washer-dryer combo

[Tora Ziyal]

I'm considering getting a one-piece washer-dryer combination. Not stacking units, but one front-loading drum in which one washes and dries. Like this: http://www.compactappliance.com/LG-...l?cgid=Appliances-Laundry-Combo_Washer_Dryers

Anybody here familiar w/ them? I've heard that condensation dryers are more common outside North America, so I'm hoping someone here has experience w/ them and can give me some feedback/opinions.

I know they take longer to dry. But they take up less space, don't need an outside vent and use less energy than traditional washers/dryers.

Thanks.

 

[RandyS]

Hey, that's a coincidence. I was thinking about getting one also. Cost is a bit much right now though.

They take longer to dry? I didn't know that.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Don't get a front-loading washer. Those have mold problems.

 

[WillsBabe]

Don't get a front-loading washer. Those have mold problems.

I've never come across that. I've had front-loading washing machines all my life and never had a mold problem.

As for combination washers/dryers, again, that's all I've ever had and never had any problems with them, above the cost of using the dryer.

 

[Holdfast]

There have a been a few "washer-dryer" type threads over the past few months eg. here and here.

From one of those threads:

Is this the thread where I can post the new washer-dryer I got installed the other week? Why yes, it is.

My old one finally bit the dust, but the new one is absolutely awesome. Automatically calculates everything, from wash times, temperatures, water levels, spin cycles, drying times (with multiple degrees of drying level), etc, etc. I was skeptical, thinking I'd have to override all the controls to get it right, but the machine gets every single type of laundry absolutely right. It's fucking amazing. It's smarter than most of my co-workers. If I was Data, I'd be proposing marriage to this piece of technology.

It's several months further on now, and I'm still very happy with the machine. Good stuff; highly recommended. It's a "built-in" type so if you don't have a fitted kitchen, you'll want a stand-alone instead, which would actually be a fair bit cheaper. But it gives you an idea of the degree of technological advancement in washer-dryers these days.

To address your particular queries; it's a condenser washer-dryer which means no cleaning lint filters or venting. As for time to wash and dry, if you get an "intelligent" machine like mine, it adapts very well to different loads, minimising the total time. For instance, a light load of 5 dress shirts takes a total of 90 minutes total, max, to be washed and dried to "iron damp" in mine.

 

[farmkid]

Don't get a front-loading washer. Those have mold problems.

I've never come across that. I've had front-loading washing machines all my life and never had a mold problem.

As for combination washers/dryers, again, that's all I've ever had and never had any problems with them, above the cost of using the dryer.

I've had one for about 7 years now, and it's not a problem. When we first got it, we noticed a slight moldy smell one day. Then, we started leaving the door slightly open when not using it and it's no problem at all. That happens because the door seals tight, so if you leave it closed when you're not using it, it will stay damp inside and mold can grow. Top loaders would have the same problem if they had air-tight seals. So, the solution is to simply not seal the door when not in use.

 

[Canadave]

Don't get a front-loading washer. Those have mold problems.

My parents have had a front loader for as long as I can remember. Never been a problem for them.

 

[cultcross]

Don't get a front-loading washer. Those have mold problems.

I've never come across that. I've had front-loading washing machines all my life and never had a mold problem.

As for combination washers/dryers, again, that's all I've ever had and never had any problems with them, above the cost of using the dryer.

I've had one for about 7 years now, and it's not a problem. When we first got it, we noticed a slight moldy smell one day. Then, we started leaving the door slightly open when not using it and it's no problem at all. That happens because the door seals tight, so if you leave it closed when you're not using it, it will stay damp inside and mold can grow. Top loaders would have the same problem if they had air-tight seals. So, the solution is to simply not seal the door when not in use.

This - you need to leave the door unsealed when not in use to give it a chance to dry out. I've never had anything but front loading washing machines and never had a problem.

We have a washer/dryer now and it works very well. I don't use the dryer function all that often as its a power (and money!) drain, but when I do it does a great job. Plus you can wash and dry in one continuous cycle if you want so you don't have to be around to switch machines.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Wow, I wasn't expecting this much of a response! Thanks, guys.

I followed Holdfast's links and found this gem: "You can get top loading washing machines here, but then what would cats watch all day long?" Well, that settles it, for sure. My kitties will be ecstatic. Seriously, front loaders use much less water anyway, so even if I don't get the one-piece thing, I'll get a front loader.

One of you said that a few shirts takes 90 minutes to dry. How 'bout towels or jeans? I suspect I'd have to run it a while and then hang them up to dry the rest of the way?

Are any of you in the US? My main concern is that they're relatively uncommon here, so if it developed problems, I might have trouble finding someone who had experience working on them.

 

[scotpens]

How well do combination washer-dryers actually work? I've never owned one, but I was always under the impression that they're like singing waiters or sporks -- they don't do either job particularly well.

 

[Captain Ice]

One of you said that a few shirts takes 90 minutes to dry. How 'bout towels or jeans? I suspect I'd have to run it a while and then hang them up to dry the rest of the way?

Are any of you in the US? My main concern is that they're relatively uncommon here, so if it developed problems, I might have trouble finding someone who had experience working on them.

