We have a set and love them. Ours is a Kenmore. There are different sizes so check this out. One thing to beware of is when having the washer door up and closing the dryer door it will cause the washer lid to drop. I always have something like a washcloth along the side to keep the lid from slamming. If you notice there is an opening that a clip like thing fits in. It is for the spin cycle. Ours broke due to the lid dropping. My mom and dad had one for years and loved them, too.

All I've ever heard from people who have had them suggests that most brands do a better job saving space than washing and drying laundry. I don't remember the brands, and maybe newer ones are better.

If they're in a closet, if it doesn't have a louvered door, it's a good idea to leave the door ajar when using the dryer. Also a good idea to have the dryer duct cleaned when moving into a new place, no telling the last time it was done. A duct full of lint can present a fire risk.

The thing about capacity is to go easy on it. They work best when they're not stuffed.

My mother got a set installed last year in a bedroom closet, we took off the doors. She has had a time figuring out the smaller capacity, but she is so happy to not have to go down the basement to do laundry. Can't remember the brand, but they are 2 separate units. A dryer and a front load washer. No one had them on a sales floor, we had to ask for smaller sized W/D's and they came from Lowe's or HD.

I have had a Maytag stacked washer and dryer for 22 years and love it my washer capacity is large. Not once has there been any problem with it.

The unit is in the kitchen of this small house behind bifolding louvered doors. (Wish I could do italics.) That describes mine to a T. It s also a Kenmore. It says Heavy Duty, Super Capacity, 2 Speed Motor, Quiet Pak Plus, etc. Mine is 11 years old, never had a problem. I don't have the problem with the washer door/dryer door. Of course it is a space saver; also a back saver. No bending over to lift heavy wet clothes from the washer to the dryer. I call it perfect.

Sue

I have had my Kenmore front loading washer and dryer for 12 years. Mine are not stacked because they easily fit in my laundry room but one of the reasons I purchased this set was that they could be stacked if I want to do so in the future. These are 4.0 full size units and I think they're great.

One point to remember is to buy separates that can be stacked as opposed to a single washer/dryer stacked unit. I the two appliances are sold as one unit and one of the machines quits then they can't be separated and you have to buy both washer and dryer new. The ones in this house are the one unit kind, left by the previous owners and are fine, but I've been told by the mainenance person that if one goes then the whole unit goes.

I had a Inglas stacking set at home here, and I hated them. The clothes always came out wrinkled, no matter what I did. Light load, heavy load, get them out of the washer and dryer as soon as the cycle ended, take them out of the dryer slightly damp and hang to dry after that. Nothing worked. I had to iron almost everything that came out of them. I finally got rid of them and bought a set of Maytag, side by side. Love them, and no wrinkles.

OTOH, at work we have a Speed Queen stacking set, and I like using them. They are a full size set, mind you, not a space saver, smaller set like the Inglas brand I had at home, but they wash and dry great and no wrinkles!!!

Maybe the size makes the difference, maybe the brand, don't know, But I sure would not buy an Inglas set!

I have a frigidaire gallery frontloader that we have had for years that with the matching dryer could have been stacked, although like marie_cate we've never gone to the effort of stacking them. The washing machine still works well, but the matching dryer never worked very well (due to the too long vent pipe) and has long since failed and been replaced with a different brand. So while greenonthebrain makes a good point, that if it was a combo unit when the dryer failed, I would had to have replaced the washer as well. However if you are stacking them, since they need to be attached together, there is no guarantee that they'll still sell the matching unit to the one you have. So you might need to replace both of them anyway when one fails.

Also in our rental unit we put a washer/dryer hookup in the hall closet, which is small enough that only a stacked unit/stackable pair would fit. I bought a (used) stacked combo unit to install there for the tenant. I have no idea how well it works, but the tenant hasn't ever complained about it.

The bifold door entrance was small enough that the door would need to be removed to install the unit, and the door really limited access to the machine. So I replaced the bifold door hardware with the hardware shown below which allow full access to the doorway.

I had a stackable Bosch washer and dryer in my apartment for two years and loved it. Now I have front loading LG but not stacked. The only thing I don't like is getting down on my hands and knees to pull items out of the back of the machine where they tend to collect. I think they clean better than top loaders. Be careful not to use too much detergent. Better too little than too much.

The issue isn't so much the stacking as it is - possibly - the size limitations of the closet, which will determine what units will fit in the closet, and how well you can vent the units.

I second what bob c_ville writes about theJohnson door hardware. Their products are far better than what most houses have for door hardware. You can use the same doors, you just change the hardware on the door and the frame. I have done it on two folding doors and it made a huge improvement in how they open and close.

I have a 2004 front load Frigidaire washer and a 2001 gas dryer, both with front controls. They could be stacked. I have mine side-by-side, on a 6" high wooden platform. This makes it easy to access both units. If you buy a front load washer for your 'stack', I would raise the washer.

Our condo has a 2001 Maytag stack with full size top load washer and electric dryer. This is among the last Maytags built in the US. We've replaced the timer and lid switch on the washer. (I dislike the *wet* laundry out of the top-load after enjoying dryer laundry coming out of my front load at home.)

All of this beats the wringer washer and twin laundry tubs in the basement of my childhood home -- with wet laundry carried upstairs to be hung to dry on lines in the back yard. (Related thought: Remember *ironing*?)

I have full size front loaders in my basement. They are side by side now but are stackable. I have had them for 10 years and plan to move them to the main floor next year and stack them.

My insight is not from my own personal use of my own stacked set but that of my Daughters. They have a small condo in MD which came with the original stack set, Kenmore, from the mid 80s. They lived with it until it died a natural death. They replaced it with a new set, a Bosch. It is the same size as the old, a standard 'compact' size that fits in their small kitchen. This new set has the dryer on top with the front load washer on the bottom. It is in constant use. They wash everything, not just their clothes but bath towels, full sheets and comforters. I am impressed by how much it holds and I would not hesitate to get a set just like it for myself. They have a 5 year old who still has a few issues with wetting the bed, getting sick, making a mess as well as a dog who barfs, pees and is a very messy eater. I mention that only because it adds to the load on both the Washer and dryer. Stack sets are great and I think your Son would be lucky to get a new set as a housewarming. Lucky Son!

This is close to what my Daughter and SIL have. It's in their kitchen, is always in use and is very quiet. You never hear it.

http://www.bosch-home.com/us/products/compact-washers-dryers.html

sooey

One potential issue with the stackable units that are designed to be used side-by-side or stacked, is that the controls are usually right along the top of the units so that they line up when the units are side-by-side. The means that when they are stacked, the controls for the top unit will be at the top of the stack, and may be hard to reach.

Bob caught what eluded me about stacking my pair of Frigidaires. The dryer controls are along the top of the dryer. They'd be almost six feet high *without* a raised washer -- and I don't want to kneel before my washer!

I'd check running time for Bosch washers. The only one I've used took forever to complete a cycle. It was very quiet, which was a good thing since it ran so long.

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.

In my case the closet was just shy of 48" wide. The doorway was 36" wide. The existing pair of of metal bifold doors when open each took up 5" of the doorway reducing the opening to 26", which would require removing the doors to put the 27" wide combo unit in the closet, and prevent the dryer door from opening all the way and render the rest of the closet largely inaccessible and unusable.

Replacing the pair of bifold doors with a single bifold door with the standard hinges the door would still block about 6" of the opening and would protrude about 17" into the narrow hallway. With the hinges I posted above the closet and the laundry center are significantly more accessible and usable.