Washer/dryer combos

[Marlet]

Anyone have one?

A friend of mine made mention of them not too long ago but I didn't believe her that they exsisted. I just got sent this link for one and now I'm intrigued. The pictures and general info I am finding kind of sucks. I would love to get one if they really any better than my set I have now.

[Leta]

I used these in Europe 15 years ago (Dear God I'm getting old) and wondered when they were going to end up in the States. I mean, it's such a good idea for people with limited space. Then I saw one in Circuit City about three years ago, so they crossed the pond a while ago.

The ones I used were very small and incredibly water efficient. I imagine the drying mechanism is fairly energy efficient as dryers go. It was better than washing stuff in the sink and letting it dry on my bed, I'll tell ya.

[mightymoo]

I'm curious too. Our washer dryer are fairly new, so I'm not replacing them soon, but my biggest problem is forgetting wash in the washer and having to run it again, then forgetting it, etc. I could use a one step process.

[LaughingHyena]

Im in the UK and washer driers are pretty common here.

Pros are
no way I could fit a washer and drier in the house
can put on a small load overnight and have it dry by morning

Cons
Obviously can't wash one load and dry another at the same time
The max load for drying is smaller than the max load for washing so if I was a full load I have to remove some of it before I can dry. A small load can go all the way through though.
Mine never seems to get clothes really dry
I always seem to have to stop after the was cycle to take out stuff that shouldn't go in the drier. My toddler has melted several things for me by setting htte dry cycle without me noticing

[wannabe]

Don't Do It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stop, back away from the front loader washer/dryer combo thing!

We've spent a lot of time staying with friends who have these, and they're fine if you have the odd rainy day and one pair of jeans that need drying, but, they can only dry half a load at a time, and on some you can only set it to a 'dry cycle', which on one I used took THREE HOURS, with the door locked. No option to put a damp pair of jeans in for ten minutes. I assume there must be ones which let you use it like a normal dryer, but the four I have used didn't have the option.

They'll never catch on in America. Americans want to put a whole load of washing straight from the washing machine into the dryer, and these things are not even close to being designed for that.

[KMK_Mama]

I looked at these in the LG catalog when we were buying our set and it seemed to be something that was used more for people who don't do much laundry...like my IL's were thinking of putting one up at their cabin which only gets used on weekends....other than that, I don't think they'd be very practical.

[Ambrose]

Oh but think of the space you could save!! I so hope that they improve them....

[AlexisT]

Originally Posted by wannabe

Stop, back away from the front loader washer/dryer combo thing!

We've spent a lot of time staying with friends who have these, and they're fine if you have the odd rainy day and one pair of jeans that need drying, but, they can only dry half a load at a time, and on some you can only set it to a 'dry cycle', which on one I used took THREE HOURS, with the door locked. No option to put a damp pair of jeans in for ten minutes. I assume there must be ones which let you use it like a normal dryer, but the four I have used didn't have the option.

They'll never catch on in America. Americans want to put a whole load of washing straight from the washing machine into the dryer, and these things are not even close to being designed for that.

European washing machines always have longer cycles, though. 120 mins for a wash is not uncommon. On mine a standard 'store dry' takes 97 minutes. Wash and dry at 40 (standard clothes wash) is 211 mins. You can do timed dry as well. The main difference is that there's only one sort of dry cycle, and heavy fabrics often come out damp (especially if you're not very very careful to put more than 3kg in)

I have an AEG Lavamat combo and while it's better than nothing (we live in a flat, no garden) I'd much rather have a proper tumble dryer! But it's great for small flat dwellers. Flats here are always built with a space for a washing machine (unlike America where communal laundry is more popular, and you'll see apts with a dishwasher but no laundry--you'd never see that here) but rarely space for a dryer.

Also, a Euro machine is normally 5-6kg wash (a few are 7), whereas a US machine is 9-10 kg. So halve that for the dry cycle and you can see it's not very much!

The energy efficiency of a combi isn't as good as that of single units. Mine is rated A for wash quality, but only B for energy efficiency. A new Miele washer is A+ for energy.

What I want when I move back to the States is the new American-sized Miele front-loaders. Miele wash quality (absolutely superb) with American sized loads!