Stacking washer and dryers of different makes
deleomeyer
11 years ago
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SparklingWater
11 years agosandy1616
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Have 27' stacked washers/dryers gotten deeper?
Comments (4)Yes, the units definitely got deeper in the recent years. The customers expect more capacity and that's what manufacturers compete on. If they are not increasing the width of the units, they must increase the depth to accommodate larger drums. You are not likely to find a front loading washer and dryer set that can fit that space (I think the Fridgidare/Kenmore ones made 10-15 years ago would have fit, but I don't know if anyone makes them in that size any more). In my experience you need at least 34-35" depth for closet installation. And that would be with one of those flat rectangular vents that save on space. With a regular vent you need significantly more depth in your closet. I don't know anything about the sizing of the combo units (top loader on the bottom and a slanted dryer on top, all in one unit) so I can't help with that....See MoreDoes anyone have stacking washer & dryer?
Comments (23)Love-love-love our stacked Frigidaire w/d, which is about 4 years old now. Our laundry room is around 6' square at most and when we had the two machines side by side they took up the entire room! It also wasted a huge amount of space above; since I'm only 5'2"ish I couldn't reach more than the edge of a shelf or cabinet mounted above them. So, we had them stacked, which enabled us to hang two nice big (to me anyway, 30x30x12) wall cabinets next to them for cleaning supplies, light bulbs, and such. Rack on the wall for broom/mop/etc. Hooks on the opposite wall for hanging coats, since we have no coat closet. Litter box for a future kitty would go under the wall cabinets, currently cases of dog food are stacked there. It was an ENORMOUS improvement in function for, surprisingly, the house as a whole. There's room enough for a folding drying rack (stored folded) were I so inclined to have one but the VERY few things I have that must hang dry I hang on the shower rod... I make a point of not buying things that must be fussed over like hand washing, dry cleaning, ironing, etc.! I'm "horizontally gifted" along with being "vertically challenged", about 200 pounds, and I bet you I could hang from the top of the dryer without that stacked unit moving at all (and I could almost guarantee you the door would snap off if I tried to hang from that). LOL But if you're nervous about tipping there are these things called "earthquake straps" which are used to secure tall appliances and furniture to the wall (to studs, obviously). The stacking accessory basically bolts the two appliances together so there is no way the dryer's going to slide off the washer. I also have arthritis, back injuries, and little strength in my arms/hands, so I sit on a stool to load the washer down below and don't try to take the wet clothes directly out of the washer to put in the dryer. I sit on my stool, pull the wet clothes out into a basket, put the basket on the stool, and load the dryer from there. If I stand a bit to the side to look up it's easy to read the dial for the different dryer settings and I certainly don't need to do anything like get up on my toes to turn the dial or press buttons. (Top loader washers are a nightmare for me - lifting the wet, heavy clothes at that awkward angle, so painful! My washer spins the clothes so much they are little heavier than dry ones, and if I'm sitting on my stool I'm pulling them straight toward me instead of lifting.) Still needs such niceties as paint, window treatment, etc., but here's my space......See Moretalk to me about stacked washers - dryers
Comments (20)A few comments: First, what susie53 talks about is not a stacked set. It's a "laundry center". That's a one piece unit, not a pair stacked together. Similar function but different than a stacked set. Laundry centers can be a top loader with a dryer or a front loader with a dryer. The top loader unit is usually a lot cheaper. As already said, if one part goes, you're going to replace the whole unit. I imagine it's conceivable that you could separate them but I wouldn't go through the effort. Next, don't forget that Sears Kenmore is NOT a manufacturer of appliances. They have other companies build their units so just because Mom and Aunt Bertha both have Kenmores, doesn't mean they're made by the same company. They bid them out to be built to Sears' specifications. Frigidaire, GE, LG,,Whirlpool, etc, all build washers for Sears under the "Kenmore" name. Similarly, Whirlpool owns a number of brand names, including Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana, Inglis, and a variety of others. Front loaders take longer than top loaders to run a cycle, it's part of the design and the way they work. You can get a shorter cycle in various ways but especially with a heated front loader it can take upwards of 2.5 hours (maybe even more) to run a load. Many people have trouble changing over from top load to front load for this reason. One big problem with front loaders is people put too much detergent in it or the wrong kind of detergent and it kicks up so much suds that it's going to keep rinsing and rinsing to try to remove it. I like the concept of a stacked unit but would have to go with laundry center with a top load since I have issues with bending over and a front loader is not practical for me unless it's up on a high pedestal. Although some have done it, it's not recommended to put a stacked unit on a pedestal because of the weight, height and other safety reasons. I don't believe in buying "matched" sets of washers and dryers. Seldom do they have a dryer with proper capacity paired to a washer. The general guideline is to double the washer capacity to determine the dryer capacity required. So a "4.0" capacity washer should be paired with a minimum of an 8 cubic foot dryer. Seldom is. Capacities are also often misleading but that's another story. That bi-fold door sketch is a laughable example of fraudulent advertising. Bi-fold doors FOLD. DUH! The space you lose is 4 times the thickness of a door. The sketch shows you losing nearly 1/3 of the opening. But people are gullible and will buy into this type of fraud. I'm not saying that changing the hinge system is bad, but whoever did that sketch was exaggerating. And you don't need special hinges to accomplish this, as you can see from the sketch. Standard hinges mounted differently will accomplish the same thing. Good luck on getting the house and a smooth closing....See MoreWhere to put 2nd floor stacked washer dryer?
Comments (6)I've lived in homes with 1st floor and 2nd floor Laundry Rooms. There's a good argument for locating the Laundry Room close to where dirty laundry accumulates--which is typically the bedrooms. However, you need to consider when/how you do the laundry. If you multi-task making dinner and doing the laundry, then plan on going up and down the stairs a number of times if the Laundry is on the second floor. That's more logistics than my brain or body cares to handle at the end of a day. Also consider the implications of a failure in a washing machine hose or other watery mishap in a 2nd floor Laundry Room versus a 1st floor Laundry Room. In my opinion, it's worth the extra cost of a leak sensing shutoff valve such as the one made by Watts https://www.watts.com/our-story/brands/intelliflow...See Moremike_73
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