English Electric Liberator Twintub Washing Machine

Presenting the English Electric Liberator Twin Twintub washing machine with a brush filter for constant filtering of your wash water and collect stray lint. The vitreous enamel tub holds 6lbs of laundry and has a bakelite agitator with reciprocal action driven from a cast gearbox. The spinner is a solid metal can housed in an aluminium outer tub allowing you to rinse in the spinner. It spins at 3,100rpm and takes 4 minutes to spin cottons dry, 2 mins for lighter fabrics. The brush filter is unique to this machine, it re-circulate the water through a bristle brush house in a container, this catches the lint throughout the wash.

[@cherylwatkins588]

I'd love one of these again. So much better than automatic

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello, yes indeed, easy to use, very quick and just get the job done !!

[@SarahCorbett-f5t]

So many happy memories of this hottub. Growing up in the 80s my mam used to pull the washer out on wash day an wash for her large family and spend hours on it and didn’t mind. Always used to stand at the side of her in aww of how it worked and loved it when was on spin and I would put my head on the washer trying to force it to keep still lol. Also remember the slimy wooden tongs lol. Oh I miss these old memories and most importantly I miss my mam who sadly passed when I was a teenager. Would give anything to go back and do it again even if was just to watch her do the washing 😂

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Great to remember these childhood memories and good to bring them here for you , Its a tad noisy on spin with vibrations but very memorable !!

[@iaindennis3321]

Lovely video, reminded me of wash day at my nanna’s

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Glad to help with the memories Iain, its all about the sounds and smells they produced - and a wet floor ha ha .

[@lenivec]

Wow Mike, what a nice machine! 👍😊

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Ingemar, isnt it just, it is based on the 2nd Hotpoint twintub , the 1420 with powder clutch, but I think it looks nicer with the textured metal lids and brush filter along with the inner spin can cover access.

[@syhooverman5418]

This machine must have had the belt driven centrifugal clutch to spin at that speed. My mothers earlier Supermatic had a direct drive from the squirrel cage induction spinner motor hence a max spin speed of 2800 at 50 HZ supply

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Morning Clive, this model had the same direct drive motor and clutch on the end, no belt drive on the spinner. Hope all good with you !! Ps Al sent you an invitation for bank holiday weekend couldnt find email etc, give him a ring to confirm !!

[@syhooverman5418]

@@WeHadOneOfThose Hi Mike, Sorry but ive only just picked this message up so missed Als invitation. Im intrigued how the spinner on this machine can be 3100 RPM if its directly driven. A "squirrel cage" single phase 2 pole induction motor cant spin any faster than @ 2850 rpm (no load speed) due to the mains frequency we have in UK being 50Hz and allowing for a small percentage of"slip" . A 4 pole motor spins at 1425rpm and so on. I know for a fact as im sure you do the later Supermatics with the "Spiraclean" agitators did indeed spin at 3100rpm but the centrifugal clutch was belt driven as was the gearbox using 2 identical motors. My mothers machine had the "eyelid" spinner and a red "filterclean" tray on the agitator.

[@jeveritt2777]

My mother had one like 🤔

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

I bet your mum was really please having the latest de-luxe washing machine . Not as many sold as the Hotpoint models which makes it all the rarer.

[@wwebtime]

I'd bloody well beat my goods against a rock as to fool with that bassakwards thing!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Randolph, ha ha, yes but as we didnt have anything better at the time this was the bees knees !!

[@wwebtime]

@@WeHadOneOfThose I understand. My Grandma told me when she was a kid they had to beat grandpas clothes on the rocks in the stream to get the coal dust out. He was a Black Smith down in the hills of West By God VerGinny! So you had it easy! hahahaa...

[@syhooverman5418]

Hi Mike. Can we have more posts please. Clive***

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Clive , yes indeed , we are getting back into it and we have more people who can film and finish the videos, Hope all good with you, dont forget to drop Al a line for future meet ups now we are coming out of lockdown !!

[@jaredini]

Speeds up much quicker than the Hotpoint.

[@syhooverman5418]

It IS a hotpoint my friend. Made by AEI Hotpoint/English Electric. AEI standing for Associated Electrical Industries.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hi Andy this model is based on the Hotpoint 1420 and has the Powder Clutch on the spinner which only lasted for this model , but yes it certainly speeds up pretty quickly.

[@CandyBimatic]

Be careful Mike ... if you continue to take on the burden of editing the videos the other collectors one of these days I will end up sending you mine for a correct editing... 😂😂😂 I hate doing the editing of the videos...

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Ha ha, when the content is great its a joy, These machines need to be shown in all their glory !!

[@CandyBimatic]

@@WeHadOneOfThose I absolutely agree! I am trying to "free" the Philco Benetton washer to make s new video... it's in the back of the warehouse so it's not easy to move it so that it can be hooked up to be functional... today it's not as hot as yesterday (only 32°C) so I can manage to do some work without the risk of "drawning" in my own sweat! 😂😂😂

[@syhooverman5418]

Nice to see no big warning sign telling the user to "keep hands out till spinner stops" Wasnt needed in those days as people had "Common Sense" A commodity Sadly lacking now im afraid. When you buy a bag of spring bulbs now it says on the label Do Not Eat. HELLO!!!!!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Ha ha , can you imagine heath & safety team back then lol, quite right common sense prevailed, I know of a few accidents but given how many times these machines where used the incidences of accidents was pretty low, no consolation if you did trap a finger but hey !!

[@anthonylawrence60]

@@WeHadOneOfThose ANYONE WHO STUCK THEIR HAND INTO A MOVING SPIN DRYER DESERVED ALL THEY GOT

[@Kubulek17]

it says it on the door handle, look closely

[@workingdogslog3442]

The warnings are there for a reason. Someone lacked common sense 😅

[@misspurrr-fect3684]

I would go back to one of these in a heartbeat 💓 ... Proper no bells n whistles Workhorse 🐎

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Certainly are workhorses, a traditional mechanical twintub that just gets on with the job !!

