HFWR
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Guess that's one way to make doing laundry exciting...
Front Load Washing Machine
- Thread starter Pete
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Guess that's one way to make doing laundry exciting...
IndependentlyPoor
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Not to highjack this thread but has anybody had any experience with combo washer/dryer units? Particularly those that run on 110v and have condenser type dryers?
We are moving into an apartment in a failed condo conversion project (renting). Our unit has washer plumbing, but apparently the development went broke before the 220v wiring or dryer vents were put in.
We are moving into an apartment in a failed condo conversion project (renting). Our unit has washer plumbing, but apparently the development went broke before the 220v wiring or dryer vents were put in.
LOVE IT! BOught one for our lake home too. Then my daughter and MIL each got one- all love it.
I keep the door open a crack when not in use, and have no ordor problems at all. Use have to use high efficiency detergent (low sudsing), but they use far less water. Mu husband gets really dirty at work, and the clothes always get really clean!
I keep the door open a crack when not in use, and have no ordor problems at all. Use have to use high efficiency detergent (low sudsing), but they use far less water. Mu husband gets really dirty at work, and the clothes always get really clean!
tryan
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I vote upright. Our front loader only lasted 5 years .... bearings went and they wanted 2k to fix it! You asking alot when you want the spin to defy gravity.
Oh, the mold smell was bad too.
Oh, the mold smell was bad too.
I have no experience with such machines. I'm sure it will be cheaper to install a 220V circuit and a duct than to buy and then fix such a complex machine the first time it breaks. Your place will have a higher resale value, too. Buyers probably won't be excited about needing to maintain a special high $$ machine just to do laundry, and may want the higher throughput of a separate dedicated washer and dryer.
Are all the condo units like this? I'd be concerned. Dryers cause a lot of fires, and if a neighbor does a crummy job of installing a vent, it could have a big impact on you. Likewise, if he simply filters the waste air and dumps it into his house in the winter "to save energy", that moisture is going into his attic and your attic.
IBWino
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This is a very timely thread. Our 20 year old top loading Kenmore gave out a few days ago. The wash water now runs out onto the garage floor, so I'm guessing the drum seal is bad. It could probably be fixed, but I think we're interested in upgrading(?) to a front loader. Whatever we buy, we're hoping it's as reliable as the washer it's replacing has been.
We've got the Whirlpool Duet on our short list, so I'm glad to see the positive responses from a couple of forum members who have this model. We've also looked at the Staber recommended by SamClem, but I don't think this is what my wife currently has in mind. Any other recommendations would be appreciated.
Since my mother lives near by, we'll be able to do our laundry there for a while. This will allow us to take our time to do some research and shop around. It will also allow me to install a washing machine tray and drain and make some minor plumbing upgrades (our current setup has the washer connected to utility sink faucets and draining into the utility basin).
Regards,
Wino
We've got the Whirlpool Duet on our short list, so I'm glad to see the positive responses from a couple of forum members who have this model. We've also looked at the Staber recommended by SamClem, but I don't think this is what my wife currently has in mind. Any other recommendations would be appreciated.
Since my mother lives near by, we'll be able to do our laundry there for a while. This will allow us to take our time to do some research and shop around. It will also allow me to install a washing machine tray and drain and make some minor plumbing upgrades (our current setup has the washer connected to utility sink faucets and draining into the utility basin).
Regards,
Wino
WhoDaresWins
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I have been giving some thought to a combo washer/dryer unit but have not explored them as my appliances still work. They seem to be more popular in Europe(my son has one in the kitchen of his apartment in London). I have a really small utility room off my kitchen, and a combo unit would give me more space. My aunt insisted on buying me the washer and dryer as a gift when I moved in 6 years ago, and I didn't want to go with something too expensive. I have used an LG front loader as a houseguest...it was super, but they are big!
ls99
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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In my single days I had an Equator front loader washer dryer which functioned well as hamper until full. Then hit Go button in the morning. When back from from w*rk. Wash and dry were done. I liked the no hassle simple features, and it worked well for more than five years. Used miniscule amount of water.
