Kenmore washer mystery

[Bryce]

Sears Kenmore Heavy Duty automatic clothes washer, m/n

7114803G. Vintage 1972. Harvest Gold. A bell-shaped plastic chamber mounted near the bottom of the enclosure accepts drain water from the pump and outputs it to the drain hose. What function does the chamber serve? It's a lint-catcher and I'm tempted to bypass it ... but the designer put it there for a reason.

Yes, yes. I am going to replace the washer soon. I wish I had bought two back in '72. One for (much) later.

[Lp1331 1p1331]

I think you are exactly right. It sounds like it is a lint filter. They had several different designs, with 2, 3 and 4 hoses on them. I think it traps the lint in the wash cycle, and when it pumps the water out, the water is flowing in the opposite direction, and the lint is washed out the drain. Larry

[Bryce]

There is a second slightly smaller bell inside. It's hollow and sealed. Has same tapered sides as outer one, so tends to float upward and restrict flow (which is always in the same direction). Just a little lint causes the inner float to jam in "up" position. This chokes the drain flow and leaves water in the basket, because there's no water level sensor - strictly a timer-driven cycle.

Water enters at bottom, tangential to rim, causing it to swirl. Exit is at center of top and lies on axis of bell. At first, I thought it was an anti-siphon device. But that's not it as it restricts flow out of washer. Very mysterious!

[Red Green]

Bryce wrote in news:hkjsn0$c9p$ [e-mail]- september.org:

Is it the Harvest Gold you're attached to? :-)

[Bryce]

Hmmm. Maybe I can mail it off to one of those trade your unwanted gold for cash operations. I have a hunch the microprocessor-controlled successor will need regular cash infusions (appliance health-care).

[Red Green]

Bryce wrote in news:hkk7r4$l8o$ [e-mail]- september.org:

LOL, cash for gold. I'd keep an eye out for Antique Roadshow auditions as a backup though.