I have a stacked Speed Queen but it's actually one unit and would have to be completely replaced should only the washer or dryer be irrepairable. However, the company claims it's built for the long haul and I'm expecting to get much more than 5 or 8 years out of it. Will see.

When I remodeled my house, the new laundry area was sufficiently large for either a side by side washer and dryer OR a stacked unit with a utility sink. I opted for the latter.

Just replaced a stack unit because the dryer couldn't be repaired in a rental I own- according to service tech, the GE unit was 40 years old. The replacement GE unit is remarkably similar to the old one.

In my own home, I have separate GE washer/dryer and have not had to have any service in the 17 years I've owned them.

Separate units stacked can have 1 unit replaced. Unitized machines where both are in a single carcass must have the whole replaced if they cannot be repaired.

Not sure what the comment is about them trying to sell these if they are telling you the opposite. In my whole married life i have never had either that could not be reparied BTW that is 60 yrs. The pair we have now are 15 yrs old and not one service call. Relax I think you will be fine.

I've always had my washers and dryers go at different times. And know many people for whom their washer and dryer have lasted 5 - 10 years. They just don't make appliances like they used to. And, with everything so digital, it is often the computer board that goes before mechanical parts do and cannot be fixed. With the tower they share a computer board.

The post the store wrote says: Hey if you are concerned about having to junk the washer and dryer at the same time with a unitized Washtower, don't worry, you'd have to junk them both even if you are stacking two separate units with a kit! No problem, just buy the Washtower.

Is this BS? Has anyone else stacked two units purchased years apart? Was it difficult?

@ Mary Iverson - I like the platform idea. Is it a stable enough solution if the top unit were larger than the bottom? What if the bottom unit starts to walk or rumble?

A separate washer/dryer pair that is stacked has the dryer anchored to the washer via brackets to insure the dryer doesn't shift/walk atop the washer due to vibrations. The concern is that mismatched brands don't have compatible anchoring methods. Manufacturers may also change the anchor design over time so models of the same brand that are years apart in age also may not match on that point. There is also the potential that a mismatched pair may be of differening physical size or profile.

Reality is that it's not as much of a problem as manufacturers claim. A competent handyman can devise an alternate anchoring method. An alternative is to construct a platform to support the dryer with the washer sitting beneath it ... which has the advantage that the washer can be slid out for service without having to detach/remove the dryer from atop it, but the possible disadvantage that a bit more vertical space is taken by the platform and the dryer would be a few inches higher for loading and reaching the control panel.

Sounds like they have a few WashTowers to sell :-)

Personally, I prefer separate components so you only lose part of the system.

(I've replaced the circuit board in a dishwasher - it's tedious but not that difficult.)

Any platform (or cabinet) is as stable as the carpenter decides to build it.

Thanks Mary and Dadoes for your helpful insights! Raising the height of the control panel is an interesting point. I'm tall but my once tall mom is shrinking, and she will be using this set up too. I hate to think about her having to balance on a step stool to reach top panels. One of the selling points of the Washtower is the controls are in the middle.

It’s definitely a gamble. I took the gamble because of those controls in the middle and I was able to set aside savings for worse case scenario. I don’t know if you have that luxury. I can say I’ve been very happy for over a year with the purchase. If you are going to stack two units and replace one, your platform will add extra height beyond the stacking kit. The controls will be high and I considered that as well but I wasn’t okay with needing a step stool. But if you aren’t clumsy like me and can operate a stool consistently safely, the money may be more important.

@Shiny Spork (best Houzz name ever) - Glad to hear that you are happy with your Washtower. We do have the luxury of being able to set aside money for the worst case scenario. Your point about convenience of the controls in the middle is a good one. I'm long limbed and can do a Stretch Armstrong quite well to the top of a stacked unit, but my brittle boned mom can't and I don't want her doing a balancing act on a stool trying to use our dryer.

If you can afford it, and prefer unitized with one control panel, then I strongly recommend the unitized Speed Queen over the Washtower. I had to leave mine behind when I sold my previous home and I still miss it. They will last for many years, and unless you are in a very rural area, service is excellent.

