Best new TL stackers?

[firedome]

Finally convinced the wife to stay away from a condensing Combo, so now we're looking for a new top-loading stacker, we prefer made/assembled in USA, if possible. Any good candidates? Whirlpool? Is GE laundry made in Louisville, even if not owned by them any longer? Not sure where FD is made...

 

[jkbff]

What you are looking for is called a Unitized Laundry stack

If you have the room, I would still do a front load stacked set, even the speed queens if the control height is an issue.

Ge and Frigidaire seem to have the best washability on their unitized stacks (as far as top load goes), I would stay away from the whirlpool ones.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Hands Down!

I would go with the commercial laundry proven Speed Queen stack and forget the TL. These machines are identical to the Coin-op stacks used in commercial laundry applications around the world save for the coin meter.
WK78

 

[deltablu]

Our failure rate

on the GE unitized in the last 6-8 years has been abysmal. I'd avoid them.

 

[imperial70]

are GE and Frigidaire the same unit?

I always thought the design looks similar if not the same. Especially when you look at the dryer on top.

 

[cuffs054]

Nope GE and Frig are not the same. I'm saving my pennies for the GE so I can control the water level. Whirly, thanks for the opinion but some of us NEED a TL and high mounted dryer.

 

[combo52]

Best 27" Full Sized TL Stack W&Ds

Whirlpool hands down if it will fit in your space [ they are 32" deep at the base ] If you need a slimmer [ front to back ] machine the Frigidaire is ok, avoid the 27" and 24" wide GEs at all costs, the washers main seal and bearings fail in 1-5 years on such a predictable basis it pathetic, these GEs are easily tided for the least reliable washer we have ever seen.

 

These GEs are NOT repairable when the seal and bearings fail, I have condemned two already this week, the one this afternoon had leaked into the condo below and destroyed the ceiling. And this is just the big problem with these GEs, they also have problems with the shiftier, control boards, lid switch lock assembles and bad dryer motors and it is just plane a lousy washer.

 

The only good news is GE has been giving many consumers a complete new machine for approximately 1/2 price of just $750.00 when the washers crap out. One of our customers recently bought a new SQ stack from us after the 2nd GE crapped out. Two machines scarped in just under 5 years.

 

John L.

 

[stricklybojack]

.
If I see an almost new but not-properly-functioning full sized Washer on Craigslist it seems to always be a GE or a Samsung.
I recently was given an almost new TL Samsung by the party I had sold a TL SQ. It came with their new house and was fully operational, but the wife hated it from the get go and wanted an SQ just like her last machine. I sold on the Samsung as there is a large market for plastic stuff that looks/feels modern to some. I then bought a 2011 TL SQ pair from a landlord looking to placate their renter for just this “I want digital” reason. He replaced them with digital plastic junk of one flavor or another. He asked what I thought the best machine for his circumstance, I answered the 2018 SQ TL machine. They may be lack luster performers but it would seem BETTER to buy and deploy than the older model if your not the one using it.
I then sold that TL SQ on to someone who needed a simple dependable machine for their aged mother. Smart cookies, they had me take off the front of the SQ to have a look see, thankfully everything was in order as I hadn’t had a look yet.

 

[superocd]

I remember having a Whirlpool ThinTwin 27" laundry center in my apartment in college a few years ago. Those were direct drive until recently. It appears that the direct drive went away based on the signature cycle indicator on the control panels of their new laundry centers. I really liked that machine and there were no compromises in its performance. Both the washer and dryer worked exactly the same as their standalone counterparts. My apartment unit also came with a BOL Roper (Whirlpool) DW that surprised me on how well it cleaned for being a $199 builder's special.

Evidently there were also Frigidaire laundry centers installed in that complex as well as I'd regularly see one or two Frigidaires in the dumpster cage and the recycler would pick the appliances up almost as soon as they were set out. I rarely saw a WP laundry center. It was a big complex with over 100 apartment units but it still raised my eyebrows to see these laundry centers pile up after just a couple of years' use.

My sister's college dormitory apartments used GE laundry centers. I remember her telling me that she had to use the washer in a friend's apartment until they replaced it because her washer started leaking oil into her laundry.

 

[askolover]

GE's stacked sets "used to be" sourced from Frigidaire as well as some of their front loaders.  Same for previous Kenmore stacked units...I checked all of them out way back when I was buying my mother a new set and at that time ultimately settled for an orbital Maytag stack (and she's still using it 24 years later).

 

[whirlykenmore78]

I've just searched Craigslist in Vermont:

This machine would be great for what you want. 27" WP Thin Twin, direct drive and full size. Seller claims it's low mileage. Even if something is wrong they are easy to fix and all parts are available. That's if you don't choose the SQ which is still the best option.

http://https//vermont.craigslist.org/app/d/whirlpool-large-capacity-thin/6632152673.html

 

[wft2800]

Nothing wrong with a good condensing combo... and there's nothing quite like the peace of mind of chucking a load of laundry on at bedtime and knowing it'll be ready for use in the morning.

 

[firedome]

Condensing isn't so good...

when you must really minimize water output due to a dodgy septic system that's 60 yrs old and when a mandatory new sand-mound septic system clocks in at $30,000+ in Vermont.

We looked at the SQ FL stackers, but at $1000 more than the WP stacker that we did end up buying, it made no sense for a summer house used only 70-80 days a year at most. So we DID get the electric dryer version of the WP 27" stacker, it's capacity is fine for a summer house... I was just glad I talked her out of the LG combo/condenser set that her sis just got, I just have to believe that much complexity in 1 cabinet full of electronics will lead to much more servicing over time, plus it's not made in 'Merica...SOMEONE's got to pay for our Social Security, and the Koreans sure won't!

 

[appnut]

Great choice Roger!!!

 

[wft2800]

Water usage - fair enough - but the top-load washer will probably use as much as the combo anyway. My late-90s Bosch condensing washer-dryer combo hasn't had major problems deriving from it being a combo - the PCB died, but then so did that on the near-identical washer I had before. Shock absorbers seem to lead a slightly tougher life as the drying impeller fan and heating element are on top of the drum, but then that obviates the need for a concrete or cast iron ballast saddle, so when I get round to repairing that machine, it's getting new shocks - but then it is 20 years old or thereabouts (I got it secondhand a few years ago). The impeller fan also tends to get a bit lint-clogged and thus needs cleaning (the fluff removal programme isn't really adequate) - mine ended up falling apart, I've got a replacement awaiting fitting - but again, the original lasted nearly 20 years with no maintenance, so I'm not complaining. Once I've got the machine back up and running, I'm going to take the lid off and open up the drying matrix to clean it out periodically - I'd advise your sister-in-law to do likewise with her LG machine. Some sensible basic maintenance should enable it to keep going more-or-less forever, assuming the main drum bearing doesn't go in the interim (mine hasn't, and I have the whole drum assembly and bearing from the previous Bosch to drop in should I ever need to).