Other Washer/dryer combos - how does it work in your country?

We have a separate washer and dryer, but only because we were given the dryer for free by a friend who was emigrating. It very rarely gets used, only in emergency - in the winter, we use the spare bedroom for drying clothes; in the summer, we've still got the spare bedroom

I'm surprised that most Americans still use top-loading washing machines. Front-loaders have been common here for the last 25-30 years or so.

They are far more efficient than top-loaders because they use so much less water. It's much better to have a small amount of water at the bottom of the drum, and rotate the clothes through it than it is to fill the drum with water. I'd imagine that it saves power not only because it take less to heat the water, but also because it takes less energy to rotate the drum.

 

I run mine through my kill a watt and its a little frightening with a heavy load ( a couple of units) but for light stuff its not actually that bad. I use my dryer all the time in the winter since stuff doesn't dry out side and i don't like loads of damp washing in the house however i get cheap night time power which is virtually free so its not so bad.

 

I would imagine it's a space thing.

Americans, founding their country with a blank slate, generally have more footage in their homes, and so have room for big fridges and seperate washer dryers

Whereas Europeans have generally less because land was divided up in increments from the peerage (or equivalent) and so prefer smaller fridges and 2-in-1 washer/dryers.

 

We have a twin-tub. For those who don't know what that is:
http://www.automaticwasher.org/TD/JPEG/VINTAGE/3-4-2008-01-50-9--electron1100.jpg
http://www.automaticwasher.org/TD/JPEG/VINTAGE/3-14-2008-12-12-38--sparkymarky1973.jpg

 

I'm going to go by your location that your in one of those countries that uses 220V as the common. Here the common is 115V, 220V is only used for heavy load things, like dryers, stoves, water heaters, stationary saws etc.. And since the Kill-A-Watt is for 115V devices it won't work with them. I can't even buy the UK versions since besides the plug difference UK power is single phase and ours is two phase. Or is it the other way around?

 

The UK power grid outputs 230v at 50Hz 3phase, but in the home it's just single phase.

 

We have had a washer dryer combo as long as I can remember back at home, but mum only really uses the dryer in winter when stuff cant be hung up outside.

Driers use alot of energy its true, even when we do use it its at offpeak times because you do notice the savings!

 

I'm equally surprised that top loading agitator style machines are still that common in the states, Here in good ol' rip-off Britain we're not energy conscious we're energy cost conscious, My electricity bill has almost tripled in a year... and I'm damn sure I'm not alone.

My machine is one of those Energy rated "A" front loading washer dryer, it only has a cold water feed as it only heats the water when required, and uses very little at that. The dryer function simply doesn't however... It just gets clothes hot and wet instead of just wet. Using constantly running cold water to cool a condenser plate while heating the drum to create the steam...

i wouldn't be surprised if using a laundrette was cheaper than running the machine at home... if they still exist that is?

 

You wouldn't be far wrong, in my last flat before we moved we had several of those big blue Ikea bags washed at the local laundry for less than a tenner and it was done in only a few hours instead of the 5 days it would have taken to wash and dry in the house.

 

Dryers are universally crap - as has already been said, they just get clothes warm and damp, rather than just damp. Never saw the point myself. Plus you get a strange smell deposited in your clothes from the rubber door seal getting all warm and nasty.

edit: Changed the thread title to something that makes more sense

Really? Ours has gone from something like 14p/kWh to 18p/kWh. Unless you had insanely cheap electricity previously, you're either using more energy or exaggurating!

 

The americans get dirt cheap electricity, so they don't have to care the slightest bit how efficient a electric device is.

Yup, the price of electricity has increased like madness in the uk.

As for the laundrette, there is one close to where I live, only went there once though when the washing machine was broken.
Was surprisingly cheap, I bet they will make a comeback sooner or later though as the economic downturn gets worse and people simply won't be able to afford a washing machine anymore.

 

We've had a condensing dryer at home for years, and it's bloody great. We don't use it in summer (weather permitting, of course), but the clothes come out so soft and wonderful, I defy anyone not to like it. It's not that pricey to run, and I'm more than happy to pay for the difference.

At uni though, it's a case of having washing hanging on racks across the house which takes upwards of 3 days to dry because our house is so cold/damp.

 

Seperate dryers are much better than two in ones for drying clothes: they're much larger and work much more efficiently than washer/dryers. However, like most people, I can only fit in a washer/dryer in our flat, so we use that. Our house has a damp problem, so drying clothes inside is usually a bit of a problem as all the water just makes the house damp, and a lack of reachable garden means the dryer actually gets used a fair amount. Especially for stuff you want drying quickly, like towels.

 

the top loading ones are as popular as the front ones (going by the selection numbers)
The difference being price of course with the front loading starting at $550 and the top loading ones starting at $350.
And thats for one that JUST washes. if you want that LG combo one, your talking $2K maybe 1800 on sale, and well i'd pay that just cause the inside is light by blue LEDs, i know my parents were pissed when they found out there new washer was going to cost $450.

 

+1 for the dryer function in washer dryers being crap.

We have a washer dryer but still use a dedicated dryer when needed because all the washer dryer does is takes ages to produce warm damp clothes.

 

When I was young, my mother used to hang most of the wash on a clothes line outside. My wife's family lived in New Mexico, and her mother used to hang the wash on a line, too. She said that the air was so dry there that by the time she had finished hanging the clothes, she could immediately take them down and fold them. To this day my mother will dry the bed sheets outside, weather permitting.

Nowadays, we all use dryers. My house is plumbed for a gas dryer, but we chose an energy efficient electric model. The dryer has a sensor to detect the relative humidity of the load to determine when the clothes are dry. Works quite well.

-monkey

 

Our flat came with a washer/dryer - it's great. Before bed, shove all your washing in and press a button, then in the morning everything is washed and bone dry. Electricity bill never seemed that bad either. I assumed most people used combined washer/dryers these days.

 

In the summer we'll put our stuff outside to dry and in the winter we use a dryer

 

What's this "dryer" you all speak of? hahaha.

Down here in the Dominican Republic we get truckloads of sun all year long. The norm here is to use the washer for washing (duh!) and then use the spin cycle before you hang it out on the clothesline to dry.

 

I have a normal front loading washing machine, and use a rack to dry the clothes. This is because I just don't see the point in spending lots of money on a dryer when a rack cost about nothing. Planning a bit ahead means that I'm never in a hurry to get something dry. If I I ever was in a pinch I could go over to some nearby relatives and borrow a dryer.