Bounder: Should I get the washer/dryer (all in one) combo?

[Cooperhawk]

Originally Posted by meebarb

I know right! First time it happened to me I thought I lost a balancing weight from a tire or something.

See ladies, always tell your hubby if you're doing laundry. I almost had a heart attack the first time it happened to me.

[Jssr]

Originally Posted by Mac_in_VA

Hey Timmy,

The 33C fell through as they said that it was spoken for and they did not realize it. I suspect someone must have offered more money. But, I found a great 35P in Fort Myers. It comes with a stackable and vented Whirlpool washer/dryer. So the decision was made for me. I am so happy. This model has opposing slides which makes the MH feel a lot better. Hubby likes that the tank is right below the toilet so no macerator, one less thing that could break. And, I get a huge close, and pantry space. Total of 8 (or is it 10) seatbelts, so my kids could take their friends. The 8 foot couch is great and turns into two side by side full (almost) beds. I think losing the 33C might have been a blessing.

I have a 2016 Holiday Rambler Vacationer 33CT. It is the same as the Bounder 33C. I think you are going to be A LOT happier with your 35P. Among many other issues, my Vacationer has the combo unit mounted at the rear of the motorhome which makes a unit that is already tail heavy, even more so. Good luck with your new motorhome!

[LouK23]

I have tried to live and be happy with a combo wash/dry machine on two separate occasions and was deeply unhappy both times. The machines are expensive, heavy and have very tiny load capacities...AND.... they take forever to dry your clothes. In our last RV we put in a separate washer and dryer and were delighted with how "normal" the chores of getting your clothes clean and dry were.

[zzotte]

We love our stackable

Zzotte

[AlgonquinFox]

I have been using my vented combo washer/dryer for 6 years and absolutely love the unit. First, the combo takes up less room than separate units, leaving more closet & cupboard space. Also, I really enjoy, throwing a small load into the combo, go about my day's activities, then come home to dry towels, or whatever. Waiting for a future feature which would fold the laundry, also!

Regardless, of your choice, by doing one small load each morning, one does not have to stack up dirty laundry for a week or more. Also, we pack fewer socks, shirts, towels, etc because I can easily keep up with laundry. Finally, I do not have to continually use laundromats...machines are constantly out of order, take $$$ to dry a load, and other inconveniences.

[heatwaverv]

We love our vented unit in our 2020 Bounder 35K. We just spent 6 weeks in FL and my wife washed clothes everyday and only went to laundry to wash sheets and towels. Make sure it is vented!

[ByeTheWay]

Thought we'd never use it, Boy were we wrong. Love it. We've even used it in transit. Our's is vented, Combo.

[bird6465]

We have a 35K and love our Splendide. Just remember to do small loads.

[mlpeloquin]

I installed a vented Splindide 2100XC in our fifth wheel. We loved it. We now have a split stacked washer and dryer. I wish we had our old Splindide. You must have vented only or you will never get the wash dry.


Note that there is a need to get the process down with the RV washers. First we never dried the shirts or pants in the unit. If you do, you will have almost permapress wrinkles. We take them out and shake them hard several times and put them on hangers to dry. This removes a lot of the wrinkles and no ironing. All other items are good to go except we always take them out and separate them and put them back in for drying. Even with the slower spin the wet wash will stick together so doing so allows them to dry better. Drying is done in a second separate step. We used wool balls to help the close tumble in the small drum. Second use one have the soap and one have the softener. You must use softener which helps with the wrinkles. Always used the slower speed spin. This also keeps the wrinkles down.

[Steve 716]

My first class A was a Bounder 33U with a combination washer/dryer. My next and probably last has separate units. The combo had outside venting. We found that (1) The load capacity was way too low for two people. You can wash two pair of jeans at best. (2) It takes way to long to dry. We could wash and dry two small loads per day. (3) It created damp air in my RV. (4) Even with the combo we had to spend one day per week at a laundromat. We weren't full timing but did spend two or three weeks on the road per trip. There are two of us. I replaced a horrible Whirlpool washer in my RV with an Electrolux that we are very happy with. Our original Whirlpool dryer still is going strong. We no longer need to visit a laundromat.

