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Tight fit down basement stairs - narrow washer?

15 years ago

Hi -

been reading this for while, lots of great info. We've just bought a older house in Toronto and the basement stairs are quite narrow, about 25.5 inches [64.8 cm]. The prev owners had what looked like a standard size frontloader down there and said he had to take the front door off to get it down but it was no probs. We're finding that almost all FL's have a std size of about 68.6 cm or 27 inches, and the ones that are smaller have quite a tiny capacity, such as the samsung 2.4 cu ft model WFJ1254XAC.

Do you think most standard 27inchers can be made to fit, with partial disassembly, down a 25 inch stairwell or should we just go for the small samsung?

thanks in advance

Comments (5)

housekeeping
15 years ago
Can you take off some of the door trim as well as the door?

Disassembling a washer can be tricky (not to mention it might void a warranty if the manufacturer wanted to weasel out of some future problem.) The tops and backs of many machines come off readily, but the sides are much more complicated, I think. Still if you have access to a machine you can look at, see how far down you could strip it before getting to welds.

I think my Miele and Asko machines are narrower than 27", but they are older models. Have you checked both those manufacturers' websites for dimensions? Both of mine look small (about the size of a dishwasher) but do full sized, large capcity loads. Don't let the smaller size of some FL's deceive you, most can hold surprisingly large quantities.

HTH,

Molly
lascatx
15 years ago
Taking doors off to get fridges in is fairly common. Not sure if you have 25.5 inches in the stairway itself (wall to wall) or stairs width with some open space to the side?

I think Asko, Bosch -- the European manufaturers make 24" wide models, but they are smaller capacity. I don't remember the width of the Frigidaire Affinity, but that would be worth looking into.
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michelle_phxaz
15 years ago
Buy a new house. KIDDING! Does the house have a basement exit or is it too old to have required one? If the only means is through the narrow staircase, contact the old owners and ask them how they did it and what brand they had.

Good luck!
joe_in_philly
15 years ago
I live in Philadelphia, and many people have a problem getting their washer and dryer into the basement of their row homes. Some models can be "broken down" and then put back together. Since this is common occurance in our area, some places specialize in it. My neighbor bought an Amana washer and dryer, but I believe there are a couple of other brands that will also work. You may want to try local appliance stores to see if they offer that service.

Joe
burningrome
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the advice!

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