Twin-Tub Washing Machines

Hawthorn

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

Mum used to do the washing on a Monday starting with Whites, then going through the colours until the the darks as the water cooled. I must admit that it did wash the clothes better and I used to love the smell on a Monday. I'm only 34 BTW.

PP
xx

PP, same here Mum used to let my swirl them with a big wooden stick she had, and get some stuff with the tongs. I must only have been very young though - five, max?

trying-very-trying

deb68 wrote: »

have been thinking tho to get another twin tub incase this one ever decides to break where would i get one any one no?
thanks xx

I must say, that I don't really remember my mum having a twin tub, (pp, I'm older than you) although I know that she did have one.
When I got married in 1978, my mil said that she would buy our washing machine - I could choose.... the hotpoint, hoover or servis. All twin tubs, because my mil didn't approve of automatic machines. I went for the hotpoint supermatic, because it had an automatic rinse system. I hated it, it did take me ages to do my washing. I kept it for three years before trading it in for an automatic. I remember getting £50 trade in price from Currys, and saw it in their store the next week. Could you see Currys taking trade ins and selling them through their stores nowadays:rotfl:

Anyway, I now have an exact model to that first twin tub as a spare when the automatic breaks down, and I use it during the winter when I have oodles and oodles of hot water for free. I've managed to reduce the time it takes to do a full wash, and by using less powder I don't have to rinse too many times, and I can go right through from towels, sheets, jeans, hubbys mucky work stuff and then the :eek:doormats which I can't put in my automatic.

But to get back to your original queery, I would look in your second hand shops, ask on freecycle, look on ebay, but I, personally, wouldn't want one of the new plastic ones as you have no proper control over the temperature of the water. Most of them have no water heater or thermostat.

Penelope_Penguin

Hi there! You seem to have plenty of replies, so I'll move add this to the existing thread on twin tubs

Penny. x

Get_Back_Loretta

I've been thinking about posting about my twin tub. So as long as this thread has been revived...

My situation, quickly stated, is we do not have room or a place to plumb a washing machine. Our house is tiny with a little galley kitchen put on as an addition when water was plumbed into the house.

I have had to wash by hand or use a laundrette which got expensive especially as I needed to use a taxi. I bought a caravan style twin tub and it is just fine for the two of us. I set it in the shower and connect to the taps. I am able to control the amount of water I use/drain and this is great for folks that collect all of their gray water to flush the toilet, etc as you don't have to let any of it go down the drain.

It is small but I can wash a large duvet cover and pillowcases or a pair of jeans and other items. It is perfect for us at our house - I can still do a big load at the launderette occasionally but I don't need to go there every week. I have complete control over the amount of water, soap, bleach I use with it and it does a pretty darn good job.

It has already paid for itself a few times over and as I had gift certificates for Amazon from my surveys, I paid only a small part of the £69.00 or thereabouts. This will not be for everyone, but it can work if your situation is like ours - no space - and just the two of us to wash for. And, yes, I can wash dirty, greasy work clothes - they just have to soak at first and then cycle twice.

Let's see if I can provide the link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/WASHING-MACHINE-COMPACT-PORTABLE-CARAVAN/dp/B0018PTYS0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1228771514&sr=8-1

Did I do it? I hope it is okay to show you the one I bought - I don't have anything to do with the company. As I said - not for everyone - but, it works for us.

gbl

[Deleted User]

I also remember having a 'Baby Burco' boiler for my nappies ect and it was brilliant,and a 'Flatley airer' which was electric and a god send in the winter for getting nappies dry back in the 1960s.In those days, as we lived in a tiny flat in South Norwood ,London we only had a very small gas water heater on the wall for hot water with a little arm that produced the smallest amount of water ever,so my 'Burco' helped no end. I thought I was the bees knees as previously I had just had a large old black iron saucepan on the stove to boil nappies in and a glass washboard (cost me 2/6p, about twelve and a half p) for scrubbing my husbands shirts,mind you the scrubbing board did bring his collars and cuffs up beautifully.We had no room or water supply for an automatic (kitchen was so small you could touch the walls on either side with your arms outstretched)and couldn't have afforded one anyway. In those days my housekeeping was £8.10.00 (£8.50p per week)and on that I kept OH myself and two small children, and I was quite well off compared to some.
When I look back on it I can't really remember feeling deprived or unhappy it was just how things were.

paulsm

I have just got a Hotppoint 9414 twin tub and decided to test it out before use , but I cant remember how to drain i , I have a removable pipe to fill it and a corrugated one that comes out the bakc which I thought was the drain , do I have to attach the removable pipe to the inside where the water sprays on top of the agitator to pump it out?

northern_star

From memory it goes something like; put the corrugated pipe over the sink - or wherever you want it to drain - and turn the machine to wash.......but then I seem to remember there being a 'drain' setting on the dial somewhere too.....oh its such a long time ago:rolleyes:. If you google the model number and 'operating instructions', you might find an online manual to help. Sorry I can't be more use.

paulsm

I have read about a drain setting but there is none on mine? the only way I found is to put the hose on the spay bit on the top of the drum

Hollyberry

As far as I remember, you're right. There is a spray bit at the back of the machine, which pumps the water over the tray where the washing powder goes (which on ours sat on top of the agitator). The pipe goes onto that spray mouth, you put the other end in the sink, and then turn the tub onto wash and it just pumps all the water out. I seem to remember that once the tub has emptied, you will need to get the last bit of water out with a cloth, as the machine burps a bit, but won't clear the last few drops. There is a removable plug at the bottom which traps any threads etc, and you will need to clean this out once you have emptied the machine.

If in any doubt at all, I'm sure you'll put any spare pipe ends in the sink first...;)

Lily-Lu

Resurecting an old thread....Enjoyed reading through it as it brought back memories of all the nappies I washed in my mum's twin tub when my first son was born (early 80s and didn't have a wm of my own). My mum died in 1993 and still had it, she never owned an automatic.
It was more hands-on, but I loved the fact that you could do so many loads, one after the other, using the same water.....And in less time than doing the same separate loads in an automatic today.

Anyway, my automatic is on its last legs, and I'd love to go back to using a twin tub. I've been keeping an eye on ebay, and asked on Freecycle, but no joy. There are some new ones on the net, but the only ones that will fit under my kitchen worktop have a plastic body. Now, I'm really not a fan of plastic, as I can't help associating it with being weak and likely to split over time.
Has anyone here got one of the plastic ones? I'd appreciate your opinions on performance and how it has faired in general.