Advice on washer/dryer/laundry room

[combo52]

Two and a Half times longer life

I am only going by what each manufacturer claims, Miele often makes the claim that their washers can last 10,000 loads. SQ factory representatives have repeatedly told us that their FL washers are designed to be structurally sound for around 25,000 loads, at eight loads a week that is well over 50 years.

 

[yogitunes]

Keep your ears and eyes open!

well....a few things to consider with a contractor.....

usually they install the bottom of the line cheapest appliance there is.....which usually needs replacing within a few years.....

and they also charge a certain percent higher cost for the appliance than if you got it yourself......

now if you can work a deal that he purchases the appliance you want, at the same cost it would be for you, that may be a different story...

this also falls true for your heating/air and water heater among other things....if he is doing several apts in your complex, guaranteed their all the same model that he got as a package discount.....most likey wont be TOL....if it is, you will probably pay 2 to 3 times what it really cost....

I have yet to see any contractor install any TOL appliance.....not without a substantial increase in price....

keep your eyes peeled.....I have yet to see a contractor, as a standard, install anything better than what he would put in his own house......not that all are bad guys, just stay on your toes, and check things out and ask questions....

 

[frigilux]

Cheapest flood/leak insurance: Have your plumber/contractor install a short-throw, single lever water shut-off valve for your washer. You can then shut off the water at the end of wash day. I have two old-fashioned faucets (one for the hot water hose to the washer, the other one for cold) that are easily reached, so I shut off the water when I've finished my last load of the day. You'll never have to worry about burst hoses causing a flood. As I said, it's the cheapest insurance money can buy.

Good luck with your remodel, and we love photos here, so if you think of it, take one of your laundry room when it's all set up and post it here!

Calling John (combo52): I don't know if I've described the water valve shut-off thing accurately. Is there a more common name for the device I'm talking about?

 

[laundromat]

I have two different Whirlpool Duet sets with risers.One Seth is new (2011) and the other is from 2004.They are in pristine condition and are used daily.I also have an LG MEGA CAPACITY artIst are stacked.however they are wider (29.5")but they have a cool recirculating spray that is located on either side of the interior blot.Then,at the very center of the upper boot,there's a jet spray for the rinse.LG has earned high recommendations they have been listed as having fewecasesr repairs.in their washers, dryers according to CT.Net mega capacity pair has a 5.1 cut ft capacity and easily washes my king size down comforter,bedspread,skirt,flat and fitted. Sheets,bedliner and four pillow cases.yesterday,I washed there seven by four feet hall runners.I used the sanitize cycle,Gain
ND Clorox got everything came out clean as new and look great.I can was large area rugs too.We have there right ft by two ft runners in the hallway.Even though they're bulky and have a sort of burlap type fabric.They washed up great using the Sanitary cycle.

 

[richardtb]

Thanks for all the good suggestions

Thanks for all the good suggestions, but it will take a long time for the job
to be completed and pictures to be posted. It needs condominium board approval (condominium sends it out to an outside architecture firm to check the design), city approval (which usually rejects the designs a couple of times),..., so it will probably take another 8 months.

 

[richardtb]

Subfloor

The sub floor has to be wood. So, does this mean that I should be sticking to at TL washer? Or can I get FL and have it bolted to the floor?

 

[qualin]

Richard,

A top loading washer would provide less vibration and won't shake your flooring as much.

Other FL washers have a setting to allow for wooden floors by lowering the spin speed or doing more redistribution cycles to provide for less vibration.

I'd say that a SQ Top loading machine would be your best bet in your situation.

If water use is a serious concern, you'd be better off with a smaller European style front loader machine, such as a Miele or an Asko, with the downside that you'll have less of a load capacity.

 

[richardtb]

Summary of suggestions

Since the price of water is not a concern for me, it sounds like the way I should go is a Speed Queen TL and get a single lever water shut-off valve for your washer.

 

[richardtb]

Size of Speed Queen

My wife just noticed that all the TL washer is only 3.3 cubic feet, so we would not be able to wash comforters in it. So, that suggests either taking comforters to the laundry mat or going for the Miele?

 

[combo52]

Preventing Water Damage From Washer Problems

Hi Eugene, having a quick and convenient way to shut off the water supply is always a good thing to have, I am not sure that there is a general name for that type of shut -off valve but you described it well, however in my experience turning off the water when you are finished using a washer will at best only eliminate less than 25% of the water damage caused by automatic washers. Inlet hoses are of such good quality nowadays that burst hoses are very rare and of coerce if you have a high chance of damage from a leak I would get premium hoses [ without the troublesome built-in shut off valves ]. The most likely time an inlet hose ever bursts in when the washer is in use, from vibration of the washer, the surges caused from inlet valves opening and closing and from the temperature changes the hoses experience when very hot or even cold pass through them.

 

The washer itself is going to account for 90% of leaks and floods, not to even mention the possibility of the stand-pipe backing up.

By far the best way to build a flood safe laundry room is a waterproof floor slopped to a decent floor drain. It is very much like dryer fires the best way to avoid serious damage from a dryer fire is a sprinkler system in the laundry room, no amount of dryer cleaning and proper use of a clothes dryer will guarantee that you will never have a fire.

 

[richardtb]

Thanks combo52

Thank you for the clarifications, they are very helpful.

