RV Washing Machine

[nickelman]

I am new to the RVing world and do not currently own a RV. The plan is to buy a used RV in the next couple of years and Full/SemiFull time in retirement. I've started doing as much research on RV's as I can and looking at used RV sales to have a good idea what I want and what the price range should be. I haven't got it down to a specific make/mdl yet but Have me list of whats in a coach started.
One of the wants I have that I have not had much luck getting info on is RV washer/dryers. I living in a RV for long periods of time to me makes having a washer/dryer a necessity. This narrows the selection substantially. So my question is is it difficult to add a washer/dryer to an RV once a suitable location is located on the coach?

Thanks

[phnguyk]

Or do what I did.

[dshinnick]

We've full-timed for four years. It is sooo nice to be fully self-contained, as long as we have full hookups. My wife uses the w/d several times a week. I feel sorry for the folks who have to lug their loads to and from the park's laundry, carry a load of quarters, go back and forth to see if theirs is done and move it to the next machine. Blah. If you want a w/d in your stick home, it is beyond me why you wouldn't want one in your home on wheels.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

I love having a washer/dryer on board for past 13 years, but ours is a combo one and the clothes tend to come out badly creased and hard to iron if you over dry - better than nothing for sure. Next RV must have a stacked pair for us though we've decided.. I can see both points of view when all is said and done, but we've just had bad experience of what's gone in commercial machines before us going back 13 to 16 years ago,, and only use them for our quilts or bulky items after a very thorough visual and odour inspection.

We find it more convenient and a lot cheaper than using commercial ones personally, but to each their own.

[cudntherd]

Our first RV was a 1998 Class A it did not have a washer and Dryer or a place for one. Current RV is a 2011 DP with a Splendide combo. We would not own another RV with out a Washer and Dryer or at least one that has plumbing for one.

[Mr_Mark1]

Nickelman, installing a washer and dryer will depend on the unit that you find. Plumbing needs to be in the area as do the holding tanks.

If you find a unit with a washer and dryer installed or pre-plumbed, you will be WAY ahead of the curve. I would hate to tackle a job like that as that's above my skill level.

Personally, we wouldn't want to be without an onboard washer and dryer. We made the mistake early on of using the campground facility and someone left clorox in the washer. Our brand new towels were spotted (and they were good towels!). So, we never used a Campground Laundromat after that. Some are nice and some seem to be a little iffy (old equipment).

Doing laundry while watching TV or eating dinner is not a problem. We have the Bosch stackable units in the new coach, had the Splendide previously. Both brands work very well.

Safe travels,
MM.

[2gypsies1]

We're in the camp that prefers getting two weeks' of laundry done in 1-1/2 hours at the laudramat and be done with it. When folks say they throw a load in their RV one daily I just can't imagine doing that. I don't want to think about laundry daily.

We also used public parks as our first choice so there were no hookups. Using a washer/dryer was impossible.

We full-timed for 16 years without one and honestly, NEVER, found a laundry that was dirty. We used the ones in town and there were attendents cleaning them after use. We did other errands while waiting our 1-1/2 hr. - no time lost. Everyone is different, for sure.

OP: As you're looking at RVs, there is usually a big hall closet. Look carefully in it and you'll probably see the washer connections in there were plumbed.

[DSDP_Don]

"nickelman".....There is something else you should consider. When washer/dryers first regularly started showing up in RV's, they were the combo units. The first of those were not vented and took a long time to do small loads of clothing. When the idea caught on, they started making taller cabinets and installing the stackable units.

When someone tells you they didn't like theirs and it did small loads, they're probably talking about the first generation of all in one units.

Our last coach, 2005 Monaco Diplomat, had space for the all in one unit. I had no interest in adding one of those. When we bought our new coach, we definitely wanted a stackable unit. They work great. We can do a weeks worth of clothing in two loads. We often go camping with our two adult daughters who both have RV's and the washer/dryer has come in handy when the grandkids have an accident.

[WILDEBILL308]

nickelman, The best advise is to ask nicklwoman what she wants. When I was looking I was looking for a coach with one. You can always take it out till you are ready to sell it. Installing one in a coach not designed for one will be expensive.
Good luck
Bill

[Bill_Satellite]

I am not sure why the W/D topic ALWAYS become so contentious when these topics come up (surprisingly quite often). Some like them and some don't but that has nothing at all to do with the question which was how hard would it be to install.
I love mine and, yes, the vented is the only combo I would recommend. Others don't and that's OK, too. Now, let's see if we can try to help the poster with his question.

[VoodooMedicineM]

best option I have ever ordered in RV

[Traveler_II]

rr2254545 wrote:

Born To Travel wrote:
I do not have a washer/dryer in mine, But I have found that washing clothes are not a problem.. Most all campgrounds have a laundry room and most towns have a Laundromat.. For something you may only use a couple hours a week to me is not worth taking up the extra space...

Totally disagree - not all have and some of the commercial ones are just nasty - had to drive 40 miles one way in SC to find one and it was nasty

Best add on we have - had both and the stacked ones are best

We retired 16 years ago and we're on our 5th RV. In one of our MH we had a washer/dryer and to be honest we didn't like it. They only do small loads and it seem we were washing all the time. We've full timed and now we're half timers and have found that most campground laundry to be clean and easy to use. Our present fiver is set up for a washer/dryer mostly for re-sale, but we won't put one in, we use the space for storage.

[jplante4]

Here's ours... Twenty years old and it still has the stickers. I'm pretty sure the original owner never used it.



It's a Splendide washer/vented dryer combo. The threads here about this model indicate that the vented version works better than the non vented and that small loads are the rule.

Clothes come out less wrinkled if you stop the cycle at the end of the wash and shake everything out before starting the dryer.

[Bill_Satellite]

Our coach did not have a W/D but some drawers were removed and a Splendide W/D combo was installed. It was located pretty much above the grey holding tank so getting a drain line in there was not difficult. It was initially plumbed for cold water only (which is fine in almost all cases) but I had to do some work in that area and added a hot water line while I was there. The combo washer actually washer better (front loaders do) than most stacked or separates but you have to learn how to do the drying to prevent wrinkles. We have full timed with this unit since '99 and have only visited Laundromats a handful of times in all those years. I don't like 'em, the wife doesn't like 'em (W/D required, right?) and I know who washed what in mine every time!

[wa8yxm]

Many RVs come with them as an option and if they do not they often put the needed plumbing in anyway (they did on mine) Wife and I opted for the closet space and glad we did... She's gone but I still spend time at the park laundry every month washing and drying, Folding and such (Though I usually fold "At Home" (The RV) a never ending cycle.