"But you can't felt knitted items in a FL washer!" Ummm, yes you can ;o)...and here are the directions: Place your finished item in a mesh laundry bag or pillow case which is large enough that your project has room to lay flat and move around. Make certain that all your ends are finished off before you felt, as once the felting is complete, you'll have a hard time. Set your washing machine to HOT WASH - COLD RINSE and SMALLEST LOAD SIZE. Use just a little wool friendly detergent such as Woolite or Eucalan. Place your felting project into the washer alone. Set your washer away, and now you're felting in a front load washing machine. At the end of the cycle, remove your project and adjust to shape. If you're not yet happy with the way it has felted, then repeat the washing process again. You can wash it as many times as you like until you reach your desired result. So - felting in a front load washing machine truly is possible, but make sure you do exactly the same process with your swatch as with your finished item. That includes doing EVERYTHING the same...using the same size hook, same yarn, same cycle and measuring all the way.

>>>"Wouldn’t it be cheaper and open your choice of washer options to pay a contractor/plumber/drywall guy to swap the connections around"<<< Might be, which is why I mentioned the SQ price. Especially so if HU##### wants a matching dryer and adds in the relatively high cost of Speed Queen's dryer versus, say, spending a lot less to get one of the Electrolux models with reversible washer doors (EFLS427, 527, and 627., IIRC) and their matching dryers. Also, I'm recalling that our local Home Depot has some of the new GE "fresh vent" (or maybe "Ultra Vent") front load washer models, and one or two of of those GEs now have reversible doors on the washer. (At least Home Depot said they did.) Sorry, can't recall model numbers at the moment but might be worth your while to check on. Despite the high price, Speed Queen FL models do have a devoted following for reasons outlined in this older thread and this other one. The SQ FL models come with a full five year factory warranty, too. But bear in mind that, if warranty service is needed for some reason, it goes through the selling dealer. So, it is best to check out your local vendors rather than buying a SQ on-line from an out-of-area seller. If you buy from an out-of-town online vendor, and are not inclined to DIY repairs (the SQ's are easy to work on, IME), getting SQ to arrange local warranty service reportedly can be slow and cumbersome. Those considerations might or might not make the Electrolux and GE models seem more attractive choices.

whitersox, about the 2nd floor install.... i emailed miele and this is the first response i received: ''The W4800 did have issues with the door lock. If the machines are not sitting on concrete the floor should be reinforced by nailing a 1/2" sheet of plywood where the units are to be set. " i described the floor's construction and received the message below this morning: "Your floor sounds very substantial and should be sufficient. " Interesting two of three different Miele techs I've dealt with both said a concrete floor, first-level/concrete floor is the route to go; the third tech I never asked. The reason for this that the washer uses mass versus other technology to dampen vibration, hence, the near 300 pound washer weight. If you have engineered specifically the laundry area on your second-floor and this is new construction or renovation with upgraded engineering specs, then the given engineering will make a difference. You can read all through this forum about the issues with second-floor installations. I'm a bit surprised that Miele would give you an "okay" without any knowledge of the as-builts as they pertain your residence. Regarding the NOS (new, old stock) of the Miele W 4800, you can get them fixed should there be issues. Miele has a kit for the door latch and updated firmware can be easily installed--through a Miele Tech. This should be under warranty if these issues arise.

I could see how on a small load a combo moisture sensing and thermistor could be better. But for the average large load, I don't think it does anything. How does a thermostat dryer work? Most advance the timer only when the heat is not on. Most dryers add heat non-stop until just before the cycle is done, then "cycles" the gas valve on and off via thermostat, which is opening and closing the electric circuit. If you have electronic controls, one of the following is happening during the time count down: - it is making an estimate based on your last few loads - it is predicting a finish time based on the rate of increase at the thermistor over a given time While not perfect, the latter is not a bad concept. It is possible a quick reacting thermistor could respond quicker, cycling the gas valve circuit faster, but of course all of those hot/cold cycles will tend to wear the valve/igniter etc out faster. They can only cycle so fast before it will have a negative impact on the product functional life. Efficiency Since the heat is on almost all the way to the end, I see little value to the concept a thermistor and moisture sensor save energy, except for really small loads. The only exception would be a two stage gas valve which would add heat at lower rates at the end. Two stage gas valves have been used on commercial gas dryers since the late 1980s, or as long as I was in the industry. The net change in entropy For those that haven't had to suffer through a class in thermodynamics, this would be the change in state for a compound or element with regard to its net energy. From a few tables in a thermo book you can calculate the net BTU or calorie change for say a pound of liquid water at 60 F (cold rinse) to 140F totally evaporated (in the gas state). I did a calculation back in the late 1980s and I'm pretty certain that the drying efficiency of a small dryer was around 40%, that is for each BTU of energy added (caloric content of your heat input) to the net change of state, the evaporation of the water from the clothes. Again, I would be very surprised if it has changed significantly over the past two decades, no matter what smoke screen a Marketing guy tries to spin on it. Adding heat faster at the start of the cycle would help, but it would need to be added with the right mix of airflow, or it may scorch your clothing. Some of the more industrial dryers in a laundrymat, which have a hotter HIGH temp setting are in fact more efficient and dry faster, but they could be harsher on your clothing. MEDIUM heat is a prudent setting in those machines for a setting closer to your home machine HIGH setting. Gas vs electric Technically, an electric dryer is more efficient than a gas dryer strictly from a BTU standpoint. One of the by products of combustion is water whereas an electric heat is a "dry" heat. That said, the operating cost of a gas dryer will be significantly less than an electric, at least in the current environment of cheap natural gas vs generally more expensive electrical costs. Bottom line: old style thermostats deliver fine value for a well loaded unit. Probably more than you want to know, but we should all be educated consumers when selecting equipment for our homes. Laundry vet