I'd wait for either the Duet Sport 3.6 with the heater due out in May or wait for the existing Duet to get the upgraded suspension(I have no idea when those will hit). The Sport with the heater, extra capacity and the six point second floor suspension would be my choice because I'm not sure any of those FL's with a decent suspension would be price comparable or very large in capacity. Unless you know exactly how strong your second floor is going to be many of the FL's have vibration problems and there are many posts about that on this forum. The sport was built to address those concerns. If you can't wait, don't want a heater, and can live with the 3.3 capacity the first Duet Sport is being released this month...in fact one poster said they saw them in Lowes...but confirm they have the six point suspension cause that one seems to be up in the air ( different folks haven't agreed on that one yet). It;s been posted the price on the 3.3 is between $800-$900. I looked at Bosch, Siemens, HE's and every single one talks about floor support, solid surface ( in fact Bosch will sell you floor brackets to bolt their machine down). All these are supposed to be good machines but on a second floor I'd be worried about vibration...so I'd take a look at the Sport...good price, decent size, second floor suspension...only negative is it's new.

Thanks, Kate's. I will definitely get the pads for next washer. And will look into barn mats. Thanks We have two as well. Now the downstairs Duet sport is displaying "Sd" ...think pump needs to be cleaned... has never been done....why would they put behind panel needing to be lifted and Unscrewed! Never ends... may need TWO Washers!

I am currently remodeling and getting the Bosch 800 washer and ventless dryer based on reviews and recommendations from my very savvy neighbor. I have no idea where the information is coming from regarding six hour cycles but based on the user manual, that is not true of the Bosch and the washer and dryer hold quite a bit - again look at the specifications regarding how many towels can be done in a load. I would think the convenience of doing laundry where it is created and then unloading it where it is returning make it a highly desirable addition - so what If you have to do an extra load or two in the course of a week :-) There is not significant vibration with a Bosch - Bosch is known for exceptionally quiet appliances. The reason I am going with the Bosch is twofold - first the dryer hooks into the washer so installation is simple. Second, they have an amazing water alarm season which is critical for a washer located where a flood would cause a lot of damage. The Bosch 800 has two flood safeguards - the hose is double lined and there is also an integrated water alarm system and pan - if the alarm senses water, the machine stops and no more water goes into the machine and the pan holds any water that has leaked through. If there is anyway of finding space for the 24" stackable units, I would certainly do so.

We did it in our old Victorian house for pennies. We turned a closet in the bathroom that was behind the tub (!!!) into a laundry closet with a stackable. Complete DIY job and I would definitely do it again. Our only "problem" was that the pipes up there couldn't handle the flow of water as fast as it came out of the washer. So the draining washer water backed up into the bathtub, which filled with about 6 inches of dirty water during a load until draining out. It never caused the tub to look dirty or left a ring or anything. We just lived with it as a quirk and I absolutely LOVED not having to lug clothes up and down to the yucky old basement via the yucky old non-standard basement stairs. The draining is something to really understand before you start demolishing your setup. We had no problem selling that house--everyone wants convenient laundry access and no one cared about the draining into the tub thing in this Victorian town. The hardest part was getting the stackable up the curving Victorian stairs. My husband and his friend almost toppled and killed themselves doing that. Just make sure you have a disaster plan in place--as for any 2nd floor laundry-- if something breaks or overflows, you don't want water all over going into the ceiling of the floor below. Use the best fittings that last (no plastic), the tray, etc..