It totally depends--we've been in the slow planning phases to replace our washer/dryer for the past 3-4 years, and through that time the two brands we're looking at have cycled through several models, but all stayed compatible size-wise. *But* one of those brands (Bosch) is not compatible sizewise with our Bosch current washer/dryer (15 years old) so if one of those had died and we'd needed to stack, we'd be out of luck. (They don't happen to be stacked, so no biggie, and I think they did make that size for many years--we just happened to buy it in the final years of production.)s

That said, the Washtower is a single unit, so yes, the whole thing does need to be replaced if either breaks. That's one reason we decided not to get it, even though we have several friends who love it. It's a gamble. We are getting counter-depth models this time around, so I'm assuming they'll stay generally compatible since they have to be compatible with standard kitchen cabinet sizes.

I don't know about stackers but can vouch for the SQ brand's quality/long life.

Didn't know they made counter depth units aside from those that are a washer and dryer in one machine. I presume they take smaller loads than a full sized? We are placing the laundry in a teeny kitchen in a guest studio.

I know Speed Queen has a cult following but I don't get it. When our last washer broke in our previous house we bought a SQ. We didn't live there long enough to comment on the longevity but I don't think it cleaned clothes as well as other brands I've had.

Fun fact: A small mom and pop appliance store in South Philadelphia is the largest selling SQ store in the country. SQ are the only washers that can be completely taken apart and reassembled on site, so they are often the only ones that can fit down the staircases of narrow south Philly rowhomes.

Yes, definitely lower capacity. In our case it's a tradeoff between having the laundry inside the house vs. in a detached garage--I haven't found a way to shoehorn full-sized machines into our kitchen and we don't really want them in a bathroom, the other option. We're looking at Miele or Bosch, which are both about 24" wide, 33" high, and need about 28" of depth once clearance behind is accounted for (so similar to counter-depth refrigerators). They also stack very compactly, which is nice. Our current machines are larger capacity older Bosch models that in theory are stackable, but would be quite bulky stacked. But they take larger loads, which we'll miss! (I'll probably just leave them hooked up in the garage until they die and use them when needed for comforters, etc.)

FWIW, Costco just put the LG Washtower on significant sale.

Thanks MizLizzie - I've noticed them on significant sale everywhere - $1,599. Is that around the price of the Costco one? I'm not a member so could not see the price.

When appliances go on sale like this at all the stores, do you think the price will go back up or are they introducing a new model and now selling this one for less?

Yup, that‘s the exact price for white in electric. You might be right about a changeover, then.

I'd go with Speed Queen and not wring a hand over a thing that hasn't yet happened, may never happen, is perhaps not going to happen , or unlikely : )

I have two separate LG units, and am considering stacking them in an upcoming remodel. Good points in the comments below about where the controls would be, and how to support the units.
Can someone offer a view on difficulty to service the units? What is involved in getting to the the top unit out for servicing/cleaning the dryer duct? I assume top unit can’t actually rest on top of bottom unit - some shelf or other support is built over bottom unit for top unit to rest on? How much clearance is needed between top of the unit on the floor and support so bottom unit can be pulled out for service?

@qwert if they're built to stack, there are generally instructions on how to connect them, but the brands we're looking at do more or less sit directly on top of each other, with small connecting kits. If you look at the LG website they should have a manual for your model that will include stacking instructions. I asked about service and our local store said they just ask ahead of service calls if the units are stacked or not, and if they are, then the person who comes out is equipped to take the dryer down if needed, but that the units are designed so that any routine service doesn't require moving them and it's unusual to have to unstack them. (We are looking at ductless electric dryers, so that may make a difference, but even for our existing gas dryer, I have only ever cleaned the duct out from the outside, and have never had to move or get behind the machine.) In 15 years I can't think of any maintenance we've done on our current machines that would have required unstacking them, had they been stacked.

qwert, stacking involves removing the leveling feet from the dryer, which then sits directly atop the washer. The stacking kit may include adhesive cushion strips which are placed on bottom of the dryer to avoid scratching the washer's top. The anchor brackets attach at the back to the dryer and washer to secure them together.

Some (most?) repairs on the dryer can be done with it atop the washer, depending on what kind of repair (and how much room there is above the dryer to remove its top panel).

A few procedures on the washer possibly can be done without taking down the dryer, IF the washer has a removable lower panel. Most repairs on the washer require removing the dryer. Obviously the washer's top panel can't come off with the dryer on top of it. Majority of frontloader washer designs require that the top panel must come off to access the water valves, remove the machine's control panel, dispenser drawer assembly, front door panel, etc.