Splendide Washer issue

Thought I'd update you folks on our Splendide situation. We hired a great repair guy who came out and yes... as I suspected the belt had come off the drum. Thanks to you guys, the milk crate and pressed board "table" worked great to slide the machine out on to. My husband and the repair guy, George were able to do it themselves. All parts of the machine were in great shape which was good to know. We also learned that the unit vents through a hole which leads to the big engine vent located right outside on the bulwark. No vent hoses, no lint buildup, great ventilation so that was good to learn. Now I don't have to worry about lint fires on the boat! Thanks again and I hope I can help out in some other way in the future.

We replaced an old (1990) top loader with splendid washer only. The old dryer worked fine and was not replaced vented model. The old washer used a lot of water 3 loads about 100 gallons. The new splendid spins upto 1200 rpm which speeds up the drying a lot. The splendid has a 1.5 ft^3 drum smaller than our house unit which id 3.5 ft^3. It does a good job washing using less than 15 gallons per wash cycle. It was a big job to install in the change from top loading to front loading. The quick w
Ash is aboutb30 minutes to wash several towels a pair of pants and other clothing. Dry time is less than 1 hour. A big improvement over the original washer.
We used the dinghy hoist to load on the boat then 2 people to load into position through tight spaces.

I have had 3 Splendide washer/dryers.
I have concluded, if you have one, you will have 'issues' forever. You will have even bigger issues if you compare the Splendide to your home units.
I had 2 vented and one non-vented. We all try to stuff too much in the Splendide so we have learned, at least 2 drying cycles and with heavy clothes, you may have to hang them to get the totally dry.
I select the 2 hour drying cycle.
One sheet and a couple of pillow cases? 2 drying cycles and a bit of hanging
One bath towel and hand towel, 2 drying cycles and hanging.
So you see, the machine does have limits.
I have learn to learn with the limits and shrug.

Julsburd said:

Just called the company and it is 170 lbs. It is an older vented model. Still too heavy for me and my husband to handle. I'm tempted to take it out and use the area for storage, especially if it can only handle one pair of jeans at a time!

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We had one on the boat we bought. Having used it several times on the trip home to Maryland from Florida, Gloria came to hate it quite quickly. It was in a rotting cabinet on the aft deck. The cabinet and the washer went to the landfill. We couldn't be rid of it fast enough and we appreciate having the extra space. Others will have a completely different opinion.

Have a new to us boat with a splendide. Learned long ago for bedding and towels you’re going to the laundromat. If you have converted to a no cotton all synthetic wardrobe the splendide is more than adequate. It’s just not in the cards that the thing will handle what you folks are putting in it. As an aside it was a major improvement when we switched to a all synthetic wardrobe on the boat for both our tropics and New England times. Clothes are more comfortable, take less space, dry quicker, and even a bucket with a plunger is a sufficient wash. But unless you’re on a mega yacht for bedding and towels it’s the laundromat. To avoid frequent trips there tried synthetic travel towels. They suck. Save your money.

Julsburd said:

Lots of good discussion. Thanks all. Now that the weather is becoming more "Florida like" I can forsee that I will want the ability to dry towels, rags etc. Washing not as important but nice to have that option too. so... we are probably going to hire the professional to come out and fix it but we will have the heavy milk crates and plywood to move it out on. Thank you Crusty Chief! We are also in a nice marina with plenty of strapping young men who could probably be hired to help the repair guy move it out. Going to get working on this tomorrow. Keep fingers crossed that we 1. don't damage our lovely woodwork and 2. don't damage our bodies! ( Not necessarily in that order)

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We are overall very happy with our vented "Kariba" unit which I believe is the same as the Splendide model (but please correct if wrong). One thing we learned early on is that the dryer will only work effectively if its load is around 50% of the washing load. If you split the load and dry in two halves it takes less time with better results than if you try and dry 100% of the washer load.
~A

Has anyone put a dryer ball into the Splendide??? Does it work well?

We are definitely in the "other camp" from regarding the utility of the Splendide w/d. We too have owned three of the Splendide w/d combo's. All three were vented models. The ventless models use too much water to even be considered in a water limited installation (boat or RV). One of the vented w/d's currently resides in our Class A Motor Home. 8 years young, and going strong! Wouldn't own a larger RV without one!

The 2nd was in our boat we purchased this year. It recently developed a problem, not drying/heating at all, plus it wouldn't dump the liquid softener into the wash load. The drying issue turned out to be a failed spade connector on the moisture sensor. Fixed that, but the softener issue remained. We ended replacing it for a gently used 3 year old vented model someone had removed from a 5th wheel so they could install a separate washer and dryer. The one we got with and removed from our boat was manufactured prior to 1989! Nor sure exact year, but thinking around 1986, so 35 years old!
Anyway, people complaining that Splendide's not having the wash/drying capacity of their home W/D is like complaining that their dirt house had endless fresh water and electricity, but their boat doesn't! . . .

Understand the limitations of your boat and it's installed equipment, and modify your lifestyle to live within those limitations, or stick with a dirt house!
We can regularly wash one long pair of blue jeans, two sets of under garments, and a couple of shirts in the Splendide, turn it on, and Viola! Three hours later, they are clean and dry! The secret to preventing wrinkles, as with ANY dryer, is to remove the clothes as soon as the dry cycle finishes. Yes, it takes a long time, but frankly, it's NOT MY TIME, as I don't have to be sitting in a laundromat guarding my clothes while they run through a cycle. I can do it while tied to the dock, while underway, or when running the generator to top off batteries.

Wouldn't own a larger RV or Boat without a washer/dryer, but that's just our take. . . Fair winds, following seas, and Clean, Dry clothes!

Wifey B: Splendide vented = adequate for two people. Adequate as in limited but useful.

However, the market dominance of Splendide took place before others jumped into the market. There are plenty of traditional appliance manufacturers now making all in one units with more speed and capacity than Splendide.

However, I'm still going another route even when short of space. There are both the traditional apartment sized stackables and full size stacking units now. Design has changed to allow operation from front without reaching top. I've not seen a lot of installations where some form of more traditional equipment couldn't be placed in stacking arrangement of some sort. If looking, I'd just measure carefully plus check any potential additional space. Our Sunseeker came standard with Splendide and offered Miele all in one as option at that time, but a little bit of work and we created the space for traditional units and was well worth it.