Thanks for your replies! Do the combo units have any leakage problems? I asked my landlord about putting a 220V switch in the apartment and he said no, because he didn't want the machine to leak. Is that generally a problem or does he just not want it in this unit? Also, how much electricity per load does the LG or Summit washer/dryer combo use approximately? I am trying to see whether I should just stick with a wash/dry/fold service ($1.07 per pound, including delivery) for towels, linens and other large/heavy items that would take too long to dry on my drying racks and the washer downstairs for most clothing items, or if purchasing one of these combo units makes financial sense. How is the reliability of these machines? I have read a bit about "obsolescence", that is, within 5 years, washer/dryers break down far beyond repair, so you just have to replace them. How true is this with the combos (and in general, for that matter)? That will play a large role in deciding if buying a W/D makes sense. Thank you!

Where is the washer located? What is below it? I mean.... is there a basement or crawl space below? If so, try putting a pole from the basement (or crawlspace) floor to the floor joists under the washer. What your washer is sitting on must be very solid. Floor joists that span 12 to 14 feet can have a lot of bounce in them. Once the floor joists are moving it exaggerates the vibration of the washer. It's not your flooring material choice in any way shape or form. Don't cut your flooring. Whoever told you that is an idiot. This is a STRUCTURAL issue. I don't mean structural FAULT... there's nothing wrong with your house except some architect that doesn't have a laundry area on regular flooring and didn't design the proper support into it. This is normal. You need to take the bounce out of the floor STRUCTURE, not the floor covering.

Celticmoon, Yes, my counters are fixed. I have Miele laundry appliances, so most maintenance, if it becomes necessary, can be done from the front of the machine. On Miele washers and dryers, the entire front of the machine can be swung open like a big door. That being said, there's still the issue of leveling. As I mentioned above, I have extra-deep (36") counters above the laundry pair. This was done for two reasons. First, was to allow room for hoses, electrical connections and the dryer vent. Secondly, it allows me some room to work behind the machines. My laundry room is arranged with about 9 feet of counter along one wall, and 12 feet of counter (standard 24" deep) along the opposite wall. There is 4 feet of space between the two counters. Facing the 9 foot counter, the sink is on the left, then moving to the right is the dryer, then the washer, then a cupboard. Under the sink base and in the far right cupboard there are hinged doors at the back of the partitions that separate the sink base from the dryer space, and the washer space from the cupboard (naturally, I had to specify this at the time the cupboards and counters were built). These hinged doors allow enough access to connect the dryer vent, and if needed, reach the rear legs of the two appliances for leveling (it's rather awkward to crawl in there, but doable). When I installed the appliances, I positioned and leveled the washer first (without the dryer in place, I had plenty of room to work). Then I positioned and leveled the dryer, which is much easier to do and not as critical to have absolutely perfectly balanced. Once the dryer was properly positioned, I connected the dryer vent through the door from under the sink base. That's all there is to it. There's nothing fancy about my laundry room (in fact, it's quite basic -- almost no one sees it other than me), I just thought it out before it was built. It's worked very well. If and when pulling one of the machines out for service becomes necessary, I'll just have to deal with it -- but it's not something I expect to come up very often. One other thing to think about if you're doing fixed counters is the plumbing for the washer. I had valves installed in the wall above the counter (they're essentially the sames as the valves used for a bathtub or shower). They control the flow of water to the hose bibbs which emerge from the wall below the countertop. This arrangement allows me to easily turn the water supply on and off, but not have any hoses visible. Hope this helps. James

anoop, does your washer's hot water hookup deliver immediate 120F or higher hot water? If so, I think that sticking with hot and cold input is your best choice for getting hot washes. That's how the machine is designed to be used. The Extended option will give it more time to reach Very Warm and higher temperatures, if you're concerned that it might not extend a non-Extended wash tumble enough to reach the set temperature. For Hot and Sanitize temps you can also use the Sanitize program which is very long, and may conform to some standard that requires a minimum time at the set temp.