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Old 07-16-2018, 09:36 AM   #1
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Tired of your combo washer/dryer? Install separate washer AND dryer.

Our previous '03 Discovery had the basic Splendide Washer/Dryer Combo that was standard up until at least 2010 I believe. They work...kinda...until they don't. They are small,take a long time, and don’t dry well. Plus, on spin cycle, it shakes the whole coach...a lot actually. The wife and I didn't love it but I was able to keep it working.

The new '06 Discovery had the Splendide removed before we got it. We talked and she was pretty adamant that she wasn't really that interested in another combo unit...or “spinnie washer” as she referred to it. She’d rather throw quarters at the Laundromat. So I started thinking about how I could do a separate washer and dryer.

The washer is easy. It will go in the normal place where the Splendide was. The water supplies, power, and drain is all still there and a standard 24" washer will fit like a glove once I remove the storage cabinet that was built where the original Splendide was. The problem is the dryer. On our 39L, there just isn't room to stack the dryer above it because it would intrude on the toilet room and make that space really, REALLY tight. I thought about it a good bit and one day had an 'ah HA!' moment. On our 39L, and I expect many others, Fleetwood blessed us with an old style bedroom CRT TV that weights about 70 pounds and is 18" deep. On ours, we had already removed the old beast and just used the resulting hole for storage. It's about 30" deep and not QUITE tall enough to fit a dryer. What I decided is that if I sacrifice the upper drawer, a dryer will fit just about perfectly. It is about 8' from the washer but the boss said that was acceptable. The power for the TV is already there and it MIGHT be enough to run the dryer. If not,I'll have to run a new power line from the breaker box under the bed. Obviously, I'll have to cut the cabinet a bit and do a little framing. In addition, I'll have to cut a hole for a new dryer vent either on the side or back.

Ok, so I had a plan. Now to find the units. I got the model numbers from the Westinghouse units in the
new coaches. Yes, they are available. Yes they are EXPENSIVE and I wanted to lay eyes on them. I looked and looked on the internet. I mean for weeks I looked. We went by Best Buy and they were useless. You can order from them on the net but the store was less than useless. They deserve for Amazon to kick their butt... I looked at several different manufactures from India and wasn’t impressed. I called the surplus/salvage places but wasn't impressed and the idea of buying used didn't sit well with the boss. Scratch and Dent was appealing but none of the ones I found had any 24" models. We'd been up and the kids in Maryland and I looked a good bit while up there.

When we got home I had kind of a decompression day and I happened to run across something at a Sears Outlet. Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner. Not only did they have 24" units scratch and dent but they had them in stock. I found the ones with scratches and dents where we wouldn't see them. They were in stock in Chattanooga and I called to make sure they were actually there before I drove the 100 miles. Also verified that both units were 120V. By dark I was back with the units. It was a little over a grand for both units. If you go to Sears and search for Kenmore 24” compact washer it will show up. They wer on sale for $900 and the dryer was on sale for $550.

So it's on. The money is spent and the only thing left is to make it work. I'm not really concerned but it's going to be some work. Before I got carried away inside the coach, I plugged in both units sitting in the floor of my shop and washed and dried a load of clothes. Both units worked perfectly and were quiet and smooth. They are also considerably larger capacity than the Splendide.

Here are a couple photos of the units. The washer is really nice...even has steam but the dryer is basic although it has everything we need.

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This is going to take several posts.


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Old 07-16-2018, 09:43 AM   #2
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I would have preferred a dryer with the controls on the bottom but we're tall and it won't be a problem. The BIGGEST issue is that the drawer we're losing is MY underwear and sock drawer. Oh well, perhaps SHE will give me one of hers. LOL!

So now it is time to get to work. First order of business is to remove the cabinet doors and frame around the washer. Just a few screws. I have a small SnapOn lithium ion screw driver that is worth it’s weight in gold. Light enough that I can hold it out with one hand and put it in a screw without shaking. Enough torque to do most anything I’ve ever asked it to do. It’s lying inside the empty cabinet in the photo. This took 15 minutes. The hookups are in the rear and once I removed the contents of the cabinet and lifted out the bottom, it was easy to reach everything. That is, power, drain, water hookups are all right there.

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Now for the hard part...the dryer. While a stackable configuration would have been preferable, it just would not work in our floor plan. However, our coach came with a big honking CRT TV in the bedroom. It had been removed and the resulting space was 32” deep and 25 ¼ wide. Unfortunately it was not tall enough for the dryer so we’re going to have to loose a drawer. Since I knew this was going to be messy, I removed EVERYTHING from the bedroom...clothes, mattress, drawers...everything. In the photo below,you can see where the opening will be outlined by blue tape.

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Old 07-16-2018, 10:00 AM   #3
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Once the facia was cut out, what was left was the drawer structure that will need to be modified. I did not worry about the framing on the sides. The dryer will sit on the 2x4 framing which is securely screwed into the closet framing. The old floor of the TV ‘box’ is a drop in perfect fit.

