Washer and dryer

[Thetravelingbrowns]

My wife and I just purchased a 2022 Paradigm 310rl. Would love some input on washer and dryers for rvs. Don't want a combo or stackable. Thanks in advance.
Michael

 

[Rich W.]

This is one of the best convenience items for longer trips. Not needed for weekends or several days, but the longer you're on the road the more you’ll appreciate it. You can pack less clothing and do a load every few days. I also use the washer for a hamper so it frees up space and is a good place to cache dirty clothes. It also makes more soapy grey water which helps flush out the slinky. Also no more laundromats or waiting for machines in parks. My wife thought it was unnecessary and over the top to have a washer and dryer in the rig and now she couldn’t imagine traveling without them.

 

[Thetravelingbrowns]

This is one of the best convenience items for longer trips. Not needed for weekends or several days, but the longer you're on the road the more you’ll appreciate it. You can pack less clothing and do a load every few days. I also use the washer for a hamper so it frees up space and is a good place to cache dirty clothes. It also makes more soapy grey water which helps flush out the slinky. Also no more laundromats or waiting for machines in parks. My wife thought it was unnecessary and over the top to have a washer and dryer in the rig and now she couldn’t imagine traveling without them.

We'll be full time so will be beneficial for us. Do you have a separate washer and dryer or combo unit and which brand name?

 

[Jim]

I agree with everything that @Rich W. said.

And when I dry off after getting out of the shower, I simply toss the towel into the dryer. Hit the button for 15 minutes, and now the towel is ready for next time.

 

[Scotttkd2]

Most RV brands (a few high end exceptions) are limited to 120V dryers, which make for a different experience than a home 220V dryer. Also, most will be either a combo or stacked due to limited floor space. We have Splendide stacked units and once we got used to the 120v drying limitations we have been very happy with it. No experience with a combo unit, but I cant recall anyone saying they were in love with theirs or bragging up their results.

 

[docj]

I cant recall anyone saying they were in love with theirs or bragging up their results.

We have had a Splendide combo for over 10 years and are very pleased with it. We even have the "reviled" unvented Splendide and find nothing wrong with it.

Most of the people who complain about their RV washer/dryer are unaware of the fact that any dryer operating on 120V and 20A will take roughly three to four times as long to dry the same load of clothes as would a residential dryer operating on 240V and 30-40A. I honestly don't care if you "think" your RV dryer is just as good as your home dryer; physics proves it can't be.

As for our unvented Splendide, it should be noted that unvented combos are very common in Europe where it is often difficult to run vents in older buildings. If they were as bad as some people claim on US social media, no one would ever want one. A key point which is almost uniformly misunderstood is that unvented combos don't put moisture into the room; the water vapor coming off the clothes is condensed and directed to the drain. No humidity enters the room.

Lastly, people consistently tell me that having stackables is better than combos because you can do two loads at one time. That's both true but meaningless. The pacing item is how long it takes to dry a load. Yes, you can wash a second load, but it's going to sit until the first load has finished drying. So the bottom line is that your two loads dry in exactly the same time regardless!

 

[AbdRahim]

Stackable here - Spledide. Initially, I did not want it, but now that I have it, I don’t think I would get another RV without them. Almost all my stays are a month or more. Nice to know when I do the wash I don’t have to deal with the stale water and reidues left in the public washer soap dispensers.
Also, if it is raining, I don’t have to go outside to do laundry.

 

[LMHS]

i have a residential top loading washer (Whirlpool Cabrio) and a residential gas dryer (Maytag Centennial) that was converted to use propane gas. They seem to have bounced down the highways just fine. When I first got them, I was working a retail job and living in my bus. Made a huge difference in my life. I could wash clothes late at night. Now I no longer work a retail job but my daughter does. I still toss a load of laundry in late at night.

 

[Rich W.]

We'll be full time so will be beneficial for us. Do you have a separate washer and dryer or combo unit and which brand name?

Maytag washer and Whirlpool dryer (vented). Both work fine, take about the same time to wash and dry, but I do medium loads. It would take longer to dry larger loads of course, but in my experience it seems to take about an hour to dry.

My Maytag seems to have a problem with the door lock because sometimes I have to try 3 or 4 times to get it to start - happens on any cycle so I think its in the door. But it still works so I tolerate it. Everything I’ve heard about combo units has been negative.

