Advice on washer/dryer/laundry room

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Mmh, okay, then i`m out. Don't now much about these US washer brands.
Only Miele Professional offers such big drums, like the one i posted below...Indeed this one is one of the smallest machines they offer with ca. 3.5 cu ft, and because it is a machine oftenly used in Laundromats, this will last a long time. The next bigger one needs to be bolted, so now way that for.On this one, the machine just needs to be fixed to the flor with smaller screws.
But these machines are just horrible expensive, so, get any washer you want and that is recomended by one of the members or your appliances dealer.

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response to henene4

ok, I will give it another try at calling commercial washing machine distributors.
Last time I called them they were not interested to selling to residential, but my choices are looking bleak!
 
Keep in mind this is a washer with drain vavle, means it got no pump, so water needs to be abled to flow just out of the washer int the pipe, but with a standpipe it should be possible to place a angle down wards on the end of the drain pipe. So, if you ever need a nother washer (what i dont think), it would be possible to change this anyway.
 
Redo the laundry room in a way that it is easy to install a new washer and dryer after a reasonable time. Modern washers are not built to last anymore. Perhaps except from Speed Queen and Miele, but since they have been knocked out by your wife I would take no risk with the design of the laundryroom. Don't make it more difficult than it already is.
 
the salesperson recommended the Maytag Maxima...

 

 

I'm a Maytag fan, however Maytag as we knew it ceased to exist in April, 2006 when Whirlpool bought what was left of the struggling company.   Because of that I would never buy anything new with the Maytag name on principle, it's just a re-badged Whirlpool.  

 

Aside from that, I agree with many suggestions or votes for Speed Queen, whether it be an FL or TL machine.

 

DO NOT let your wife get caught up in the whole "What is the interior size / volume of the machine".   In the grand scheme of things the difference of .2, .3 or .5 cu.ft. will matter very little when doing your weekly laundry!  

 

I have a TOL 2009 (Whirlpool built) Kenmore Elite steam washer that's "rated" at 4.0 cu.ft.   When I bought it, I looked at the same model, but in red, sitting next to it.   Except for the color, it looked identical to the one I ended up buying, but was "larger" with a rating of 4.4 cu.ft.   I even took a tape measure to the inside drum of both washers and you know what?   The interior dimensions were EXACTLY the same.   I eventually realized the difference was only because in one washer, the baffles / paddles in the drum were shorter / smaller than the other and this alone accounted for the "extra" .4 cu.ft of volume in the other machine!

 

I also have a 1997 Frigidaire FL (small round door) which is "rated" at 3.1 cu.ft. (the EXACT same machine today is now rated @ 2.7 cu.ft)   I have washed a Cal King set of sheets, a Queen set of sheets plus 6 pillow cases in the same load, it handles it just fine and everything is clean.   Now trying to dry that load in one dryer on the other hand, is a challenge.  LOL

 

The Speed Queen website lists their FL washer at 2.84 cu.ft, BUT they USED to be rated at 3.3 cu.ft.   I've seen other listings for the SAME machine also list it as 3.3 cu.ft.   This is probably due to new government mandates changing the way the interior volume is calculated.

 

If you want to be able to wash your comforters at home, I would suggest a front load washer.

 

Kevin

 

 

[this post was last edited: 7/3/2013-16:37]
 
Out of curiosity how did your wife come up with the arbitrary 3.3 cu ft? The SpeedQueen front loader at 2.84 cu ft will quite likely wash more then any toploader then you are considering. How many people will the laundry be serving?

You could always buy a Huebsch HX25 commercial softmount machine. It has 25lb capacity with a cylinder volume of 3.4 cu ft. You could have it for a good bit less then that Miele Pro. Just have to arrange for 240v power and figure out how to get ~550 pounds of metal into your laundry room! For home use you will never kill that machine and unlike the Miele if you need parts and service you will be able to get it...
 
