How to Choose and Install Laundry Appliances | Ask This Old House 

Don't forget, when you turn down the adjusting feet, turn the lock nuts up against the unit's chassis. Otherwise, the feet could loose adjustment over time.

WOO!!!!!!!!!! That baby looks good. Start saving for repair bills. Surprised at this old House.

I wish I could walk into the store and just say "BOOM! I'll take the most expensive one you've got".

Richard favorite words ever: “FULL CITY WATER PRESSURE”

Most of the new washers have a computer system that when it goes out makes the washer a throw away as the cost of repair does not make it economical. Went back to the old style washer and dryer that are easy and cheap to fix. Have had mine for 15 years. My smart washer lasted 2 years.

Good old bosch front loader with all aluminum frame inside, stainless steal tub and drum and brass pump will last for a 100 years. I have mine, made in 1992 in germany. I bought it back in 1993 for 1100 dollars. It can wash, and dry. Has a shitload of different settings, has good old transformer relays and clunky diodes for motor regulation. Motor is full copper with huge heavy rotor. Spins up to 3500 rpm and was serviced only ONCE trough the whole time i have it, last year, when motor capasitor failed. I use it every week, cram the drum tight with clothes, and always comes out beautifully cleaned. Will never buy a new front loader, will only keep my trusty bosch front loader, made in 1992.

bless your hands, you're amazing and this washer and dryer are amazing good for the lovely couple

get a used top loader and dryer for the fraction of the cost and save tons of money down the road.

I discovered front loaders when my kids were babes in arms 20 years ago. When we switched from a top loader our water bill dropped by about 40% in one month. Not only that but it cleaned our cloths so much more thoroughly we could actually feel the difference when we got dressed after the first wash cycle. The really dark color of the first rinse water was also a clue indicating how much cleaner our cloths were. We've used nothing else since and wouldn't consider a top loader ever again.

If you have one of the old style agitator top loaders, KEEP IT! Repairs are almost always easy DIY things. I kept mine going for 47 years. The so-called "high efficiency" top loaders are very poor designs that tend to damage fabrics. They often have no basket brakes or filters, balance poorly, have weak cabinets. They are unlikely to be durable. If you have one of them, be sure to plug it into a surge suppressor and keep your fingers crossed.

The information on water usage and what type of products to purchase was excellent. But my question to you is why are you using a cheap dryer vent hose and a potential fire risk?

I love how they use the water consumption of a top loader doing a *superwash to make the water consumption look as bad as possible

I was also told that the front load washing machines are about 100 lbs heavier than top loaders since they have concrete in them. A good consideration if you are moving in the near future. The other downside is that sometimes they can get moldy or mildewy in the rim around the door.

The questions they need to be asking is how easy these things are to work on and how the designs are different in the mechanics. I want the steak, not the sizzle.

For over 30+ years my parents and there family have been doing front loaders in England and in Ireland so it was an easy choice to go front loader

Great and informative video. Thanks. Helped alot with install. Lots of questions answered.

In real world the most important thing is the price and the art of balancing price, the space it takes and how good it is...

Which one do you want? That one over there. No stick to the script well pay for it Oh uh this one right here Really wow ok cool

Wow! This is the 1st time I've seen a combo like this, and it actually looks pretty cool 😎😎😎....I'm jealous 😂😂😂

good job LG, wonderful washers.

TOH should have mentioned the relative purchase price differences, duration of each wash load, and the cost, likelihood and complexity of repairs. Our LG washer requires 1 hour per load, requires the solenoid to turn and turnoff the water instantly, which caused water hammering, and has a separate waterpump [another part that can fail] to evacuate the wastewater.

I just get my servants to go down the river to hand wash my clothes. Who needs a washing machine now a days,PHSSSSST!

I really enjoyed watching this.

I love my front loader - I also recommend the ones that automatically put in the detergent so you dont overdo it and make it gross. Clean it out once a month and you're golden.

Honestly the old fashioned machines still work. We had a Kenmore that was older than me Im 31 the machine was two years older. It died sometime in 08! The brand dryer we have is called " Capri " that damn dryer is STILL kicking it's 34 year's old I shit you NOT. 😂 The new washing machine we have is an " Amriel" something like that. It's pretty good. Get's the job done.

5:28 Smashing it into the wall took 5 years off from it's service life.

Best Washer and Dryer is speed queen.

