Washing Machine

[sunchaser]

Gotcha Steve. Doesn't the Splendide website have the specific model drawing/dimensions you are looking for? Also, are you going to use rubber pad isolators under and around unit? Neoprene comes in a variety of thicknesses.

BTW, your work and planning on this overall boat project has been fun to watch, congratulations.

 

[stevensibs]

Thanks Sunchaser. I love the work, especially now that Im retired. Yes the website has dimensions of the unit, I was wondering if other installations have additional space around the unit, and if so, how much. I will have a 1/2" neoprene mat on the bottom of the cabinet that I got from McMaster Carr.

 

[Larry M]

Larry M, hi there...I'm about to build the cabinet to house a Splendide washer/dryer and I have the factory measurements but I don't want to buy the unit yet. The cabinet is going to be in the passageway, about 2' off the deck. This unit has 4 legs, or does it sit flat? Also, how much space around the cabinet should I allow for? Once I slide the washer in, there will be removable moulding around all 4 sides to finish it off.
Thx

We have about one inch on the sides. We built a platform of 3/4" plywood and 4 legs that are permanently mounted. We gained storage underneath since we were replacing a stacked unit. The unit sits flat on the platform and is secured at the base with brackets that came with unit. Good luck with the project.

 

[sunchaser]

Steve, our stacked units have 2 to 4" per side with washer on a floor sloped to sump in case of leakage. The back space is close to 6" to allow for vent run and hoses. Units are tightly held and supported in place with screwed down teak inserts to prevent seaway movement. Overall cabinet space sized to allow lift out if replacement necessary.

For the Spledide, as Larry did, the more room you can allow the better. It should be easy to finalize measurements, isolate and tie down once unit and "oversize" space are in front of you. If you have the room, adjoining cabinetry for cleaning supplies is a plus.

 

[O C Diver]

Steve,
Mine looks to have <3/8" clearance on each side with maybe more than an 1" under the pull out drawer above. Mine is held in place with wood strips down each side. The one caution I would throw at you regarding the rubber mat and tight enclosure, is trying to pull it back out should you need to tighten a hose connection, etc. If you leave a little room at the top, you may be able to insert wood or plastic strips under the unit to facilitate sliding it out more easily.



Ted

 

[stevensibs]

Perfect! Thanks you guys, that's just what I needed, plus a picture. I need to cut the rough opening in the mahogany tomorrow, now I can do it with confidence. I have about 2' of space under the proposed location, with about 18" behind to the hull. My wife is giddy with this part of the project. lol

 

[Bay Pelican]

These units are fairly light in weight. Our unit is supported by two vertical 3/4" boards screwed to the side of the cabinet on which sits the horizontal 3/4" board on which the washer dryer sits.

I suggest you leave at least 1" on the sides as wiggle room sliding the unit in and out. In my case this is important as there are plumbing lines, electrical cables as well as my port stabilizer unit behind and underneath the unit.

 

[BandB]

Why?
It is ventless, there is nothing to impact the joinery...
Not sure what you are getting at.
I'm sure they could have if it were important enough but it was not. It works great.
Bruce

I understand what he's getting at. As you said, you're coming from what you used on the sailboat. The rest of us are largely coming from home units.

As you said, ventless is better than nothing. However, seems easy enough, especially when planning a new build, to vent one for better drying. Perhaps the location on your boat just doesn't allow that.

Good to hear that you are happy with the ventless. I've only read the data on ventless vs. vented but never actually used a ventless.

 

[BandB]

Good to hear that you are happy with the ventless. I've only read the data on ventless vs. vented but never actually used a ventless.

Wifey B: Just a little speed thing...convenience.....sort of like instead of warming food in an oven, using a mic...... not going there. I forgot for a moment. Say hi to Dorsey for me.

 

[Sealife]

Steve,

I also added a 1" drip pan under the unit with a water alarm just in case. Haven't had any issues yes, but something to consider. I believe splendide or the vendor sold it, so fit was nice.

 

[smitty477]

Vented vs ventless....

We had owned 3 separate boats of the same make and relative size all with the same Splendide washer/dryers. One had a ventless dryer and the other two had vented dryers and we found the vented dryers to be much preferred in use.
The ventless dryer took much longer to dry any reasonable loads requiring much longer genset time and/or electric usage. The ventless dryer imparted too much humidity on the boat especially noticed when the temps were not so high outside and the AC could not easily compensate.
We found ourselves not utilizing the ventless dryer very much for these reasons.

 

[stevensibs]

Drip pan... very good idea. I think I'll fiberglass the bottom of the cabinet with a lip on all four sides. Love this site.

 

[aenlic]

I don't have liveaboard status (yet), but if/when I add a washer-dryer unit, my plan is to get the 'junior' model of the two fantastic LG units, the LG WM3488HS.

