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washer stacked with condenser dryer vs combo unit

16 years ago

I'm tucking a laundry into a walkin closet. this is a 1 person apartment, running small loads once or twice a week, sheets underwear and jeans. there is no possibility of venting the dryer outside. i am trying to decide between a single ventless combo unit or a stacked washer and ventless dryer.

i've used an equator ventless combo in the past, so i've got my expectations properly lowered regarding the cycle-time and dryer performance of a ventless combo. if i were getting one, likely the ariston unit.

i'd be all done with that decision except i've just now learned about the condenser dryers from miele and bosch. would i get such better performance (faster dry, fewer wrinkles) in one of these units that it could make up for the extra expense and extra space required over a single combo unit? or would the benefit be more in being able to get a better washer, and i'd see less difference between the dryer performance?

Comments (4)

jamesk
16 years ago
The condenser dryers from both Miele and Bosch work as fast and efficiently as a vented dryer. You'd see a vast improvement over the drying results you'd gotten used to with a combo unit.

Not only that, you'll be able to wash AND dry full-sized loads. With the combo units you can only dry a load that is half the size of a normal wash load. Condenser dryers are matched to handle full-sized wash loads.

An added bonus, and one that few people consider -- with a separate dryer, you'll be bale to do laundry twice as fast. With a combo unit, you wash a load, then you dry it. The appliance is tied up for several hours for a single load. With a separate dryer, you can wash a load, transfer it to the dryer, then while the first load is drying, you can wash a second load. A much more efficient way to do laundry.

Hope this helps.
looser
16 years ago
We had a stacked washer/condenser dryer in Germany. I can't really remember what brand the dryer was, but it wasn't a Miele or Bosch. In Germany you get condenser dryers from all of the popular brands. They are normally a little less energy efficient than the vented ones, but it is not a big difference. The performance is pretty much the same. You just have to dump out the water after every load. You can actually use that for watering the plants.
You'd be able to get a better washer and a better dryer if you go for separate units. If it is worth the extra money is a decision that you'll have to make.
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I also had one of these while living in the UK. I didn't have the problems mentioned with wrinkling, at least not worse than any other front loader, which all spin faster than top loaders. But no condensing dryer (which is what one of these is during the drying phase) gets clothes as dry as a vented dryer. Add together the wash time of a front loader (generally longer than a top loader) with a long, inefficient dry cycle and total cycle time was loooong. Another thing that hasn't been mentioned: having only one device means you can't dry one load and wash another at the same time, so one load takes a couple of hours or more before you can even begin to wash something else. Add to that the small capacity and there's no such thing as "laundry day", you'd better be thinking about laundry all the time. It seemed like we were continuously drying socks, hanging on radiators all over the house. As others have said, I wouldn't have another one of these things unless circumstances absolutely demanded it.
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Ideally, I would recommend stacked front loading washer and dryer. I had those top-load combo units in apartments and they were generally small and performed terribly. The advantage of a combo unit, though, is that it usually uses 1 plug vs. 2 for separate machines (verify this before buying, of course). Depending on what your electrical situation is, that could sway your decision.
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jamesk
16 years ago
On the newer models of Miele and Bosch condenser dryers it's no longer necessary to empty the condensate reservoir. They now have a tube that drains the condensate into the drain standpipe.
aquarius2101
16 years ago
Actually, condenser dryers take longer than vented versions to dry. I wouldn't buy one again, as they are extra hassle compared to a standard vented dryer, and are also as a rule noisier and make the room warmer, plus you have to clean out condenser units every so often to keep the dryer running at peak. However, if I had no vent, I would much rather have a condenser dryer than to use a combined washer dryer.

Jon

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