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Laundry: Washer/dryer combo, other options


Travelergypsy

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Hello, 

Actual question: what types of options are there for a combo washer/dryer for a Class C or a small Class A motorhome? How hard is it to install aftermarket units? 

 

Background: I'm new to this site, and new to RV living. My wife, myself, and our 2 month old daughter are planning on buying an RV this fall, for the purpose of full-time RVing. We are still doing rearch as to what type of RV we are going to go with, but we are leaning heavily towards a larger Class C or a smaller Class A motorhome. (But we are also open to a travel trailer as well. Sorry if I don't get my terms right.) Any advice, tips, tricks, or critiques are all welcome! 

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We installed a Haire HWD 1600 in our fifth wheel which already had the hook ups in the closet. You can get one from Home Depot for $1200 or find used on Craiglist for $3/400. The loads are small and the drier is slow at about 1,1/2 hours, so we usually use a clothes rack for drying. It's still better than a laundry mat and we usually do one load every other night to keep up.

It was a direct fit into the existing closet where the hook up's were. I did build a platform to raise the washer up 18" off the floor to reduce the bending over for loading/unloading. I also now have a place to put the cat litter box under the wash machine.  :)

The W/D probably weighs 120 lbs, I was able to lift in place by myself. The connections could run up the back wall through the floor. Some places we have camp hosted at are 30+ miles to a laundry facility, it can be a marriage saver.

Greg

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You would need a drain to your gray water tank. You also need a water line at least for cold water, you don't need hot water if you can live with using only cold water, which we do. You will need a 110v plug, I just used an existing circuit plug near by. You can verify the amperage required, but I don't believe it was much more than a small space heater.

Greg

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10 hours ago, Travelergypsy said:

What kind of hookups do you need? How hard would it be to install if you didn't have the right hook ups? 

 

Adding things to an RV is a much greater challenge than it is to a stick house for several reasons. Walls are not nearly as thick built for a washer/dryer than it won't be a bad job but for most RVs that are not designed for one, it would mean a major remodel.

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Could you theoretically speaking use the plugs and water for a dishwasher? 

You might be able to do so if you found one that has such connections, but I can't recall ever having seen one in they type of RV that you describe. Dishwashers are very rare in the RV world and when present they are almost always one of the drawer types of unit. Before you get too far into this, you need to spend some time examining the RVs available in your budget range. As you do this, look closely at the way that they are constructed as you will soon discover the limitations of such changes. You would need to supply both hot and cold water, electricity and a drain connection. You would probably not be able to run these through a wall where they don't show but most likely they would be exposed. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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A couple of things to keep in mind (several alluded to above): 1) the washer would need to drain into your gray tank which would fill up your gray tank faster; 2) washers and dryers add extra weight to your RV - make sure you have enough payload left to do that; 3) RV washers and dryers are very small and people we have spoken with who have them say they have to run a lot of small loads to get the job done.

Although our unit had W/D preps in place (for separate or combo units), we opted just to go to a laundromat every couple of weeks and get everything done in large commercial machines all at "one fell swoop." The whole process takes us about 1.5 hours and we can do bulky things like bedding and comforters. We also have a lot more space in the closet without a W/D in there.

Rob

2012 F350 CC LB DRW 6.7
2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes, solar, DP windows
Full-time since 8/2015

 

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21 minutes ago, Travelergypsy said:

We are definitely going to need a washer/dryer of some kind, mainly just a washer. (We already currently hang up most of our clothes) 

You are unlikely to find a Class C or a small Class A that has been prepped for a washer & dryer (or a combo unit)...space being the biggest issue.  Maybe one of the Super Class C's might come prepped...haven't really looked at them, so I don't know for sure.

As for hanging up diapers (or any clothes) outside, most RV parks don't allow that.  You could do it if you boondocked, but then you'd have the issue of electricity to run the machines (generator) plus using your fresh water and filling your gray tank.  If you're going to get a washer, might as well get a dryer, too (or, as mentioned above, a combo unit).

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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We went with the Splendite Ariston stack washer and dryer (aftermarket install) in our Redwood rather than the factory installed combination washer/dryer units being offered as an option. The baskets in both the washer and dryer that we have are larger than the basket in the combination units. With the combo, you put a load of wash in and wash it. Then it goes into the 1-2 hour drying cycle as you wait with thee next load to wash. And you wait until the clothes that were in your washing machine are in you now dryer drying out.