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I had hoped that the existing TV outlet would work for the dryer but I discovered it was on the inverter.

That would work but only if we didn’t want to run the microwave, toaster, hair dryer, etc, while the dryer was drying. So I decided to run a new 120V line for the dryer.

I’m not a licensed electrician but I wired my own home and shop and am comfortable wiring. CAUTION! 120V will KILL YOU DEAD RIGHT THERE! If you don’t know what you are doing, DON’T DO IT!

I’m not going to show the details of the wiring. If you don’t understand what I had to do, you need to hire someone to do this for you. Basically, I purchased a “Duplex” breaker at Lowes and replaced one of the existing breakers with it. The new breaker allowed me to run a 20 amp outlet back to the dryer.


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The dryer outlet is NOT on the power shed system so we’ll have to pay attention when we are on 30 amps.

I was ready to bring the units in the coach. My cousin Jim came down to help and good friend Beau came over. We brought the units in the door although we had to remove the inside grab bar, the foldable step cover, and the lighted grab bar. We also unbolted the passenger seat and set it out of the way.

The washer was heavy, I’m guessing 200-250 lbs. Trying to walk this up the steps and not hitting the plastic part of the dash or tearing up the door weather stripping was just too big of a risk. Instead, I removed the door restraining brace and swung the door open fully, protecting it with some foam and tying
it to the mirror. Although we could have built a platform and manhandled it, we used my forklift to lift a pallet holding the washer to the coach FLOOR level and then put some 2x10’s across from the pallet to the floor and screwed them to the pallet. We then just slid the washer through the door on the 2x10s and maneuvered it through the various obstacles.

The dryer only weighs about 75 lbs. and was easy by comparison. A neighbor loaned me his furniture dolly which made getting things to where they needed to be was easy. The height of the dolly wasn’t quite enough but we simply leaned the washer back and pushed it up into the opening. We then just lifted and pushed it in the hole. This was a three man job. Jim was working the back end making sure all the hoses and electrical didn’t get damaged or trapped while Beau and I wiggled it into place. It fit perfectly except it is about an inch too deep for the cabinet. I’ll have to make a spacer to bring the doors and surround out.

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Pressed the power button and the lights came
on. Good sign.

Time for the dryer. I wanted to be sure the dryer is secure so there are braces at the top and bottom to keep it from going backward. A similar pair of wooden stops screwed to the floor will keep it from going forward. I cut a hole in the closet that will provide access tothe 9” area behind the dryer. It will have a hinged cover for access to the vent and power and a small hidden lockable storage area.

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Old 07-16-2018, 10:20 AM   #4
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I cut a hole in the closet that will provide access to the 9” area behind the dryer. It will have a hinged cover for access to the vent and power and a small hidden lockable storage area.

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Jim and I easily picked the dryer up and put in place. I needed to perfectly locate where the hole for the dryer vent needs to be. I’ll admit to being a bit nervous about drilling a 4” hole in my beautiful coach!!!

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I VERY carefully measured exactly where the vent hole was and when I was sure, I drilled a pilot hole all the way through the wall.

If you look at the top of the photo, you can see the brace that I put in to keep the unit from moving back. There is a nice little hidden storage space behind the dryer that is accessible from the closet.

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Old 07-16-2018, 10:32 AM   #5
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I did not think there were any aluminum studs where I was going to put the vent but drilled from the inside out so if I hit something, I’d be able to move over without damage to the exterior Fiberglas or paint. A 4” hole saw was nearly perfect.

I drilled through the ¼” interior paneling and the Styrofoam until the pilot drill came through the outside. Then I went outside and cut through the paint and Fiberglas using the pilot hole.

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Then it was just a matter of putting in the chrome dryer vent from the outside and putting a short piece of flexible dryer duct between it and the plastic elbow.

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ID:	211174 Our Discovery has vinyl film over plywood to simulate some of the cabinet wood. It looks really nice.
I purchased some of the correct vinyl film from Fleetwood and used it to cover some of the framing. Works great and is a perfect match for the original interior. It’s peel and stick so you just carefully place it on the wood and smooth it out. You can also put a small spot over any cuts or tears and it become invisible. Slick!

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I made a frame from some 1x3 fir and covered it with an upholstery fabric that matches the décor. It allows the dryer to breathe and hides it.


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Old 07-16-2018, 10:43 AM   #6
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Here it is all finished with the door closed.

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Once I finished up the spacers and reinstalled the washer doors it was time for a test

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Really works well. The Kenmore washer is very quiet and does not shake the coach at all during the spin cycle. The dryer works well also. I washed 3 days of work clothes and could have easily done 5 days...5 pants, 5 shirts, 5 pairs of socks. A normal wash cycle takes 47 minutes and the dryer is about the same. As expected, the Intellitec power shed system shed the hot water heater and the rear AC because I am on a 30 amp circuit at home. Not a problem, I just ran the water heater on propane. The washer only used about 5 gallons of water for a normal cycle.
We’re probably about where the original factory weight was. The new washer is a little lighter than the original Splendide but the dryer weights about what the TV weighted so no big difference.