Remember to tighten the counter nut on the hight adjustment. :D

I fix appliances for a living and if I were you I'd avoid those toploaders without agitators like a plague. No agitators puts a lot of stress on the bearing so if you fill more than a 1/4 of that drum it'd looses the bearing and wreck your washer over a year

#1 answer... One you can buy the spider-arm bearings and seal's separately on the washer period, these are the biggest wear parts on any front loader machine and the biggest thing to consider. Or just individual parts in general. Some company's force you to buy ENTIRE assembly's for almost half the cost of the machine instead of a 40-50 dollar separate part. Whirlpool is notorious for this. So the VERY first question you ask, and ask as if you already own the machine. Are the spider arm bearings and seal available separately for purchase.

I don't think it's that much water but one thing is for certain your getting clean clothes with the older units, your clothes smell clean not like a gym like most clothes do with these fancy washers

I work for whirlpool, and those foil vents are the absolute worst. They''re also a very serious safety hazard.

Don’t get a base for your washer and dryer, on a concrete floor gives best chance of no shaking and less noise

if the house has a gas water heater, they should of ran a gas line and installed a gas dryer since gas is cheaper to operate and produces more heat compared to an electric dryer

Looking to change my Washing machine and found this video it's useful Thanks

Great video! Love the washer/dryer set and pedestals! Serious upgrade!

Sure, I’d choose the $2600 one too! Now back to reality

Anybody notice that not even once was reliability brought up. These are typical American Consumers. All wrapped up in the glitz, stainless steel, the chrome. All the cool features, the light show it puts on for you and even the lullibye it sings to reassure you that alls well. Wonder how much they're going to love that shiny bright showroom look when it fails is 14 months, just out of warranty? And then again? The folks that are smart and know value, walk past these "fabulous" machines, and pick up what is a simple washer with a few cycles and hopefully still with a mechanical timer, and will give many years of trouble free service, and when it does, no $375 main control module to replace. But there will always be the two camps.... One is focused solely on looks and glamour (She imagines how she will be the envy of the neighborhood with her glitzy new laundry set, the status symbol) while the other has performance and value in mind (and laughs all the way to the bank with another deposit).

2:25 I had one of these washers and it developed rust around the blue dispenser on the corner. Don't buy LG... they will blame you for rust. So many consumers had rust issues with LG topload washers

I had a front loading Kenmore Elite but sold it to a friend when I bought my house since the house came with a unitized washer/dryer combo. I liked the capacity of the front loader but the old school top loader takes 1.5 hours less for a heavy duty wash cycle.

Yeah, I'd be real surprised if both of those units are still working today. I can't imagine what those things cost.

this guy is damn good at his job

First washing machines started to be made with plastic, then they were put on their sides, then the few top loading washers lost their agitators. Then a few metal washing machines with agitators remained cleaning the few clothes of the few people who worked for a living. The do nothings were pleased with their clothes being rinsed in dirty water.

You wanted to test it out I like washers as well

Buy a good used one, vintage style on craigslist or repair it yourself, or switch it out with another rebuilt one. I can just imagine the cost of an electronic circuit board replacement two hundred plus dollars, or maybe they don't make the board anymore so your force to buy a new appliance. There goes all your savings on utilities.

front loader is not popular in south east asia, top loader is because they are 3 times cheaper than front loader.

Thanks Richard and to the kind couple for letting us see their decision making washing machine/dryer selection process. Great looking combo but what I like best is the significantly improved water efficiency. Thanks team.

thanks

Nothing like running water directly over a 220 Volt electrical junction box.

double the the laundry, half the water, 50x the price.

LOL, so he managed to upsell them on the cool new front loader machine with the extra washer underneath. Nice!

4:40 Even better I love what you picked out but if you could get t he same thing but where the big drum was both the Washer and the Dryer. This would not only save space but you could set it and forget it. The wash would go like it normally would but instead of pulling the cloths out and putting them in the dryer the same drum would start drying the way you set it. This means if you set the Dry Cycle High the dryer part will turn on and dry on high.

Awesome!.... do the math. Residential water per 1,000 Gallons is $ 1.13. The 40 gallons will cost you 4.5 cents per load. Is it worth spending thousand of dollars on front loader, just to save 3 cents on load?

I'm seeing a lot of comments about mold and mildew in front loaders. Most manufacturers have added a drain inside that rubber seal so water no longer puddles there. Also when installing, be sure to tighten the lock nuts on the feet and if using pedestals use the included hardware to attach the unit to the pedestals. You don't want them falling off.

cool looking washing machines :D

man you are great

Which one do you want? He picks the most expensive.... Must be nice to pick the most expensive when money is no worry.

They don't need a dryer since modern washers don't use any water!!!!!!!

drying your clothes by hanging instead of dryer saves the most money 😎

i always learn on TOH, Always!!

