does anyone have stacked front loading washer/dryer?

[battricia]

I know this isn't exactly budget, but everyone is usually so helpful around here so I'd like to ask. We just moved into a new house, and quickly discovered that the laundry room is a tiny bit too small to put w/d side by side. I was really hoping to get a front loading washer this time around (specifically the samsung 219 set). I am so upset about this. it seems the only w/d unit that will fit side by side is the smallest top loaders. I'd rather just go to the laundromat once a week (and that is certainly not budget friendly).

my only other option (i think) is stacking the units - dryer on top. The problem with this option is that i'm only 5'2" and I'm afraid I won't be able to reach the controls on the dryer unit. I'm also confused because on the samsung website it says stacked, the units are 52" deep, which seems crazy since that's almost 2x what each unit is.

in our laundry room, the area to put the units, on one side is 28" deep, on the other side it is 31" deep (though this is the side where the dryer would be, which means it would stick out farther due to the vent pipe). Most of the front loading units I've found are around 30-31" deep. There are 2 doors opening into the room which is really where the problem lies. if we stacked the units they would be put in the middle of the wall where the doors wouldn't hit them.

Anyway, i'm just hoping for some advice. we were literally about to buy these machines when we realized they wouldn't quite fit. My SO seems to think they will JUST fit (due to the room being longer than the machines, we could move the machines to the middle of the wall and it would give us about 4" clearance on each side), but I'm scared that if they don't end up fitting we'll be stuck with 1400$ worth of machines that we can't use.

my main questions are, if anyone has stacked units, is it really hard to reach the controls on the dryer? And do they stick out farther being stacked than they would if they were separate (like the samsung website indicates for some reason)?

Thanks for reading this if you got through it all. i'm seriously so upset over this i just don't know what to do.

 

[Chicago526]

I have no advice about the controls, but just wanted to remind you to also make sure your ceiling is high enough to allow them to stack. Our basement has a very low ceiling and we wouldn't be able to stack frontloaders. Fortunatly there is plenty of room to do side-by-side so it's not an issue for us.

 

[battricia]

Thanks. there is plenty of room for them to be stacked, the laundry room is on the first floor. if it was in the basement, side by side would not be a problem. This house was built less than a year ago and I cannot believe they didn't account for the size of new washer and dryer units, when they specifically built the room as a laundry room. I would put the w/d unit in the basement but there are no laundry hook ups down there.

 

[Chicago526]

Thanks. there is plenty of room for them to be stacked, the laundry room is on the first floor. if it was in the basement, side by side would not be a problem. This house was built less than a year ago and I cannot believe they didn't account for the size of new washer and dryer units, when they specifically built the room as a laundry room. I would put the w/d unit in the basement but there are no laundry hook ups down there.

You're right, that is pretty dumb if it's new construction!

Our home is 60 years old...you either remodel or make due!

 

[luvthatdisney]

We have the stacked front loading w/d set. Ours are Maytag. We too have a very small laundry room. I am the opposite of the OP as I am 5'11" so I have no problems reaching the controls to the dryer. So you may have some problems as they are on the top of each unit. Also it might be hard to reach into the dryer itself to get things at the back. I have
problems reaching things myself - like socks that gather at the back. I have hit my head more than once!

We could not move the units into one corner of the room like I wanted to since the power cord or the water tube would not stretch that far. So they sit about 1 ft away from one wall and 3 ft away from the other. I use the small space for a small shelf to hold my detergents, etc.. I probably could get longer cords, but it works well this way.

Have you been to a store that has them stacked to see how well they work with your height? We bought ours at home depot and they had several models stacked to look at.

 

[JeffreyY]

We have an older stacked unit (Maytag) and the controls for the dryer are on the bottom. The set we had before this one was a GE and also had the controls on the bottom. I am 5'3" and have no problem reaching. May you could find a unit withe the dryer controls on the bottom.

 

[ceecee]

My mom has a stacked one and she is only 5'0", you can still reach the controls fine.

 

[Piecey]

Why are the smaller units such a problem?

I'm not sure why that would make you rather want to go to the laundromat.

We have small front loaders (the Whirlpool Duet) and I don't have issues with them...

I'd be nervous about buying something bigger, too, since ours at least tend to move a bit while in cycle.

 

[semo233]

Here's my 2 cents

My mother is 5'0" and lived with me for 6 weeks until her new home was completed. I have stackable washer/dryer. I love it because my w/d is upstairs where all the bedrooms are.

She was considering getting them herself. She is 70 years old. I told her that if she has the room (i know you don't), go with the side by side....it gets old bending way down low to get the wet clothes out of the washer (remember, she is 70) and she will not be able to see into the dryer. After living with us and doing her laundry here, she agreed.

Of course, I'm sure it depends upon the model and where everything is located. Although I do not know anything about them, there are models that do both - wash and dry. Check them out in Consumer's Reports before going out and buying one. If you have a dependable service man, ask him also if he sees them a lot or if they are really expensive to repair.