Check out the reviews and features, you might switch your choice.

aenlic

 

[BandB]

I don't have liveaboard status (yet), but if/when I add a washer-dryer unit, my plan is to get the 'junior' model of the two fantastic LG units, the LG WM3488HS.

Check out the reviews and features, you might switch your choice.

aenlic

We have Miele, but if we were doing it today, likely would be LG, even though Spendide has a long record of quality. Can't be sure the LG would handle the rough and tumble conditions as well.

 

[ksanders]

I said this earlier in the post but, I'm really puzzled by the comments made by people who hate the ventless units...
Sure it does not dry as well as a vented unit but you would rather have nothing???
Ours works amazingly well and we run it every day or so.
Most things come out perfectly dry, ocasionally we hang something for an additional hour of drying on a hangar.
Considering that on our sailboat we used one of these,

https://www.amazon.com/Laundry-Alternative-Wonderwash-Non-electric-Portable/dp/B002C8HR9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502626893&sr=8-1&keywords=Hand+powered+washing+machine

and we were happy to have that, we love our Splendide, ventless and all.
Bruce

What does the joinery around a ventless unit look like after a few years? On a new build surprised AT couldn't figure out a vent hose route.

Why?
It is ventless, there is nothing to impact the joinery...
Not sure what you are getting at.
I'm sure they could have if it were important enough but it was not. It works great.
Bruce

I have ran hundreds of loads through our ventless Splendi washer/dryer

The only thing I notice diffferent from the land based units I've used is that of course it's smaller, and it takes longer to dry clothes.

I set the dry time at 90 minutes and at the end of that time I set the clothes out to finish drying which takes a couple of hours. Jeans can take vernight to finish.

There are no trim isses as the ventless part does not mean that the dryer ejects hot moist air into the cabin. The way it works is to move air through a heat exchanger that gets a squirt of cold water around the outside of it. Moisture from the clothes condenses and is pumped overboard.

I've had this boat for 6 seasons now and love the fact that my towles and clothes stay on the boat. Boat laundry is something I do on the boat. I do not have to haul it up the dock and take time out of my busy life to do. It gets done while we would normally be running the generator anyway.

 

[tadhana]

Sunchaser, I have plenty of room for the inlet and drain hoses behind the unit box...I can actually fit in there, plus the vent is going out the side of the main cabin. I must form the cabinet "box" that the unit will sit in now, however, because of other design concerns. So I need the dimensions of the unit if anybody has them.

23, 3/4 inches wide. 32, 1/2 high. 24, 1/2 deep and that allows for all the plumbing and venting. It sits flat on the shelf. We have 1.5 inches clearances on each side and 1/2 inch clearance on the top.

 

[stevensibs]

Tadhana, THANK YOU thats exactly what I needed.

 

[Bay Pelican]

23, 3/4 inches wide. 32, 1/2 high. 24, 1/2 deep and that allows for all the plumbing and venting. It sits flat on the shelf. We have 1.5 inches clearances on each side and 1/2 inch clearance on the top.

I have eliminated clearance on top by putting in a 1-1/2" x 3/4" board across the top front of the unit to lock it into the cabinet. Like everything on Bay Pelican I like it tied down so it doesn't move underway.

 

[tadhana]

I have eliminated clearance on top by putting in a 1-1/2" x 3/4" board across the top front of the unit to lock it into the cabinet. Like everything on Bay Pelican I like it tied down so it doesn't move underway.

Good point. In our installation, the washers is bolted in place from the bottom. There are 4 x 3/8" capscrews which bolt to the machined and tapped mounting holes in the bottom of the machine's frame. My wife will tell you that I have tried to shake it loose several times. So far it has remained rock solid in place.

 

[caltexflanc]

Depends on your lifestyle. We were very glad to have a small stacked set of separate w/d (Maytag in our case, courtesy of PO). We really like having clean sheets and linens and clothes. When you have a lot of laundry to process, being able to dry one load while washing another is a big time saver. Our boat, a Hatteras 56MY, was designed, plumbed and wired to have stacked units, and that was on our "must have" list when shopping for a full time cruiser/liveaboard; given that we strongly prefer to anchor out and use moorings, we wanted the best laundry solution we could get.

 

[catalinajack]

I said this earlier in the post but, I'm really puzzled by the comments made by people who hate the ventless units...
Sure it does not dry as well as a vented unit but you would rather have nothing???
Ours works amazingly well and we run it every day or so.
Most things come out perfectly dry, ocasionally we hang something for an additional hour of drying on a hangar.
Considering that on our sailboat we used one of these,

https://www.amazon.com/Laundry-Alternative-Wonderwash-Non-electric-Portable/dp/B002C8HR9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502626893&sr=8-1&keywords=Hand+powered+washing+machine

and we were happy to have that, we love our Splendide, ventless and all.
Bruce

No, I would not rather have nothing but, if I were buying new, I'd choose a larger-drummed household unit without a dryer over a ventless model. Our boat came with a Spendide ventless model housed in a cabinet on the aft deck. We found the dryer function to be nearly useless. In fact, even tho it was working, we brought it to the dump.

