I am considering purchasing an all in one washer/dryer for an apartment. My question is, can I somehow place the unit in the kitchen and have the water drain into the sink? I don't think these units are portable so it would have to stay in one place. There is only one other option and that would be place the unit in a closet near the bathroom, but I'm not sure how and where it would drain. Any ideas? Thanks

You're talking major surgery to install your washer dryer anywhere without a washer hookup and a dryer vent to the outside. You will also need to install a 220 volt breaker and run a 220 line to the dryer. Don't get me wrong! This can be done but to give you instructions on how to discharge into your kitchen sink I would have to know the configuration of the sink trap/s and how you plan to vent the dryer. Let me know if you still wish to go ahead. Regards, Tom

Sorry Tom, I think you're a little off on this one..


What I think he's referring to is a front-loading, all-in-one washer/dryer combo unit...

I have one made by LG, and it's pretty fantastic, at least for my house's washing patterns. Here are some salient points:

1) 120V only, standard circuit (mine is on a 20a circuit, but I believe the are fine on 15a)

2) Rather low water requirements, like most high-efficiency front-loaders

3) Very high spin rpm, helps with the drying a lot

4) No dryer vent! The drying cycle works by condensation... a little bit of heat (not much) in the drum, and a refrigerated coil to condense the water. It's essentially a big dehumidifier, or a heat pump inside the machine.. heating the clothes and cooling the air (and getting condensate out) When it's on a dry cycle, the clothes tumble slowly and every minute or so the pump kicks on and ejects a couple of cups of water

5) Washing clothes is a one-step process... put them in dirty, and the come out clean AND dry. This also means that you can't forget to put the towels in the dryer and end up with mildew towels (guilty as charged... )


We've had ours for more than a year now, and there ARE some significant downsides, though overall we're very happy.

1) Takes a looong time to do the laundry, about 3 hours or so. Has a countdown timer.

2) Puts a pretty large amount of moisture into the air, at least as much as a shower.

3) The steamy inside air condenses on the cabinet, resulting in a sweating washer and a little water on the floor. Fits inside a standard square washer pan though, and it's very little water.

4) We had one lint-jam early on, fixed under warranty (and now I know how to do it myself)

5) It's really pretty quiet, but if you don't level it properly it will vibrate like the bejeezuz because of the high-speed spin.


So.. to answer the OP questions...

They are not very portable at all and have rubber feet rather than wheels. The output hose is smaller than a usual washer hose (because it uses less water, I imagine) and it comes with a plastic clip to hold it bent for use in a laundry sink. I don't think this would work with your kitchen sink; you'd have to rig something else up, probably involving nylon wire-ties. That would almost certainly not be to code.

The washer also requires the usual cold/hot water hookups.

I suggest that you simply install a washer-box, which you can get at Home Depot or Lowe's. This is a plastic box that you install into the wall which has hot/cold and a drain standpipe. Adding a drain standpipe to your sink should be a snap if the existing plumbing is PVC.


ANYHOW... here's the model we have here, and overall I'd rate it as a 9/10:
Buy.com - LG Electronics 3.8 cu.ft. Front Load All-In-One Washer and Dryer Combo - WM3677HW

Yeah, I know it's expensive... but not a lot more than the high-efficiency washer PLUS dryer, and it takes up half the space and uses half the energy.

~aaron

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Okay, I spoke to a person who lives in an apartment with a similar situation as mine. His is not an all in one unit, rather two separate units. He said that he bought a kit at home depot that allows him to connect his portable washer to the sink (for filling and draining). Can the same be done with an all in one unit? To install it in the closet would be too involved and I need a solution quick that will work. The place in the kitchen to where the unit will go is about 3-4 feet from the sink (which is a double sink, if that helps any). I have seen less expensive models (besides LG)... I wonder if they are as good?

Well, the folks on epinions mention that my LG came with a sink-connect, but I don't remember one.
LG WM-3677HW Front Load All-in-One Washer / Dryer Reviews at Epinions.com

I've seen them before, and they're kind of a pain in the butt... you need to REALLY want/need a washer and REALLY not be able to actually install it properly to use one, I think.

This page seems to have the accessory you are looking for:
http://www.splendide.com/accessories.htm

I have no idea about washers other than mine, but it stands to reason that there are plenty of good ones out there... Google for reviews on whatever you're considering will probably give you the best info.

Thanks for the info aaron. Since he mentioned that the unit he was looking at wasn't a portable I answered as if it was a regular set up. All of our new homes and condos are built with washer stations built in so I don't have t6oo much knowledge about portables. Thanks again, Tom

Very accurate. I too have been looking into getting an all in one and these are all the issues you need to know about getting one. Very complete answer thanks