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Should I get a washer and dryer or combo unit

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dragonwalker:
I'm moving into my new 2B2B condo soon and I'm looking for a new washer/dryer since the seller's will be taking their unit. At first I was thinking of a separate washer and dryer. I was looking at cutting overhead cost mainly electric usage so my research led me to a side door washing unit. Then I did some more browsing and discovered gas dryers but my unit doesn't have a gas line to the laundry area, then I heard of dryers using a heat pump system that doesn't require venting and power usage is about 1/4 of a traditional dryer. Finally, I stumbled upon a washer/dryer combination unit that is ventless and operates with a heat pump for the drying cycle.

The particular model I'm looking at is the LG WM3998HBA 4.5 cu ft combination unit for about $1600. The separate washer and dryer unit with similar features would be about $1800 for both. For a few reasons I'm thinking a combination unit might be best for me but wanted to see what people thought. Most important thing for me is to cut recurring expenses so this combo unit in theory should cut the electric usage because it uses less power about half as much or more (water is covered for my unit). As far as usage it would just be me probably doing 2-3 loads a month and 1 room mate who will probably do as much so monthly 4-6 loads. The power I'm calculating I'm saving is really just on the electricity during the dry cycle because of it's use of a heat pump. I calculated the savings in power would really be only about $30 per year so pretty trivial.

I was thinking the combo unit would be pretty cool being able to do everything in 1 go. However the drying time is much longer so a total wash and dry would be around 3 hours. The reviews of the combo unit have been mostly positive with complaints mostly centered around the drying time. This is a bit of a newer technology and usually I'm not on the cutting edge of things but I'm thinking I could save on upfront and monthly which is appealing and I would have a bit more storage space. Anyone have any experience with these combo units?     

Cranky:
It's my understanding that each load takes... forever. And it doesn't sound like you'll save very much $, honestly.

How about hanging most of your clothes to dry, and only putting your sheets and towels in the dryer?

middo:
What is a clothes dryer?  We don't have one.  We have a line and a couple of airers and have never needed a dryer.

RetiredAt63:

--- Quote from: Cranky on April 18, 2021, 05:53:05 AM ---It's my understanding that each load takes... forever. And it doesn't sound like you'll save very much $, honestly.

How about hanging most of your clothes to dry, and only putting your sheets and towels in the dryer?

--- End quote ---

I have a stacked washer/dryer in my apartment and do this.  Works fine.

former player:
Middo lives in a hot desert area.  He could probably put his clothes on straight from the washer and have them dry around him in minutes.  Others of us understand the experience "rain" and "damp".

I've got a front-loading ventless combination washer/dryer: they are very common in Europe where space is at a premium.  The size of the drum is not an issue if you are only doing laundry for one or two persons.  As to time, it's probably slower for drying (although I use that feature as little as possible for environmental reasons) but it doesn't take much to plan ahead for the limited extra time taken.

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