In the US, Sears services about anything made appliance wise.

The 90 minute thing came from Holdfast, and unless I'm mistaken, that's 90 minutes to wash and dry total.

 

[Holdfast]

One of you said that a few shirts takes 90 minutes to dry. How 'bout towels or jeans? I suspect I'd have to run it a while and then hang them up to dry the rest of the way?

No, as Ice says, that's 90 minutes total for the entire wash and dry cycle for a week's worth of dress shirts, up to being "iron dry" (ie very slightly damp so as to be easily ironed rather than too dry).

A full load of towels, dried to cupboard-dry (basically, almost competely dry), takes about 3-ish hours total (including the washing time which the machine adjusts to about 75 minutes instead of the 45 minutes for the shirts load). There's an "super dry" (or something like that) setting to really fluff up towels that adds another 20 or so minutes, but I never bother with it as I find they're fluffy enough when done to just "cupboard dry".

What you will notice is that condenser washer-dryers is that even when they technically finish drying, garments can still feel a trifle damp to the touch due to the residual warm damp humidity in the air around the garment. It takes a good shake to air it out (or leaving it lying on the back of the sofa or another a handy bit of furniture for 5-10 minutes) for the last bit of dampness to dry off. It's not an issue, exactly, but it is something you'll have to take into account as to whether that will bug you or not.

The more fundamental point I was making is that if you get a machine that dynamically adjusts wash/dry times based on the weight and wetness of the load, a good front-loader shouldn't be annoyingly long. I actually researched this pretty heavily, since I wasn't keen on getting a new machine as the energy efficiency requirements on new machines means they use much less water but take longer to wash. But the dynamically adjusting machines reverse that problem, and in fact the total length of wash & dry cycle is actually FASTER than on my older washer-dryer (which took a total of 120 minutes to complete the process for that particular shirt load). And since you can just leave the machine alone from start to finish because you don't need to do washing/drying separately, your time is managed more effectively.

Any combination machine will lose points compared to separate units if you do lots of loads on the same day, as you can't do two loads at the same time (one washing, one drying). But if you don't do many loads on the same day (or if you don't mind starting early on washday), then the ease and relative simplicity (no need to move loads from one machine to another) of washer-dryers comes into their own.

 

[Count Zero]

One of you said that a few shirts takes 90 minutes to dry. How 'bout towels or jeans? I suspect I'd have to run it a while and then hang them up to dry the rest of the way?

Well, with trousers and shirts, I'd generally recommend not fully drying those to avoid creases. If you have the place to hang them up, you should dry them for about 20 to 30 minutes and hang them up then.
My parents have a washer-dryer combo which works really well. Drying, however, does take a while but this could also be due to the specific model my parents bought. So, it's probably a good idea to ask about that in the shop before buying.

ETA: Ah, I see Holdfast has given a more detailed response, which matches my own experiences. My parents have an energy efficient model.

 

[cultcross]

How well do combination washer-dryers actually work? I've never owned one, but I was always under the impression that they're like singing waiters or sporks -- they don't do either job particularly well.

I've certainly never noticed that to be the case, and I've had both standalone washing machines and washer/dryers.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Thanks, all! Who'd've thought I'd get more info from Trekkies than from the consumers who hang around consumer websites?!

I've got to take care of some other pieces of life first, but hopefully I'll be adding my washer-dryer to the newest purchases thread in a few months.

 

[B.J.]

Based on the above descriptions, I'm glad we have a separate washer and dryer. My family would never have any clean clothes if we had to wait on a single WD combo to get done! A 5 person family tends to have a rather full laundry basket.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

^I hear you. But there's just one of me, so it should work out really well.

 

[Captain Ice]

I have to admit that I really like the idea of a washer-dryer combo unit. I'm working with separate units at the moment. While those are good for days like yesterday where I went through the closet and washed all the winter clothes in addition to doing my regular weekly washing, with a combined unit, theoretically I could throw in a load like jeans/polo shirts/towels that doesn't have to be hung up right away and go to bed while it ran.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I've never had a dryer.

Here in Italy, they are mostly the stuff of urban legends, very large families and American TV series. Usually, we just hang our washing outside or, if it's raining or it's too cold for it, inside your house. I guess the climate is really the determining factor in this.

 

[propita]

That sounds like a possibility for us in the future, too. We bought out washer and dryer (front loading) when we bought our house, so they’re both 7 yo. When they go, we’ll definitely consider a single unit, not so much for reasons listed by posters here, but mostly for space. Our laundry room is small, so the dryer is on top of the washer.

I’m 5’ 1”.

I can’t always reach the socks that end up in the back of the dryer. Bad enough that Hubby’s Mom, seeing my problem, bought me one of those “grabber” tools. It works! (And it works reaching the cereal boxes on the high shelves!) Another positive about a single unit would be that we could put it on a pedestal, hiding the detergent and such. I like that idea; as I said, our laundry room is small. One of only 2 real complaints I have about my house (the other is that I wish the garage was 1-2 feet wider and deeper).

I wouldn’t mind hanging stuff out to dry, but we get a lot of dust in Fresno. I don’t know how people managed it before. With how our yard is situated, the dust blows through the yard. My whites would not be white.