Frigidaire 2140 and matching gas dryer
In this photo, you can see the water heater (left of washer stack) and a sliver of the gas furnace (right of empty space with table and basket). The laundry area is a recessed alcove along the back wall of the garage (it gets cold here in winter but it doesn't freeze) with, left to right: water heater, dryer, washer, furnace.
House was built in 1988, and per the local building ordinances, a concrete filled pipe (bollard) was placed in the slab, 30" or 75 cm high, to prevent a runaway car from possibly severing three gas lines (water heater, dryer, furnace). In 1988, there were no mass-produced FLs sold in USA (you could go to an import store and buy a 240 V Miele) except maybe if Westinghouse was still in production.
Anyway, the pipe would block the door of any FL, even on a pedestal. You "can" cut the pipe down to the floor, but there is a risk of not passing inspection if/when the house is sold. Concrete slabs here have buried pre-tensioner cables, so drilling into a slab (to replace a bollard) is very risky. My parents have a hollow bollard, so they had it cut down and placed a smaller diameter, removable "sleeve" pipe (can be inserted for an inspection) but my home was built later, when the pipe had to be filled with concrete.
During my TL years, the pipe didn't matter. But when my 1997 GE TL broke twice and could not be repaired, the only way to transition to a FL, be able to open the door, and stay within the building ordinances was to stack the machines. For this reason, taller/deeper machines like Duets were out of the question, as the controls would be 6'8" (2.03 m) off the floor. I am of average height and only a very tall person would enjoy having the dryer that high.
I chose Frigidaire because they offered the highest capacity (3.5 cubic feet which I think equates to 11 kg) in a "standard" size, i.e. 27 x 27 x 36 (70 x 70 x 90 cm, standard size in US). Frigidaire offers a stacking bracket for about $24, and I believe the higher end Affinity models offer the bracket free of charge with the washer.
At the time of the purchase (March 2006) I had not yet discovered this board and was woefully ignorant of features to look for when making a selection. The 2140 gives excellent performance. I really like the Soak cycle. While I have to manually advance to a wash cycle (and add more detergent), it's a feature that some more expensive machines don't even have.
It only has two shortcomings. First, no Auto Temp Control. This limits my ability to do cold water wash in winter, when the cold water pipe delivers icy cold (definitely below 20 C) water. ATC would bleed in some hot water to keep the temp at about 20 C. Consequently during the coldest four or five months of the year, I select warm water instead of the cold cycle I might use in summer when the cold water temp approximates 20 C.
Second shortcoming, more minor, is that there is only one delay wash option, for eight hours. The 2940 has 4-12 hour variable delay. At the time, I thought delay was a gimmick or mainly for those with inside laundry rooms, where noise was a factor (so you could wash at 3 am when everyone was asleep). I don't have a "smart" electric meter that gives discounts when you use off-peak electricity, but there are times when I want to set up a load to wash an hour before I arise, or to coincide when I return from work or errands. With the eight hour option, I can set up a load at say 21:00 to wash at 5:00 but that's it. If I arrive home later, the wash won't be done in time to dry when I wake up.
The 2940 has these options, and will stack with either its own matching dryer or the 1442 dryer I have. The price gap was I think another $100 and in retrospect it was a small price to pay for the extra features. That said, the 2140 does a great job of getting stuff clean and I am happy with the purchase.
I added the white cabinet from Lowes about a year after I bought the washer and dryer. I couldn't make its top flush with the dryer top because of the placement of the water supply faucets. I wanted a folding/basket table to place in what had been the washer space. I had thought about a base cabinet, but I have ducting running along the back wall, and the pipe would require sliding rather than hinged doors. It became too big a deal, so I opted just for a table, since the wall mounted cabinet offered lots of storage space. I could not find a ready-made 27 x 27 inch table of proper height, so I took two folding beechwood tv trays and they filled the space perfectly---and I already owned them, wasn't using them for any other purpose, so it was free.
Stereo system courtesy of Costco!!
For those of in Europe, just to the left of the water faucets, and 80% hidden by the dryer, is the only 240V outlet in the house! Normally they are found only in the laundry area and/or in the kitchen. My kitchen was designed for a gas range, so behind the range is a gas pipe and a 120V outlet. The 240V outlet has NEVER been used, because I have owned only gas dryers. Gas dryers of course use electricity, but only 120V here. Because of the shortage of electrical generating capacity in California (hydropower maxed out, nuclear power maxed out, population rising), some cities and towns now require a gas pipe and NO 240V outlet in the laundry area, to force consumers to buy gas dryers.
PS to Laundress: did you notice the green box of 20 Mule Team Borax on the water heater pedestal?
