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rhart

Washer/Dryer in a 40' DP

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Since conventional wisdom has the 'all in one' W/D as not hearty enough to keep you out of laundromats my question is this:

Is it possible to install "real" (useful in the sense that they work as home units) washer and dryer in a 40 foot DP.

If so what do I need to look for when going out to purchase the DP. We are leaning towards a 40' Monaco or Newmar if this makes a difference.

Thanks in advance for any helpful tips.

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I have a compact size Frigidaire W/D in my condo. Don't know if it would fit in a MH or not. The space I have would not take the regular size units. I do know that the dryer is 240V, but they might make a 120V version. I am pretty sure I have seen a couple of other brands in the compact size at Lowe's. The Frigidaire units I have work just like the full size units except smaller capacity. I am single so don't have a lot of laundry. I have washed a King Size light-weight blanket in them and that worked ok.

Hope this helps.

Jack

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Do I have to stick with only compact apt size units?? My hope was to use a real washer and real dryer. Is there any way to install a home W/D?

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Suspect you will need to weigh the tradeoffs of storage vs full size units.

Suspect some coaches could accommodate it, but probably not many.

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Well worth a few sq ft of storage to avoid spending time in laundromats I'm thinking.

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We have a 42 ft model with stacking W/D. Yes, they are small and have low water usage too. Can't imagine getting enough water pressure to run a stick-house model W/D ... Still, just two of us and I do all our laundry in my RV with the exception of king size blankets and pillows. No problem in over three years!

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We have been using stacked washers and dryers since 2007. No problems, other than a Whirlpool washer dying after 5 years on our previous coach. We like Splendidie washers and dryers very much.

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I would quit trying to re invent the wheel. You can do the majority of your washing in a Splendide combo. Yes you will have to learn how to use it. So every once in awhile you have to go wash king size blankets etc. in the laundromat or at home. You are talking about spending lots of money for little gain.

Bill

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We have had both and do not like the Combo we presently have. No room for stackables. Combo dryers wash, then dry and there is nothing you can do about that. Stacables allow you to wash one load then dry it while washing another load. Much more efficient with time. Combo takes a very long time to do one load of clothes. About 99% of the time we just take everything to the laundromat and we are done in an hour and a half.

That's just us!

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rhart. On another post from you, you purchased a DP ! You wreck it? :huh:

As for washer/dryer, I have a Splendid stackable and it's fine for me! Have had no problems. I do take my Jeans in for dry cleaning

and wash towels about once a month in Laundromat.

If you have money to burn and want to stay at 40', may I suggest you order a coach from Newell. :rolleyes:

Carl

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  • We're complete newbies to the motorcoach world and expect to take delivery of our 40' Ventana at the end of next week.  We paid for a stackable washer/dryer to be installed and the sales office called to ask if we wanted Splendide or Whirlpool.  Knowing nothing about Splendide, I opted for the Whirlpool because of brand name, assumed reliability, and ease of finding a repair person should it be needed.  Anyone able to review the 2 machines and suggest the best of the 2?  Would really appreciate a quick answer.  I think they will be installing by the beginning of next week.  Thanks!

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I have full timed with a Splendie since 1999.  I believe my wife and I have been in a laundromat maybe 5 or 6 times in those 17 years.  RV parks have very nice laundry facilities if we have bulky things we need to wash and the machines are just steps from our front door.  The stacked W/D setup in RV's is a bit better as you can dry while you wash saving some time ('cause we are so short on time!) and you can do a slightly larger load.  They don't wash any better (front loaders wash better than top loaders) but they do dry faster (again saving that time we are so short on).

A household dryer uses 240V unless you want to convert a gas dryer to propane and watch that tank empty itself in a huge hurry!

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Same thought here.  I have the Splendie Stack and like it..got a load in now, don't use much soap and it's been trouble free!  It will do bedding, towels and Jeans, but I prefer to do those items in a Park or just hand it over to a commercial laundry, go play golf, sightsee, or clean coach and pick up later!  Mostly golf! :lol:

Whirlpool, Sears (home), LG and whatever to me is house only, as there is a lot more laundry to be done there, than in coach!:( 

Carl  

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I guess you are much more sophisticated than me.  Hand it over to a commercial laundry and pick it up later?  I sure wish I was in your tax bracket!  I have only done that once in my life (pre-RV or not).  That was when we went to help out in NOLA after Katrina.  There were almost no laundry's left but we happened upon one where there was a waiting line 4 deep for every machine.  However, the owner, with a side arm strapped to his side, said they also did wash and fold.  SOLD!  Can't remember how much it cost but I try not to think of those things when it was really the only reasonable option at the time.