If you need to do just a few loads per week with a combo then go with it. If you can skip the combo and do all of your laundry in one day skip the combo. Last, if your Bounder comes pre wired and with an outside vent and you want a combo, buy it on your own. Installation will take less than an hour and you won't pay the RV manufacturer markup. Look at different manufacturers and read reviews before choosing a combo to install yourself.

[Buzzman60]

We love our combo. Yes you have to do smaller loads. Yes it will shake your rig. Once you learn how to use the unit it will be a joy. Follow instructions and don't overload. Best wishes.

[Spacecadet]

Hello and welcome. All good advice here, but this is just another idea. I have a portable little washer with a spinner in it. It doesn't dry with heat, but it gets most of the water out so you can hang it to dry.

I believe this is ours, but I think I paid closer to $85 for mine. Prices have gone up to increased demand for RV products since Covid.
https://www.amazon.com/ZENSTYLE-Comp...087244&sr=8-15

This fits perfectly in our tiny shower. I am the only one that actually uses our shower as the rest of my family prefers endless hot water in the public restroom. I personally prefer a shower that I have cleaned myself, but to each his own. We store it in the shower and I just set it on the toilet when I need to bathe. You plug it in, add water using the shower hose, run the cycles, and it empties out into the shower.

This only works for small loads so best if used daily. We use a wet wipe to make sure the RV ladder is clean and we hang clothes up on it. They are dry within an hour in the sun.

During the summer months, we have endless beach towels and swim suits that need washing so this comes with us to every beach trip. It will only fit about 3 towels so it works well if we do 1 or 2 loads a day. Our bathing suits don't take up a full load, but I prefer to have those washed every day, so it's perfect for our needs.

This wouldn't work well for full-time but you mentioned you are weekenders. We are also able to get all of our towels washed and dried which is great because I like to leave most things in the camper after a trip. It makes our arrival so much more peaceful. This is also portable so we take it out in the cooler months. We weekend at fishing lakes when it's cool and we don't really have a need for it. That's when we use the shower to house all of our winter gear. I think we all need more storage space in the winter because everything from gear to clothes is just larger, so being able to move this in and out of the camper depending on the season works for us. Happy Trails!

[Knightly]

Interesting reading about all the pros and cons of having a washer/dryer in an RV. We went through all the same concerns ourselves 10 years ago. We ended up installing the Splendide 2100XC, vented model c/w drip tray, in our motorhome at that time. We snowbird for 5 months per year so the machine has seen a lot of use. My wife would not be without it.

However, I thought I would mention that we did have one major, costly failure about 4 years ago. The cycles sequence failed so I ended up calling the distributor for the USA which I believe was in Oregon. They had a technician call me back who then lead me through a trouble shooting process. The only requirement was that I had to be familiar with a multimeter. I followed his instructions regarding testing the resistance of the 9 wires in the motor harness. It checked out 100% which told him it had to be the main control board and not the motor. Excellent support from the supplier! I took lots of pictures before attempting to replace the board as the amount of wires can be very intimidating. I managed to remove the machine from the cupboard as it was at floor lever. I laid it on its side to access the control panel mounted at the back, inside of the cabinet. It was tight but I did not have to take the washer/dryer out of the rig.

It has worked 100% since. The cost of the repair was for parts/shipping only, which was $400 usd. Not cheap but back then a new machine was around $1300 usd. I could not see any burned area on the control board so do not know exactly what failed but there was no way to repair the board, at least not for me.

Even with this problem, we would not be without a washing machine.

[Tom-NC]

I would not recommend that unit but do get the stackable Splendide Washer and Dryer they are great