Community Forums

450Donn · 03-03-2012, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by docj

IMHO this was written by someone who hasn't had experience with a modern ventless combo unit.

And you would be totally wrong. I have had both, we installed a ventless when we first bought our fiver. One year later it was gone and we installed a vented. IMHO there is a world of difference. Instead of having clothes that never get dry, we now have dry clothes. Either mode will work, it is really up to the purchaser as to how satisfied he is with mediocre. BTW if ventless dryers were so great how come you never see them in stick and mortar houses?

docj · 03-04-2012, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 450Donn

if ventless dryers were so great how come you never see them in stick and mortar houses?

Actually, ventless combos are used throughout the world where venting of dryers would be difficult or impossible. They originated in Europe where many older buildings have no provision for vents and have become popular in Asia, as well. They are now being marketed in the US for similar applications. For example, we have friends who live in a condo in an old high-rise in Chicago who can't have a conventional washer/dryer. This type of unit would work well. In addition to Splendide, ventless combos are now made by LG and Haier and, as far as I am aware, neither of those companies is marketing to the RV community.

num1dgh · 03-04-2012, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KIX

Dryers produce humidity in the process of drying clothes. If it's ventless guess where the humidity goes.

Incorrect. Ventless washer/dryers take the moisture removed as steam and allow it to condense back into water as it cools, and then the water is drained into your grey water tank. It does not vent into the rv.

I've found that the timing of my Splendide takes some getting used to, but once I did, I find it much more convenient than going to the laundry at the park. The only thing I would improve is that I'd like a "beep" when it's done so I can get the clothes out before they wrinkle. As far as a stackable goes, I definitely prefer the extra cupboard space above and below my washer/dryer combo.

My one tip with a combo would be to do laundry frequently so that you do smaller loads than you may be accustomed to at home.

kodiak61 · 03-06-2012, 08:44 PM

I am trying to decide what is best in my situation, and that will work good. I like the added space in the closet that a ventless combo unit would give without poking a hole in the outer wall of the fifth wheel to install the vent. But, I am not totally opposed to losing the space and poking the hole if I decide on the stack unit. I would have to find somebody to do the work so it would look right and have no leaks in the wall... I am a picky person when it comes to stuff like that. Thanks to everybody for their input.

LadyFitz... · 03-07-2012, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kodiak61

I am trying to decide what is best in my situation, and that will work good. I like the added space in the closet that a ventless combo unit would give without poking a hole in the outer wall of the fifth wheel to install the vent. But, I am not totally opposed to losing the space and poking the hole if I decide on the stack unit. I would have to find somebody to do the work so it would look right and have no leaks in the wall... I am a picky person when it comes to stuff like that. Thanks to everybody for their input.

You do not have to buy a stack unit to get a vented dryer. Splendide makes a vented combo.

jablair · 03-07-2012, 08:17 AM

As 'LadyFitz' Splendide makes a vented combo model. It is the model we choose when getting our new trailer last year. It does dry quicker, have had no problems with moisture or condensation. We choose it for the quicker drying time and did want the moisture vented to the outside rather than into the grey tank.

07Retired · 03-07-2012, 10:14 AM

After two winters of hauling our clothes to laundromats, we purchased the vented combo Splendide. We love it. Pros: having the ability to wash and dry clothes in your rv. No more wondering what was in the washer/dryer at the laundromat before your load! It does a fantastic job of cleaning clothes...even grimy and greasy jeans. 99% of the time we use the Express Cycle. Cycle selection is awesome. Cons: Small capacity. We offset this by doing small loads. We can do our regular size (not RV sized) Queen Sheets/Pillowcases/Pillow Covers in one load. We can do 2 large bath towels, 4 hand towels in one load. Rocks the hell out of the RV when spinning. Guests have been known to panic thinking an earthquake was happening! Hints: We normally don't dry some items, even while at home, so we hang those items in the shower on an expansion rod that stays in place. Works great.
If you want to do a quick multicolor load, use the Shout Color Catcher sheets. They work great! Don't be tempted to use more than the recommended detergent. If you have sensitive skin, use the extra rinse option. The regular heat is hot and tends to wrinkle. So, be sure to select the lower heat. It helps! Some recommend always using fabric softener. We don't use it on our bath/dish towels.
If we had space for a separate washer and dryer, that would be our preference. We chose the combo unit because we use the other half of the cabinet for storage, and we can keep the laundry detergents, softeners, etc. close to the washer. We chose vented because of the feedback on the site. We installed it ourselves. Picked it up at Camping World. Even got it in easily thru the bedroom window without killing ourselves.

vito.a · 03-09-2012, 03:19 PM

How hard is it to install a dryer vent in a Class A?
Do you go through the floor, or to the ceiling?

