Wig wag (washing machines)
Solenoid design used in some brands / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the wig-wag washing machine mechanism. For other uses, see Wigwag (disambiguation).
The wig-wag is the common name for the unusual solenoid mechanism used in belt-drive washing machines made by Whirlpool, Kenmore (manufactured by Whirlpool) and many others, from approximately 1950 to 1987 in the United States. It was used in belt-drive Brastemp and Consul models built in Brazil from 1959 to 1990.
They were common in US-style top-loading vertical-axis machines, not used in European front-loading horizontal-axis machines. Horizontal-axis machines rotate the drum to both agitate the clothes during washing and to spin them dry. A multi-speed motor is used instead of clutches.