All in one washer/dryers

Fulltimers

Active Member
We are considering adding a all in one washer/dryer before we start our 6 month journey this coming spring. What issues can we expect and ventless vs. vented. Any input will be greatly appreciated.
 
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Garypowell

Well-known member
Go with vented. While some seem to report that ventless works ok.....vented works great.

If I had the room I might go with a dual unit as you can do two things at once. But we have had our Splendide dual unit now going on 5 years with little trouble.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
If you were only doing laundry a few times a year, maybe a ventless unit would be ok. But for fulltimers, I would recommend vented.

Consider that to get your clothes dry, the hot air picks up the moisture from the clothes and moves it out of the dryer.

The house we bought a couple of years ago didn't have the dryer vent hooked up, so the previous owners vented the moist air into the washer/dryer closet. As a result, the door was warped and before we moved in, repairs had to be done, along with running an outside vent.

Our dryer in the RV vents outside and I wouldn't have it any other way.
 

farside291

Well-known member
We had an all in one washer dryer for about a year, DW hated the fact that shirts and pants had to be hung damp to prevent wrinkles. Ours was an LG model and we loved the wash cycles because it matched our front loaders at home but, we hated the drying portion. The drying portion like was said picks up the moisture from the clothes by injecting hot air into the tub and then it pumps the moisture up and out the drain hose.
Now, we liked the washer portion so much we kept it and mounted a separate vented Splendide dryer on top. Now we have the best of both worlds, we can wash/dry items that we don't care about wrinkles in the washer/dryer combo and dry items that are wrinkle prone in the dryer. Don't get me wrong, with practice and a bit of a learning curve the combo unit works well, we just didn't care to have clothes hanging everywhere drying. Now, if the combo unit is a vented style, I would think that would be the way to go.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
We have a vented Splendide combo. It has a learning curve and even after 2 years I'm still tweaking to find the best settings to avoid wrinkles. I often have to spray clothes fresh out of the dryer with a mist of water to reduce wrinkles and hang them up for a bit to dry.

That said, I used a ventless unit in an apartment I was staying at for a 3 month on-site job. No matter how long I ran it, the clothes always came out damp. I hated that!!

I still would pick an in-rig unit over going to a laundromat any day!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

porthole

Retired
Having a vented dryer that is not vented is not the same thing as having a ventless dryer.

We have had a Splendide combo - vented unit since June 2009. Use it frequently and given the choice of a combo unit or nothing at all - we would definitely keep the combo. It's not perfect but it works pretty good for us.

There are a couple of tricks we have learned. First, you just about have to use liquid fabric softener.
Splendide recommends it to allow the clothes to fall off the drum easier during the wash and spin cycles.

Second is we never do a start to finish wash and dry. We set the dry time to 0, when the wash is done we take out the clothes, shake them out and then put them in for a dry cycle.

Part of the efficiency of this unit is the very high speed used for the spin cycles, around 1200 RPM. That speed will give your clothes wrinkles you didn't know were possible.
 

mlpeloquin

Well-known member
Vented Splendide combo. Do not get a non vented combo unit. We use plastic washer balls and wool dryer balls which helps move the laundry in the small drum. We find that Costco's Kirkland washer Ultra Clean Washer Packs and always close softener gives great results. The washer packs are easy to use without having another liquid to store and a chance to spill. We have found that everything dries well on low heat setting and leaves fewer wrinkles. We never set the combo to go directly into the dry cycle. All laundry is taken out shaken and then put through the dry cycle except for shirts. Shirts are done at the end of the day, shaken, and hung up in the living room over night. All shirts are dry by the morning and put in the closet. So far we cannot get away without any wrinkles, but they can be kept to a minimum with the settings we use. We have never used anything but cold water and everything has come out clean.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Thanks for the tips! I also don't go straight from wash to dry as mentioned above, use wool dryer balls, liquid fabric softener, always on cold, always low heat.

I was using Downy Wrinkle Release spray to help with wrinkles, until I found that just water in a misting spray bottle works just as well. Spritz and brush out with your hand, hang up. I usually hang them on the slide-out facia of the bed slide. They are dry pretty quickly.

