Washer & Dryer option worth it?

[Bellpr]

My wife and I are looking at new 5th wheels so that we can do some extended traveling (2+ weeks) now that the kids are moved out. The ones we've looked at, all had the options to add a washer and dryer. Are they worth the extra $$? if they seem to be worth it, should we get a combined unit or separate? Wife likes the idea if they are dependable.

[sushidog]

What brand is that machine, malik1? That drier tub looks tiny. Is it plumbed or do you place it in the shower/bathtub to use it?

Thanks,

Chip

[rmalik1]

This is what we use , well the wife does. We fulltime and this machine serves our purpose; no laundromat, saves money and no loss of space. I built a pvc laundry rack for the outside ladder and if in a campground that has a problem w/ hanging cloths from the ladder I put in the shower the heavy duty command hooks which I modified to accept a thin laundry line. Size and weight are good also. About 2ft High by 2ft Wide by 14 inches Deep and weighs in at 28 lbs approx. WE have a king bed and wife does 1 sheet and 2 pillowcases or about 4 or 5 tee shirts (mens large) or 1 pair of her jeans size 8-10 and 2 or 3 medium tops as a guide to load size. Retired and not in any hurry!

[Dutch___Di]

We have been fulltiming since January of 1997. We paid for a Sears stackable and I absolutely love it. I don't have to lug clothes, soap, fab softener, etch to a laundry. I love it that I can do a load anytime I feel like it.
Worth it??? For us, definitely! We just replaced our washer this year & the dryer is still going strong--sure hope I didn't just jinx myself!!!
Convenience aside, take the bare minimum of 3 loads a week, multiply that by 52 weeks then by 19 years and you have your answer. Hugs, Di

[GoPackGo]

I think all the factory installed units will come with a drain pan.

[ramgunner]

Bellpr wrote:
Thanks for all the great feedback, I think you've help us make a decision. One last Question, Drain Pans, anybody rolling the dice and not using one?

We got one with the Pinnacle 18-820 we are testing. I recommend them even in residential installations.

We had a GE Profile washer that suffered a failed clutch/brake mechanism (a common problem with them that's prohibitively expensive to fix). It would allow the drum to spin too fast, and the centrifugal force let water slosh over the top of the drum and onto the floor below. After that, I recommend a drain pan for everything.

[Bellpr]

Thanks for all the great feedback, I think you've help us make a decision. One last Question, Drain Pans, anybody rolling the dice and not using one?

[Arcamper]

Had a Splendide vented dryer and separate washer installed in our 2016 Montana 3100. The DW wanted them even though we probably won't use them much but it's still nice to have. The space is not an issue since we still have cabinets and drawers with nothing in them. They work very well and the dryer is faster than I would have guessed reading comments on here. Advice from this forum is why we went with the vented separate units.

[ventrman]

sushidog wrote:
Does anyone use their washer and drier when boondocking? It seems they consume a lot of resources making them impractical for someone spending most of their time off-grid. I would think that a pair like this would be more conservative of resources for off-grid rving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1hD-KYfmIY

Has anyone here used something like the wonder wash and a spin drier?

Chip

I have used a Wonder Wash. It gets the Clothes Clean. It is fine for a Couple of Shirts or maybe two Pairs of Jeans. It requires constant use because of the small Loads. I did not use mine with a Spin Dryer. I had a Clothes Line.

[Ivylog]

The combo unit is a compromise on how much space you want to give up. The Splendide 2100 does a good job if you take the cloths out after the high speed spin and fluff them up before drying. If you take the permanent press out before completely dry and hang them up... no need to iron. The closest to Ohio I found is a 2100 in Lexington $400.

[RustyJC]

When we bought a new 2000 Jayco Designer XL 3610RLTS, the wife just HAD to have a W/D, so the dealer installed a non-vented (condensing) Splendide unit. What a disappointment!!! It took forever to wash and dry a load of clothes, and they came out damp and wrinkled. It was so bad that we didn't even bother moving it when we bought our 2004 Mobile Suites RE3, even though it was plumbed for a W/D. The non-vented combo is definitely on my NOT RECOMMENDED list.

