Need help with front loader not fitting into house

[bethm]

Thanks all, I will let you all know what we end up doing once the appliance store reopens today and once we get up and running again.

combo52 - the units are already gone. First thing the delivery guys did was sharpie on them "scrap" and then bash them around getting them out of the house.

NYCWriter - I had first floor laundry up until 2 years ago and up until now our basement access has not been an issue. We even got an old oil tank removed and a new furnace brought in through the stairs and door with no trouble at all.

Yogitunes - you have been really helpful, thank you. I never even thought to measure anything but the height of the stacked units, to be sure they would clear the ceiling space ok. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can get one of the 29.75" depth units (Frigidaire or LG) into the space.

 

[bethm]

I had emailed Frigidaire yesterday and this morning they sent me the attached diagram of dimensions for the old FWT445GES2. In case anyone wants it, here it is.

Appliance delivery person is going to come assess my situation tomorrow and then we will decide on a unit at that point.

 

[henene4]

Well, 24" deep isn't a lot! But anyway, I believe you will do a good deal, no matter if you get LG, Frigidaire, E-Lux or maybe even Speed Queen!

 

[mtn1584]

HEY YOGI!!!!!!

I recognize a GE filter flo when I see one!!! Who cares about the Frigidenmorelectric front loader!!!! Show me a picture inside and out, and a close up of the filter flo...even if I have seen it before. PLEASE!! LOL
MIKE

 

[joe_in_philly]

Capacity Difference

Front load washers in the US used to advertise capacity using the IEC equivalent measurement of capacity, but a few years ago they switched to DOE, which resulted in lower capacity numbers. So your old machine probably was advertised as a larger cubic foot size than it would be advertised today.

http://www.aham.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/51727

 

[retropia]

The overall height of these Frigidaire/Kenmore/GE front-loaders is shorter than many of the newer machines. In addition to the depth of the machine, the height might make a difference in getting it downstairs.

Here is a photo of the one I bought at a Sears Outlet a few months back, and you can see how much shorter it is than the newer model front-loader next to it.

 

[bethm]

The delivery guys are now supposed to come today to assess my space limitations, so I have no news to report.

However, the appliance store supposedly carries Speed Queen and I did some reading up on them. They do have the shallowest depth of any full size front loaders so that might work. If they fit, I may have to do the units side-by-side, in which case I'd get the pedestals.

I have some questions about their pre-stacked washer/dryers if anyone can help. How solidly are they stacked? I'm assuming it goes beyond the standard stacking kit hardware for other models. Could they be unstacked for delivery if they won't fit through the doorway?

For some reason, on the Speed Queen web site the pre-stacked washer is larger capacity than the standalone washer. Does anyone have any insight on that? Of course, the capacity of the standalone is 2.84 versus my old 3.0 Frigidaire (Frigidaire confirmed that with me by the way), so I really would not be giving up much there and can probably live with 2.84. Any benefit to front control vs rear control?

Thanks again.

 

[henene4]

AFAIK they are not unstackable.
This way, you could get pedestals and than rearcontrol units because, as you might can imagine, the controls are than higher from the flor so they might be easier to use. But some prefer frontcontrols. It all depends on what you prefer!

 

[bethm]

Ok, so the guys came and good news is I can get whatever I want! The bad news (?) is that the dealer does not carry Speed Queen anymore.

Thinking of the LG WM3470 based on suggestions here. Thoughts?

 

[henene4]

Sounds good, but you may get an extended warranty if you want to. May be less trouble if something will break (and this machine will have faults anytime within the next 8 years, but I guess this will happen anyway with any new washer).
Sad they don't sell Speed Queen anymore. These would just fit best and last the longest. No way to order them on line? Speed Queen will give you excellent service even though!

 

[henene4]

This is the LG on YouTube, performing it's TurboWash cycle on Cottons warm/cold!

 

[bethm]

No go on the LG. I have 77" maximum vertical clearance for stacked units.
How is the 4.1 cubic feet Whirlpool Duet (height 38") (odd that this is the machine the other delivery people struggled with!)
Or, do I stick with Frigidaire and get FFFS5115PW? (36" height)

 

[bethm]

Ok, so here's my update. Firstly, thank you all so much for being exactly the helpful community I thought you would be. I received the Frigidaire set of FFFS5115PW and FFFSE5115PW and they arrived and were installed today. This set of delivery guys really knew what they were doing and were able to negotiate the strange narrow 1-step and get the units in with zero damage or scratching. The set looks fantastic and they ran the dryer for a bit. They powered up the washer but instructed me not to run it until tomorrow at least, since I am in a cold climate and they apparently ship the units with a small amount of water in them, which generally freezes in the warehouse? Whatever, I can wait.

 

[yogitunes]

this is wonderful.....glad to hear it......

pics are a must!

 

[retropia]

Congrats! I was looking at the newer-model Frigidaire front-loaders before I purchased my older-model Kenmore.

We would enjoy seeing photos, and let us know how you like them once you've had a chance to give them a spin.

 

[bethm]

Here you go. Picture quality is not great but this is basement lighting of course. You can almost see the pipe we had to clear vertically and the long cord that restricted us moving it any farther to the left. The distance from the outlet wasn't even something I thought about when I thought we might need to settle for a top loader set, so really we got the best possible fit for our space limitations.

They are both still virgins - hope to break them in later today/tonight.

 

[countryguy]

How high is the top of the dryer from the floor? How do you reach/read the controls?

Gary

 

[bethm]

I believe it is 71.5", at least that's what the specs said. Totally reachable, even from my 5'2" perspective. The pipe was 77" from the floor at best, so the other sets that came in at 76.5" stacked were just too close for comfort to be confident they would fit.

As far as I can tell, this is one of the shallowest depth and shortest height full size front loaders out there. So we did not have the option to have our pick of the litter.

 

[yogitunes]

BEAUTIFUL........can't wait until we hear what you think of the washing/drying results...

Congrats.....you did good!

a little aggravation at first....but a Happy Camper in the end...it's all that matters

 

[bethm]

I asked the delivery guys if the washer needs to be worked on, how they access it. The old unit had a panel on front below the door that would unscrew. If the washer needs to be serviced, do they need to be unstacked? (The old set would not have needed to be unstacked).

And, I would appreciate any opinions on the 3-year extended warranty vs the 1-year standard. I think it's ~$119.