Community Forums

DFR · 12-26-2007, 05:03 AM

My DW is insistant about installing a combo washer and dryer in the motorhome. I was wondering what the consensus is about these. Are they worth the effort? What is the best type? Vented or ventless? What are your thoughts?

DFR · 12-26-2007, 05:03 AM

My DW is insistant about installing a combo washer and dryer in the motorhome. I was wondering what the consensus is about these. Are they worth the effort? What is the best type? Vented or ventless? What are your thoughts?

Cousin Ed · 12-26-2007, 05:27 AM

If it does not have a w/d we don't have a MH. We had a discussion and we have a w/d. We have never had a ventless but the vented works fine.

beaverjim · 12-26-2007, 05:30 AM

you gotta have one they work great, just can't overload them. we have a splendide combo in our 02 beaver which we bought new and have never had any problems with it.its the second one we've owned, the first was in our 01 dicovery.
jim.

beaverjim · 12-26-2007, 05:33 AM

sorry forgot about the venting part! you want to have it vented. the non vented type take much longer to dry, hence higher cost of operating and not as fast

hope we could help and happy motorhoming!

full-timer · 12-26-2007, 05:47 AM

We didn't have one put in our motorhome. The wife wanted the space for more inside storage. We go to the laundromat and use 2-3 machines and are through in a short time instead of the washer/dryer going all time in the motorhome. Thats just our choice,your may be different.

Joe

Cruzer · 12-26-2007, 05:53 AM

We have the splendide 2100 in ours and really like it. The only differnce is that you do smaller loads more often instead of large loads less frequently. It's a great time saver when traveling but probably not as important if full timing. Most of those people prefer the stackable units versus the combo.

Ken Roberts · 12-26-2007, 08:10 AM

DFR, as said by others if it ain't got one it obviously ain't our MH. Wife likes the idea that we don't have to lug laundry to/from laundermat, we do it when we want and we know what has been in the machine before,i.e. she gets real picky about using a laundermat with her lingerie only to find out that somebody had recently used the machine for pet stuff.

Yes, a combo. does take a little longer; however, the additional time is generally with the drying function as it is operating on 110v. and your home machine or one in a laundermat is 220v. Generally time is not an issue for us as typically we turn it on before going to bed and when driving if we have generator on for something else, i.e. a/c we can also take advantage of using the combo. at the same time while cruising down the road.

You definitely want a vent type-again time issue and additional humidity in MH via ventless type, Ken,'04 DSDP...

Gary RVRoamer · 12-26-2007, 09:03 AM

We got one when we moved up to a 40 footer and the wife loves being able to due a load when needed and not making the weekly trip to a laundromat or use cg washers. However she agrees that there simply wasn't enough room in our previous 36 footer - cost too much interior space (and there is never enough of that!).

**Petro** · 12-26-2007, 01:33 PM

My DW said we did not need a W/D until we had one. We are now on our second one and I can tell you that now we will not have a MH with out one. She does a load every day while we are out and about. Vented is the way to go.

Don

paz · 12-26-2007, 02:26 PM

There's no right or wrong answer to this question. Weigh all the opinions and decide for yourself if having one is right for you.

Some people don't want to give up the space a washer/dryer takes up, and a washer/dryer is heavy. For the price of a washer/dryer, some people say they can do a lot of loads at the laundromat. Some don't like fooling around doing a lot of small loads. They say they can use several washers and dryers at the laundromat and finish their wash in an hour and a half. Some people also enjoy the social aspect of sitting around the laundromat.

On the other hand, we wouldn't be without our washer/dryer. IMO, having your own washer/dryer on board is worth all the space, weight, and cost because of the convenience. We can easily do a load while we sit outside the RV reading or we do a load after dinner. We've never done it, but you can run the generator and do a load while you drive down the road. We have even figured out how to squeeze in a load or two even if we don't have full hookups. We usually do a load or two every day or two. One thing we don't like about laundromats is the fact you don't know what may have been washed last in a campground or laundromat washer (diapers? dog bed? dirty rugs?).

If you decide to go with a washer/dryer, a stack washer/dryer takes up a little more room, but they are more efficient, faster, and dry with fewer wrinkles. Not all RV floor plans or manufacturers offer the stack units. Ours didn't, so we had to settle for the combo, which we still think is worth while. As several others have said, don't get a non-vented model. They take longer to dry and use more water.

GaryKD · 12-26-2007, 02:29 PM

My vote is to have a w/d. I have the Splendide 2100 combo unit. It works as advertised and I would make the purchase again. One must fit washing and drying into one's lifestyle. For me, I start a load when I'm ready to leave the coach for a day of sightseeing. When I return, the load is ready to be folded and stored. For those clothes needing to come out wrinkle free, they are washed on days I will not be sightseeing.

cb5300 · 12-26-2007, 04:38 PM

I've noticed that a few people state that they run their dryers while driving down the road??? I have a stacked Bosch washer and dryer, and in the owner's manual I'm thinking that it said not to do this...I always wondered why you couldn't run the dryer while driving and I still wonder if this is right....

paz · 12-27-2007, 02:24 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by cb5300:
I've noticed that a few people state that they run their dryers while driving down the road??? I have a stacked Bosch washer and dryer, and in the owner's manual I'm thinking that it said not to do this...I always wondered why you couldn't run the dryer while driving and I still wonder if this is right.... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
We've never run our Splendide while driving, but I have read about a number of people who said they did. I don't recall seeing anything in the Splendide instruction manual about not using the unit while driving, but it's something to consider. I'm guessing a reason not to run a washer/dryer while driving would be possible damage to the unit due to the extra weight of the clothes and water. Another reason could be vibration during driving possibly causing damage to the electric heating element in the dryer. Our washer/dryer is in the very back of our coach, which does bounce around a lot. The clothes hanging in the closet beside the washer/dryer occasionally end up on the closet floor.