After acquiring wife (that should raise some brows, done for effect
) She put up with it for about a year then we acquired "proper" washing drying units.We still have that machine taking up some space in the garage. Yes I did move it 250 miles to our new place.
Now wife decided that the perfectly working washer and dryer units are so yesterday - she marshalled her bank account - notice: her bank account
- and a pair of spanking new front loading steam cleaning and other magick tricks laundry processing apparati will arrive next week to be enthroned on pedestals in the laundry room. The old units will be carted away. No, my old Equator is not leaving. I may make it into a centrifuge or something.
I know nothing about the new units - she did the research on what she wanted and where to buy.
Edit add: By the way the Equator is a 110 Volts, small machine, but that sucker is VERY heavy. I thas lead weights in it for vibration and harmonic damping. Did I say heavy?
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Interesting-- the flames are only considered to be a problem when they escape from the machine?
I've been in that situation, and the fix turned out to be a new $2 drain hose between the bottom of the drum and the inlet to the drain pump. (They can embrittle & crack with age.) And if you're really really lucky, yours may have just worked loose from the connectors.
I remember that the water-spewing casualty was far worse than the repair. Turns out that our garage floor doesn't drain out into the driveway-- it drains under the wall into our kid's bedroom. So one of those leak trays is a great idea too.
I'm not suggesting that it's worth fixing, but you'd be amazed what some Craigslist buyers will pay $50-$75 for.
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Unfortunately, this is a tall order these days. Many of the machines are really not made as well as they were years ago. Plastic has replaced metal in many of the transmissions, electronic circuits/unitary switch panels have replaced single-function switches and mechanical timers (cheap, common and non-proprietary, easily replaced), and the motors are sometimes built "good enough" to last a few years. As the importance of low initial cost has grown, the manufacturers have responded in predictable ways.
Installing the washer tray is smart. You might also consider this device--when it senses water (on the floor or in the tray) it turns off the flow of water to the washer. It costs about $140, takes only a few minutes to install. It's even more important for those who don't have a washer drain pan or at least a floor drain in the same room. For anybody with a washer--it's very possible that someday a supply hose is going to break or a hose/hose clamp inside the washer is going to fail. The result can be very inconvenient and expensive.
W2R
Moderator Emeritus
There are towels other than $2 Wallyworld towels
?You wouldn't know it by examining my bathroom towels. The things I learn on this board.
Oh, and I don't bother with special towels for guests. Maybe this is why they don't stay long.
WhoDaresWins
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There are towels other than $2 Wallyworld towels
You wouldn't know it by examining my bathroom towels. The things I learn on this board.
Oh, and I don't bother with special towels for guests. Maybe this is why they don't stay long.
True. I have kinda thin towels for my guests as my guest bath is rather small(this is what comes from purchasing a spec house in the frame-up stage, didn't realize some of the corners cut). These thin towels dry quickly, especially as most of my guests tend to be couples (hence twice the towels in the smaller full bath). The master bath is large so I have the big towels for moi (bought for very little at TJX). Someone mentioned Bosch earlier. I had a two-drawer Bosch dishwasher in my previous home. Loved it! Very quiet and did a superior job. My builder put in my current dishwasher and it is noisy. A good brand but probably a cheaper model. I bought my own stove and fridge and splurged on Viking. Am heating a can of soup as we "speak". Definitely needed Viking for this task!
IndependentlyPoor
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Towels? I vaguely remember the last time we bought towels, circa 1995 I think.
I'm in this group, too. Bought one at Sears in 2004, and love it. Uses a fraction of the water a traditional washer uses, and does a great job.
The only annoyance is the display that tells you how many minutes are left. Seems pretty random to me, so I refer to them as "Microsoft minutes" after the ridiculous progress dialogs shown in so much software.
