Washer Dryer question..

VixenII said:

JAT - Two quick questions - !. does your wife like the washer? 2. Have you encountered any problems with the washer? The 7500 is available here in S. Puerto Rico via Sears and I have to make a decision soon. The other common compact units are not sold outside of the USA.

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1. Yes, she loves it!!

2. No, we have not.

They are used on a regular basis and we are full time liveaboards....

I have a Kariba (which is a Splendide made under a different name - same parts) and it's a vented model. It's works very, very well. Yes, any dryer running on 110v instead of 220v will take a little longer to dry. Three reasons I would never consider a propane dryer onboard, 1) propane is much more dangerous on a boat than electricity, 2) I hate packing propane tanks anywhere at anytime, and 3) I can make electricity onboard but I can not make propane.

Stay safe.

If/when I get to cruise full time the washer will become much more of a necesity.

Depends on how you cruise.

If your daily run is from marina to marina , and you are never more than a few hours from the power pole, constant electric and a small washer works fine. Although it might be laundry day 6 days a week.

If you enjoy an anchorage and the sound of silence (the other anchored boats do ) the ease with which you can do 2-3 weeks of laundry in 1 1/2 hours at the laundromat will interest you.

Most cruisers carry aboard a folding 2 wheel shopping cart device , so food , beverages. propane tanks or laundry are easy when ashore.

Loading it all into the dink, is a different joy.

Moonstruck said:

Matt, you could put a washer and dryer in place of the hot tub/spa you have planned for the boat.

My boat came with a Splendid combination w/d. One of the first things I did was take it out, and put in needed drawer storage. It also had an extra Tundra freezer that I removed and made a locker. Storage to me was more important. Glad I did it. Of course, we are not livaboards.

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Bwahahahahahaha but the spa was going to look so cool lol

Yeah I'm not living aboard so I will keep the spa hahaha

iPad Forum Runner

ksanders said:

The need for a washer/dryer or even a range hood really depends on how you intend to use the boat and the "ease" you expect.

Personally I think that the washer/dryer is a fantastic thing to have, even for boating just a few days at a time. If you leave clothes and towles on the boat, all you have to do is go to the boat to enjoy it. No hauling kit bags full of clothes back and forth, no packing for a boat trip...

If/when I get to cruise full time the washer will become much more of a necesity. Again, no need to take time out of your schedule and lug laundry around.

A Range hood is nice too. Boats tend to colect moisture, cooking generates it. A range hood is just as useful on a boat as it is at home.

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Thanks for your reply mate. Will look at the range hood inclusion more closely.

Cheers again!

Regards
Matt

iPad Forum Runner

I've done the laundry-mat thing, no thanks. You need to carry more clothing because you keep 2-3 weeks of dirty clothes on hand, I'd far rather toss in a load once per day. Timed right and you'll never even know the machine is running if you are doing a load while underway. My Kariba all-in-one 110v vented machine is one of the best things I ever bought for the boat. And of course depending on the weather and where you are cruising you may not need to run the dryer cycle, wash, rinse, spin to dry then hang stuff on deck for an hour or two. And mine typically only uses 8-12 gallons to wash - not a problem.

Valhalla said:

I've done the laundry-mat thing, no thanks. You need to carry more clothing because you keep 2-3 weeks of dirty clothes on hand, I'd far rather toss in a load once per day. Timed right and you'll never even know the machine is running if you are doing a load while underway. My Kariba all-in-one 110v vented machine is one of the best things I ever bought for the boat. And of course depending on the weather and where you are cruising you may not need to run the dryer cycle, wash, rinse, spin to dry then hang stuff on deck for an hour or two. And mine typically only uses 8-12 gallons to wash - not a problem.

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Thats the way I see it as well.

My washer/dryer takes about 2 hours to wash and dry a load of clothes.
While on the hook I need to run the generator a couple times a day anyway to recharge the batteries. Thats a great time to wash a load of clothes.

I feel the same way some others feel about propane. Yes, I could make it safe. The challenge is that its something more I'd have to deal with.

Right now the only things me or my boat need from shore is food and diesel fuel. We make our own water, process and dispose of our own waste, make our own electricity, and that makes boating more fun and less hassle.

220V units

White-Westinghouse makes a vented washer/dryer, model LCE812LFV3 which is 220-240V, 50 Hz and also LCE812LFV2C which is 220, 60Hz.

They are even available in the States and Canada.

I didn't see that model # on a quick Google search, but I've found all of the units they sell at appliance and big-box stores are condensing units that vent inside the building (or in our case, boat.) Marine units are typically available with the option to vent outside. They dry much faster and use less electricity.

The condenser units do not "vent" at all...they condense the water vapor into liquid, which drains somewhere. I've had a vented and a condenser model, and performance-wise they were almost exactly the same.

