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Author Topic: Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine  (Read 10140 times)

Offline supermaticjames

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Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine
« on: March 14, 2016, 10:33:15 pm »
Hi all,

Over a month ago I bought this marvellous machine! I always wanted one but they are like the veteran of the automatic washing machine world and very seldom does one appear so I am truly gobsmacked to have one. :o

Being a complex and old machine it did require a little attention but that was to be expected since it turned 54 years old last December. I had to replace a few hoses and fabricate a sump hose especially since there is nothing "off the shelf" that suits. I also had to reseal the tub, fit a new pulsator belt, lubricate the drive assembly and replace the water valves. To be honest I think I got off lightly! ;D

I'm hoping there may be someone here who knows a retired engineer who may have some parts lying around because I seriously want to invest in some parts to have for the future in case anything does go wrong. I know parts are obsolete now for 30 years or so but there are some really old school engineers out there who hold onto parts for as long as they can - I just need to find one! :underchair:

Anyway, here are some pictures of the old girl - she was obviously very well looked after as I have seen 25 year old machines looking much worse than her!  :))

It would be lovely to here about peoples Keymatic experiences.

Regards,

James
"Washday? Just forget it!"


Offline MVacs

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Re: Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2016, 09:52:42 am »
What a great looking old machine! Welcome to the site.  :tiphat:

How do old machines like that turn out the laundry compared to newer ones?

Offline supermaticjames

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Re: Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2016, 12:33:08 pm »
What a great looking old machine! Welcome to the site.  :tiphat:

How do old machines like that turn out the laundry compared to newer ones?

Hi and thank you! ;D

These old ones do a much better job than a modern one in my opinion. It actually uses water unlike some you see nowadays that use what seems like the equivalent of a jug of water. The only downside to that would be if you were on a water meter but if you have a hot water tank then you'll be saving money there since this is a traditional hot & cold fill machine. :thumbsup:

The Keymatic was the only washing machine ever to have two wash actions, normal tumbling and a secondary pulsator (spinning disk) at the back of the drum that was engaged during cotton programmes to give a vigorous wash action. The pulsator was a feature borrowed from the famous Hoovermatic twin tubs and this was often seen as an attempt by Hoover to "hold on" to their trademark wash action even though the currents created by the standard tumbling was good on its own. Hoover over-engineered this first Keymatic through the addition of the pulsator and ultimately it came back to bite them when many customers complained about their machines not working like they should. The problem was with the spring clutch that both drove and disengaged the pulsator depending on the direction the motor was running. Some customers went with the option to disengage the pulsator altogether meaning that some preserved machines don't have this unique wash action - luckily, mine does. ;D

The capacity of this machine is half of what a modern machine is now, but since it takes approx. 40 minutes do a standard 40°c wash I'd STILL able to get through as much washing a modern machine would in LESS TIME! :))

The spin speed is 750 rpm which appears to be a low number but speed isn't everything just like motor wattage isn't everything in a vacuum cleaner. ;) The drum in this machine has a unique shape that maximises the water extraction efficiency. In my opinion this machine would have the same water extraction efficiency as a 1000 rpm machine. Also, 750 rpm was an extremely good spin speed for a washing machine in 1961 when the few automatics that were on the market had spin speeds of anything between 200 and 600 rpm. :o

Overall, it's a brilliant and functional machine.

James
"Washday? Just forget it!"

Offline Madrat

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Re: Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2016, 04:20:51 pm »
You are lucky, they are solid built fantastic machines.


Offline RustySkull

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Re: Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2016, 08:33:54 pm »
Not full of mold like most of today's ones lol.
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Offline supermaticjames

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Re: Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2016, 11:19:47 pm »
You are lucky, they are solid built fantastic machines.

I am very lucky, out of approximately 12 of these that are in safe hands only about 3 are actually in full working order, including mine. 8) What would be even luckier would be to find spare parts for it to keep it in working order. :(

James
"Washday? Just forget it!"

Offline MVacs

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Re: Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2016, 10:24:50 am »
12? They are so rare now?

Ooh er, I remember scrapping those in the 80's.  :underchair:

Offline supermaticjames

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Re: Vintage Hoover Keymatic 3224 Washing Machine
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2016, 02:49:34 pm »
12? They are so rare now?

Ooh er, I remember scrapping those in the 80's.  :underchair:

Oh dear oh dear...

I take it that you didn't save any usable parts? :'( Haha!

James
"Washday? Just forget it!"

 

 

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