 

[Chrisjs]

This string reminds me of the first time I opened the door to our washer/drier on our new (to us) Selene. The PO or the surveyor had neglected to complete the drain cycle when the unit was powered down. I opened the washer door to show off the unit to visiting friends and we were all soaked by about 5 gallons of water gushing out at chest level!! After that we made a point of making sure the cycle was finished before opening. The (ventless) unit came in very handy while on a 6-month cruise to the Bahamas but otherwise remained unused.

 

[Searios]

My boat is 230V, 50 Hz and I wondered if anyone has operate a Splendide 120V, 60Hz Splendide off a 3000W / 50Hz Victron Phoenix inverter?

Thx

 

[Maerin]

RE dimensions, get a cut sheet that shows the dimensions for the actual machine you're using. There have been some minor changes in recent years, so you really want to make sure those dimensions match the machine!

I have access underneath our machine, I installed tapped backers in the frame of the machine and have it bolted from beneath with large fender washers. It does not budge! Despite what another post said about their being light, they are not, check the cut sheet, it will tell you. You don't want that weight being tossed around in a seaway-- or from a sea ray (wake).

A drain pan is a good idea, also provide shutoff valves on the water supply lines that can be accessed in a jiffy. Mine are in the cabinet below, instant access. Y'never know!

We cruise full time and use our VENTED Splendide a lot. Ventless was a deal breaker. Add a vent if at all possible. If we wanted to hang wash out we'd have a sailboat. <G>

 

[Irish Rambler]

Not all boats have space, I'm sure we all suffer from the 4 foot syndrome 'If only the boat was 4 feet longer, wider' !
Our ex hire boat 'Snow Mouse' had 3 toilets. We removed the rear double cabin toilet and installed a small Candy 4KG unit which was small enough to fit into the space. Once installed we fitted strips of expanded polyurethane insulation to fill the space at the sides and steady the machine on it's spin cycle.
The excellent little machine washes really well and we highly recommend it. I fitted a shower mixer unit to supply temperature controlled water to save on electricity consumption, the waste is 'T'eed' into the hand basin outlet. In the summer we wash as we cruise with hot water from the engine and power from the inverter. In winter we have mains hook up.
Living in the South of France we don't need a dryer unit.
The rest of the double cabin was stripped out and fitted with new insulation/decoration/oak flooring and is now our office.
Each person has their own priorities of course, that's just the way we did it that suits our lifestyle.

 

[Bay Pelican]

My boat is 230V, 50 Hz and I wondered if anyone has operate a Splendide 120V, 60Hz Splendide off a 3000W / 50Hz Victron Phoenix inverter?

Thx

My unit would not work with 120v 50Hz shore power in Grenada.

These Spendide units are just adaptations of the European compact units which are everywhere in Europe. why not just import one of those?

 

[Maerin]

Thanks Sunchaser. I love the work, especially now that Im retired. Yes the website has dimensions of the unit, I was wondering if other installations have additional space around the unit, and if so, how much. I will have a 1/2" neoprene mat on the bottom of the cabinet that I got from McMaster Carr.

I can tell you from having installed our Splendide in a VERY tight space, that the neoprene mat won't serve any useful function if the objective is vibration isolation. The machine has all the internal isolation you'll need. Mount the machine rigid so it won't move. It has adjustable legs with rubber caps. If you have access to beneath the machine, through bolt it with machine bolts and washers. I wouldn't rely on trim pieces to keep it in place.

 

[Searios]

My unit would not work with 120v 50Hz shore power in Grenada.

These Spendide units are just adaptations of the European compact units which are everywhere in Europe. why not just import one of those?

I've tried every European brand known to man...they are all non-vented.

If any member knows of a 230V/50Hz vented combo, pls let me know...

 

[yarradeen]

Folks..

I am also sheworthying and need a washer. Drying is not so important as our location will ensure quick drying. Normally I burn my used clothing and purchase new but she doesn't understand that.

https://camec.com/camec-compact-rv-4kg-front-load-washing-machine.html

I am thinking of this unit as it needs to fit down bellow and the access hatch is 550mm x 550mm sorry about metric.

Site referenced above states a 5 degree angle. Looks similar to the IR unit (#85). I think they all come from "CHINA".

I notice everyone states they do there wash in the marina. I assume underway is a no go due to balance issues of the rotating drum?

 

[BandB]

I notice everyone states they do there wash in the marina. I assume underway is a no go due to balance issues of the rotating drum?

Most would say that I guess, but we wash underway. If you're in smooth water, moving at a reasonable speed, using a washer designed for RV and/or Marine, or otherwise heavy duty, it can be done. Can't say whether one should or not, but so far we've had little trouble doing so.