitchen.

I used to deliver appliances and TVs in the mid-80s while in college. I saw very few items of interest that we hauled back to the shop. The most memorable and gawd-awful heavy item was a 1950s Westinghouse Front-loading washer, I was a bit teary-eyed as it slipped off the hand truck and tumbled off the tailgate. Oddly enough, most returning stuff was 15-20 years old, even then! Even more ironic, new stuff made in those years was durable enough but also the most inefficient IIRC, even sporting the Gummint-mandated "Energy Guide" yellow tags.

I live near an "appliance boutique" that started as a Allis Chalmers tractor dealer in the 1930s. They sold RCA, GE and Zenith TVs but stopped around 2000.
The "junkyard area" behind the barn there is VERY BUSY but has had only a few "treasures" over the last 15 years I have been doing drive-by inspections.
I rescued one of them, a 1947 Westinghouse and its in my second kitchen for seasonal and event use.

[Tim R.]

No problem. The push to replace older appliances makes me cringe too.

Trading in a perfectly good appliance doesn't make much sense. Sure, you might get $50 off a new one, and save $25 more a year on your electric bill. But that doesn't really offset the cost of buying a new appliance, especially with the economy as it is. And the environmental impact of making the new appliance and scrapping the old one isn't factored in either. Plus that new fridge probably isn't built as well as your old one, and will need replacing/service more often than its replacement.

Essentially, these trade-in programs do more harm than good. Kind of like that "cash for clunkers" thing, but that's getting into politics....

Retro is taking off like never before. There's a big push to preserve mid-century American houses and goods. People will pay more for a well preserved 1950s rancher house than one with a hasty remodel.

I go to estate sales frequently, and see all kinds of old stuff sitting in basements still earning my keep. At two separate sales, I saw two identical 1950 Bendix dryers that still worked fine after more than half a century. Both were priced high, and both sold.

At one house, there was an ancient 1950s-era fridge in the basement that hadn't been touched in decades. I opened it up to find shelves of ice-cold pop that expired in 1992.

Retro stuff is everywhere, and it's being saved.


-Tim

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

Tim, Thanks for the reality check. I was originally reacting to the Power Utilities "power hog" contest and thier shameful "recycle the oldest appliance" contest.

Normally a reasonable and mellow guy into pre-1970s anything, I became obsessed and enraged at this mis-characterization of vintage USA-built engineering marvels, so I raved to whoever would listen that old stuff was NOT inefficient and should be saved, and deserved a place somewhere in a home or business if not the kitchen.

I used to deliver appliances and TVs in the mid-80s while in college. I saw very few items of interest that we hauled back to the shop. The most memorable and gawd-awful heavy item was a 1950s Westinghouse Front-loading washer, I was a bit teary-eyed as it slipped off the hand truck and tumbled off the tailgate. Oddly enough, most returning stuff was 15-20 years old, even then! Even more ironic, new stuff made in those years was durable enough but also the most inefficient IIRC, even sporting the Gummint-mandated "Energy Guide" yellow tags.

I live near an "appliance boutique" that started as a Allis Chalmers tractor dealer in the 1930s. They sold RCA, GE and Zenith TVs but stopped around 2000.
The "junkyard area" behind the barn there is VERY BUSY but has had only a few "treasures" over the last 15 years I have been doing drive-by inspections.
I rescued one of them, a 1947 Westinghouse and its in my second kitchen for seasonal and event use.

[Jon A.]

Another crappy modern dishwasher curbed nearby last night, another swiped motor for me. All in a day's work.

Meh, dumped both motors. Almost impossible to separate either one from the pump. Newer stuff, made to be difficult if not impossible to repair. Also, the proprietary mount on one motor would make using it for other projects difficult.

[orthophonic]

Maybe one of you guys can help me. Through a freak accident, the timer dial/knob on my 1963 Frigidaire DW-DUF got broken. I have put a generic knob on for now, but would really like to find a correct replacement. It is
Ivory and Chrome, Frigidaire used this same basic knob up to the mid 70's
in black & silver and plain black, any of these would do also. The same knob was also used on their portables and says Dishmobile, that is acceptable also.
If is says push to start, it will probably be correct or close enough.

Vintage parts dealers have not turned up one so far, but you guys that visit
graveyards (all gone from my area) may spot one.

Originally Posted by orthophonic

Maybe one of you guys can help me. Through a freak accident, the timer dial/knob on my 1963 Frigidaire DW-DUF got broken. I have put a generic knob on for now, but would really like to find a correct replacement. It is
Ivory and Chrome, Frigidaire used this same basic knob up to the mid 70's
in black & silver and plain black, any of these would do also. The same knob was also used on their portables and says Dishmobile, that is acceptable also.
If is says push to start, it will probably be correct or close enough.

Vintage parts dealers have not turned up one so far, but you guys that visit
graveyards (all gone from my area) may spot one.

Here's a website/forum just for vintage washers: http://www.automaticwasher.org/

It's a neat site and someone on there might have what you need.

[Kamakiri]

Have a pic?

[orthophonic]

I don't have a picture of my dial (it is in pieces), but I found this picture on the internet
and is identical to mine.
http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/6360/p3012018.jpg

As I said earlier, the same basic knob was used for many years, later versions were
black & silver or plain black. The portable models say Dishmobile on the front of the
knob.