The other key is smaller loads = better results. You just have to have more patience. ;)
 

MCTalley

Well-known member
One other tip that others have found - if you do buy any vented unit, don't necessarily trust the vent location as marked by Heartland on your unit. Some folks have used that location and found an aluminum stud in the way. A stud finder would be a very good idea.

We were lucky and ours was marked correctly.
 

Fulltimers

Active Member
Thanks everyone for your great information. If we get one, it will be definitely a vented one. Merry Christmas to one and all.
 

mlpeloquin

Well-known member
If you are going to do the install yourself, as stated above, do not rely on the vent marker. A good wood and metal stud finder works well. Some have looked at the fifth wheel in the morning when the due is still on the side. You can clearly see where the studs are. Do install a drain pan that runs a line to the out side. Otherwise, if a leak develops, you will be flooded. In my fifth wheel I ran the line behind the washer into the side chase. Then under the dresser. I drill a hole for the drain line into the LPG compartment so with a leak all can flow down to the ground. Make sure that the line is parallel to sloping down to allow the water to flow out and not back up over the lip of the pan. I put a piece of metal screen on the end of the hose to prevent bugs from getting in. I also changed out the OEM faucet for a single handle one. The wife was not strong enough operate the OEM ones.
 

Vickiedf

Member
We got a LG ventless and are very happy with it. Since it uses cool water to dry it our clothes come out wrinkled free. Draw back to some is it takes 3 hours from wash to dry. It is not a problem to us because we do it in the evenings when we are in the trailer. Put a shelf over it so even more storage.
 

LBR

Well-known member
The DW and I have NEVER understood the philosophy behind so many members here and their trailer washer/dryers. They cost a lot of money, add a lot of dead towing weight, take up very valuable internal real estate, and are not boondocking friendly.

We have 4 weeks worth of clean clothes stocked and go to the laundromat about every 3 weeks.....spend $20-25 and 1 1/2 hours washing, drying, folding while reading our forums in between stints. When we are done, we go treat ourselves with a beer or ice cream.

Some of the members here wash/dry every day....for 3 hours?....just wow!
 

danemayer

Well-known member
The DW and I have NEVER understood the philosophy behind so many members here and their trailer washer/dryers. They cost a lot of money, add a lot of dead towing weight, take up very valuable internal real estate, and are not boondocking friendly.

We have 4 weeks worth of clean clothes stocked and go to the laundromat about every 3 weeks.....spend $20-25 and 1 1/2 hours washing, drying, folding while reading our forums in between stints. When we are done, we go treat ourselves with a beer or ice cream.

Some of the members here wash/dry every day....for 3 hours?....just wow!

Ann wants to know how many times you turn your underwear inside out during those 3 weeks. :rolleyes:
 

BLR

Well-known member
Ann wants to know how many times you turn your underwear inside out during those 3 weeks. :rolleyes:
Never..
We both have enough underwear and clothes for a month.. love living off the grid and living in the desert..
Go to town do laundry once every 3 or weeks (spend 1.5 hours and have everything done) and enjoy a cold one.. afterwards


Sent from BLR Logistics
 

Fox

Well-known member
We've never fully adapted to the RV lifestyle. Laundry duties rarely exceeds 4 days at home; camping maybe 5 or 6 days.
I have no problems with reversing my shorts, but my bride does.

On occasion I've even gone commando. Or au' natural.
 

mlpeloquin

Well-known member
We did the laundry thing going cross country and back with a big stop off at our first Goshen rally. Never again. Do not like most of the laundry mats, but the one in Goshen was nice. So happy we got the Splendid washer/dryer combo. Now the weight of the rig is diminished by a ton of close we do not need to take. Eight days just in case we have one set of dress close as well. Closets are not stuffed nor are the dressers. Easy to find everything.
 

CoveredWagon

Well-known member
Ann wants to know how many times you turn your underwear inside out during those 3 weeks. :rolleyes:

Dan any guy who’s ever been in the military know each pair are good for 4 days, front, back, inside and outside. Sheeeesh 😂

Oh oh did I say that 😮 Lol
 

Fox

Well-known member
Dan any guy who’s ever been in the military know each pair are good for 4 days, front, back, inside and outside. Sheeeesh 😂

Oh oh did I say that 😮 Lol

WRONG, they're still good for use as a bandage /tourniquet.
Did I say that?
 
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