Kenmore Elite Calypso Top Load Washer Heavy Duty Cycle

These machines are some of my favorites. Such a unique Wash action that works just so well. Paired with extreme water efficiency. It's a shame these were unreliable and cost so much to produce. This one's here to stay!
Model: 110.22066100
Serial: unknown (tag missing)

[@davidfleemon8750]

As a former manager for Sears, I remember the Calypso well. It was manufactured from 1999 to 2003 or 4. I can't remember for sure. It was Kenmore's "great experiment", supposedly a revolution in the laundry industry. Manufactured by Whirlpool, it never gained a lot of traction in the market. It was noisy, vibrated way too much, and was plagued from the beginning with mechanical issues. Our service techs hated this machine with a passion. It was very difficult to repair. The final nail in the coffin for Calypso was a class action lawsuit in which a large number of dissatisfied consumers took part. It was discontinued the next year. It was way ahead of it's time, and was a predecessor to much of the HE washer technology we have today.

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

I agree that it was ahead of it's time. Whirlpool managed to combine the water saving abilities of a front load washer with the standard top load washer everyone grew up with. I really hope they make some new version of this machine in the future, because they were really onto something with this

[@pawfan]

The Calypso is reminisent of another brand that did the same thing...Apex! It had a smaller basket though. Kelvinator was another brand with their version of this similar action.

[@Blurain727]

Then after the Calypso got stabbed and killed by the class action lawsuit, came the first F&P based Cabrios from Whirlpool.

[@kiarahenson444]

I have a calypso too and I managed it from 1996 to 2001

[@luisnavarro293]

What happened to your job after sears went out ?

[@kian4645]

Wow..I fell in love with this lovely machine..I dont like toploaders and never wasted my money to buy one of them even if I had to wash my clothes by hand..although I believe that american type of toploaders because of the central agitator are more more useful than another type of toy toploaders..but It’s the first time I see a real high efficient top load washing machine..It doesnt consumes that many gallons water other top loaders waste..It really washes by that efficient movement..it turns the load upside down..It balances the load before spin and do fluffing intervals during long spin..Good job Kenmore😻👌

[@DADoESofTX]

Sears/Kenmore introduced the Calypso sometime in 2000. There's a mention of it in Popular Science magazine issue Sept 2000, stated retail price $1,099. Whirlpool's model introduced in 2001. I know of someone who had (or maybe still has it) one with serial number March 2005.

[@mielefan18]

I really love this washer. For an American top load it seems to be efficient and 👍with good rollover

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

I love how these washers perform. It's a shame that they had so many design flaws. Also due to toe design they were very expensive to produce. I hope to one day see an updated version back on the market

[@mielefan18]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 give me an old Kenmore/Sears, Whirlpool or Frigidaire Unimatic and I’ll be happy with that 🤣 but for me as an European citizen it’s kinda weird not to be able to do boil washes. I’m used to it and at least once a month I’ll wash white towels or cleaning rugs und cotton 203F

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

@@mielefan18 thats funny since it's the total opposite here. Nobody boil washes their clothes, in fact we rarely even use hot water. Usually cold or warm. Ever since I bought a miele I've used the sanitize function several times. While it isn't quite a boil wash (70°c instead of 95°c) I believe it does the job.

[@lmal8207]

I had one of these and it was a great machine in appearance and performance. My issue was it was shredding some of my towels 😔 but it did a great job washing and removing stains.

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

I've heard that's a problem on these. I'm yet to run into it however!

[@lmal8207]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 I wish I could find a use one at a local appliance shop but I don’t think they have any of these anymore

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

@@lmal8207 I wouldn't think so. They're extremely hard to find. I've only ever seen 2 listed for sale within 50 miles of me in the past year, and this was the 2nd one hahaha.

[@petermaz701]

Really cool washer, I remember seeing these at Sears and wanting one because it was so different. They were expensive in there day.

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

Do you recall about how much they cost new? I knew they were expensive, I just never knew how expensive.

[@petermaz701]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 This was many many years ago I wanna say $800 (could be more) which was a lot of money back then when these were brand-new.

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

@@petermaz701 gotcha. I figured it was around there. Thanks for telling me!