That 220 outlet look pretty shakey

$1,200 dryer and richard connects one of those $10 foil hoses for the outlet.

Great

I do prefer top load washers but I really like that front loader with the additional mini washer.

It's still very simple. There is only 1 choice - Speed Queen

They’re at Home Depot

Don't forget about dryer technology! Dryers are terribly inefficient. Something like a heat pump dryer is incredibly efficient.

The first washer he showed, using 40 gal. of water, is for the largest load. Most washer machines have different load settings, which will save on water. We have a 12 year old, Whirlpool Cabrio top loader washer machine, that uses a load sensor to select the water level based off the weight of the clothes. Ours uses a magnetic stator, instead of a motor to spin/wash the clothes. It spins the clothes up to 900 RPM, removing most of the water to help with drying times. We have the matching drier as well, which uses sensors, throughout the cycle to sense the dryness of the clothes. It will either add more time or shorten the drying time. They both work very well and easy for me to repair.

What he didn’t state was how long it takes those machines to break down and how much you’ll spend repairing them

How to choose? Speed Queen with dials. You'll be good for the next 20 years

Yes they are pretty, and so is the repair cost, that shows up right after the warranty expires.

You can fit the sleeping bag in the he top load but it sure as hell isnt gonna clean it at all

By now the washing machine has probably blown its bearings or drum support bracket...

That the model I have that LG front loader. Energy Star (Gas) HE; the last one they didn’t pick.

We have an LG front loader washer and it uses a gallon per load and all though it is not the one with the tiny washer it will sense the load and put just the right amount of water

Junky laundry room with top-of-the-line washer and dryer, makes no sense. For that laundry room I would’ve bought the cheapest set there is and put it in there. Putting stainless steel hoses on any of these new washers almost makes no sense because the hoses will outlast the washer.

I wonder why he didn't tell them about the transportation drum locking bolts. That was a crappy lesson to learn.

Get a Fisher and Paykel, it will spin out your clothes as well as any front loader. Plus F&P works as a high efficiency washer, but allows users to override those functions to use plenty of water if that is what is needed. Most importantly, it is a fact that many high efficiency front loaders do not rinse as well as more traditional top loaders. Rinsing is just as important for cleaning as is washing. There is no real science behind the reduction of water in washing machines. Manufacturers are tweaking water consumption to meet changing government standards, not because there is a net benefit that supports this as better for doing laundry. Electricity consumption is largely determined by how much hot or warm water consumers use to do laundry and how that water is heated as well as using an electric dryer and how long it takes to dry a load. Most high efficiency washers, especially front loaders, can take between one and three hours to wash a load of laundry. Compare that with a washer that can do the same job in less than an hour. Washing machine motors are largely similar when it comes to capacity. Longer washing times use more electricity for the mechanical washing action. If people wash mainly in cold water or they use solar hot water, the difference in power consumption is negligible. Doing laundry and washing dishes combined averages between 10% to 15% of a household's overall water consumption. Where people are connected to a major local water supply, what they are not told is that almost 90% of that water is used by agriculture, businesses, industry and is lost through the regular water cycle i.e. it flows out to sea, evaporates and disappears through ageing and broken pipes. However, households pay the bulk of the cost for providing this utility. Commercial water use is generally heavily discounted. Even if all urban American households switched to front loaders overnight the overall water saving would still be negligible and in single percentages. Hardly worth the amount of fuss that is made to get consumers to switch to high efficiency machines. Then there is the issue of durability and where and how many of the components used in them are manufactured. This also affects the overall environmental credentials these new machines are supposed to come with. People can spend upwards of a thousand dollars for the latest energy and water star rated machines, but they will not recoup their initial purchase cost in utility savings because most of these machines end up in landfill in less than 10 years. So, whatever consumer review companies, government agencies and other vested bodies tell consumers, needs to be taken with a grain of salt. If you have a perfectly functional older washer, that does what it is supposed to and it can be repaired, repair it and keep it. If you use a traditional top loader don't feel guilty and let yourself be pressured into an 'upgrade' to pander to someone else's sentiments. If it still works fine keep it. By doing that you are actually being environmentally responsible. BTW, whatever happened to the big, functional laundry tubs that we used to have in our laundries? The ones that could hold a tub full of suds for re-use? Once upon a time many top loading washers had a suds saver function that allowed consumers to re-use sudsy wash water to do another couple of loads. Thus reducing and reusing heated washing suds. This significantly reduced water, energy and detergent use and it worked just fine. In fact, going back 40 years or more, before clothes were considered disposable and cheaply made in places like Bangladesh, consumers placed far greater importance on clean, well-laundered and durable clothes than they do today; and they thought about saving money and resources too. Front loaders are very popular in Europe and the Middle East. However, all across the Americas, Asia, Australia and New Zealand top loading washers, both impeller and agitator types, continue to be extremely popular with consumers.

