Washer/Dryer Questions

[BandJCarm]

DW considering washer/dryer addition down the road.

IF you have one:

-Do you like or hate it? Or in between? Glad you have it or not? Used a lot or not?

-If you added one, or want to, what brand/model etc. is best?

-How hard to install? Dealer only? Or a person with 8 thumbs and a tiny, tiny brain can do it or not?

Thanks.

[CC38EL]

We have one now. It's a combo vented. Don't like it as much as the separate washer dryer stackable we used to have, but it gets the job done.

Heavy. Shakes the rig. Requires small loads and lots of time. But it cleans and dries. We winter over in our rig and having the W/D combo really frees up our time and reliance on the local area.

Had both of ours installed by a dealer. But it doesn't look too hard. Power cord, 3 hoses, 3 floor anchors. The hard part would be getting into and around inside your rig. A hand cart would work well in that case.

If I had it to do over again, I would really have to go back to the stackable. More house like. But we would have one. Saves time and convenience. But make sure it is secured correctly. Our first one was not. It fell over and cause a lot of damage.

[Iggy]

If you have the room and go on longer trips than just a weekend I would suggest to get a washer/dryer combo. If your rig is prepared already for a washer dryer that is great. Electric outlet, hot and cold water and drain.

Install can be easy id you are already it factory plumbed.

We are on the road about 2 to 3 months a year and we love having a washer dryer. Yes it takes smaller loads and is not like a home version.

I would suggest getting a vented version of the Splendide 2100XC
You DW will love you after a few trips.


PS If you have only a 30 amp service you may have to limit the washer/dryer use when needing the AC or microwave as the drying mode takes the most power.
I also attached the install booklet for you to read.

[kway]

Iggy ditto. Love ours.

[Al Fiallos]

We had the Splendide washer/dryer combo installed by the dealer. Never regretted it. You loose storage space but you gain independance from the lousy laundremats at campgrounds. Downside is small loads and long cycles, so start early in the morning.
Kind regards, Al

[spock123]

We have the stacked unit, it was a pain to install but you have a 36CKTS and that should be a easy install. I had to cut the vent hole out but that wasn't too hard


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[donniedu]

Love it. only real down side is small loads.
Easy to instal, but you do need help. they are heavy.

[spock123]

We have a Splendia washer/dryer stacked unit. I looked at a combo but DW wanted the stacked unit, she can wash a load and then dry a load while another load is washing. I caught a deal at rvpartsandcountry. But Camping World had a good price and it was local. C/W wanted to charge me $400 bucks for the install, in hindsight I wish I had let them do the install.


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[dblr]

We got the stackable set up in our River Stone and do like it, yes it does shake the camper at time but you get used to it, beats long a day at the laundry!!!!!!

[brusso]

Got a champagne last Sept and are full time. Got the stackable set installed at factory. DW loves it. It is right there in the bedroom so she does not have to go far with dirty and then clean clothes. No hauling it to and from laundromat.
Yes it does shake the rig especially jeans and towels.
I am very handy and installation does not look to hard. But I am not a small guy and it is really tight. Getting it in to the rig without hitting hitting a wall or the dresser. If they hit it they have to fix it, just my $.02. You will not regret having them either way you go.

[BandJCarm]

They are expensive, and having a dealer put them in would add to it. But.......I think this is an installation above my pay grade.

I'm surprised how many folks like 'em. I guess I'll have to give in to DW and put this on "The List" to get.........someday.

Thanks everyone.

[jamesroadking]

I have a stacked washer and dryer set that I took out of our 2007 Monaco diesel class A coach in 2010. I've been storing them the last few years thinking that I might need them in the future. If somebody would like them I'd sell them both for $300.
Located near the intersection of Interstate 10 and 75 in Lake City FL.

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

DW considering washer/dryer addition down the road.

IF you have one:

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

-Do you like or hate it? Or in between? Glad you have it or not? Used a lot or not?.

Could not imagine NOT having one (then again, remember we are Fulltime). Still, with the exception of Military Travel camps and high end resorts, the DW would never consider using a campground Laundromat...most of them are pretty sketchy, and you will still have to use them for big bulky things like bedspreads and comforters.

We use ours all the time - 4-6 small loads a week, makes it easy to stay up on laundry and it is SO convenient!

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

-If you added one, or want to, what brand/model etc. is best?

Ours came with the Motorhome but, having said that, do NOT get a Combo washer/dryer - get a separate one and even though we have Whirlpool, I would consider a Splendide.

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

-How hard to install? Dealer only? Or a person with 8 thumbs and a tiny, tiny brain can do it or not?