The new Mobile Suite is prepped for a combo or stackable W/D, but not being full-timers, we haven't installed anything yet. If we do, it will be a stackable set with a 240 VAC vented dryer.

Rusty

[Michelle_S]

Put a Vented Combo in our 1st 5er, ordered our 2nd with a Vented Combo, ordered our 3rd with the Stacked set. Love the stacked units, hate sitting around in a laundry room.

[retispcsi]

Yes it is worth it for us. We fulltime and hate Laundromats. We have stacked front load washer and dryer.

[sushidog]

I can see running your generator for a couple hours to wash a load of clothes, as you could charge your batteries at the same time, but how much water does a typical washer, like that 24" Maytag take to do a load?

According to Laundry Alternatives, the wonder wash:

1. Does a load in about 5 minutes.
2. Only costs $43 so it pays for itself in a couple months.
3. Uses no electricity.
4. Weighs only 6 lbs (According to Maytag, their 2cf, 24" washer weighs 172 lbs.)
5. It's dimensions are 12x12x16 so it takes up less room.
6. Most important to me it uses about 2 gallons of water/load to both wash and rinse - 90% less water than a typical washing machine, so if you must do twice as many loads it still uses 80% less water.)
7. It only uses a teaspoon of detergent/load too.

Disadvantages:

1. It must be hand cranked it for a minute or two to wash and another minute to rinse.
2. It only holds 5 lbs of clothes (about 1/2 of a 24" washer's capacity.)

So it's easier to stay in a particular boondocking location longer before being forced to move to take on more water or dump gray tanks. Of course if you only stay in FHU RV parks then this is not a consideration. Of course with only a 5lb capacity you'll still have to use the laundry mat for large items, like sheets and blankets occasionally, but for full-timers this can be timed for between 14 day mandatory moves or when you shop for groceries, without moving your rig. How does it clean so fast? The pressure build up inside the sealed tub forces detergent into the clothes speeding up cleaning and rinsing much like a pressure cooker speeds up cooking.

There are several other mini-washers on the market. I have no interest in pushing a particular machine, but this one appears sturdy and reliable, conserves resources and has certainly been out for a while with good reviews. It seems perfect for someone who boondocks a lot, saving trips to the washateria. I plan on getting one when I go FT.

As far as a drier, I don't own one now in my S&B but hang everything on a clothes line allowing it to air dry (I live in Louisiana - high humidity to slow drying some compared to the desert SW, but it rarely freezes.) Since I may be restricted in hanging clothes in some places I plan on getting one of those mini-spin driers too, like this. http://www.amazon.com/The-Laundry-Alternative-Countertop-Portable/dp/B002HT0958 While they are electrically operated, they only draw 82 watts for 2-3 minutes so won't draw too much power from the batteries like a heated drier will.

Chip

[Rob_Fla]

We are fulltimers and love our Washer / Dryer.
We have a Maytag 24" Washer and Sears 24" Dryer (both made by Whirlpool)
The Drum size on the Whirlpool units is larger than the typical "RV" units.
The Dryer is 120 volt but it has not been an issue for us, the Washer takes about 1 hour to complete its cycle, the 120 Volt Dryer take about the same amount of time (1 Hr) to complete its cycle.
We wash everything in them, no problems for almost 4 years of fulltiming with them.

[C-Bears]

I think it boils down to how much you are out on the road in your RV. Weekend campers may find it is not worth it. Folks that only take a 2 week trip each year may also figure it isn't worth the expense.

The way we looked at it as full timers was it would always be well worth having a washer/dryer. As someone already pointed out it will pay for itself in 2 or 3 years. I have never bought into the argument of them taking up too much space. We don't haul around 12 or 14 days worth of clothing so maybe that is why we felt we had plenty of room for the washer and dryer.