[@firealarmtechguy4444]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 looking at internet archives on whirlpool's website in 2002. $1009.00 USD. Adjusted for inflation the price of a new Calypso would be $1,576.87. I would totally pay that for a new Calypso but consumers are too cheap to pay for quality. Even Speed Queen has gone downhill

[@petermaz701]

@@firealarmtechguy4444 everything out now is plastic and throw away I just replaced 2 GE profiles that were about 25 years old still working good and we’re even flooded in hurricane Ida and still working I just bought two Samsung‘s light as a feather and the guys laughed when I said maybe I’ll get five years out of them they said maybe three!

[@jeanlucdrion1152]

Well it was moving stuff around . I like it.

[@robertwhite9898]

I remember those machines

[@andrewclarke3622]

I they made in the early 2000s and for just a few years. I think this is the first video Ive seen of it in action. I have seen them in person.

[@MaytagMachineManiac]

The beginning reminds me a lot of the catalyst wash action the first generation Bravos and cabrios did

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

It actually advertises catalyst cleaning action so I suppose it's the same thing hahaha. I thought of the catalyst machines too

[@DADoESofTX]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 Bravos and Cabrio were on the market after the Calypso was discontinued. Catalyst Cleaning Action was touted for Calypso, there was also a Kenmore and Whirlpool Catalyst direct-drive toploader with a valve to change the pumped flow between drain and recirculate. I figure Whirlpool picked up the Catalyst treatment concept from Fisher & Paykel's Eco Active wash process that dates to the GWL10 model in 2000 or 2001. Early Oasis/Cabrio/Bravos models had a direct kinship to F&P, using their SmartDrive motor and floating-basket design.

[@picklerick_404]

I personally prefer the Catalyst, but this is good too.

[@automaticwasher]

Turn over in this machine is very good and it's fun to watch. This nutation style wash action was originally used by Philco from 1959-1971 or so but the turnover in this machine is very similar to my 1953 Apex Wash-a-Matic. The Apex nutates the entire wash tub and does not have a separate wash plate. The Wash-a-Matic was the first low water usage top loading washer. Here is what it looks like operating: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXywaaKAZrGId7M

[@user-oq5bv8ue4c]

Actually it mimics the A BC-O-MATIC

[@user-oq5bv8ue4c]

The Philco Flex-a-Wash was based on the Bendix Powersurge. Ford(Philco) acquired Bendix .

[@biggysmoovemusic7777]

I hate that these washers and the Catalyst ones weren’t common like all the other washers in the past. It makes me wish we had the blueprints to everything.

[@ScantPear]

I need a new spin drum hub for mine two of the tabs on the splines tube broke but it still grabs and spins just fine but I would also want a way to fix it as well…

[@ericgreen2195]

The agitation from this Calypso washer reminds me of those vintage Kelvinators. I saw a video of the Kelvinator washer and it was the splashiest washer I have ever seen. Didn't these washers got taken off the market?

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

They did indeed get taken from the market. Due to a list of problems. Defective u joints, computer board problems (these washers house 3 separate computers just in the display, in my ownership of this I've had to replace the touchpanel once and the motor board twice) strange black lines in the clothes, tangling or ripping of clothes, clogged drain pumps (that in the early days would strip when clogged) and several class action lawsuits. This machine when it works however, seems to be a lovely washer to use in my experience. I plan to own it as long as possible.

[@aletius]

Hi, I have this exact washer now for 23 years (also have the matching dryer) almost with very little issues but recently the machine has began to vibrate horribly - I am assuming it is something to do with the balance ring or snubber ring (I will post a video linked to this comment showing the issue if someone thinks they know what is wrong with it to diagnose it)

[@jeanlucdrion1152]

I like it i like it.

[@BoeingAviation737.]

How does it do that wash action?

[@kristinawild1495]

I have the matching Bisque color Calypso machines. Trying to get them working again. The washer doesn’t get any speed in the spin mode. Can’t figure out how to fix that. Suggestions welcome. The dryer just keeps beeping. I’m going to try replacing the thermal fuse.

[@kristinawild1495]

I’ll add I bought mine in 2005 at a scratch and dent Sears retailer

[@Tigger81762]

On the control mother boards. Check the Capacitors should to be two big ones look at the solder joints and refloat the solder and you’ll find out that the CE19 times out of 10 disappear and then you’ll have an extra control board

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

Noted! I have an extra at the moment, if I have this one go bad I will for sure try that!

[@ScantPear]

All the stain treat does is extend the agitation time for the actual wash… not the spins at the beginning… but it will do it when like the normal cycle has stain treat selected…

[@jeromedavis8575]

What did the design of the machine look like in the whirlpool and kenmore variants? I know the Maytag Neptunes had angled corners. What about Whirlpool/Kenmore Calypso Equivalent?

