washer/dryer all-in-one?

[RelaxTheMind]

We have a standard ~3.8cuf whirlpool washer and separate dryer and they have seen better days (but still work ok). the extra space in the laundry room would give us room for a large deep freezer we have been looking at.

anyone ever have or have owned one of those all-in-one wash/dryer combos like This one?

Not many reviews but all the ones that are there complain about a load taking 4 hours. i know the majority of people only review stuff from home improvement stores to complain.

or... should i just stick to separates. tbh i didnt even know all in ones existed until last weekend.

 

[lxskllr]

Never ever buy combined anything. When one thing goes up, the whole unit is virtually worthless, or you have to buy a separate thing, and take up 3* the space.

 

[Possessed Freak]

I can not imagine how an all in one would not suck at both jobs.

I personally would get a combination unit with one on top of the other.

 

[andylawcc]

my friend has one, i forgot the brand, it last them a good 5-6 years till it began it slow death. Maintenance is quite crucial because you have to clean the rear vent (in additional to the front lint vent that we are accustomed to), and also some part of the innards that I don't remember the detail (they did that like once every 2 years, you pretty have to take half the thing apart).
Other than that, it was reliable, and did what it is intended. Just as you would expect the drying part takes a loooong time. It made sense for my friend cuz his living space is very limited, and he doesn't mind the long drying time (he leaves it on at night and let it dry through the morning)

 

[RelaxTheMind]

my friend has one, i forgot the brand, it last them a good 5-6 years till it began it slow death. Maintenance is quite crucial because you have to clean the rear vent (in additional to the front lint vent that we are accustomed to), and also some part of the innards that I don't remember the detail (they did that like once every 2 years, you pretty have to take half the thing apart).
Other than that, it was reliable, and did what it is intended. Just as you would expect the drying part takes a loooong time. It made sense for my friend cuz his living space is very limited, and he doesn't mind the long drying time (he leaves it on at night and let it dry through the morning)

i would be happy if it lasted 5-6 years. was wondering how efficient the drying would be since it doesnt have to vent outside. plan on upgrading houses within 5 years anyways.

if not my only choice is no deep freezer or a small capacity top and bottom set.

 

[lxskllr]

my friend has one, i forgot the brand, it last them a good 5-6 years till it began it slow death. Maintenance is quite crucial because you have to clean the rear vent (in additional to the front lint vent that we are accustomed to), and also some part of the innards that I don't remember the detail (they did that like once every 2 years, you pretty have to take half the thing apart).
Other than that, it was reliable, and did what it is intended. Just as you would expect the drying part takes a loooong time. It made sense for my friend cuz his living space is very limited, and he doesn't mind the long drying time (he leaves it on at night and let it dry through the morning)

Those look like contradictory statements. Maybe I'm getting setup for disappointment when I have to replace my appliances, and they die quickly cause they're all crap now, but I'd be pissed if a major appliance died after only six years.

 

[andylawcc]

well, it dries, so the effectiveness is 100% ;p

jokes aside, give it enough time, it will dry. However, i know for sure thick blanket / comforter just flat out won't work.

 

[andylawcc]

Those look like contradictory statements. Maybe I'm getting setup for disappointment when I have to replace my appliances, and they die quickly cause they're all crap now, but I'd be pissed if a major appliance died after only six years.

during the first 5-6 years, it had no problem other than those maintenance i mentioned. All of my group of friends were curious so during those time we keep asking him "hey, its dying yet, it dying yet?"
Towards the end of that 6 year period, some parts start failing and need to be replaced, he was about to move anyway so he junked it.

 

[andylawcc]

yes, 6 years seems a little short, in another thread here my 2 year old waterheater died on me (pilot light / thermocouple failed) so that was pretty frustrating.

 

[Howard]

There's an infamous condo building in Toronto where all the suites have a combo washer/dryer unit. Guess what? All the residents go down to the ground floor to use the laundromat (free) that the property people later put in.

 

[MongGrel]

I was skeptical about posting earlier about touching one of those with a 10 foot pole as have never used one.

Would make me leery, I'd stick with two IMHO.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Why not just get a stack-able?

 

[OutHouse]

Most high end RV's have all-in-one's. OP try a RV forum and ask them.

 

[who?]

At a coin op laundry you can do multiple loads at once and get all six loads done in under two hours. Of course if I had machines in the apt. I might not wait until I had six loads.

 

[Miramonti]

I'm inclined to say, if anyone can do it, LG can, who seems to be the current zues of appliances, however I'm still skeptical and would wait until these become more of an industry standard than a niche gimmick product.

 

[RelaxTheMind]

Why not just get a stack-able?

knowing the mrs and i with our frequency of doing laundry it would take like 10 loads in those little things and become an all day event.

funny part is we both work from home and have no idea how we go through so many clothes.

