Washer/ Dryer

[bairman]

Just had a new Splendide washer dryer combo installed last week for or 3-month summer trip. Any suggestions on using it? Can we use regular detergent like Tide or do we need to use the one the manufacturer sells?

[czarsty]

I have a 12 year old Splendide 2000 and use HE Tide liquid and it works quite well. I use the least amount and have had no problems. I have also used the Splendide powdered detergent and it was good too. I guess it hasn't mattered which detergent I use since the machine is going strong since Nov. 1998. I try not to overload it and often use the short wash since our clothes don't get too dirty. Good luck with the washer and have a wonderful trip.

[Guest BillAdams]

We have used just about every brand of liquid detergent with ours. We did not like the way the powdered detergent built up in the soap tray so we use liquid only (YMMV). You need to adjust the usage as the instruction on the container are for much larger washers. You can wash more than you can dry so either wash small loads or only dry about 1/2 what you wash at a time.

[Guest Wayne77590]

Our manual states to use HE detergent. DW knows that and that is all we use. It's easy for us since the stick house uses HE detergent also.

Here is a little blurb on HE Laundry Detergent

[tbutler]

Splendide has two models of the washer/dryer. I hope you have the one which is vented to the outside. As the manual states with this one, you should open a vent or window in the coach to allow air to easily enter the coach. That way, the dryer can easily push the air out of the coach in the dry cycle. This model works pretty good at drying but as CZARSTY said, small loads dry best. Even with small loads this washer is a real time and labor saver over using machines at campgrounds or in laundromats. No more lugging clothes to and from and sitting watching dryers go round and round!

We had an unvented model in our first coach and it was less than efficient at drying. It used cold water circulating around the outside of the drum to get condensation to form as the clothes tumbled in the dry cycle. This removed water from the clothes slowly but also helped fill the gray water tank faster. It worked better where we were hooked up to your coldest water source since the colder the water the more condensation it will cause. In a cold climate, your fresh water tank may be colder than the ground water of the campground. Switching to internal water during the dry cycle will make this model work better in this case. Otherwise, in warm climates, use the colder water from the campground supply. In either case, we always had sewer available when using this model.

I've had several failures of the electronics - computer board - in the seven years we've had our vented model. The 110/120 V current plugs into the electronics board and if the connection is weak or corroded it will melt the board. I replaced ours the last time after watching Camping World techs do it the first time. The technical staff at Splendide is very helpful. They included a new plug for the 110/120V connection complete with a pigtail with the new board they sent me. The Camping World staff had used the old corroded fittings and they caused a failure again in about two years. If replacement of the board ever becomes necessary, be sure they put a new 110/120V connector on the line. I would also have them put some electrical grease on the pins to ensure the best possible contact and to prevent corrosion.

[bairman]

Thanks to everybody for the help. I would not have known about the liquid detergent and the low sudsing. One of these days I will need to start reading manuals.