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

The calypso looks similar to any top load washer but has a wash plate that spans the whole bottom of the tub. There's a center post that sticks up about 3/4 of the way of the drum and it is attached to the wash plate. The plate doesn't rotate, rather it tilts on a u joint rapidly which bounces the clothes as a recirculation pump showers the clothes in water. You never see any standing water in the machine, it's all below the wash plate and it only uses the recirculation pump to get the Clothes wet and move water through them.

[@jeromedavis8575]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 Nice! I'd like to see the inner workings in action, as well as the drum roll on the cabinet with both hands in a long recording. It sounds cool.

[@DADoESofTX]

Looks to me like it did run a stain treat sequence at the beginning of the cycle ... the brief fill then repeated saturations and extractions. Whirlpool models don't do that. They had a Soak option but not Stain Treat. Stain Treat was exclusive to Kenmore models, so marketing could always claim that Kenmore was "the best." What's different if Stain Treat is selected?

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

I believe it extends the wash time. It always runs a stain treat on heavy duty. The wash time with stain treat on goes from 19 minutes to 23 minutes.

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

After some further research I have found an owners manual for this machine. It claims stain treat features "enhanced catalyst cleaning action" I assume that means it runs the catalyst cycle for longer.

[@Bunkysworkshop]

What are your thoughts on the front loaders vs top loaders?

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

They both have their uses. As far as HE top loaders vs front loaders I'd go front loader all day. However an old school top load vs a front loader is tough. I like the capacity, spin speed, and water saving of the front loader plus its easier on your clothes. However say a direct drive for example, it's very rapid agitation is great for hard fabrics like denim.

[@Bunkysworkshop]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 I agree with you 100%. 👍

[@firealarmtechguy4444]

The brake is supposed to drag. Mine does it too.

[@gamingwithjaylenofficial2265]

whats your main machine out of all the ones you flimed?

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

Probably the lg front loader. I have a system for my laundry actually. I run darks in the lg front load, bright colors in the miele, jeans/cargo pants in my maytag direct drive, towels in my lg top load, and delicates/light colors in my lg sidekick. I don't always have enough light colors to make a load for it though, so sometimes I just toss them in with the brights.

[@TheRealDorran]

These machines were built around 2000-2001

[@ScantPear]

What year is this calypso

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

I'm not sure. The model and serial tag have worn off. I believe 02. It's an early model, still with the thin spline drain pump.

[@renders_universe]

Does it have a Lid Lock?

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

Nope! Because this unit has a tub brake, no lid lock needed.

[@renders_universe]

@@nhrawashervideos6567ooo… this can find ways for people to get in the washer and die.

[@AC-pm5rg]

I have this machine. I put my comforter in it and it gave me an ob code. Now the agitator will not move, but you can hear the motor spin. I don’t want to get rid of it. I ran a diagnostics test on it, and it gave me the code, OP which is not in the manual. Any advice?

[@firealarmtechguy4444]

You need to change both controls at the same time if the motor board gives up

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

Why?

[@firealarmtechguy4444]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 Idk honestly. there is some like virus in them and if you change one. It will keep transferring back and forth until both boards are replaced.

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

@@firealarmtechguy4444 funny, I haven't dealt with the main board failing. If I notice that happen I'll change both. What you're describing sounds like it may be the jumper that runs from the main to the motor board. I have replacements for both boards so if one goes bad I will replace them. I also have a new jumper. Also a virus wouldn't kill the hardware of the board.

[@firealarmtechguy4444]

@@nhrawashervideos6567 I got another thought. Maybe when one board fails it shorts out the other one. So when you install a new board the other one is shorted out so it sends too much current through the other one. If you change both boards. All of the shorts should be fixed.

[@joegiacoppo1054]

That’s the weirdest washer ever

[@homeguestunton]

Yep

[@imperiallebaron2391]

I'd like to know what the main problem was that made these machines so unreliable.

[@ScantPear]

It’s pronounced persil not persll

[@homeguestunton]

Weirdest washing machine I’ve ever seen

[@noahandrews6131]

Do an unbalance load test

[@nhrawashervideos6567]

It's pretty hard to unbalance these, the motion of the nutator evens everything out well. I don't want to put something heavy like say a phone book in it for fear of damaging it since it's so rare.

[@noahandrews6131]

Ok just try it and if it gets to violent shut it off