rare electrolux model L with 220 voltts

[edgar]

Hi everybody, I found An electrolux model L in holland. It was taken to holland in 1974 when the people moved from New york to Amsterdam. The motor is wired for 220 voltts. It is in good shape only the hose is a non original. I will try to find it on ebay.

greetz edgar

 

[ohio_tuec]

That is quite a find! Looks to be in excellent shape too. I acquired a Dyson DC01 when a family from the U.K. moved here to the states. It needs a front bumper and I have no way of testing it, but I thought it would be nice to have one of the first. Now if it was a DeStijl model.... ;-)

 

[electroluxxxx]

Karl I think if you took it to an electric shop it could be wired for 120 volts.

 

[sireluxomatic]

Interesting find, Edgar. Although the hose isn't original, at least it'll make the L more usable.

 

[edgar]

hose sireluxomatic

More usable ? do you mean that the original hose is not as good? well is doensn't really matter i am just going to use it for show. )

 

[sireluxomatic]

Hi Edgar. That's what I meant, yes...original woven hoses look very nice, but, unless you manage to get one in good condition, leak very badly. I have this problem with all of my Lux hoses.

 

[aeoliandave]

Very nice find, Edgar and I think the pale blue hose looks great. Better than blazing white, or say, lime green. LOL

Gosh Bob, if we didn't live so far apart we could get together for a weekend and have all your vintage Lux hoses latexed. I'm soon about to do the electric 89 one ( and a few others) I got just last week, my first 89 electric hose with pigtail and trigger grip intact. Latexing is ideal for saran woven hoses as it does not show on the outside. Cloth woven hoses benefit just as well tho there is some clear staining to the cotton weave but to me that's acceptable when it restores 100% suction to the hose for use.

Dave

 

[sireluxomatic]

I agree, Dave...would be great to meet and see your collection, not to mention put the hoses back in full sucking order. I have 6 hoses now that could use the latex treatment, some a little more than others.

 

[collector2]

Hey Karl:

If you want to use it you dont have to change it to 120. All houses in North America (except for a few that still have wireing from the 1920's or earlier) have 240 Volt services. It wouldnt take much to install a 15 Amp outlet so it could be used. If you didnt want to go to the trouble of houshold wireing a small portable panel could easily be made that would plug into the dryer outlet (basically its just a dryer cord hooked to a 2 circuit electric panel which feeds a 15 amp 240 plug from 2 15 amp breakers). Either way it would allow you to use it when every you wish.

Doug

 

[ohio_tuec]

Thanks for the info guys. Probably the best route to go WOULD be to change it so it accepts 120 volt current, as my house (built in 1937) DOES NOT have 240 volt service, and I doubt my mother will permit me to modify one of the outlets in her house. If this shop has been in business a long time, perhaps they could even help me find a relay for my G.E. monitor top refrigerator. It's in pretty good shape, and the antique dealer who sold it to me assured me it worked just fine in his house until he had a brownout....

 

[collector2]

Hey Karl:

Strange. In 37 most homes already were using a 120/240 supply. Anyway - another cheaper route you might look into is a step up transformer. They are available at most electronic stores and alot of travel places for around $50. Just make sure you get one thats large enough to handle the wattage of the vacuum. (Dont get one of the little converters - they wont do the job for a vacuum)

Doug

 

[ohio_tuec]

240 Volt outlet in 1937?

Thanks Doug, I actually like that idea best of all. I know for certain this house was never wired for 240 volts (I've still got the original 30 amp fusebox in the basement - and no, I won't change it to breakers lol). It's a small house, one for which an Air-Way "fire hydrant" would be ideal (small rooms in which you could place an AirWay model 55 in the center of the room and be able to clean the entire room without moving the vacuum once). Now I'm curious, there were no homes back then that would have had air conditioning. There were no electric clothes dryers either. What would a 240 volt outlet have been used for?

 

[kenmore81]

There were no electric clothes dryers either. What would a 2

Why the Wstinghouse or General Electric range of corse =P.
I belive they started rolling off the assembly lines around 1920?

 

[kenmore81]

I stand corrected.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Groff_Copeman

 

[kenmore81]

Just slightly off topic but...

I thought some of you may find interesting.Note the first clothes dryer 1935 was oil fired,"Get ur petro scented undies here".lol sorry

http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3768

 

[collector2]

Also 240 allows the use of lighter wireing to the building (eg: a building with a 110 volt service that used 60 amps would require two #6 wires coming in but the same building could be run on a 240 service using a 30 amp main and three #10 wires ) with the price of copper it made sense to use as light as possible. As well if any larger motors were used (eg pumps) they run cooler on 240 than on 120 so it extends their life.

 

[ohio_tuec]

Interesting. About a year ago, I decided to replace the hideous rusty circline flourescent light fixture in the kitchen with an art deco fixture more conducive to when the house was built. Whoever installed it really bastardized the job, as it was a mess of fused wires and electrical tape. I was gonna install it myself, but when I found out there was additional wires & still live current running through the junction box (even though that circuit was off), I decided to have an electrician come in and do it the right way. The house always had a gas stove, but there is 10 volt transformer in the basement to power the door chime.

 

[collector2]

I'm really surprised that the electrician didnt insist on upgrading the whole thing. Here its hard to get any small jobs done because, under their "new" rules, if an electrician does any work on a home he has to bring the whole thing up to the new standards. Its a royal pain. I wanted to have one of my apartments re wired and the inspector insisted that I would have to put in a new 400 amp service for the entire building, not because there was anything wrong with the present one, but because it wasnt installed in the way that its done now. Nedless to say the work wasnt done. There is no way I'm paying $10 - 15,000 to change something that is in perfectly good shape. Had it been unsafe or dangerous that would be a different story, but you cant expect something put in 40 years ago to be the same as todays.

 

[ohio_tuec]

No you can't. I think in many instances, the wiring used then was better quality than some of the aluminum wiring used later on. That's unbelievable. I think this electrician knew if he insisted in upgrading the wiring in my whole house, he wouldn't get the job. Among other things, another hobby of mine is antique cars. New York state law says if you're car wasn't originally equipped with turn signals and seatbelts (as is the case with my '41 Plymouth) as long as the vehicle is not customized, they are not required.