While on the hook I need to run the generator a """couple times a day """anyway to recharge the batteries.

Do you have only 1 series 24 ,battery as the house set??

CaptTom said:

I didn't see that model # on a quick Google search, but I've found all of the units they sell at appliance and big-box stores are condensing units that vent inside the building (or in our case, boat.) Marine units are typically available with the option to vent outside. They dry much faster and use less electricity.

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They are VERY difficult to find - but they are there - I just bought one...
Check Westinghouse customer service, they will send you a manual if you call them.

FF said:

While on the hook I need to run the generator a """couple times a day """anyway to recharge the batteries.

Do you have only 1 series 24 ,battery as the house set??

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I need to run mine to cool the freezer in the laz so we do laundry then - typically while underway. My engine also can't begin to recharge my house bank because it's too big.

Dave

Keith said:

The condenser units do not "vent" at all...they condense the water vapor into liquid, which drains somewhere. I've had a vented and a condenser model, and performance-wise they were almost exactly the same.

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I know what you mean Keith, but they do vent, but it's just pretty dry air and it goes inside the boat. One thing I've noticed about our condensing Bosch is that the cloths feel like they are not quite dry when they come out, but as soon as you fold them they are as dry as they would be if used in a conventional venting dryer where moist air is evacuated rather than condensed on a hot plate.

Someone mentioned that condensing dryers "use water", which I don't think is ever true. They produce water, and that has to drain to a sump or overboard.

Keith said:

The condenser units do not "vent" at all...they condense the water vapor into liquid, which drains somewhere. I've had a vented and a condenser model, and performance-wise they were almost exactly the same.

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Your personal experience trumps my reading reviews. I saw lots of negatives on the condenser units, mostly that they were slow to dry, so I'd sort of written them off. No I need to learn more.

A ventless W/D is just that, ventless. Here's a manual you're welcome to look at: http://www.splendide.com/WDC7100XC_IOM.PDF

There is hot water in, cold water in, and wastewater out. On a boat, this goes overboard. No vent inside the boat.

If you've ever taken a chemistry class, you used a condenser to turn a vapor stream into a liquid stream. That's the way these work, and that condenser uses a stream of water to cool the water vapor coming off the clothes in the dry cycle into a liquid stream, which goes out the wastewater line, just like the wash and rinse water. Same way moonshiners get the alcohol boiling out of the pot.

Delfin said:

I know what you mean Keith, but they do vent, but it's just pretty dry air and it goes inside the boat. One thing I've noticed about our condensing Bosch is that the cloths feel like they are not quite dry when they come out, but as soon as you fold them they are as dry as they would be if used in a conventional venting dryer where moist air is evacuated rather than condensed on a hot plate.

Someone mentioned that condensing dryers "use water", which I don't think is ever true. They produce water, and that has to drain to a sump or overboard.

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Keith said:

A ventless W/D is just that, ventless. Here's a manual you're welcome to look at: http://www.splendide.com/WDC7100XC_IOM.PDF

There is hot water in, cold water in, and wastewater out. On a boat, this goes overboard. No vent inside the boat.

If you've ever taken a chemistry class, you used a condenser to turn a vapor stream into a liquid stream. That's the way these work, and that condenser uses a stream of water to cool the water vapor coming off the clothes in the dry cycle into a liquid stream, which goes out the wastewater line, just like the wash and rinse water. Same way moonshiners get the alcohol boiling out of the pot.

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Hmmm, yes I have taken a few chemistry classes, thank you.

The question was related to condensing dryers in a stacked unit, meaning one washer, one dryer. Stand alone units, like those the OP asked about, almost always have air cooled condensers which require no water and circulate cool air in and vent dry warm air out, so no, they don't just hold their breath while drying but vent into the room.

You have a combination unit that the OP wasn't asking about, which since it is already plumbed with water for the washer uses a water cooled condensing unit. As far as I recall, the differences between these types of dryers was not covered in any of my chemistry classes.

This is actually a pretty good explanation of the differences between the two types of units, and why the water cooled combination units are less efficient at drying than air cooled stand alone models.

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/equipment/appliance/10517

FF said:

While on the hook I need to run the generator a """couple times a day """anyway to recharge the batteries.

Do you have only 1 series 24 ,battery as the house set??

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I have an 840 amp hour battery bank.

Between the lights, the fridges, the furnaces, electronics, etc... we run down that bank to 50% in about 10-12 hours.

Its amazing the power things take.

For example one Furuno display, along with the sounder draws about 9 amps all by itself.

Its amazing the power things take.

Boeing Surplus may have some batts that can accept a faster charge , soon.

CAVIT EMPTOR!