Hotpoint Washing Machines - we have parts in stock
and repair some of the oldest and greatest washing machines in Liverpool, Merseyside.
Some History
Hotpoint domestic appliances. Early models are amongst the most reliable appliances produced in
this country. The main factory was in Wales, and many thousands of those washing machines made in that factory are
still in kitchens and laundry rooms up and down the country and Europe and indeed throughout the
world.
These
appliances - Washing Machines, Tumble dryers are still being serviced and repaired by our engineers. Some washing
machines are 20 years and older. The very early one were badged English Electric, later they were also
badged Jackson, Gala and when Hotpoint
took over Creda they also were badged Creda also.
Washing Machines
The
motors that powered these washing machines were GEC (Hotpoint’s parent company) and probably one on the best and
most reliable washing machine motors ever made. They were reaction motors - that is motors with carbon brushes
running on a commutator rather than an induction motor that is capacitor fed.
These
motors would run without failure until the carbon brushes wore down to nothing and then by simply replacing the
brush gear the motor would run until the same happened again.
Our
engineers have gone out to the same appliance to replace the brush gear every four or five years over the course of
fifteen years and there has in that time, been no other faults with the appliance. Carbon brushes that wear down
are just like your car tyres wearing down; it is not a fault but a natural result of use.
Eventually the commutator would wear down and then the carbon brushes would last a shorter time
as they were running on a smaller circumference and then the armature itself would eventually fail and a
replacement armature would need to be fitted.
Hotpoint no longer supply this part however the part is available in a generic version and
available through mdaspares.co.uk it is a successful replacement. From time to
time our engineers would be called out to Washing Machines of other manufacturers and find this very successfully
motor fitted.
Before Creda was taken over by GEC Hotpoint, the washing machine range had this motor fitted -
however, on the Creda machines it was fitted under the drum - unlike Hotpoint and later
Creda/Hotpoint machines where the motor was fitted on top of the drum.
A
revolutionary Design
It
was the GEC Hotpiont machines that had the motor on top of the drum. The very last of the 1800 series and all of
the 95series and later WM series also Creda models 1700 series in the case of washer dryers the models started 99
on the very early models and WD on the later models. All these appliances had the motor on top of the drum. This
has made it easy for the staff of our retail stores department to
identify which type of carbon brushes a customer will need by simply asking the
customer is the motor on the top of the drum or not?
A Very Clever, but simple
idea
By
putting the motor on top of the appliance Hotpoint totally avoided any chance
of water leakage from the drum or indeed any other part of the appliance damaging the motor or shorting the motor
and with it the rest of the machines circuits , (a very common fault with most other
machines)
Another advantage of putting the motor on top was to make the appliance very easy to work on when
in need of repair. The GEC motor carbon came in a plastic holder that easily slid out from the motor casting
A-Frame, making it possible to fit replacement brush gear without removing the motor from the drum. The whole
repair could be done by simply removing the lid of the appliance which in a wash room very often did not require
moving the appliance at all.
Molded plastic outer Drum
Hotpoint was also one of the first, (if not the first) to introduce the molded plastic
(Polythene) outer tub to its washing machine range. This light weight tub had a steel insert molded into it, to
carry the drum bearings through which the drum support shaft passed with another good idea of a screw on drive
pulley at the back with a securing nut. Most other manufacturers use a pulley that is pushed on to two flats on a
shaft or on to a splined shaft and held in place with a bolt. Unlike many other machines this screw on pulley
tended never to come loose.
Yet another very good idea
The
inner drum was accessible from the front of the machine. As in all kitchens, the front of the appliance where all
the controls are always accessible - to be able to service the appliance without having to pull it out and turn it
round, (Something difficult to do with water fill pipes and drain pipes
attached) It was a really good idea.
An
easy to remove front was fitted to all the 95.99.WM,WD and W Creda models. This easy to remove front revealed all
the tub electrical, eg Thermostat, heater and the pressure bottle.
With
the front panel removed it was very easy to fit a new door seal or heater element, and also to unblock the pressure
bottle; something that in high lime areas was necessary sometimes - though Hotpoint later produced a modified
pressure bottle that tended never to block up.
The
front of the outer tub was held on with something that looked like the clips that used to be put on paint tins to
be sure the lid not come off - another very good idea (no nuts and bolts to undo or to
rust-up).
The
inner drum was stainless steel and unlike most modern washing machines the paddles were part of the drum itself and
not plastic inserts that can tend to come off especially – i.e. if training shoes are washed. Our parts dept sell
many hundreds of drum paddles and lifters of different types for many modern machines nowadays
(something that was not necessary for these
machines). These machines made in Wales were not only amazingly
reliable, easy to repair but also very robust.
This
inner drum had a bearing support spider unit with three legs attaching it to the drum and steel shaft that passed
through the bearings to the drive pulley at the back. It was so easy to remove and again made repair simple and
quick.
The
drum was supported on the very early machines by three shock absorbers and then two on the later models. Again
these parts lasted a very long time and in many cases after many years the chassis of the machine would fail
through metal fatigue before the shock absorbers would wear out. On early models Hotpoint
made a modification bracket to
repair this fault. Hotpoint was
always looking for ways to improve the build of their appliances - the longest lasting (a really
good company ethic that made the name of Hotpoint respected many years thereafter).
Saving the Planet, eco friendly
These
early models may not have all the energy saving features that modern appliances have, but most of them have a half
load button, which was low fill. However, our engineers have seen many cases of these appliances outlasting as many
four other machines, and people giving them away to get a more up to date (More modern coloured and looking machine) and then
regretting it when their new appliance fails after a comparatively short time and the neighbour or friend they gave
the washing machine to is still enjoying repair free washing with their old machine!
As far as saving the planet goes and
making the most of our planets limited resources, this washing machine has and still does its
bit.
Whenever one of our engineers attend a repair or advise a repair on one of these good old
appliances, we always advice the customer to hang on to the machine as long as possible because parts are still
available and repair is usually always value for money in comparison with the lack of longevity experienced by many
who buy new appliances after throwing away a potentially easily and repairable early Hotpoint or Creda Washing
Machine.
If
you have one of these old domestic appliances that needs repair, don’t think it had its day. It was made and
designed to last many days and many years.
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