Now just for the two of us, we use our W?D set exclusively and weekly. Exclusively meaning: for everything except for our comforter, mattress pad, area rugs, or any other heavy item which we take to the nearby laundry mat. She typically does two loads/night about 3-4 nights a week as she relaxes after dinner in her favorite recliner chair in front of the big screen. Then, by the time we're ready to go to bed, the first load of wash is done and folded, and the second load of wash is already nearly dry because we were able to start the drying process much sooner rather than had we been waiting on the washing phase of the combo unit to do its job before the drying phase could begin.

Lead Campground Host at Ross Prairie Trailhead and Campground on the Cross Florida Greenway

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8 hours ago, Second Chance said:

We also have a lot more space in the closet without a W/D in there.

Rob

Now that is one thing that I just can't imagine, having our washer and dryer units inside the wardrobe closet in the nose of the 5er. Even the huge walk-in closet that we have in our Redwood. Yet you see it so much in the floorplans of the many different 5ers being built out there. That area of the wardrobe was made for a better reason than that, to store clothing, not a W/D unit imop. It is so much nicer having the built-in, pre-wired and plumbed laundry area located between the end of the shower stall and built-in dresser in the bedroom/bathroom area of our floorplan. Just little things to think about ahead of time before buying to hopefully help avoid the "I wish we had done the laundry area different to make doing the laundry easier!" afterwards feeling.

 

Lead Campground Host at Ross Prairie Trailhead and Campground on the Cross Florida Greenway

Retired business owner

Author

2013 Redwood 36FB Fiver

2001 Volvo Vnl 420 HDT Toter

!958 Harley Davidson Sportster XLH [survivor bike]

Proud dad of Abby the Boston Terrier

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13 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

Adding things to an RV is a much greater challenge than it is to a stick house for several reasons. Walls are not nearly as thick built for a washer/dryer than it won't be a bad job but for most RVs that are not designed for one, it would mean a major remodel.

In our Cameo the pre-hook up lines for the W/D don't actually run inside the walls. The drain and water lines come up through the floor in the closet next to the bathroom then they run up the back of the wall exposed. I don't see it that hard to add the water/drain lines in our specific rig. We also usually dry our clothes inside our camper with a portable rack, usually over night. If our Haier combo ever needs replacing, we will probably just go with a washer only and forego the dryer that we seldom use.

Greg

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After seven years on the road we're money ahead with our combo Splendidi over using laundry mats. Plus we know what the last load was not greasy coveralls or pet bedding.

John

2017 F350 King Ranch DRW 6.7 4.10 B&W hitch

2017 DRV MS 36RSSB3

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10 hours ago, gjhunter01 said:

In our Cameo the pre-hook up lines for the W/D don't actually run inside the walls.

In nearly all RVs this would be true if the lines are installed during construction. It is a much different issue when you are attempting to install water lines after the RV is completed and create a space for the washer as well. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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I have saved more money on not drinking alcohol & smoking cigarettes over the last 18 years of Full Time that more then pays for using a laundry mat. Not counting all the hours saved not waiting around 1-2 hours for one load to wash/dry.in a RV.

I must be real lucky on not following a load of greasy coveralls or pet bedding. As that has never happened to me yet. Although I do look into the washer before using it. And don't remember of ever not using one because it looks bad with grease etc.

But my 34' 7" MH didn't come with a washer/dryer or was not even plumbed for one. Who knows how much I have saved in fuel not having to carry around the extra weight for 18 years. :D

 

 

Full Time since Oct. 1999
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37 minutes ago, Biker56 said:

must be real lucky on not following a load of greasy coveralls or pet bedding. As that has never happened to me yet. Although I do look into the washer before using it. And don't remember of ever not using one because it looks bad with grease etc.

I guess we both must live charmed lives? Most RV parks have a laundry room too. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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That's the beauty of having a W/D in the RV, you don't have to wait around for anything. You throw the load in and go about your day, just like in a SB house. We still use the W/D at the parks when available to us, the RV W/D is just another option for us when the park doesn't have one available. As far as weight, at 120#, the W/D is less than 1% of our 14k camper wt. We RV'd the first year w/o a W/D and now that we have it (gotten spoiled) it would be a next camper requirement.