3.3 cu ft requirement

The way I came up with 3.3 cu ft is that is the size of the speed queen TL.
We took our king size bedspread to the store and it barely fit the SQ TL.
So, my wife would have been just ok with that, but clearly would not go for something that would be any smaller than that.
 
response to foraloysius

I agree. The Whirlpool Duet is huge, so given that the laundry room will be designed to fit it, we will be find when we get a new one. I agree with everyone that this is not a very exciting choice, but it seems better than the alternatives.
 
Richard,

I don't think you can compare a top load machine with a conventional agitator to a front loader on a equal cubic foot capacity basis. A top loader won't be able to move the load once you cram it full.

I'd wager that the standard SQ front loader, even though its smaller, will wash your king size comforter far better then their top loader. I'll let others with more first-hand experience with those two machines elaborate further.
 
well the thing is that washer capacety changes alot over the year depending on the model varying from 3.9 capacety to 4.5 depending if the top load is an agitator model or impaler plate model see following link that i am posting and in term of the whirlpool duet washer my laundry utilaty is in my main bathroom on the second floor and my duet washer barely fits in the closet space where the washer dryer is i had to sacrefice the closet door just to be able to open the dispenser drawer for the detergent so its important that you measure the laundry room space for your washer dryer because there are chance if you buy a duet tht it might not fit in your laundry room space.

 
Reality Check!

Facing Reality........

I have several of the original Maytag Neptune FLers....who have a capacity of 3. something or other....main thing is I can wash 10 KING SIZE sheets in a single load....it washes the King comforter as well......

the question really is "How many times a year are you washing a comforter?".....does it really get THAT dirty?...and because of a smaller machine, you may have to run to the Laundromat maybe 3 times a year......

I have seen a Bed and Breakfast operate with a single set of smaller machines with no issues......

how many KING size beds do you have?.......I only have one.....now if I had several, that may be a different story!

one has to ask...."Do you drive a GreyhoundBus as a daily driver to go back and forth to work 364 days of the year?"....because of an occasional family outting once a year, requiring you to carry 40 or so people.......

OK...you got me there, I did have a 15 passenger Van...then again.....I had a NEED!, Daily!....with 3 adopted and 7 foster kids and two adults, plus cargo......this just made common sense!...or maybe only to me!....

not a rant.....just living within my needs
 
I agree with others who recommend a front-loader. They're very water and energy efficient, clean very well, and handle large items like blankets and comforters with aplomb.

Consumer Reports has the new Maytag Maxima XL line at the top of their ratings. The models are MHW 6000, 7000, or the top-of-the-line 8000. Check Maytag.com online to see the features each offers. The prices range from $1,000-$1,300 depending on the model. CR rates them excellent in cleaning, capacity, water and energy efficiency. They also have a rating of excellent for vibration, which means they will be quiet and stable when installed on a wood floor. If you decide on Maytag, be sure to get a washer from the new "Maxima XL" line, not the previous Maxima line. Many improvements have been made on the new line.

Also very near the top is the new Whirlpool Duet line---the WFW88HEAW, for instance ($1,000). Same scores as the Maytag, but only a very good rating for vibration---which should still be fine for installation on a wood floor.

LG also makes some great front-loaders, like the WM3470H ($1,100). Ratings similar to the aforementioned Maytag and Whirlpool models. LG's reliability scores are a little higher than either Maytag or Whirlpool (which aren't bad, either).

Speed Queen makes machines built like tanks, but they don't have the capacity and features of the Maytag, Whirlpool and LG lines.

It is my understanding that Whirpool front-loaders are no longer made by Bauknecht.

Good luck with your choice, and let us know what you wind up getting. Enjoy your new laundry facility when it's completed!
 
Answer to posts

First, in terms of fitting the comforter. I was speaking loosely. What we need to wash regularly is this cover for our California King mattress. This is one of these plastic covers that keeps the dust mites in the mattress. It is pretty large and takes more room than something that is made out of cotton. Again, we put in the SQ TL and it just fit.