 

[passatdoc]

1. Be certain your supply hoses are woven steel, rather than rubber. Sometimes leaks occur in the hoses, not in the machine itself, and a plumbed drip pan can save you from both types of catastrophes. I have friends in a $1 million home whose upstairs floors were ruined by a leak from an upstairs laundry room which had an UNPLUMBED pan, unable to catch all the water that leaked (and even if it does, how do you deal with the water in the pan with no drain, other than with buckets??).

2. I have a Frigidaire FL model 2140, bought 3/2006 and running strong--with no repairs or service calls ever. I do not use liquid bleach, and always leave the door ajar and wipe the gasket seal dry with a hand towel. I also descale with citric acid on a quarterly basis. I'm sure one day the cheap aluminum spider bracket will break and then I'll need a new one, but for now I'm ok. It has a 3.5 cu ft basket (close to the max size offered in 2006, which was 3.7 on Whirlpool Duets, but small by today's standards). I can wash a full/queen comforter but not a king comforter. So once a year I trudge down to the laundromat and run two loads in their Milnor "triple load machines", one comforter per machine. Their dryers get the comforters dry in 30 minutes, and I always use duvet covers so that the comforters need cleaning once a year maximum. You may have to do the same without a FL---and I understand since this is not a first floor installation, there are vibration reasons to chose a TL and not a FL.

3. If you do choose a FL, be sure there is space to leave the door permanently ajar. Some machines now have a retractable bracket (supposedly child proof) which holds the door open a few inches without allowing it to swing freely, which is a good space saver in tight applications. I believe some Frigidaire models now have this feature. Also, you didn't mention the age of your child (you mentioned a family of three) but if you have a young child, you need to be able to secure your laundry room if there is a FL. They can be deadly attractions to young children.

 

[henene4]

Ok, Mieles capacity is not more then the 3.3 cu ft, maybe even less. And on wooden flors, if you choose a FL, really, get a Miele. I agree, SQ is a better choice for US style washing. As Miele doesn't offer any TLs, SQ is a better choice in. But how about venting the dryer? Will there be a proper, short and mostly straight vent for the dryer?

 

[richardtb]

Miele/ venting dryer

I looked at the size of the Miele and they are even smaller, for some reason I thought I had read that they made a model that was 4 cu. ft., but I guess I was wrong.

Your question by assumes way more technical knowledge than I have. Anything that I should ask our engineer to do about the venting of the laundry room?

 

[henene4]

Yes,..

As you know, your vented dryer needs a vent to the outside. The question is: How long is it and how many bows does it have? Because if there are to much bows and/or the way of the vent is to long, your new vented dryer cant vent the moistured, warm air which will give you longer drying times, higher energy usage and (worest case) moisture floating back into your laundry room.
Miele produced 4cuft washers a few years ago, but these were stopped.
How big is a king/queen size comforter in inches or meters? Here in Germany, we have 135cm*200cm and 155*220cm comforters and they fit right into a Miele washer of this size and are washed. With a 3.3 cuft frontload washer, these shpildn't be a problem at all as these machines are round about 20l bigger on drum volume.

 

[kb0nes]

Braided stainless vs Rubber hoses

Don't assume that just because a hose is wrapped in metal braid that its automatically better then a rubber hose. Its akin to the idea that any modern appliance faced in stainless is better then whatever appliance it replaced. A low cost poorly assembled hose "prettied up" with stainless braid is still a cheap hose.

A high quality rubber hose can work fine for many years. I'd take a rubber hose with the word Gates on it over a stainless hose with the word China on it any day. How often does a hose burst (or get cut) in the middle of the run? Most failures I have seen are at the ends, it's really more about the quality components and assembly.

This reminds me of the pretty gold colored drill bits you buy at the big box stores. They tout the Titanium Nitride coating and how it makes the drill last 50x longer. But its a very thin layer of TiN and about all it does is prevent rusting. The various vapor deposited oxide coatings do offer big advantages on quality cutting tools, but on the cheap drills its just window dressing, as it the stainless braid on a cheap hose. Cosmetics sell to those that don't pay attention.

Pick a good hose (one the manufacture was proud enough to put their name on it!), install it correctly and inspect it once and again and all will be well. For extra insurance turn off the water supply while away.

 

[richardtb]

Answer to henene4

The vent would probably have to go 16 ft to get to the edge of the building. I am not sure what "bows" are.

We live in Houston, Texas which tends to be very hot and humid.

The size of our bed is 193cm by 213 (so called "California king").

 

[DADoES]

 
16' is not the best, but workable for a straight run (4" solid-flue ducting, not "accordion").  A bow is a bend or angle or turn in the ducting, 90° or whatever.  Every bend reduces the effective air velocity and cuts the maximum-allowable length accordingly.  The dryer's installation instruction should outline details for maximum length per the number of bends.

Ideal ducting is placing the dryer at an exterior wall for straight-through access to the outside.

 

[henene4]

Checked that out. The manual of a SpeedQueen dryer says up to 6,7 meters (22 feet) are possible on a vent 4 times 90°-angeled.

 

[golittlesport]

There are safety hoses you can get that supposedly stop the water flow if it bursts and senses full water pressure going through. I put these on my washer in a second floor laundry room. I did once have the drain hose work its way out of the standpipe and make a mess. The pan with drain under the machine didn't help in that case. I realized (duh) that the drain pan will only help if the machine itself overflows, which is much less likely to happen than input or output hose problems. The drain hose is now tie-wrapped to the water spigot and also duct taped to the standpipe. It ain't going nowhere!! Hopefully I'll never find out if those input safety hoses really work or not. They do make me feel safe. I always turn water off after use - ours has a single lever that controls both hot and cold.