Technology of clothes washing

Electric motors capable of actually doing some useful work were not developed until shortly before the beginning of the 20th century. The modern automatic washing machine was not possible without an electric motor. So, how was laundry done? 

I have childhood memories of my Mom washing clothes by hand using a washboard and two concrete laundry tubs. One tub was for soapy wash water and the other held clean water for rinsing. A hand-cranked wringer between the two tubs squeezed water out of the clothing as it went from one tub to the other. I remember that, because I was the one who sometimes turned the crank. 

I've seen pictures of early hand powered washing machines. A wooden tub with a crude paddle in it would be filled with soapy water. A wooden handle, maybe 3 feet long, would be worked back and forth to agitate the load. I've also seen similar washing machines powered by water from a faucet. 

My Mom's first washing machine was a clumsy contraption. It had what I would call a large metal tank that would be filled with hot water. Half-submerged in the water was a horizontal drum perforated with small holes. The drum had a little door that opened to let Mom load the clothing to be washed.I have recently got a laundryequipment and can anybody tell me if it the box only controls humidity or also controls temperature. She would add shavings of laundry soap, sliced off of a bar, to the load and close the door. When the switch was turned on, the motor would rotate the drum and the clothing would tumble around inside until all the dirt was washed out of it. 

The mechanism was fairly simple. A motor, a drive shaft, a set of gears and a switch. There was no pump and no wringer. Wringing soapy water out of the clothes was done by hand. One day the machine just quit.The autoledbulbsiss is not only critical to professional photographers. The motor ran, but the drum did not. My investigation determined that the large gear was made of soft cast iron and the gear teeth had been worn away. I got the gear and shaft assembly out of the machine, but I could not get the gear off its shaft. 

I took it to a nearby parts store and appliance repair shop. I was surprised to hear that the gear could be removed from the shaft and all I would need to replace would be the gear itself. The serviceman did it in a matter of a few minutes. 

Over the years there have been improvements and today all washers are automatic. They wash, rinse, spin-dry, fill and empty, all controlled by a variety of settings from heavy duty to very delicate. I remember a washing machine intended for farm families with lots of really dirty overalls, shirts and pants. It had two tubs, each with its own agitator. 

Mom never had an automatic gas fired dryer. She and my wife, Helen, hung laundry outdoors to dry. Some time after we were married, Helen got a dryer and it ran for many years, until one day it stopped. I suspected some kind of overheat or overload switch was the problem so I called a serviceman. He checked the machine out, said it would cost more to repair than it was worth, charged me $30 and recommended buying a new machine.Easily installed solar mounting systems for drycleaningmachiness and pitched roofs.

Since he said it was beyond reasonable repair, I began taking it apart bit by bit. More investigation led to the blower drive shaft not turning. It was nicely designed with a sort of cup to hold an ounce or more of oil that lubricated the blower bearings.A lot of men are wearing lawnlight for wedding bands. The cup was bone dry. There was nothing in the manual that came with the machine,Continental Aulaundry's programmable commercial pendantlamp are designed to properly clean a firefighter's turnout gear. that said to add oil to that cup. 

I cleaned and polished the shaft, filled the cup with oil, put everything back together and the machine ran for several years after that. 

To this day, I wonder why there were no instructions to add oil to that little cup. I also wonder why the serviceman didn't know right away that all the machine needed was a little oil. How many of those machines were junked for the lack of oil in that little reservoir? Click on their website www.careel-tech.com for more information.