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All in one washer/dryer combos

zoebartlett

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I was wondering if anyone has an all in one washer/dryer they'd recommend (or if not, why). We're considering moving and one of the places we're looking at has washer/dryer hookups. My husband has wanted to try an all in one machine for a few years, and he sees this as his opportunity. I don't know know anyone who owns one, but I've heard and read negative reviews. What do you think of them? Pros? Cons?
 

kenny

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Here's a good intro.

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

I've never had one.
I seem to remember looking into them 15 years ago and there seemed to be a consensus that they don't wash as well or dry as well as separate units.
They were recommended only for people who absolutely did NOT have the space for separate units.

Perhaps today's machines do a better job. Don't know.
 

Dee*Jay

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These were installed in a number of condo conversions in Chicago at the height of the market. Kenny's point is valid; I can't think of a good reason to do a combo unit if you have the space for separate units.

One negative that I recall a client mentioning is that her clothes came out wrinkled like crazy. No idea why that would be the case, but she said she had to iron everything. Another issue is that you can only do one load at a time; i.e., you can't have a load in the dryer and another one in the washer simultaneously. One positive (and maybe this is the case with other separate units too and I am just not aware of it) is that you could set the timer so that the unit would be done washing and drying as you were walking in the door from work (for example).

The brand that I remember seeing consistently is LG, but there may be other players in the market worth looking into.

ETA: One other thing I just remembered is capacity. Even though some of the units were called "full size" you couldn't actually put both sheets in at the same time without really stuffing the machine.

ETA2: I just read the reviews for the larger (3.6 cu ft) LG and another thing I forgot about is that they are "ventless," meaning they vent right out into the space, which creates heat and humidity. I suppose it's possible to vent these outside (?) but the point of them use in tight spaces like condos where you likely won't have the ability to add an outside vent.
 

kenny

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Dee*Jay|1372542956|3474460 said:
I just read the reviews for the larger (3.6 cu ft) LG and another thing I forgot about is that they are "ventless," meaning they vent right out into the space, which creates heat and humidity. I suppose it's possible to vent these outside (?) but the point of them use in tight spaces like condos where you likely won't have the ability to add an outside vent.

Per the Wiki link ... some ventless ones are designed to extract the moisture during the dry cycle, condense it into actual water and send it down the drain.
I don't know if this means no humidity rise in the room, or less rise but it is clever design.
 

kenny

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Dee*Jay|1372542956|3474460 said:
One negative that I recall a client mentioning is that her clothes came out wrinkled like crazy. No idea why that would be the case, but she said she had to iron everything.

Perhaps just moving the wet clothes from the washer to a separate dryer results in them getting fluffed up a bit, which opens up some of the wrinkles caused by that final fast spin cycle of the washer.
 

ChristineRose

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They do not get hot and they do not vent. I've never heard of a combo that uses a heat dryer. I suppose they might use steamy hot water, but so would any washer.

They run on ordinary household current (110V) where conventional dryers need a special plug (240V).

They are better for your clothes.

They do not need a vent.

You do not need to turn the loads over, which may or may not work better for you.

They have water heaters and thermostats, and you can program the wash temperatures.

They are computer driven and highly programmable, which actually I think most people find a pain, but some people do find useful.

They do much smaller loads than conventional washer-dryers.

They aren't cheap.

They require HE soap. Some people claim HE machines don't clean as well, but I think this is more than counterbalanced by the tendency of top loaders to rip your delicate clothes to shreds.

Clothes come out of the dryer cool, which some people don't like. The clothes flatten out as they warm to room temperature. I guess the ideal is to program the machine so that it ends right when you are ready to empty it. I have heard people arguing over the "more ironing" part but don't really think there's a consensus.
 

kenny

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ChristineRose|1372548591|3474503 said:
They do not get hot and they do not vent. I've never heard of a combo that uses a heat dryer. I suppose they might use steamy hot water, but so would any washer.

They run on ordinary household current (110V) where conventional dryers need a special plug (240V).

They are better for your clothes.

They do not need a vent.

You do not need to turn the loads over, which may or may not work better for you.

They have water heaters and thermostats, and you can program the wash temperatures.

They are computer driven and highly programmable, which actually I think most people find a pain, but some people do find useful.

They do much smaller loads than conventional washer-dryers.

They aren't cheap.

They require HE soap. Some people claim HE machines don't clean as well, but I think this is more than counterbalanced by the tendency of top loaders to rip your delicate clothes to shreds.

Clothes come out of the dryer cool, which some people don't like. The clothes flatten out as they warm to room temperature. I guess the ideal is to program the machine so that it ends right when you are ready to empty it. I have heard people arguing over the "more ironing" part but don't really think there's a consensus.

You know a lot about them.
Do you have one?
 

SB621

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One of my good friends as the LG model and LOVES it. When I stayed with her for a few nights while we were moving I was super impressed with it. Yes the loads were a little smaller but not by much, but everything else was fine. She has 2 little boys so she does plenty of laundry and says she is thrilled she got it. She said reviews were 50/50 but she is thrilled she took the leap of faith.
 

kenny

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I LOVE the idea, in principle.
ONE machine instead of two is more green.
 

zoebartlett

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Thanks everyone. Kenny, I agree that in theory, it sounds like like a cool idea, but I just don't find them practical. We often have two loads going at the same time, one in the washer, one in the dryer. The other thing I don't like is that if something goes wrong, we'd be stuck. At least with two machines, if one needs repair, the other one wouldn't be affected. As for the venting, I hadn't given that any thought. I'm not crazy about doing smaller loads of laundry. I've read the comments so far to my husband, and I'm not sure I've convinced him to stick with 2 machines.

SB, I'm glad your friend likes hers.
 

ChristineRose

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Kenny, I almost bought one. I researched them extensively and looked at every model that was sold in the United States at that time. But my housing situation changed and I ended up with a standard separate washer and dryer.

I was living in a small apartment in an older building and I was looking for an option to laundromats. You can adapt them to run off of a standard faucet. However they need cold water to dry, so if you want to wash in warm water you either need to buy one with a heater or switch your faucet at exactly the right time, which sort of defeats the purpose of being able to put the clothes in and come back and iron them at exactly the right moment. If you are looking to chat with people who actually own one, there is a mega-thread on GardenWeb, or at least there was.
 

Chewbacca

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Washing: The load size is decent, and I have had no problems with using the front-loader detergent. I think its gentler on the clothes than a top loader. We only have it hooked up to the cold tap, so I can't comment on hot water washes. I completely trust the 'special' settings for delicates, wool, 5 shirts etc. One thing you can't do is open it up part way through to chuck something else in!

Drying: I love that it doesn't vent hot air. If I pull the clothes out of the dryer right away they are warm. I love starting the wash as I leave the house and coming home to clean dry laundry. It doesn't turn my clothes into ropes (with the exception of a couple pairs of pants with weird fabric). Technically the dryer capacity is smaller than the washer, so sometimes a really big load doesn't come out bone dry.

One cold wash to dry takes about five hours.
 
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