vintage vs modern combos

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gas piped in for the stove

Just one small more bit of thread drift...

More and more new buildings and or renovated NYC apartments are getting shot of gas for cooking and going with electric (induction usually) type stoves, ranges or separate ovens. The other old standard for heating (steam) is going as well in favor of forced air or those in wall PTAC units.

Some of this is billed as going "green" or allowing for better resident/tenant comfort (ablity to have central air and heating controlled by apartment), but there is one other thing; cheaping out.

Going over to PTAC and getting shot of gas ranges allows landlords at least for rentals to save that much per year in terms of heating and gas costs. If they don't supply heat then that becomes the tenants responsibility. Given local high electric rates you can imagine the cost of running those PTAC units all winter long. Cooking with electric is in theory cleaner, but again it allows for a cost shifting.

Some buildings by mandate contained in lease require tenants to run their PTAC units at a certain temperature 24/7 regardless if the apartment is occupied. So anyone thinking about saving some money by leaving the things off when they are at work or whatever is out of luck.
 
Combos Wash & Dry 13.2lbs, 6kg

Its a pity you cant experience some of our modern combo washer dryers that we have here albeit 240 volts, mine washes a full 9kg 18lbs and will wash & dry a full 6kg 13.2 lbs continuous. With variable wash temps from cold through 90d (194f)near boiling, up to 5 rinses including "Medic Rinse or Allergy Wash, all rinses can be heated to get rid of allergens and dust mites.

With the fast spin speeds 1400 - 1600 rpm and features like Thermal Spinning (20 mins into the dry cycle it starts to fast spin with the heater blower on, this moves the water out of clothes quicker aiding faster drying times!! )

I can wash 6kg of whites T-shirts, towels etc @ 60d (140f) in 1.31 mins, a fast 1400 spin for 9 mins then it takes just over an hour for drying to cupboard sensor dry.

http://https//www.flickr.com/photos/chestermikeuk/albums/72157641154166335
 
thanks for all the input...

John, good info, we'll look at the WPs first, there's always the step stool if necessary!

Will also look at the SQs, we know their reputation, but have been put off FLs in general because so many seem to complain of odors and asundry other issues, which may or may not BE real issues, but then again I'm known as something of a traditionalist dyed-in-the-wool change-resisting Olde Farte LOL!

SWMBO was what Rumpole of the Bailey used to refer to his rather stern wife.
In my case it's strictly used as a term of affection!
 
Steam heat: Generally speaking buildings put up before WWII had a design temp of 0F, meaning rooms could be maintained at 70F (60F?) as long as the outside temperature was 0F or higher. Windows were normally single-paned and drafty. Individual radiators in each room were sized to allow this.

Problem #1. Now in 2015, even the oldest buildings have double-paned windows with few if any leaks. As a result rooms are often overheated. Common sense dictates that slower valves be used in overheated rooms (to save energy) but that concept is far too complicated for most to understand.

Many pre-WWII buildings and nearly all 1-3 family pre-WWII homes are designed with low-tech, LOW pressure (as in steam pressure under TWO psi) single pipe systems that are dependent on the non-negotiability of laws of physics to run efficiently.

Problem #2: There are very few steam heat specialists alive today who actually understand why these systems were designed the way they were. Many homes have 'updates' made decades ago causing losses in efficiency. Scams abound: You see, sir, your system has to be replaced because it is old and inefficient and I'll conveniently not tell you that it worked JUST FINE 100 years ago because the technicians back then knew what they were doing.

I've had some so-called experts seriously didn't understand that no, the steam pipes CAN'T be level because then the condensate (sorry, was that too big a word for you?) can't flow back into the boiler. No, you CAN'T just take the insulation off the first 15' of steam pipe without compensating for the resultant heat loss and expect the system operate the same way. No, you CAN'T replace a clogged 'E' valve with a 'C' and expect the room to be equally warm. No, this is NOT my personal philosophy of steam heat. These are laws of physics! I know that was long-winded, but really I've barely scratched the surface. The incompetence of steam 'experts' is mind-blowing.

With a PTAC system, nobody has to understand anything. You can just slap it in, connect the wires, and stick the person living there with a needlessly high electric bill. Launderess' most excellent point regarding humidity really needs more emphasis, IMO. These past several summers have been extremely humid, to the point that dehumidification must be considered independently of cooling. As discussed in another thread, recent changes in residential a/c units have rendered them more efficient at cooling (thereby satisfying the 'goobermint') AND less efficient at dehumdification. Anyone see the problem here in the East?

The only solution I see on an individual level is to do it all ourselves. Apartment too clammy, buy a dehumidifier. Hot water luke warm? Make sure your dishwashers and washers can heat their own water. Landlord replaced your 4' steam radiator with 4' of hot water baseboard? Buy an electric heater to compensate for the unacknowledged 50% reduction in heat output.

It's beyond absurd.

Jim
 
if going vintage and stacked...

My mother has a Maytag LSG7804 full size washer with orbital transmission and gas dryer stacked unit I bought for her back in 1992...the ONLY problem it's ever had is the washer timer had to be replaced a couple years ago and the blower wheel for the dryer...and she washes at least one load per day! Maytag had these from the late '80s...some were electronic digital controls (I'd avoid the digital ones). I've seen these on CL around here. My husband's aunt has the same one in her lake house except electric dryer. The controls are UNDER the dryer, not on top so my 5'4" mother has no trouble reaching them. She loves it! We also took out the cabinet above the washer to fit it in...but it gave her more space not having the dryer sitting on the floor beside the washer...and a countertop work area. Just a thought!
 
MT TL Stack W&D

These were decent machines and certainly better than almost any 24" stack.

 

That said the 27" WP machine is superior in every major respect, including capacity of both the washer and dryer, cleaning and drying performance,  reliability, ease of repair and probably one of the biggest items is ease of installation. The MT machine has EIGHT FEET and they all need to be leveled properly and the lock nuts tightened against the washers base or the dryers frame, not an easy task when the machine is installed in a closet or alcove where you can't get 5o the sides of the machine. I bet I have only seen a few of the hundreds of these I have worked on over the last 25 years that were installed properly. Other problem you can't get to the dryer vent connection, the faucets, drain stand pipe and in most cases the power cord when this machine is installed unless you want to pull the washer out of the frame.

 

On the WP you only have to adjust the front legs and tighten the lock nuts, the rear legs are self-leveling like every WP BD or DD washer ever made back to 1949. The WP also allows some access to utility connections through an easily removable access panel between the washer and dryer, but most importantly the dryer vent is easy to connect and disconnect here with the machine in place so you don't have to have 6 feet of vent tubing crushed behind the machine.

 

The MT stacks came out in 1985, they were only electronically controlled till about 1990 when they also introduced the models with mechanical controls and in another year they discontinued the electronic altogether, ironically after they worked the early bugs out of the electronic models. If I were getting one of the MT stacks I would only get the electronic version, it is much more flexible in operation[ we have saved a gas one for the museum].

 

The MT stacks disappeared very soon after WP took over MT, the only really good thing about the MT was it is smaller in depth than the WP and it is easier to move into old houses where you need to be able to move the washer and dryer in separately. Over the years we sold several WPs and could not get them into the home and had to come back with the MT.

 

John L.
 

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