an actually practical Combo DD?

[firedome]

Being in the design process of our last ie: retirement, home, which will be extremely compact for efficiency, sustainablity and taxation reasons, we are looking for any and every possible way to save space, one of which is to put the laundry in the kitchen, which will also be small. We'd prefer to have an undercounter combo unit as opposed to stacking units, but the $64K question is, (assuming there's no currently US-made combos, is that correct?), are there any combos from days gone by that are realistically findable, do a good job, are durable, reliable, and have parts available (we imagine that's the biggest bugaboo), or enough so in these various respects to consider use as a daily driver? If someone like SQ made a new one we'd happily go that route, but... and we don't want Asian or Euro machines, we're funny that way.

 

[jetcone]

I always

though the Fagor would be a wonderful little combo as it actually dries at 220V.

 

 

[gizmo]

It's just one person's opinion but I'm no fan of combo units. I think making the unit a washing machine creates big compromises in its drying ability and efficiency.

Rather than stacking, could you work in side by side washer and dryer under the counter?

 

[bajaespuma]

I used an LG combo in a hotel room in Vancouver once, and I thought it was fabulous. Peteski will want to chime in on this I'm sure, but the combo was very similar, in many good ways to my LG front loader.

 

[revvinkevin]

I'm sure Mr Combo himself will chime in, but I remember he and his brother saying the LG combos use 110V power only and take FOR EVER to dry. But then again, LG is not an American brand now it is?

My understanding is the "older" US built combos were generally unrealiable and that's one of the reasons there are very few (except for those installed in RV's) available in the US today.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Ken, was the combo also fabulous entertainment in the hotel room? At least you would not need to spend money on movies with it running.

 

[cuffs054]

Interesting question. When I remodled I gave serious thought to putting a combo in the master bath, just for towels etc. I wish now that I had. I think multiple washers are the way to go. Plus new washers hold an amount of clothes that we just can't generate.

 

[laundromat]

If the combos were wired for 220V or ran on 110 and used gas for drying, they would ,using an exhaust blower , not condensation, complete their cycle from wash thrugh dry in around ninety minutes. Our 1964 Lady Kenmore seamed to never quit. We washed three loads daily and had only two major repairs in almost thirty years. When I sold the LGs at Home Depot, I'd explain how they were designed so customers understood and would wind up buying them and enjoying their performance as well as convenience. Imagine how they would have reacted if their cycles shortened allowing them to do loads more frequently.

 

[mickeyd]

The 66 GE Combo is a dream machine ~

But I don't know about the drying yet, because the garage has become a tundra with this Northeast record cold, (Lake Erie is at 33 when it should be 40), and the machine is currently in hibernation. Before I got it, when I asked John L. about it, he quipped that the thing with the later GE's is that "Well....ummmm.....they WORK!"
And, Gosh do they ever: the washing and rinsing is intense with the large tub and the six baffles. While there is no spinning till the end, the tub is impressively flushed between rinses.

John and I were talking about spinning the load in a Unimatic before drying to cut the drying time which John said uses 30 gallons of cold water to condenser-dry the load. This combo spins at only 225 which is close to a Whirlpool on low speed. So, there are no available results from this end on that front....Until the thaw and subsequent repair of the drying mode. But I love this machine; they measure 30 inches across for your space needs.

Not too comfortable with the 30 gallon rinse requirement--hence the desire to cut the dry time so as to use only about 10 g's--and in truth did not intend to use the Dry Cycle that often. John did say that the drying is noteworthy because the load is so wet. He told me about the real dry time but I'm not sure; there was so much going on. If you want Vintage, and don't mind high water consumption, a GE is a possibility. You can also recycle the condenser water because it is clean and warm, which is what I intend to do.

PS: Have a new pic for "Behind the House" and I'd like to know the name of the lake in your striking pix. See you there later.
[this post was last edited: 12/19/2013-12:59]

 

[firedome]

Thanks all...

it looks like it may or not be practical, one consideration is that it will be on a well & septic in rural VT. The GE is intriguing, imagine the Fagor is rather scarce? We could squeeze a stacker in the bathroom, if necessary, but the thought of a combo in the kitchen and less crowding in the bath is intriguing, not to mention an excuse for another vintage machine, always a plus! I suppose a new LG, if the only new option, would be more sensible vs vintage, but when did that ever matter? Plus I have a, probably irrational, dislike of that company and just prefer domestic products whenever possible when buying new...the way I look at it is SOMEBODY will have to pay for our Social Security, and overseas workers sure as heck won't.

Oh and the water pic is Lake Champlain, to my mind one of the most beautiful lakes in the country if not the world, 110 mi long x 12 mi wide (at our location).

 

[turquoisedude]

Honestly, I love the idea of a Washer/Dryer combo, but I've always been uneasy with the water consumption of the GE because where it is installed, down in Ogden, we're on a well and septic system also... A vented machine sounds interesting, but if you've got to install venting conduits, you might as well go with a separate washer and dryer set. I think there are still models that can be installed under a counter (that European look) that might fit too...

 

[vintagekitchen]

It's not vintage but....

My daily driver is a haier hwd1600 combo. it fits in the same space under the counters formerly occupied by the dishwasher, and the dryer is a condenser type. It's a 110 unit, making installation easier, but dryer times lengthy. The washing capacity and performance is great, with lots of cycles and options to choose from. However, the dispenser doesn't work well for liquid detergent, if you use liquid in the dispenser most of it ends up in the sump rather than in the drum with the clothes, so I normally use powder and on The rare occasion i use liquid I put it in the drum directly with the clothes. Also, the drying capacity is half of the washing capacity and takes an hour and a half to 2 hours usually. I don't use an electric dryer 90 percent of the time, preferring to air dry my clothes, so this isn't an issue for me. At 900 dollars on amazon it's pretty affordable for a combo unit.