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I have found the average is $9.53 for 13 pounds!  If I do my bedding in a park, comes out close to the same due to drying time, not the wash time, also a lot of parks don't have a machine big enough to was and dry bed blankets and comforters for king size bed!

My tax bracket has absolutely nothing to do with this subject or the OP's original question!

There is one of me and two of you...

Carl

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2 hours ago, tstiles1129 said:
  • We're complete newbies to the motorcoach world and expect to take delivery of our 40' Ventana at the end of next week.  We paid for a stackable washer/dryer to be installed and the sales office called to ask if we wanted Splendide or Whirlpool.  Knowing nothing about Splendide, I opted for the Whirlpool because of brand name, assumed reliability, and ease of finding a repair person should it be needed.  Anyone able to review the 2 machines and suggest the best of the 2?  Would really appreciate a quick answer.  I think they will be installing by the beginning of next week.  Thanks!

I haven't had any experience with the Whirlpool but the Splendide in the stackable should be fine.

Bill

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We have had Splendide equipment (combination washer/dryer) in both coaches we have owned.  The control board on our current unit failed on two occasions.  The first time Camping World did an on-site replacement at our winter campground.  They replaced the board which then failed again about two years later.  I called Splendide and they sent us a new board and a new pigtail that attaches to that board.  Camping world hadn't replaced the pigtail.  The tech at Splendide said it should have been replaced.  The failure was caused by damage at the pigtail attachment on the control board.  The 110V switching apparatus is on the control board and it flows through the pigtail and the plug on the pigtail.  I think a better design would have been to put the 110V switch on a separate board or just to make the 110V connection a solder connection rather than through the plug.  Anyway, I replaced the board and pigtail myself.  There has been no problem since.  If you are concerned about convenience of repair facilities for your washer and dryer, the home brand will be more available but those repair people may not want to work on a unit in a motor home.  Likewise, RV technicians will be familiar with most appliances in a motor home including the Splendide equipment.  Authorized dealers for Splendide can do repair but others can also repair the equipment.

We did look at stacking units and apartment sized separate units when the second failure occurred.  Both would have worked for us but we decided to give the Splendide one more chance.  We hardly ever use the laundromat.  Having the convenience of running a load of laundry at home while we go on about our lives in the coach is so much more convenient than going to a laundromat or using campground equipment.  The bedding can be done in multiple loads, heavy fabrics like jeans can be hung out in the shower for final drying after the normal drying cycle.  It is just like the rest of the RV experience, it's not like a sticks and bricks house, in some ways it is so much better and in other ways it has its challenges. 

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We are on Splendide number three.  The first two were single units, this is a stackable.  All have worked flawlessly.  The D/W likes the stackable better...slightly larger and you can dry one load while washing another.  We have stayed in some CGs where several of the on site laundromats were so dirty, they were virtually unusable.

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I have visited a few friends that accomplished what you are wanting to do by using an enclosed car hauler that is long enough to fit the car and the washer and dryer inside with the appropriate wiring and plumbing. The problem with this kind of setup is that few campgrounds will accomodate this type setup without renting an extra space, but these friends can afford it, so they do it.

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5 hours ago, manholt said:

Now, if we could hear back from OP?  That would be nice! 

Well the OP started this thread October 3, 2015 and it was resurrected last Friday by tstiles1129. But yes it would be nice.

By the way welcome to the forum tstiles1129.

Bill

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I have a Whirlpool washer and dryer that are very good units that you can stack I will not go back to the Splendid.

Mine are in a 25 inch wide by 68 inch tall cabinet

JimR 

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JimR.  Welcome to the Forum!

What, Make, model and length of coach do you have?  

A lot of Custom Coaches have residential washer/dryer in them.  But, they also have a lot bigger grey tank than mine and they have secondary pumps to move the larger quantity of water, than my stacked Splendid.  There is also, the matter of 240V vs. 120V, how do you manage that?

Carl

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