Advice on Commercial Washer for Residential Use

[gredmondson]

One of my sons is in the market for a new washer and dryer (His Bosch Nexxt Washer has a weak pump and needs a new door gasket). He would like a washer that does the job quickly and well.
I was at a laundromat recently and noticed he wash cycle was 23 minutes -- and the clothes came out clean. He would be willing to pay more for the quick cycle. Do people ever put in commercial grade washers in homes? What is a reliable brand? Any supplier advice for the Bay Area, California?
George

 

[launderess]

Yes, commercial washing machines have been known to be installed in "domestic" settings. But there are several glitches.

First and foremost hard mount washers (most commonly found in laundromats) do not have pumps and will require bolting into several feet of concrete. Draining is accomplished by a pit into a trough onto a drain. The drain hose is *huge* in terms of diameter and water just rushes out when valve opens. Suppose one might go with some sort of floor drain. Hard mount machines normally run on three phase 220v. Though you might find something that uses single phase.

Most commonly used "industrial/commercial" washer for domestic use would be soft mount "on premises laundry" machines.

Such washers have a drain pump and suspension (no bolting required).

http://www.washcycle.com/soft-mount-vs-hard-mount-washer-extractors/

On market you can find various machines such as Wascomat's "Crossover"
https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/WHWF09810NM.html

Being as all this may Speed Queen front loaders sold for home use sound like something that might fit the bill.

They were after all dinged by many for short cycles and being really nothing more than a "laundromat/commercial" washer in domestic clothing.

 

[launderess]

Far from California

But something like this would be right up your son's street if he's looking for commercial laundry equipment to use in domestic setting.

https://pensacola.craigslist.org/app/d/stacked-washer-and-dryer-for/6669054111.html

 

[wft2800]

Assuming he's willing to pay for commercial quality but needs something that will fit in the same space as the Bosch, I'd say go for the Miele Octoplus machines if you can find a dealer willing to sell (which I understand is variable in different states in the US)...

 

[duality]

I have a Speed Queen front loader and gas dryer pair and they're pretty swank. They are commercial machines, just with a longer warranty for home use (5 years). I've peeked through the Alliance parts books and all the important bits are shared with their commercial small chassis line, the sort that goes in small nursing homes, hospice, that sort of thing.

You can't get the front loader individually anymore, just as a stacked washer/dryer, but you might be able to find a dealer who still has one. It's pretty much a home-sized machine, 22lb capacity.

Normal/Eco is 45 minutes, 11 gallons per cycle. The dryer's nothing to write home about but the washing machine sure is nice.