[@piping9153]

Bollocks it's some work

[@syhooverman5418]

OOH! fast spinning hot laundry. LOADS of creasing and LOADS of ironing afterwards. NO thank you! LOL

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Never bothers Darren, he has plenty of Morphy Richards irons to help, and loves ironing so its a win win , but Id be like you !!

[@stevenbalekic5683]

Around thirty years ago my mum wasn't impressed when my dad brought home a rusted leaking paint peeling and electric shock inducing version of this as our main washing machine because he is cheap.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Steven, Oh Dear , I could imagine, there where a lot of similar 2nd hand twintubs around at that time, great twintubs when they are fully working .

[@andyatkinson3279]

The agitator reminded me of the Philips top twin , no suds return hole like on the Hotpoint! Fantastic machine,!Thanks for sharing Mike 👍👍👏

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hi Andrew yes I see what you mean with agi, interesting the link with the Hotpoints and crossover , not quite sure how that was ?

[@Ian.eastwood5457]

Thank-you reminds me of lovely memories from my 1970s early childhood

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Ian, thats great to know, takes us all straight back to our family childhoods.

[@Zsullivan27]

6:57 Sound like a V-8 muscle car accelerating.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Yes indeed , from o - to 3,100rpm in seconds 👍🇬🇧

[@jamieskull3614]

Very rare machine, short lived, it was more or less a Hotpoint 1420, the spinners were a nightmare, lead powder clutch, direct drive, 2 pole motor 2800rpm, all the same a nice machine that performed well.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Cheers Jamie, yes prob the shortest production run of any Hotpoint twinny, beautiful condition after renovation, just need to put that rubber damper block back in to stop the cabinet reverbing.

[@syhooverman5418]

My mother had the machine with the eyelid spin cover. Presumably that had the lead shot direcct coupled clutch. how the hell did that work?. I reckon her clutch packed up early on as if she overloaded the spinner with water it wouldnt pump out and she had to open the red drain valve at the back of the machine to drain the excesss water off. It was the burning out of the spinner motor that called the end of the machine after 18 years!!

[@michael5089]

@@syhooverman5418 great memories! My mum always had them. Right to the end. Her last one was a Qualtex, still works OK. Her last 'proper' one was a Servis.

[@martinpensom5103]

My mum had a twin tub for years boy did it get the clothes clean and the spinner was amazing washing was dry in no time!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Do you remember which twin tub it was Martin, they did make quick work of washday , and yes those spinners dried clothing that you could iron straight out of them .

[@martinpensom5103]

@@WeHadOneOfThose It was called a Master Twin made by Frigidaire!

[@SteveInScotland]

You need to do some ASMR videos of washing machines washing, twin tubs for an hour say, the noises are so relaxing!

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

On the editor as we speak, glad you enjoyed them , the washing motion is very soothing the spinners not quite so, but still enjoyable !!

[@BURP39R]

Finally! My ASMR is triggered by the spin cycle. *I killed two front loaders due to this. Oops!

[@janehawes448]

My mum had one of these when I was very tiny

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Thos twintubs where the most used washing machines in the UK , very popular and did a great job !!

[@nintendy]

Great Machine! What year is it?

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Nintendy, This model was based on the Hotpoint 1420 model with the powder clutch and was built in 1963.

[@dangaAgadanga]

Now I know why automatic washing machines were called automatic. I would have loved this if I was of that era. Intervention at its best.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello tsangari yes these twintubs were a step up from a wringer and kitchen sink , but the automatic made such a difference to busy mums !!

[@kellysavage7073]

man at first when the spin tub took off it sounded like a motorcycle racing down the street. LOL

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hi, it uses a very small but powerful motor and gets up to 2,800rpm pretty quick as you say, its a tad noisier than it needs to be as it need a rubber bung in between the fron cabinet to stop the reverb.

[@multimill]

That reminds me of the Hoovermatic advert lamenting "wishy-washy" wash action. This machine wouldn't be my choice personally.

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hi Paul, yes indeed, although to be fair there is more happening underneath than on top like the Servis Hi-Zone wash action or the total turbulation of the Hoover !!

[@jaredini]

True, you do get a good wash action and roll over with one of these agis. I hate the Spiraclean agi, too big for the tub and just drags the load in and out rolling it very slowly.

[@syhooverman5418]

@@jaredini SO True. Hoover twins just rolled Everything into a tangled mess. Ive used em!!

[@macraghnaill3553]

I'm glad they invented automatics for the home, too much hassle involved with a twin tub and even more hassle with single tub and manual mangle

[@WeHadOneOfThose]

Hello Mac, I think knowing how good automatic washers are now then yes while its nostalgic and fun to use the wringers , twintubs and spinners for laundry , to use now full time would be a hassle, but dont forget back in the time most people didnt know the benefits of a more modern washing machine.

[@macraghnaill3553]

@@WeHadOneOfThose I know , my mum had manual wringer washing machine in the 1950s which was better than a single tub and no wringer

[@anthonylawrence60]

@@WeHadOneOfThose back in the day the twin tub or even a wringer washer was an absolute godsend to the average housewife .Most women prefered to get the weeks washing done in an hour or two rather than wait for an auto to meander through its cycle . When i first started work in the business back in 1972 i managed to get a new automatic with some cabinet damage cheap [it was an Indesit] .I brought it home and plumbed it in in the washhouse . i showed my mum how it worked and off i went to work .When i came home i asked mum how she had got on .She told me in no uncertain words what she thought of that pile of junk and that if it was still here in the morning the rag and bone man was getting it.