Stackable vs. Combo

ericandalice · Mar 12, 2012

I've been reading through this board and haven't really found an answer to my question.

Is a combo better than a stackable or vice versa? Is there a reason you'd prefer one of the other? To me, it'd be less weight up front in the RV and also less space taken up.

Thoughts?

Thanks.
Alice

danemayer · Mar 12, 2012

Alice, we have the stackable W/D. We run small loads and often wash a 2nd load while the 1st is drying. My wife has lots of things that don't go in the dryer, so this works especially well if they are washed first.

I've read some posts from people with the combo units who have problems with excessive wrinkling. I don't know whether everyone has that problem, but no one suggested it was that unit only.

jbeletti · Mar 12, 2012

Alice,

In my opinion, a combo is better from a space perspective as it takes up half the space. And the stackable/separates are better from an efficiency perspective as you can wash and dry at the same time when doing 2 or more loads back to back.

From my experience, the combo can put out wrinkled clothing. Steps can be taken to minimize that a bit.

Jim

TandT · Mar 13, 2012

We use the W/D closet as a clothes closet and it would be hard to give up that space.
With many people's opinions luke warm, (no pun intended), about the efficiency of on board washer dryer combo's of either kind, we have not been able to justify the cost up to this point.
We normally stay in parks with laundries, or we hit a laundromat about every 1-2 weeks, washing everything at once, as opposed to a few items every day.
It's worked for us for the past 14 months and we haven't even come close to a break even cost-wise, with buying an onboard unit.
Just my two cents. Trace

boatto5er · Mar 13, 2012

It really is a personal preference. I wanted the combo - my wife wanted the separate units. We have the separate units. Go figure.

caissiel · Mar 13, 2012

We have th combo 2100 itdries 11lbs compared to 13 lbs for the dual. After 7 years of fulltime use I need to replace one of the main motor brush so ours have been down for 2 weeks what a bummer as our clothes have been pilling up an my dw noticed the clothes are not getting washed as well in the availableconventional washer here.

JohnDar · Mar 13, 2012

We've got the combo unit. It's also the only type that would fit in our model of the 3670. It works just fine for us. We wash small loads while we're at the trailer and will bring soiled bedding home to wash when we leave. I hated standing around waiting for the machines when we lived in apartments, I don't want to revisit that "fun."

Zuey · Mar 14, 2012

We have the combo in our 3670. There was not enough room for a stackable. Ours washes fine but does not dry very well or very quickly. We usually wash our close in our combo but the dry them at the campground laundy. Doing it this way saves us a lot of time.

guyc66 · Jul 7, 2012

If you decide to go with a stackable unit I highly recommend the Splendide Ariston models. We had a combo unit for 7 years and had to deal with the wrinkle issues, etc. When we upgraded our 5th wheel with a new Grand Canyon we had the dealer install the Splendide Ariston stackables and have been amazed at the performance of these units. They are simply awesome and have great features. Just my two cents.....

dave10a · Jul 7, 2012

We had a combo in our motor home and when we traded for a 5th wheel we made certain it could handle the stackable and purchased the Splendide Ariston models. They use less water and dry cloths and larger loads much faster. The only draw back is the weight additions. The combo has the advantage for trailers and motor homes that are space limited but that is its only advantage. The combo takes forever to wash and dry clothes and does smaller loads. DW is much much much happier with the stackable.

Lance & Jo · Jul 7, 2012

We had a combo on the boat for 12 years and have had one in the trailer for the last 2 years. Have found they take some getting used to in terms of load size and avoiding wrinkles. In the trailer for things prone to wrinkle we use smaller loads and generally partial dry in the unit and hang dry to finish. On the boat we had the ventless dryer and it took several lifetimes to dry a load so normally just hung things to dry.

boatto5er · Jul 7, 2012

Whirlpool makes nice "apartment" sized washer and dryer units that are the same size as the Splendides but cost less because they are not "RV" specific. Several of us have the Whirlpools and are very happy with them. Of course, Camping World won't install them so you'll have to do it yourself (or call Larry

) and that does require some door and trim removal and basic plumbing/venting knowledge.

kakampers · Jul 7, 2012

boatto5er said:
Whirlpool makes nice "apartment" sized washer and dryer units that are the same size as the Splendides but cost less because they are not "RV" specific. Several of us have the Whirlpools and are very happy with them. Of course, Camping World won't install them so you'll have to do it yourself (or call Larry ) and that does require some door and trim removal and basic plumbing/venting knowledge.

We second this...have had our Whirlpool stackables for over six years...Love them!! Did our own re-install in the Bighorn after our crappy dealer (now out of business), really screwed up the job...not too bad a job...me and DH did it by ourselves. Hardest part is getting the washer in...boy, is it heavy.

JohnDar · Jul 7, 2012

One more comment on the combo unit. Some have remarked about how long it takes to do a load, eating up precious time. Time for what? We'll do laundry on rainy days, lazy days, or later in the day after coming off the lake. Real easy to sit back with a cold one while the machine is doing it's thing. Nobody around here seems to care much about my slightly wrinkled T-shirt if my more wrinkled money is being handed to them. If we're going out fancy (Chez MacDee), we've got a counter-top ironing board and steam iron so the maitre'd don't get snooty.

boatto5er · Jul 7, 2012

JohnDar said:
One more comment on the combo unit. Some have remarked about how long it takes to do a load, eating up precious time. Time for what? We'll do laundry on rainy days, lazy days, or later in the day after coming off the lake. Real easy to sit back with a cold one while the machine is doing it's thing. Nobody around here seems to care much about my slightly wrinkled T-shirt if my more wrinkled money is being handed to them. If we're going out fancy (Chez MacDee), we've got a counter-top ironing board and steam iron so the maitre'd don't get snooty.

I hate it when the maitre'd's at Mickey's get snooty. I like the ones at my favorite French restuarant, Jacque in De Box.

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dave10a · Jul 8, 2012

What ever you buy don't forget the drip pan--- it is favored by most reputable manufacturers

Stackable vs. Combo

ericandalice

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TandT

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