washer and dryer

forummod · April 19, 2015

This post ended up in the reports area in error, originally by: leeines when Le tried to reply to this old and locked topic: http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=107937#entry689721

http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showuser=15750

I have a 2007 Monaco Knight 40'.
It has the plumbing and drain installed for a washer and a dryer I believe.
Never has had either installed.
I have read the thread on this.
Anyone have any news or new ideas on the best stacked washer and dryer machines today?
Thanks,
Le

Velos · April 19, 2015

In 2004 I installed this washer

and this dryer

in my 2003 fifth wheel. I had the room for the two and installed with a space between to store laundry supplies. I can wash and dry at the same time with our 50 amp service. We were full timing at the time and I love the the separate units. I can wash a set of king size sheets OR a couple of cotton throw rugs in a single load. Comes clean. I also use wool dryer balls in the dryer to help speed up drying and they prevent clothes from balling up.

That was 11 years ago and 4 to 5 loads of wash a week and they are still going strong.

The all in ones have improved a lot but I don't have personal experience with them.

The stackables with a top loader are harder to reach into the washer. I had never had a front loader before and am very pleased with it.

nana25k · April 19, 2015

Our same units have been going strong since spring of 2008 of full time use.

Bill w/bus · April 24, 2015

Several things to comment on:

1 Washer and dryer are a great addition to the RV lifestyle.

2 Stackable units with dryer on top are the way to go. That means a front loader. Works fine.

3 Go with a gas dryer. Propane use is low. (We use about one bottle, 5 gal, per 4-5 months for both cooking and drying maybe 3-4 loads per week.) And eliminates the need for 240V/50amp power supply.

4 Combo units are somewhat useful but not conducive to happiness.

5 Do not install a 120VAC dryer. Takes forever to dry a load of wash.

6 After washing we leave the washer door cracked open to assist in drying the interior to prevent molding problems.

Bill

Velos · April 24, 2015

I keep a container of the Dollar Tree brand of Damp Rid (25% the cost of damp rid) in the washer between washes to keep humidity down and drum fresh. k2-_b055a480-37c7-47e2-9609-a8fe5123d9e5

nana25k · April 24, 2015

I would would state that my Whirlpool 120VAC dryer is fast and efficient. I actually timed the length of time it took to dry a load of 3 blue jeans and 3 cotton work t-shirts against the same exact load in my daughters new high end regular dryer. No difference in drying time. Also I used that same dryer on 30amp hookups all the time and never had an issue. Note that on 30amp hookups I do not use both appliances at the same time.

docj · April 25, 2015

3 Go with a gas dryer. Propane use is low. (We use about one bottle, 5 gal, per 4-5 months for both cooking and drying maybe 3-4 loads per week.) And eliminates the need for 240V/50amp power supply.

4 Combo units are somewhat useful but not conducive to happiness.

5 Do not install a 120VAC dryer. Takes forever to dry a load of wash.

Your comments, although probably appropriate for your situation, may be a bit misleading for others:

3. Most RVs come setup for electric dryers not gas; it may not be possible to install a gas dryer in many RVs.

4. This may be your opinion, but there are plenty of combo owners who are quite happy with their machines; combos can do one thing stackables can't which is to turn dirty clothes put in in the morning into clean, dry clothes you take out when you get home in the afternoon.

5. Most RVs are not setup to use the 240V available on a 50A pedestal, therefore, almost all RVs have 120V dryers, both stackables and combos. Since the energy available for drying clothes is equal to the voltage times the current and since a 120V dryer on a 20A circuit is roughly a factor of four less power than a 240V dryer running on a 30-40A circuit it will take roughly four times as long to dry the same quantity of clothes regardless of what kind of unit you purchase, stackable or combo. Furthermore, if you set a dryer up to run on 240V you have an issue as to what to do if you only have a 30A hookup; if you have a 12.5kW generator with 240V output you can run your dryer from it; otherwise you would have an issue.

horizon36 · April 25, 2015

We installed a Splendide combo unit in 2013 and we love it. We were able to talk to other successful users and learned some of the "tricks" to using it. It works very well. So, from our perspective the combo unit is quite useful and very conducive to happiness.

Jack Mayer · April 25, 2015

There are several points to consider here. I've been examining the washer/dryer issues for years as we have built several custom 5th wheels. I can do anything I want to in these coaches, so I am not constrained by the RV. Here are my observations for what they are worth.....each person is different in what they want/need/prefer....

I considered a 240 volt dryer when we built the 2015 coach we are in now. I discarded that because of the amount of power it consumes. Working the numbers out even on a 50 amp service it could cause us to have to "manage" power more than we wanted to.
I considered gas. I would actually prefer gas. But I could not find 24" wide (apt size) gas dryers in separates. Only in the "bonded together" economy units. I considered using standard (27") units, but too much compromise was required on coach layout to make it worthwhile. That may not be the case for everyones situation.
I "could" design a system that allowed for a 240 volt dryer to run on 30 amp service with inverter boost. But it would tax even my large battery system. That is not a viable solution for 240v. So 240v is totally "out" for me. Also, having to run a genset to "make up" power is not practical for US.
Our GE 120 volt dryer works well, but does take a little longer to dry than a 240 volt would, or a gas. But in reality it does not matter to US. We are just sitting here anyway. I can run the washer and dryer at the same time, without any issue.
I would only own a combo unit if I was space constrained....and I am not. The new ones do seem to work pretty well, with their obvious limitations. I'm pretty sure Danielle would prefer to have one of those rather than go back to doing laundry "out". I know I would. But it is not a choice we currently have to deal with.

Starbiker · April 26, 2015

What are the "tricks" of a combo? We are currently looking at 5th wheel toy haulers, some with hook-ups up front, others are in the garage (a few of those have height restrictions).

Which is the better location for the washer/dryer, up front or in garage?

Thanks for your input.

docj · April 26, 2015

What are the "tricks" of a combo?

The most important trick is to read the instruction manual which clearly states that the machine can easily wash ~15 lbs of clothes but it is preferable to keep load the dryer with no more than ~11 pounds. This does not mean you will have 4 pounds of wet clothes, as some wags have suggested, but, simply, that you should limit load size. If you do your clothes will dry faster and be less wrinkled.

Also in the instruction manual you will learn that using fabric softener is important if you intend to go directly from a wash cycle to a dry cycle since it helps the clothes detach themselves from the drum after the high speed spin. Also you will learn that dryer softener sheets are verboten! Not as clearly stated in the guide is the fact that the company suggests using powdered HE detergent rather than liquid; it's not mandatory, just suggested.

We use our Splendide nearly everyday; we own an unvented model which some people think does nasty stuff like vent moisture back into the coach. It doesn't and, in fact, is very similar in operation to the vented combo. Even though unvented units are not common in the US they are quite common in Europe and Asia where they enable units to be installed in old apartments or homes where venting is impractical.

Starbiker · April 26, 2015

Thank you. We will look closer at the combo unit, to save both space and weight.

docj · April 27, 2015

Thank you. We will look closer at the combo unit, to save both space and weight.

That's one key reason why we like ours. We could put a pair of stackables in the same footprint, but they would take the entire cabinet which is our only "real deep" storage area.

horizon36 · April 30, 2015

Another thing is when the wash cycle ends, take the clothes out and shake them to unravel them. Put them back in and set your run time so they are not quite fully dry. Take them out again and hang them up so they air dry for the last bit. Reduces wrinkles a lot.