If any of you see one or a junked machine in your travels, it would be greatly
appreciated.

[orthophonic]

I found an even better picture of the dishwasher and a close up of the dial/knob on
automaticwasher.org. See link: http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...Fm9B0tECVGMbtw

[DavGoodlin]

GE range from mid 60's? Was this "Coppertone" popular before harvest gold and avocado?
http://lancaster.craigslist.org/app/4256947206.html

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

GE range from mid 60's? Was this "Coppertone" popular before harvest gold and avocado?
http://lancaster.craigslist.org/app/4256947206.html

I think so, my parents had a house full of appliances in that color.

[Countryford]

Circa 1950
International Harvester and Caloric start offering different colored handles on their fridges and ranges respectively to give the woman of the house a choice of accent colors to harmonize with the color of her kitchen.
Late 1953-1954
Frigidaire introduces the first appliances in colors. You can choose Stratford Yellow, Sherwood Green, or White.
January 1955
GE introduces 5 new colors for their appliances, Woodtone Brown (the color of light chocolate milk), Turquoise Green, Cadet Blue (a sort of Navy Blue), Petal Pink, and Canary Yellow. Woodtone Brown and Cadet Blue are not very popular colors. Cadet Blue is gone by 1957 and Woodtone brown is replaced by Coppertone in the early 60's
1955-1956
Frigidaire adds Mayfair Pink and Sheffield Gray to its color palette for the 1956 line of appliances/ Maytag washers and dryers become available in Pasteltone Pink, Green, and Yellow, Kelvinator produces 8 new colors, Bermuda Pink, Spring Green, Fern Green, Dawn Gray, Sand Beige, Buttercup Yellow, Harvest Yellow, and Lagoon Blue, non of which are all that popular. The majority of these colors were dropped sometime around 1960 and replaced with the standard pink, turquoise, and yellow colors. It is also around this time that stainless steel appliances start to make their debut...especially in the new field of built in appliances range, oven fridge etc.).
1957
Frigidaire replaces Sheffield Gray with Charcoal Gray on its new Sheer Look line of appliances. This color is not at all popular and is discontinued after 1960 1958
Frigidaire replaces Sherwood Green and Stratford Yellow with Turqouise and Sunny Yellow (which is a more pastel Yellow)
1959
Frigidaire introduces Aztec Copper to its line of appliances and this color will eventually become know as Coppertone or Copper Brown and be offered all the way into the early 1980's
1963-1965
The number of companies offering Pink, Mint Green, and Yellow appliances have dwindled while the hot colors of the early 1960s are Copper Brown and Turquoise. About this time Frigidaire offers a color called Honey Beige which is lighter than Aztec Copper. Also about this time Whirlpool offers a very rare color on certain RCAWhirlpool and Sears Kenmore models that is very similar to the Woodtone Brown GE had offered a decade earlier, it is called Doeskin and is not very popular and is dropped rather quickly.
1966
GE introduces a new color just in time to go with the Danish modern look of the late 1960s.....Avocado. Maytag offers Turquoise for the last time on its redesigned Washpower automatics. RCA Whirlpool adds 2 more rare colors to their color pallet, Edged Fawn and Edged Sapphire. These to colors do not last long and are gone circa 1968
1967-1968
Around this time, Frigidaire also introduces its line of Fashion Colors which consists of Matador Red, Biscayne Blue, Tahitian Green, and what could be considered an early version of almond called Autumn Haze. Maytag appliances are offered in Cordoba Copper Spanish Avocado and Castillian Yellow. Castillian Yellow is replaced circa 1968 with California Gold (aka Harvest Gold). GE introduces another new color called Harvest (GE never called it Harvest Gold) which becomes available in the Spring of 1968.
Circa 1970
Frigidaire introduces the color poppy on its appliances
1971-1976
No major changes are made in colors during this period
1977
All the appliance manufactures get together through the American Home Appliance Manufactures Association [AHAM ] and agree on new colors that all match from brand to brand. GE is the first to introduce them and calles these colors the New Naturals. The colors are named, Onyx, Coffee, Harvest Wheat, Fresh Avocado, Snow, and a brand new color is added and is called Almond. These colors are more vivid then their predecessors and GE advertises The New Naturals in a huge campaign in all the "home magazines" of the day.
Early to late 1980's
Copper Brown and Avocado start to fall by the wayside as the favorite colors of the early 80s seems to be Almond and what is now known as Harvest Gold. During this time GE and Whirlpool experiment with a light brown/beige color that Whirlpool calls toast and GE calls Sand, as well as a silver/gray color that Whirlpool calls Platinum and GE calls Silver. Both of these colors prove not to be too popular and they are dropped after a few years. Also in the mid 80's Whirlpool starts offering the top of the line Lady Kenmore washers and dryers in black.

[davet753]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

GE range from mid 60's? Was this "Coppertone" popular before harvest gold and avocado?
http://lancaster.craigslist.org/app/4256947206.html

My mother has a range exactly like this one (except in avacodo green). It was purchased new when her and dad got married in 1968. She still uses it daily, and the only problems she has had with it in over 40 years is a couple of elements and an oven thermostat.

GE really made some high quality appliances back in those days. Now-a-days, the GE name on an appliance is the kiss of death.