TXiceman · 03-09-2012, 03:42 PM

The vent-less uses a small "heat exchanger" to condense SOME of the moisture out of the exhaust. As air is heated it will hold more water vapor....20 dF will double the amount of water vapor that the air can hold. So under most conditions, the vent-less units WILL put some moisture back into the RV.

If you are going to get a washer dryer, get a vented unit.

Ken

JohnFreyja · 03-09-2012, 04:06 PM

I agree with Sandi. I've had a ventless on a boat (didn't want a vent in the deck or side of the boat) and had no problem with humidity in Seattle and in Puerto Vallarta MX. The moisture goes down the drain. I now have a vented Splendide in my motorhome and it is a little faster but as others say you have to follow the instructions and do smaller loads. The space savings is a great plus and it is convienant to walk away and come back to finished load.

LadyFitz... · 03-09-2012, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

The vent-less uses a small "heat exchanger" to condense SOME of the moisture out of the exhaust. As air is heated it will hold more water vapor....20 dF will double the amount of water vapor that the air can hold. So under most conditions, the vent-less units WILL put some moisture back into the RV...

I wasn't aware that ventless combos even had an exhaust. So you have any way of backing that up?

docj · 03-09-2012, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyFitz...

I wasn't aware that ventless combos even had an exhaust. So you have any way of backing that up?

You are correct; the ventless models have NO exhaust of any kind. It's amazing to me how many people profess to be experts about things they don't know anything about.

The Splendide ventless combo has inner and outer drums. The clothes, of course, are in the inner drum. After they are washed the inner drum is heated and the resulting water vapor goes through holes in the inner drum and is condensed on the walls of the outer drum. The outer drum is cooled with cold water to make sure it stays cold enough to condense the vapor. The water collected in the outer drum is pumped into the drain (gray water). They use approximately 2.5 gal/hour of cold water to keep the drum cool during the drying cycle.

I personally am not sure why so many people on this forum feel it is their mission to "diss" on the unvented combos. I posted recently that the newer units are far better than the 12-yr-old one we replaced. I am not claiming that it is as good as a vented model, but we didn't want to cut a vent in our coach so we stayed with ventless. The new ventless model does its job quite well; the drum capacity is greater and the drying times are shorter.

I'm trying to provide objective information for people who may wish to install ventless combos. I don't have any financial interest in Splendide or any retailer that sells them.

07Retired · 03-10-2012, 07:48 AM

We installed our vent on the side of the coach. (Everything we read recommended that the vent be positioned so as to avoid angles in the venting and to go straight thru wall, if possible.) Husband measured the vent placement on the machine, then transferred the measurements to the back wall from the interior of the coach. He then determined the "center" point of the vent hole. He drilled a pilot hole thru that point from the interior wall to the exterior wall of the coach. Then he used a hole saw bit (the exact size of the vent tube) and drilled out the vent hole from the exterior side of the coach. (He taped around the area to be drilled out with masking/blue tape to avoid splintering the exterior wall.) Then he installed the vent kit. (You have to purchase this separately from the washer). It attaches to the exterior of the coach with screws. He caulked around the vent cover to preclude leaks. He said the scariest part was making sure he was drilling in the right spot. There are other posts that describe the process....that is what we followed. It worked perfectly.

TXiceman · 03-10-2012, 08:14 AM

Funny, I had seen one that was proclaimed to be ventless, but if blew warm damp air out. The newer ones use water to condense the moisture and use about 2.5 gallons per hour to get the little water that they reclaim from the damp clothes. I do not care for this approach as well. Terribly inefficient waste of a resource...and SLOW.

Ken