For full timing I’d say its almost a must - perhaps more important than two bathrooms. If I were full timing, I’d want both, but of course plenty of people make do with all sorts of set-ups.

 

[team bradfield]

stackable splendide, we've had them in the last 3 rigs. 1st had a combo, the wife hated it

 

[Thetravelingbrowns]

This is one of the best convenience items for longer trips. Not needed for weekends or several days, but the longer you're on the road the more you’ll appreciate it. You can pack less clothing and do a load every few days. I also use the washer for a hamper so it frees up space and is a good place to cache dirty clothes. It also makes more soapy grey water which helps flush out the slinky. Also no more laundromats or waiting for machines in parks. My wife thought it was unnecessary and over the top to have a washer and dryer in the rig and now she couldn’t imagine traveling without them.

Thanks!

 

[Thetravelingbrowns]

Maytag washer and Whirlpool dryer (vented). Both work fine, take about the same time to wash and dry, but I do medium loads. It would take longer to dry larger loads of course, but in my experience it seems to take about an hour to dry.

My Maytag seems to have a problem with the door lock because sometimes I have to try 3 or 4 times to get it to start - happens on any cycle so I think its in the door. But it still works so I tolerate it. Everything I’ve heard about combo units has been negative.

For full timing I’d say its almost a must - perhaps more important than two bathrooms. If I were full timing, I’d want both, but of course plenty of people make do with all sorts of set-ups.

Thanks!

 

[J&JD]

We have had a Splendide combo for over 10 years and are very pleased with it. We even have the "reviled" unvented Splendide and find nothing wrong with it.

Most of the people who complain about their RV washer/dryer are unaware of the fact that any dryer operating on 120V and 20A will take roughly three to four times as long to dry the same load of clothes as would a residential dryer operating on 240V and 30-40A. I honestly don't care if you "think" your RV dryer is just as good as your home dryer; physics proves it can't be.

As for our unvented Splendide, it should be noted that unvented combos are very common in Europe where it is often difficult to run vents in older buildings. If they were as bad as some people claim on US social media, no one would ever want one. A key point which is almost uniformly misunderstood is that unvented combos don't put moisture into the room; the water vapor coming off the clothes is condensed and directed to the drain. No humidity enters the room.

Lastly, people consistently tell me that having stackables is better than combos because you can do two loads at one time. That's both true but meaningless. The pacing item is how long it takes to dry a load. Yes, you can wash a second load, but it's going to sit until the first load has finished drying. So the bottom line is that your two loads dry in exactly the same time regardless!

In our first coach, we had the Splendide washer/dryer combo. We had that coach for 11 years, and no problem with the appliance. We have Whirlpool stackables now, and much prefer them. The Splendide combo unit dried everything, but the wrinkles were nasty. The stacked dryer gives you a much more normal performance. Judy D

 

[FL-JOE]

We installed a combo unit in our first fiver when we began the FT adventure. Couldn't wait to get rid of it. Each small load took forever to complete.

We have had either stacked units or side-by-side units since that time, two of which were/are Splindid. We hang as much as possible inside on a collapsible tree for drying so each load in the dryer keeps up pretty good with the next load coming out of the washer.

Not sure what size RV you would have to have for a residential size dryer. We have full timed in everything from a used 38' fiver to a new 43' Newmar tag coach. All of our washers/dryers have been 110 units.

 

[Thetravelingbrowns]

In our first coach, we had the Splendide washer/dryer combo. We had that coach for 11 years, and no problem with the appliance. We have Whirlpool stackables now, and much prefer them. The Splendide combo unit dried everything, but the wrinkles were nasty. The stacked dryer gives you a much more normal performance. Judy D

Great information. Thanks!

 

[DennisT]

We have the Splendide stacked washer and dryer in our new coach. Previously we didn’t have anything in our class c.

Our friends have the Splendide combo unit.

So far the stacked units have been great.

The combo our friends have was not drying well (used coach to them) and they had to do some troubleshooting. Turns out the newer ones do not have a lint trap and that had made it to the vent line plugging it up.

After cleaning that it works much better. There is a procedure for running a rinse cycle after use to get the lint out of the machine and into the gray tank.

If you have the room I think the stackable are better overall and faster but the combo does work as well.

 

[akadeadeye]

We have Splendide as well. Separate washer and dryer but "stacked" on top of each other with a platform above washer. We are pleased with them.