IBWino
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Nords,
Thanks for the tip. I did a bit of research and I actually think I could repair the thing myself. However, when I suggested that to my wife, I sensed a bit of disappointment. She's very frugal, rarely asks for anything, and seldom spends money on herself, so I'm not going to press the issue.
Samclem,
This is exactly what I'm afraid of. These things are not cheap, and the out-of-warranty repair costs seem outrageous. I also sense that it is not
a case of "you get what you pay for". It seems that the more expensive models simply have more features (i.e. more things that can break). I also worry about the repair time; it seems that parts supply chain for some of the foreign brands isn't very good.
Thanks also for the tip about the water shut-off valves.
Regards,
Wino
IBWino
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Pete
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Had our LG front loader for about 2 months. It was highly rated by Consumer Reports. (Online CR has a great video on how they test machines). It's everything they said it would be. Cost 620. I save on soap and it uses 1/3 the water, saving me about 40 gallons per load. I leave the door open and have no mildew smell yet. The machine tumbles the load after spinning and I've had no wrinkle problems. It dries so well during the spin, my dryer run time is far shorter. Best machine I've ever had. We'll see if it lasts.
ronocnikral
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do washing machines really use 60 gallons/load? good golly.
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Pete
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I had an Amana and it did use 60 gallons.(good math by the way
) I know because I tried to use the water to irrigate my front yard and was totally unprepared for how much came out. I measured it in 5 gallon buckets and got some good exercise running back and forth to the front yard.Well, you're doing the right thing for your spouse, as well as avoiding premature granting of a Darwin Award.
However the marriage code says that if, after buying the new washer, you fix up the old washer and sell it, then you get to keep all the money for yourself and buy all the [-]beer[/-] power tools you want.
FixItNow.com
WanderALot
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We have a front loader (Kenmore HE2t) and love it. It seems to get the clothes really clean and we haven't had any mold or issues so far. We leave the door slightly ajar after each load and we live in a pretty dry climate. We got some good rebates ($300) from our water company and a smaller rebate from the gas company.
Biggest disadvantage for us is that the washer takes longer to do a load than a top loader.
As far as how full to load it, I'm not really sure. Does everyone just stuff theirs full or do you load it till there's a certain amount of headroom in the tub? I didn't see anything in the manual on how much to load it.
Biggest disadvantage for us is that the washer takes longer to do a load than a top loader.
As far as how full to load it, I'm not really sure. Does everyone just stuff theirs full or do you load it till there's a certain amount of headroom in the tub? I didn't see anything in the manual on how much to load it.
IBWino
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FixItNow.com has a video for replacing the drum seal. They make it look so easy, but it doesn't require that I get any new tools. Mmmm beer!
HFWR
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Oh, and I don't bother with special towels for guests. Maybe this is why they don't stay long.
Clever ploy! Best not to encourage them...
Do you mean the stacked units or the combo (size of one washing machine)?
As luck would have it, I now have experience with a condensing dryer. I'm in Germany and the hotel has one for our use. It's a very nice-looking Miele unit--stainless steel cabinet and door, multifunction LED display, etc. Observations:
- The lint screen is a very fine mesh, tighter than on conventional US dryers. This is good, because every bit of lint that gets past it is going to blow right into your home.
- Drying takes a loooong time. My very modest-size load has been going around in that thing for over 90 minutes, and the clothes are still very damp. I finally removed them and hung things all over the hotel room. Maybe it's only supposed to get things mostly dry, but removing the last moisture is impractical (the condenser coil doesn't get cool enough?) Anyway, if this performance is typical, I wouldn't consider the machine. It might be a good choice for old European homes (where maybe the laundry room isn't on an external wall, or the structure is made of granite blocks so installing a vent is impractical), but I wouldn't want to put up with the inconvenience of long cycle times or handling clothes twice (to hang them up for the final drying).
