Is there a modern washer worth buying?

[iowabear]

Hard to Imagine 1 Person Washing for 9 People Plus Dogs

and ever keeping up without having multiple machines.

 

In the 1970s we had a small GE Filter-Flo washer.  It was not possible to wash large bedding or blankets in it effectively.

 

So once a month (or whenever she felt it was needed) my mother would send my father to the Laundromat on Saturday morning with the large items and any extra laundry that was piling up.  In the summer we brought them home wet and hung them on the line instead of machine drying them.

 

The other thing my mother did was delegate laundry we were old enough to do our own.  This probably lead to less full loads and more energy use, but it was certainly easier for her than trying to keep up with all of it.  (and this was only for a family of five.)

 

[ea56]

In the mid 60’s, for about two years, my step fathers family lived with us, making a total of 10 people. We also had FIVE Doberman’s! All the laundry was done in my Mom’s 62 MOL Whirlpool TL, and the dryer was also a MOL Whirlpool purchased in 62’.

Now, granted, there was laundry being washed every day of the week, but those Whirlpool’s managed all that laundry just fine!

Back then, most people I knew of weren’t in the habit of washing dog bedding on any regular basis, and our dogs slept on old blankets and bedspreads that fit into the Whirlpool.

Doing the laundry was the easy part. Living with 10 people in a 3 bed/2 bath house was the real challenge. His family hogged the bathrooms, so in order to get a shower you would have to really be on your toes to snag the bathroom before they did.

This was one of the blackest periods of my life, they were awful people to live with, they complained about everything, but neither one of his parents worked or contributed to the household income.

Sorry to digress, but just trying to make the point that it is possible to do the laundry for 9 or 10 people in a TL.

Eddie

 

[meldew]

Ok! I’m out of town until Friday BUT I will measure and price two sets, stacked... how do I work two dryer hoses? I guess that’s impossible because I’d need two electrical outlets for the dryer...

I also found this on CL. Wdyt? They are $175 for the set. The owner inherited them and says they run but they don’t know the age.

 

[meldew]

It’s good to hear other people can do it on one washer... I’ve done it up to now. But it is constant. I’m always searching for ways to make life easier.

 

[ea56]

Re:Reply # 62

Melissa from what I can see that Whirlpool set looks to be in good shape. For $175.00 you can get them right away and be doing laundry tomorrow. This will give you time to really be sure just what you want in a permanent set, if you don’t like the used Whirlpools. And if you have storage space somewhere like a basement or garage, if you do purchase another permanent set, you can keep the used set on reserve, if you don’t decide to sell them.

It will also give you a chance to decide if you really want to go the TL or FL route in the end. I would imagine that this washer will do a load in about 45 mins, or less. You can get 3 or 4 loads done in a day and keep up with your large families needs.

Just my two cents worth.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 7/25/2018-14:15]

 

[thomasortega]

You can "survive" with two washers and one dryer.

If you can have two dryers, ok, that's even better. But having two washers and one dryer is also way better than only one washer and one dryer.

Other thing I would consider, if you evnetually have those items that should be washed separately is getting one of those "sidekick" washers.

It is a mini washing machine that is as big as a pedestal. They look like toys, but they actually work great and the capacity is really impressive for the size.

In a few months, my company will release the "Mojave" dryer. It is a mini portable tumble dryer that has an impressive capacity You can split the LG load in two to dry in it. it doesn't require special outlets and it runs on 110v.

 

[jkbff]

I am going to change my recommendation.

When ever I have had houses that are doing that much laundry, you need to go with the speed queen front loaders.

They stopped producing them for a minute to fill a contract but they are producing them again.

Make sure you buy from a platinum dealer that is a servicer as well.

They can handle the loads you'd be running through them and have 5 years warranty included.

They are well built machines that are reparable. They are not fancy in any way but you can customize the cycles as much as you want, turn off the High Efficiency requirements and make the machine use 2" more water through programming.

They are rock solid and will perform for many years. And don't let that tub fool you, it will still wash a king sized comforter.

I have a set that I bought used that came from a laundromat, I replaced the tub bearings on the washer and gave them to a friend that has 6 kids. The motor needs new bearings, was going to replace them but she said just to wait till they die and she'll just buy a new set from me. Well.. Two years and still going strong. I can't get the damn things to die. She runs just under 14 full loads of laundry every 4 days. They live on a farm with 87 chickens, a bunch of ducks, a llama, 8 horses and a bunch of other things that run around tearing stuff up and crap everywhere. They handle her stuff just fine.