Those faucet double-taps can deteriorate. I had one that corroded in approx 5 years internally at the swivel, which clearly wasn't all-brass, and break off when I bumped it.

I live my whole life in Europe, it's a funny sight to see all those top loaders lined up in a store. The only time i've seen & used them was 8 months in Australia. But whatever floats your boat i guess ;-)

Their is no choosing today. I will keep my old Maytag washer. It fills up with water. Only me so I do not wash often.

Just got rid of my 12 year old front load Kenmore after it broke down for the fourth time with the last being the motor going out. Paid the extra money for the old school top load Speed Queen T5 which may outlast me. I won't miss my clothes not getting clean, the smell and mold on the gaskets, and the repairs required on today's computeruzed front-loaders. And the impeller washers (no agitator) are worse than the front load washers -- nothing but junk!💯💯💯

Get a Top Loading Speed Queen if you want one that will last 25+ years Won't find one at the Big-Box Store. Do a google search to find a dealer near you. Oh and they are still made in U.S.A.

WHat happened to the shipping bolts? DId you forgot to remove those too?

Hey! I buy my appliances at Home Depot also!

Should call this one "How a salesman can sell you the bells and whistles"

You should have put the dryer on the left so the exhaust is closer to the outlet vent. Also, you should never ever ever use the flexible exhaust hose. Should always use hard metal or aluminum ducting.

as a tech ill say what a waste of money lol those lower units are a pain and expensive to fix

The best washing machines ever made were in 1950's to late 1970's. My aunt still has a 1976 whirlpool washer/dryer. The motor in the dryer went out, so my uncle had it rebuilt for 50 bucks. Those old washer's you turn on the hot water you got hot water. New washers, you turn out hot, you just get luke warm water.

Did ya take the bolts outta the drum after setting up

I remember when i saw those LG's at Best Buy

$6,000 later and now, these are obsolete!

1:06 ThAtS wHy YoU gEt A dRyEr

How about fix your old washer and dryer

Richard, what you don't tell is how long it takes to do a load in the 'wonder' washer. They are so slow you will be washing all day and the next day, if you have kids.

After 4 HE frontloader washers in 8 years, we decided to get a refurbished 1962 Maytag. Some newer components such as a lighter tub, lower drag/profile agitator, newer direct drive motor. Yeah, you can have your HE washers. This puppy actually cleans clothes and uses less water than you would think. Where you save a tiny bit on water(super abundant), you're going to be spending out of your rear on transportation/repairs/replacements/maintenance. And I'm willing to bet I know which one will last 20+ years.

I have lived abroad and have owned combination washer/dryers that are one single machine, requires no exhaust tubing, and can manage water to clothing weight ratios on its own... I don't see them in the U.S., but the same manufacturers in the U.S. sell these single machine washer/dryer combos abroad. My current combo machine (Samsung 5410AW/SGWD70J) works well, and costs about the same price as one single good machine sold in the U.S. Since you mentioned other countries in this video, why not mention the single multipurpose machines as well?

ayeeee percussion gang😂

Speed Queen TC5000WN, model AWN632SP116TW01. I had the LG top loader. It never got the clothes clean, it would fill brim-full and diddle itself a bit, drain and spin out of balance, refill brim-full, try again to balance, repeat, repeat, and repeat again, then settle into an electronic sulk full of sodden wet clothes. The machine barely lasted five years and the repair estimate was more than I had paid for the machine in the first place, and when I ordered a new impeller plate (looks like a hubcap from a '63 Studebaker Lark) to fix it myself, the part didn't fit (and yes, I searched the part by model number and year of manufacture). The Speed Queen was about the same price as an upper-tier HE top-loader, and came with a 10-year warranty bumper to bumper(look into the limitations on your to-year warranty on the direct drive motor only). Any further questions about SQ durability, visit the nearest coin laundry and look ay their top-loaders: Speed Queen, IPSO, or Huebsch, all the same machines with variations of badging, all made by Alliance Laundry Systems in Ripon, Wisconsin. The only differences between the commercial machines and the TC5000 is the coin box and the control panel. Best of all, the SQ can turn out a clean load in under a half-hour.

I am going back to the plain Jane model. The smart models are not worth its