I'm inclined to say, if anyone can do it, LG can, who seems to be the current zues of appliances, however I'm still skeptical and would wait until these become more of an industry standard than a niche gimmick product.

one of the reasons that make me WANT to get one. im a die hard gadget geek. seeing as how far its progressed though in the past 10 years maybe i will wait for it to become more in the norm.

 

[Miramonti]

knowing the mrs and i with our frequency of doing laundry it would take like 10 loads in those little things and become an all day event.

funny part is we both work from home and have no idea how we go through so many clothes.



one of the reasons that make me WANT to get one. im a die hard gadget geek. seeing as how far its progressed though in the past 10 years maybe i will wait for it to become more in the norm.

If you're a die hard gadget freak to the extent you'd enjoy the maintenance and learning process if something breaks, then you shouldn't fear one, as long as the warranty fine print is supportive. Die hard gadget freaks know as good as anyone imo what it means to get burned buying early, so if you're comfortable with it and the risks, I'd say go for it. For myself tho...my next washer will be an LG HE, where I'm going to stick with low risk and top ratings, and at an opportunistic buying opportunity, like perhaps black friday next month.

 

[BoomerD]

I've never used the LG version, but I've used a couple other "all-in-one" washer/dryers...they suck. The ventless ones are the worst.

If you really want to save the space...get a stack.

 

[gorcorps]

My sister has one (came with the house). Apparently it's awful and it takes forever to do laundry. Obviously you're waiting for the entire process to finish before even starting the next load.

I wouldn't bother

 

[Murloc]

I would not trust it, just stack them if you need the space. Also using both at the same time can be useful when you're doing big laundry and it's raining.

If you're a die hard gadget freak to the extent you'd enjoy the maintenance and learning process if something breaks, then you shouldn't fear one, as long as the warranty fine print is supportive. Die hard gadget freaks know as good as anyone imo what it means to get burned buying early, so if you're comfortable with it and the risks, I'd say go for it. For myself tho...my next washer will be an LG HE, where I'm going to stick with low risk and top ratings, and at an opportunistic buying opportunity, like perhaps black friday next month.

I saw on a TV program that they're making white goods increasingly difficult to repair, they put plastic pieces in there that you can't replace and stuff. It's planned obsolescence.
They interviewed some balkanic repairshop owners who were complaining about it.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I want to say I've seen those units used a lot in European apartments where space is extremely tight. Because of that, I'd look at the brands they sell over there and do some comparisons. Even if parts are harder to find state-side, you might end up with a better engineered product if they manufacture them more and have more years experience building them.

You can get a stacked washer dryer for half that price. Typically, washer on the bottom and dryer on top. I had one at my last house. It worked fine...Of course, you can stack the new front loader washer/dryers too...as many people do. If you do a lot of laundry, it's nice being able to wash one load while you are drying another.

I'm actually looking at getting a double-stacked gas dryer from SpeedQueen since the wash cycle takes half the time of the dry cycle. It would allow us to do 3 loads of laundry in the time it takes to do 2.

 

[lupi]

If I lived in one of those 2 room efficiency appartments, I could see looking into those. Otherwise wouldn't even contemplate it.

 

[Jimzz]

All the reviews I see say it wash's ok but sucks at drying. Clothes come out damp and warm after the "dry" cycle.
So expect to hang your clothes up if you want them dry.

 

[DrPizza]

Most high end RV's have all-in-one's. OP try a RV forum and ask them.

This may be a bit of an over-simplification; and perhaps I'm incorrect, but I'd say that one of these combo units for an RV is ideal: space is very important, weight is very important, and they generally receive a LOT less use than one in a house or apartment.

Let's say the lifespan of a typical washer is 12 years. (Not sure what mine is; I can do repairs, so conceivably, mine can last the rest of my life.) But anyway, 12 years. Happy with that? Now consider this combo unit - it too lasts 12 years. Except, 6 of those years are as a washer, and 6 of those years are as a dryer, sentences to be served concurrently. I would think a lot of parts - e.g., the main motor, are used for both the wash and dry cycles. Hence, they have double the wear of a regular washer.

Now, this wouldn't be bad if the combo unit was the same cost as a single washer or dryer, but the cost is about double the cost. So, there's no point, except for space savings.

I'm also incredibly leery about a dryer that's "ventless." Where does the water go that's removed from the clothing? Either you're using a lot of extra energy to pull that water out of the air as the clothes dry, else you're putting that vapor into the house. In the winter, in certain types of structures, with certain types of heat, it might be desirable to increase the humidity. But... not in general.

 

[Zee]

i had one. those shits are terrible