All in all, this was not that difficult and we’re more than pleasedwith the outcome. We’re getting ready fora week at the beach with our Son and his Fiancée so it will get a workout.

This could probably be done on most coaches prior to 2010 when Fleetwood went to the stackables. I expect most pushers have a similar layout possibility. It is a matter of choices. What would you give up in order to have separates??

The hard part is finding where you can put the dryer. On coaches with the big CRT based TV’s you already have a good place to start. As light as the dryer is, you could probably put it on a small slide but the bigger problem would be getting power to it. That is something to consider.

EVENTUALLY, I’ll put a DVD/TV in the dryer compartment door. They are pretty thin and will fit without interference with the slide out as it comes in. We don’t watch TV in the bedroom so it’s not a priority. The original coax cables and the power receptacle still in place so it will be an easy thing to do.

From the outside, it looks factory.

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As a postscript, the week at the beach was great. With 4 adults in the coach and beach clothes and swim suits/towels every day, we ran at least one load daily. We were very impressed! Very little heat gain in the bedroom that quickly returned to normal within 30 minutes after the dryer finished. The washer is very nice, quiet smooth and so much larger capacity and quieter than the Splendide.

I've made a lot of enhancements to our coaches over the years but this one is the best by far.
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Old 07-16-2018, 12:47 PM   #7
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Nice job. Thanks for all the pics and the narrative.
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Old 07-16-2018, 04:50 PM   #8
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I am one of probably many people with the exact dilemma. Wife is quite insistent - she does not want a Combo unit. Your detailed account of your adventure will likely be a 'how to' guide for many. Thanks for your contribution and pictures.
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Old 07-16-2018, 05:05 PM   #9
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Bob, doesn't your '17 Discovery have separates? I thought Discovery stopped doing the combo some years back?


Btw, are you planning to attend the Camp Discovery rally at LazyDays in January?
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Old 07-16-2018, 05:08 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinkertonk View Post
Bob, doesn't your '17 Discovery have separates? I thought Discovery stopped doing the combo some years back?


Btw, are you planning to attend the Camp Discovery rally at LazyDays in January?
We just sold the Discovery - payments were too expensive for us. We are now actively looking for an older American Coach or Newmar which will most likely have a combo unit.
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Old 07-16-2018, 05:13 PM   #11
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Very nice, you do good work. I and the better half hate that combo in ours. This may be in the near future for us. Thanks for your post and pics.
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Old 07-16-2018, 05:34 PM   #12
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Kerry, first off, awesome job. I am going to try to say this in the nicest way possible so as not to sound like a [Moderator Edit], just don't be offended, not my intent.

I will help you if need be, but you have to swap that door out. I just ordered some doors for my rig, did some remolding of my own, but to get a door made to match your other doors below it perfectly is like $40. My doors/drawers are identical to yours, same style, profile, and color.

If you google up in your area, Cabinet Door Shop/Maker/Manufacture you will be able to find one. These companies do not make cabinets, they just make doors. Most cabinet shops who make cabinets, don't make doors/drawer fronts anymore because there are so many door shops that can do it cheaper & better, its a specialty business that most don't even know exists.

In my area, there is probably 10 shops that just make cabinet doors, This is the company I used, but have used several over the years and I am certain there are some in your area. The MinWax Cherry color stain they sell at Home Depot will match your stain color almost perfectly, it did in mine.

You did an awesome job, go just the extra bit and get a matching door to make it look like it rolled out of the factory that way.
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Old 07-16-2018, 06:57 PM   #13
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...

I will help you if need be, but you have to swap that door out....
No problem

I thought of that and have a cabinet maker I've worked with before. Here are three issues that I was considering.

1- When the dryer is running it needs to be vented. I could do louvers but that would drive the price up a good bit.

2- With a non-ventilated door, we'd have to leave it open and that would block access to the closet. Even a two piece door like on the washer would limit access.

3- Sooner rather than later, there will be as large a flatscreen as will fit on that door mounted on it. At that point, I might do something about it.

You can't tell from the photos I posted but that fabric is a very nice match for the coach fabric.
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Old 07-20-2018, 12:41 PM   #14
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No problem

I thought of that and have a cabinet maker I've worked with before. Here are three issues that I was considering.

1- When the dryer is running it needs to be vented. I could do louvers but that would drive the price up a good bit.

2- With a non-ventilated door, we'd have to leave it open and that would block access to the closet. Even a two piece door like on the washer would limit access.

3- Sooner rather than later, there will be as large a flatscreen as will fit on that door mounted on it. At that point, I might do something about it.

You can't tell from the photos I posted but that fabric is a very nice match for the coach fabric.

What about a solid door with either/both a top or bottom decorative screen for air flow and solid center section for mounting the television? We use an Office Depot waste basket that has metal fabric for the screened side vents on the race cars and this has proven to work really well without gouging the budget more than $20.
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