Side by side or stacked laundry set up?
Annette Holbrook(z7a)
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
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Aphaea
2 years agoRappArchitecture
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Roll-up sides or no roll-up sides?
Comments (15)Sorry I can't upload pics to help Bonheur, but it looks like Weebus relies on weight of the pipe and and a "cable?" to seal his houses. If you want a tight house you need to have a channel lock("C" channel base with solid aluminum bars that clamp the plastic secure) or wire-lock at the base. These lock systems would be positioned near the top of the baseboard so that you can secure the plastic above the rollup pipe. You should have the ends secure the same way by extending a wire-lock base on each end arch all the way to the ground; then when cold weather sets in you can insert the wiggle wire to close the house. This time of year mine is closed and I let the louvres and exhaust fan (thermostatically controled)handle mid-day heat. Otherwise you are rolling up & down all day long as the sun peeks in and out on cool days. You can get a wire-lock rollup pipe (I have one on one GH)that has the channel formed into the pipe to secure the plastic. I don't think it is worth the money and if you keep the rollup sides from billowing out you likely won't have problems with your plastic unrolling off the rollup pipe. Instead of a cable as weebus mentioned I run a nylon rope thru diagonal eye bolts, starting at the baseboard(end) and then diagonal up and down to near every other arch. The main problem is that when picking with the sides rolled up the rope is always an obstacle to carry crates in and out. Whatever you use it should be tight enough so that it doesn't get caught in the rollingup operation, yet loose enough to allow the same without pinching....See MoreStacked vs. side-by-side
Comments (13)I am in the process or remodeling my home and part of that process involves creating and entirely new laundry room. The space available for my new laundry room is relatively small and space considerations favor a stacked washer and dryer (because of its smaller footprint relative to a side by side configuration). I live in the desert where water is a limited and relatively expensive so I have limited my choice to stacked front-loading units (front loading washers use much less water compared to top load washers). After spending many hours online and visiting all my local appliance dealers (over the past 10 months or so) I have some important news to share. Many of you are probably already aware than many of the front load washers and dryers advertised as stackable are not practical because the unit on top (the dryer) puts the dryer controls too high to easily see and use. Furthermore, the bottom unit (the washer) is too low to be convenient (and putting the stacked unit on a pedestal makes the top dryer controls even more unusable). This is my primary residence so I donÂt want the typical stacked unit you find in apartment buildings. I came up with two candidates but in the end 2nd place isnÂt even close (the best choice is much better than the closest runner up). The only runner up is the top of the line LG front load washer and dryer that has a clever control panel that can be located above or below the dryer barrel. Using the LG units side-by-side you leave the dryer controls located above the front-loading door typical of most all front-loading dryers. But when stacking the units, the dryer control panel can be moved underneath the dryer barrel so when stacked on top of the washer the two sets of controls (washer and dryer controls) are adjacent to each other (dryer controls are on top and immediately next to the washer controls). This isnÂt too bad except both washer and dryer controls are a little low without using a pedestal. One of the disadvantages of stacking is instability when the washer is in a spin cycle given the higher rpm spinning of these higher performance machines. Setting a stacked unit such as this (comprised of two separate pieces of equipment) on a pedestal only aggravates the problem of equipment instability during spin cycles. This problem coupled with the expense of these units (the dual-location dryer control feature is only available in LGÂs most expensive units) and the lack of a good ergonomic feel (even if you raised these units on a pedestal) make this at best the runner up stackable unit. If nothing better were available I would probably buy the LG or at least wait until they offer dual-location dryer control on their less expensive models. My only choice is the Maytag Neptune Stacker. It was designed from the ground up as a stackable one-piece unit (there is nothing comparable to this by any manufacturer selling in the USA). The disadvantage of course is that a single unit it more difficult to move in the event service is required (however, Neptune were the first front load washer/dryers and by now they have the bugs worked out not that they have not had problems over the years, more on that later). The advantage of one-piece construction is there is not much of an issue with high rpm spinning and the ergonomics are exceptional. The controls are located at the perfect height and tilted up side-by-side in the mid-section of the unit (the LG controls are on a vertical surface perpendicular to the floor and difficult to see when standing in front of the stacked units). Maytag has been bought by Whirlpool and I have heard that Whirlpool is going to reintroduce the Neptune under the Amana name (if IÂm not mistaken Maytag had bought Amana before they were acquired by Whirlpool. There has been a class action suit against Maytag for the Neptune series that nearly bankrupt the company because part of the settlement required Maytag to inform everyone who had ever bought a Neptune of a problem some units had with the washer door seal. Of course everyone responded and got a new door seal whether they needed it or not. Another weakness over the years was the electronics was very susceptible to power surges and required the required $400 repair were common. Both these problems have been fixed and I doubt there is a front-loading washer/dryer as reliable (the Neptune series is available as a one piece stacker and side-by-side). One thing that is unusual about the Neptune is the absence of see-through doors (glass or plastic) typical of almost all front load machines. My initial preference is to see whatÂs going on inside my washer and dryer. But apparently the decision to use double layer metal doors (with insulation between) was made to reduce noise levels and Maytag claims their units run quieter than the competitions for this reason. I got the gas dryer version, and you can plan on spending about $1800.00 for the Neptune Stacker ($500 less than the LG I seriously considered). Because I found this stacker (there is really nothing else like it on the market in terms of being convenient to use and good ergonomic location of controls), I get to have a concrete countertop in my laundry room (that would not have been possible with a side-by-side) providing ample room for a built-in laundry sink and space to fold clothes. If you donÂt need a stacker for awhile, wait and see what Whirlpool (or in this case Amana) does when they eventually reintroduce the Neptune under its new name....See MoreHelp with Laundry Set Up
Comments (2)Sorry farenheit, I was just distracted with multiple things happening. We currently have a tank water heater that we are changing to a Rinnai Condensing tankless. Here is a rough drawing:...See MoreStack or Side by Side, and/or pedestals for my FL's
Comments (5)I went through a similar exercise and decided to go stacked. I really like what I have done because at least when unloading the dryer, everything is done standing. I use the pull-out tray (not sure if you will have one) to fold my clothes. Like you, if I went side-by-side, I would have had the doors opening the "wrong" way, which is one additional reason why I chose to go stacked. The other option would have been to have the wires/hoses criss-crossed. So far I'm happy with the stacked setup. It allows me access to cabinets in the laundry room that would otherwise be blocked. The main negative of stacking is that if they ever need service, they will first have to be unstacked. Also depending on the size of the machines and height of people that will be using it, it may make the controls hard to reach. Here's the plan of my laundry room: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61646136/laundry.pdf The hookups: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61646136/laundry.jpg The cabinets to the right would have been blocked: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61646136/laundry1.jpg The stacked setup: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/61646136/miele.jpg Good luck whichever you choose!...See Morepoppiepink
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