 

[briant73]

I have read a few posts here saying SQ is making consumer FL again but every time I check the SQ site and do a google search I see no mention of this.

Does anyone have an official announcement or something more than a dealer said told a customer this?

 

[neptunebob]

My solution..

I would buy the Speed Queen stack front loader and then a Whirlpool or Kenmore dryer you like. Also, maybe one of the dryers could be gas so as not to have to run another electric line. Usually dryers take longer so having 2 can prevent a laundry back up.

 

[jkbff]

Briant73,

Well.. I sell them at the dealership I work at if that helps?

 

[appnut]

Melissa, it sounds like you live in a somewhat rural scenario?  If so, I'm assuming a septic tank rather than  sewer drainage.  If septic, with the volume of laundry done daily, that is a strain on your septic tank.  A front loader might be best. 

 

[meldew]

questions

"I would buy the Speed Queen stack front loader and then a Whirlpool or Kenmore dryer you like. Also, maybe one of the dryers could be gas so as not to have to run another electric line. Usually dryers take longer so having 2 can prevent a laundry back up."

Can you explain? Is the stack one piece or two I put together? Two washers or a washer and dryer? and there is a dealer in town that has the new SQ top loaders. There weren't any front loaders so I would ask them to order I guess? I'll ask about the platinum dealer if I go that route but I'm pretty sure they service what they sell.

unfortunately we don't have a gas line running to our house however we aren't on septic; we're one of the neighborhoods in our area that has water and sewer! Semi-rural I guess.

I thought about a condensing dryer in the garage but we are short on amperage there too... would need an electrician either way so if we got one to come out we might as well get the second 220v line run to the laundry closet. But getting an electrician is about impossible for something that small. I would consider a portable or the sidekick I guess.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Neptunebob hit the nail on the head:

That would be an Ideal set-up and would likely last 30 plus years save for possible replacement of the now tinny WP dryer and some repairs to the SQ stack. However I have found that my SQ dryer keeps up well with the FL washer. The only exceptions would be large loads of thick towels or when I do a short wash. As this SQ stack is a true commercial unit I can't see how you could wear it out in less than 30 years unless you are doing 5 or more loads a day.
WK78

 

[rp2813]

Steer clear of the new SQ top loader.  It's an entirely different system new for 2018 and it's 100% incapable of handling the jobs you would need it to do, or pretty much any laundering job at all for that matter.

 

Stacked machines are always washer on the bottom and dryer on top.  Washer is never on top.  I suppose you could stack two dryers if you wanted to.  

 

[neptunebob]

Per the SQ web site...

The only FL washer SQ sells now is the stacked unit washer and dryer and yes, it is all one unit with the dryer on top (although it might be possible to take the dryer unit off to get it into the house, but cannot be installed separately). The second dryer would then go beside that unit and can be another brand since you don't like the SQ dryer that much, but you have that too. I find most of the time, it takes less time to wash than to dry, but that is more with top loaders. Still a good idea to have 2 dryers, you never have laundry pile up. Don't get a condenser dryer - expensive and take too long.

 

[thomasortega]

Other alternative, if you can wait a few months is wait and get THREE The Laundry Alternative HATL washers.

Together they will take just a few inches more than one 27 inch washer and bring the best of two worlds

then next to them you can have a regular full size dryer and stack on the top of it two The Laundry Alternative Mojave dryers.

AWO members have a discount, just mention it when you contact the company.

Best of all, you will have a monster laundry room fitting in a tiny space and no need to call an electrician to hook them up as they all will run in regular outlets, plus the full size dryer using the existing dryer outlet.

Or you can have two HATL washers and one HATL Washer-dryer combo (to be released later this year). So you add the convenience of having at least one washer that you can toss a load in it at night and when you wake up it's ready to fold.

 

[thomasortega]

BTW, our HATL washers and the washer-dryer combo can easily handle a king size duvet...

 

[meldew]

Thank you for the info... I will look into it for sure but I’ll have to at least get a temporary solution for now.

 

[briant73]

About SQ front load stand alone machines, Jkbff are you saying they are back in production after being discontinued in early 2018? Do you have any information on them and if any changes from previous years models?

I moved on from SQ after my FL developed bad bearings but it's always good people have options when shopping.

 

[mrb627]

@meldew

Where in Georgia are you located?

Malcolm