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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
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29th Dec 2018, 6:04 pm | #81 |
Heptode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Blackburn, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 729
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
Loving your work, Croozer! That was fun.
But what happened next? Who was the mysterious young lady? I am agog to hear more of this steamy saga...
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30th Dec 2018, 12:52 am | #82 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Daylesford, Victoria, Australia
Posts: 674
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
I don't think any of the Lightburns had heaters, and I don't remember seeing one with a timer either. They were sold on their simplicity and toughness. And they are bullet-proof, except for the thin galvanised iron spin tub which rusts out quickly.
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30th Dec 2018, 5:27 am | #83 |
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Location: Middlewich, Cheshire, UK. & Winter in the Philippines.
Posts: 3,897
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
We used a Hoover with side pulsator for washing engine parts. The early model with a wringer rather than a side spin tub. So not a twin tub, just half of one.
Filled with Gunk, heated carefully, it would produce bright clean parts in a few minutes. Left running overnight it would strip all paint and gasket compound too. Last edited by Boater Sam; 30th Dec 2018 at 5:28 am. Reason: added |
2nd Jan 2019, 5:20 pm | #84 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Weymouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 422
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
All this brings back memories, firstly my nan had one of those Hoovermatic machines I only saw it used once or twice but having seen the picture of one I know that's what she had.
Mum had two Servis twin tubs, the first one we used until it was knackered. I remember it because when using the heater it would bite you if you touched any uncoated metal parts, although it stopped doing it when we moved house. The second one again lasted many years and I remember I did the washing for mum every Saturday. She would sort it into piles then I'd put it through the wash and spin cycles. One lot of hot water and soap would do for a couple of washes and we always washed the cleanest stuff first and the mankiest last. The automatic I've got now can do a light wash in 30 minutes at 30 degrees centigrade which is usually good enough. Finally my friend has one of those Burco boilers, his dad uses it to boil up crabs and other food that needs boiling. He told me that the element blew short circuit to earth. The replacement was rated at 4 kilowatts so has to be run from a 15 amp socket in his workshop. I assume the original element was a bit lower rated so could be run from a normal socket. |
2nd Jan 2019, 10:49 pm | #85 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 16,526
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
Weren't they early adopters of cold water capable washing powder in Oz?
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3rd Jan 2019, 4:00 am | #86 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Daylesford, Victoria, Australia
Posts: 674
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
I think so. Cold Power laundry powder was being pushed hard on TV in the early 70s, as I remember. You can still get it. I usually wash in cold water with whatever powder's cheap, and only tip a bucket of hot in if the load is really dirty.
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3rd Jan 2019, 5:22 am | #87 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Parkes, NSW Australia
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
Quote:
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4th Jan 2019, 12:55 pm | #88 | |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ripley, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 785
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
Quote:
This was a good job, as my late wife leaned over towards the tub to get some washing out to mangle it, and the wet, rotating wringer roller grabbed her long-ish hair, and pulled a large clump of it out of her scalp. A visit to A&E was necessary as a result. It took monthes to grow back properly. There was a big red stop button on the front of the machine, but not accessible in those circumstances. A twin-tub very rapidly replaced it. (I worked a a Hoover dealer's shop at the time, and got a good discount). All gone now, got a Miele, had it twelve years so far, and not a single hiccup. Tony. |
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4th Jan 2019, 3:01 pm | #89 |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 507
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
When in Canada with top loaders, apparently most folk used cold water detergent I have never seen it available here in UK or Europe. Do we actually need hot water to launder our clothes or is it manufactures hard sell.
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4th Jan 2019, 4:09 pm | #90 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 13,951
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Re: Anyone still use a Twintub?
Certainly since the 1980s most laundry-detergents have been based on enzyme activity - that's the 'biological' bit - which digest dirt/stains, rather than the old soap/detergent which used 'polar' molecules, (and often some rather caustic components to saponify greasy stains).
Enzyme-based detergents are closer to biology than to chemistry - heat 'denatures' the enzymes and causes them to stop working (same idea as boiling an egg makes the white go hard). In a typical 'biological' laundry-detergent there will be several different enzymes to tackle the different stain-types; each will have its own preferred temperature-range. To get the best out of these - irrespective of the kind of washing-machine - you start off cold, then gradually warm the washing water, so each part of the enzyme 'package' can spend a period at its optimum working temperature. This is also one of the reasons you don't find 'hot-fill' automatic washers today - a hot-fill would deactivate the enzymes before they got to do their work. So yes, if you're using a modern laundry-detergent, whatever style of washing-machine you use - automatic, twintub, agitator, washer/drier - the cold water will work - if you give it long enough. The enzymes still do their stuff, only slower at lower temperatures. |