Regarding the Maytag Maxima XL, that was the advice of the AJ Madison salesperson.
I was a bit concerned with going with one of these newer models by an American maker. I am just crossing my finger that they have fixed the problems on the Duet, or that the local repair people have gotten really good at fixing them. I also called two local dealers who sell a variety of appliances (SQ, Miele,...) and they both recommended the Duet. Given that these are the people who would come and repair it, I put quite a bit of weight on their recommendation.

Thanks for the tip on the soap dispenser, I will make sure that the laundry room
is designed so that I can open the Duet soap dispenser.
 
Compairing Capacity of a FL to a TL washer

You can easily put TWICE as much laundry in a FL washer as compared to a TL washer of the same interior size. I have a SQ FL washer for over eight years now and it will easily wash all 5 3'x4' of my kitchen rugs in one load, the SQ TL washer will only wash 2 of these rugs in one load.

 

With a SQ FL washer if you can get the items in and close the door the machine will wash them easily WITHOUT hurting the clothing load or the MACHINE.

 

                                                         You Can Not Compare The Capacity of A TL and FL washer by Comparing Size of The Interior.

 

 

While there are many FL washers on the market now that are even larger than the SQ FLers I question whether they will stand up to being filled completely as none of them are built like a SQ. All other bigger FL washers have plastic outer tubs, plastic drum baffles, plastic shock mounts, even plastic base frames and thin steel cabinets that a punched together rather than welded or screwed together.

 

And the most telling fact of all is NONE of these giant FL washers are recommended for or being used in commercial self-service laundry installations. The manufacturers know that they would never hold up in commercial service if they allowed people to stuff them full over and over again.
 
response to combo52

ok, I will take your word for it.

However, my wife would want to be able to see that for herself (put the sheets on the
SQ FL), which may be a challenge since nobody sells in town sells the SQ FL.
 
You know, I find that I really have to contribute towards this thread now.

The biggest problem with consumer grade machines is just what combo52 said. They just simply are designed with lots of compromises in place to keep costs down. Those compromises are numerous, including compromises which are designed to ensure that you will buy a new machine regularly, with the lure of features and capacity while hiding all of the real shortcomings of the machine which will affect its reliability.

Companies building consumer grade machines are very happy to sell you a machine which is designed to have a short lifespan, knowing that you'll buy the machine for its features and capacity and not for it's durability.

Companies which build and design commercial grade machines take a different approach. They design their machines to last. This means that they probably won't have as many features and gimmicks. It also means they won't have as much capacity either, but in all honesty, they don't subscribe to the race to the bottom which all of the consumer grade machine manufacturers are on, to provide the latest gimmick, feature or capacity rating.

There is a very good reason why commercial grade machines have smaller capacities than consumer grade machines. Nobody really thinks of how much a large load of clothing weighs when it is wet. Not to mention the stresses on the components of the machine when it has to take all of that heavy clothing and spin it at forces over 300 G's.

I've seen youtube videos of consumer grade front loader machines with completely worn out bearings after 3-5 years worth of use. My guess is that these machines were always loaded to capacity all the time and just couldn't handle it.

Commercial grade machines are designed to be abused and loaded to capacity on every load. They can handle a stuffed drum full of heavy demin or rubber car mats. They can take a beating again and again, year after year. In a consumer environment, these machines will last DECADES.

I have a Huebsch FL, which is just a Canadian version of the SQ FL and I can certainly say without a doubt that while I can't stuff my double extra fluffy comforter into the machine, (Actually, I can, but it won't tumble) it handles 99 percent of all of the other things which I put into it.

Like they've said, is it really worth it to buy a machine which will give you less reliability just so you don't have to make the occasional trip to a laundromat?

Something else to think about... The larger the machine is, the more noise and vibration it is going to produce. It's only physics really.

Barring the whole king-sized comforter argument, how much laundry do you normally do in a week anyway? A 3.3 cu.ft machine is more than enough for two people for ordinary laundry jobs. To put it into perspective, between my wife and I, we typically run a full load of laundry once every two weeks.
 

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