We had some issues with ours and had to have the Whirlpool Washer replaced so we got a GOOD look at how you install and remove. I consider myself pretty handy (Not a Aquaman/Turbs/OldCoot of course) but I am comfortable drilling and cutting my coach. Having said that, frankly, no I would leave this to the professionals. Too many things to check and balance. Doors (in my case) had to be removed to facilitate the washer & dryer width.

One thing you CAN do before you get them installed is check the deck where the washer/dryer will be installed. FR did a VERY poor job of reinforcing our washer/dryer deck and, as a result, the supports broke. Check yours and reinforce it well (I mean 2x6 well!) The washer and dryer exert a huge amount of torque and vibration and you want a rock solid platform for the washer to be on.

Another thing our dealer did was mount the washer drip pan on a 3/8" thick rubber mat. This drastically cuts down on the vibration!

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

They are expensive, and having a dealer put them in would add to it. But.......I think this is an installation above my pay grade.

Smart move.

New units + installation should be less than $2K - $1,600 for the units and say 3-4 hours installation time (that's what it took for us).

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

I'm surprised how many folks like 'em. I guess I'll have to give in to DW and put this on "The List" to get.........someday.

We were without ours for over a month while FR & Whirlpool dickered who would do what to whom. It was painful using the campground Laundromat after having our own washer and dryer!

[spock123]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

They are expensive, and having a dealer put them in would add to it. But.......I think this is an installation above my pay grade.

I'm surprised how many folks like 'em. I guess I'll have to give in to DW and put this on "The List" to get.........someday.

Thanks everyone.

Look if I can install one anyone can. In your camper the install will not be hard. I was worried about cutting the vent hole but just remember to measure more than once. In my camper I had to install the washer/dryer in a closet and I had like 2 inches to play with, 2 inches on the top and each side. You can drill a pilot hole looking for the stud or you can do like I did and cut right through the stud, it really doesn't matter. I just saw a stacked unit at Dyers rv parts and accessories for $1473 and that includes shipping. It's a easy install on a 36CKTS


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[ependydad]

We have a vented combo. We traveled extensively over 3 seasons (200 nights total) and then we fulltimed for 14 months - both without one. For weekend/week-long camping, I just couldn't justify the expense ($1150 for the unit and $50 for parts OR $1150+300 for install). That's a lot of loads of laundry to justify the cost savings.

The breaking point for us was a couple of campgrounds with laundry facilities that were too small for the size of campground. Add in them not being air conditioned and muggy hot in the summers. And then the final straw was them losing power 3/4 of the way through a drying cycle. My wife got back that day and told me we were getting one.

I have a Splendid XC2100. It's a combo unit and vented. My buddy did a majority of the work for the installation, but it wasn't bad:
- had to find the spot for the vent
- had to get the courage up to drill a 4" hole through the rig (start inside, finish outside)
- carry that heavy bastard to its spot
- connect water hoses
- connect discharge hose
- connect electricity

The worst part was "carry that heavy bastard to its spot". First the bedroom door had to come off. Then, to get it into the closet for us, we had to lift it over a dresser and basically lower it into place. It's too heavy for 1 guy and awkward to fit 2 of us in the space. That part alone might be worth paying someone to do it.

If you have space for stackables- get them.

If you think you'll ever have a washer/dryer, get it right away. Don't get used to having the space and taking it away. Losing the storage space sucked and threw our "system" into disarray for a few months.

The true down-side is the size of loads. But honestly, we don't mind- we do a load of laundry overnight, one first thing in the morning (taking it out around lunch), and often will throw another in at dinner (which is ready when we go to bed). We love the minimal work of prepping a load of laundry and folding/putting it away since they're so tiny.

Now, we haven't camped without sewer hookups and I understand that each load takes 8-12 gallons of water. That'll definitely put my sewer bladder to the test when we do some sewer-less camping.

[Grumpy64]

We have the Splendide separate washer and dryer installed by the factory in the front of our 34 RLSA. (It was plumbed for a future install.). We love it as we can start a load and go about our day. When we return, we dry it. It is awesome and we are glad we did it!

[BandJCarm]

Thank you, everyone. I am sort of surprised at the total positive responses. I'd have thought someone would say "NO WAY DON'T DO IT" but no one did!!!

I guess I'm convinced.

[donniedu]

Glad to be of help. But please remember all is rosy with these things. Small loads have to be the norm. Plus because of their small capacity that you MUST NOT use too much soap or fabric softener. Overloading will cause lots of wrinkles. Wash maybe two days worth of whites. Same for colors. We usually do out queen size sheets in two loads.

[BandJCarm]

Expensive devils.

Anyone know how high each/both unit(s) are?

And why this one? There are a lot of 120v apartment sized stackable washer dryers. Why wouldn't any of them work? Seems parts would be easier to come by.