Greg

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2 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

In nearly all RVs this would be true if the lines are installed during construction. It is a much different issue when you are attempting to install water lines after the RV is completed and create a space for the washer as well.

I have not seen an RV where the water or drain lines run inside the walls. Like you said earlier, the walls are not thick enough and freezing would be a issue. All of our water utilities come up through the floor and are exposed, even under the sink, bathroom and shower. I must be missing something here, drilling a hole into the RV basement and running a water/drain line would not be a project stopper.

Greg

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Our rig came with a stackable washer & dryer and it was handy for the grandkids' clothes and diapers but we were not allowed to dry anything outside other than towels and swimsuits.  It took forever to wash adult clothes and we were doing one or two loads daily and dumping the gray tank 2-3 times per week.  And drying diapers took forever in the 110v dryer.  After less than a year, my wife said they need to go (the washer and dryer...not the grandkids).  We now go to the laundro-mat once a week and knock it all out in 1.5 hours. Plus it saved us about 250# of cargo carrying capacity and opened up 30+ cubic ft of storage.  

Mike & Joan
2006 Volvo 780
2008 KZ Escalade Sportster 41CKS
2001 Honda XR650R
2018 Kymco Spade 150

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6 hours ago, mb36912 said:

Our rig came with a stackable washer & dryer and it was handy for the grandkids' clothes and diapers but we were not allowed to dry anything outside other than towels and swimsuits.  It took forever to wash adult clothes and we were doing one or two loads daily and dumping the gray tank 2-3 times per week.  And drying diapers took forever in the 110v dryer.  After less than a year, my wife said they need to go (the washer and dryer...not the grandkids).  We now go to the laundro-mat once a week and knock it all out in 1.5 hours. Plus it saved us about 250# of cargo carrying capacity and opened up 30+ cubic ft of storage.

Everybody makes it work for them and that's great. At 1.5 hours a week in a laundry mat that equals almost 80 hours a year or 2 work weeks. :(

I would estimate laundry cost of $10/week equals $520/year, so a $1200 W/D would pay for itself in a little over 2 years.

Greg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, I'm a pre-RV hopeful too and i hate laundromats. I always wash with cold water (works great, even on diapers!) and hang laundry outside, or inside near a heater vent. I live alone and will have a fairly small RV, not sure which type. I wondered if it would be possible to remove the bathroom sink and put a washer there, or remove the cabinet next to the sink and adding a hookup, assuming the space is big enough. There are several small washers on the market,and also portables on wheels that can be hooked up to the kitchen sink.

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Any of the small washers that hook to a kitchen sink will also work from the bathroom sink. Might be easier than losing the bathroom vanity.

Just make sure which tank the bathroom sink drains into - some RVs are plumbed so the bathroom sink drains into the black water tank, on the theory that it's good to get a little more water flowing into the black tank..  A lot more water like from a washing machine may be too much of a good thing.

If you permanently install your washer, a cheap trick is to get a piece of scrap linoleum floor covering slightly larger than the washer's footprint.  Install it under the washer and you'll have at least some basic protection against water seepage getting into the floor or the shelf under the washer.  More if you notch the corners and extend the edge of the linoleum an inch or two up the walls to form a pan.

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On 5/22/2017 at 8:24 PM, gjhunter01 said:

You would need a drain to your gray water tank. You also need a water line at least for cold water, you don't need hot water if you can live with using only cold water, which we do. You will need a 110v plug, I just used an existing circuit plug near by. You can verify the amperage required, but I don't believe it was much more than a small space heater.

Greg

Mine don't go in gray tank. Goes directly to drain system.

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2 hours ago, GlennWest said:

Mine don't go in gray tank. Goes directly to drain system.

So that means you can't do laundry when not hooked up to a direct drain, sounds restrictive? Sometimes we don't have full hook ups and we can still do 2 loads of laundry and 3 sets of showers before we have to dump. This gives us a 2-3 day option when we rarely need it. I was actually considering installing another line to the black tank with a manual shut off valve to squeeze 1 extra load of laundry as another option. We sell Christmas trees in Dallas which have water and electric at the site, but only get pump outs once a week.

Greg

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