 

[Hoppy]

Don't know about the Samsung. I have the Whirlpool Duet Sport set stacked. The sport model is built especially for second level installations.

I'm 5'3" and have no problem reaching the dryer controls. A couple of words of caution--when work needs to be done on either washer or dryer, they will both have to be pulled out of the closet. Depending on the construction of your home, you may need a washer similar to the WP sport. It is created to minimize vibrations (these front loaders spin at something like 60-80 mph)

Be sure your closet is ventilated. I had to remove the bi-fold door from my laundry closet as it was a traditional 6 panel door, not a slatted bi-fold. Right now, I have a curtain hung until I can retrofit the existing door with a vent.

 

[h518may]

I have stacked units and am 5'2". I have no problems with the nobs. I also see into my dryer fine. I actually really like mine stacked.

 

[battricia]

Thank you all for your advice.

h518may: would you mind telling me what brand your units are? I'm looking for two stacked units, not one unit with both attached.

hoppy: we actually have a laundry room, it isn't just a closet, so those things wouldn't be a problem.

piecey: what i was saying was that, as far as I've seen, the only units that would fit in our room (side by side) would be top loading units, and not even the bigger top loaders with no agitator (which i've had previously and did like, but they are also too deep). If you don't mind my asking what f/l units do you have?


My neighbor showed me his units today, they are front loading maytags but I can't find them online anywhere to see how deep they are. it's really bizarre that I can't find them. I think they are older units but not that old.

has anyone ever ordered units that didn't fit? will they take them back (for a charge) if they don't work in the room? my SO thinks we should just do that but I'm too nervous about it.

 

[dis-happy]

We had to go stacked when we remodeled the family beach house (side by side downstairs moved to stacked upstairs). I'll tell you one thing that REALLY bothered me about the stacked frontloading...every brand except one (and I can't remember which one now) has the doors opening opposite ways. Also, keep in mind that many people with front loaders say they have to keep the washer door open when not in use to reduce the mildew smell. Will you have enough room for this?

Personally, I would take a smaller top loader in a heartbeat over a stacked unit. JMHO. We used to have two 27" wide GE w/d units here (when they were downstairs) and they were quite spacious inside, fit great, and were easy to use. You can fold and sort laundry on top of the machines. Plus, they cost a whole lot less than frontloaders and have a better repair record.

A final suggestion: go visit a good local appliance store. Talk to a specialist who works there, bring in your measurements, and see what they say about your options. You may find something that works better than what is typically available at the local "big box" store.

 

[carolb3]

I just bought the Samsung 219 set from Sears. They were delivered/installed on Monday and are stacked on the second floor of our home. I'm 5' 5-1/2" and can reach the top buttons easily. Do you have any specific questions that haven't been answered that I can help you with?

 

[mom2val]

I love my stacked set. I was lucky enough to get last year's black Friday special from sears- $599 for a washer and dryer. We stacked them- the stacking kit came with the dryer. Love love love how little space they take up. I am 5 ft tall and have no problems at all.

 

[battricia]

I just bought the Samsung 219 set from Sears. They were delivered/installed on Monday and are stacked on the second floor of our home. I'm 5' 5-1/2" and can reach the top buttons easily. Do you have any specific questions that haven't been answered that I can help you with?

yay! You're the first person I've read who has done this! I do have a few specific questions. How tall is the total unit? We have a light in the room but I think there is 85" clearance before the light. and how far does the unit stick out from the wall? The specs on the website say '52" deep when stacked' and I feel like this can't possibly be right. that is almost 2x the depth of the machines. why would they have to stick out that far??

 

[carolb3]

They two units stacked together are approximately 76-1/2 inches high (this includes the connector).

They come out approximately 35 inches from the wall with the vent on. Maybe Samsung was giving you measurements with the door open? With the unit's door open, it measures 55 inches from the wall to the tip of the door.

The buttons on the dyer are about 72-1/2" from the floor at their mid point. The power button on the dryer is about 74-1/2" from the floor at its mid point.

Hope that helps!

 

[buzz5985]

Have you thought of changing the doors to opening out instead of into the laundry room?? Sounds like the contractors put the doors on wrong.

Janis

 

[The Iron Giant]

We have ours stacked and no problems with the height or anything like that, but...

We did have an issue with LG when we needed a repair that was under warranty. Our washer needed a minor repair so the units needed to be unstacked by the repairman. LG tried to insist that we needed to pay a separate labor charge to the repairman to unstack and then restack the units even though the cost of the repair itself was covered under warranty. It took a few phone calls before LG agreed to eat the fee for this. So just keep in mind that if the washer or dryer ever needs a repair.

 

[jenedpey]

We have a set of stackable Samsung W/D which we planned on stacking in our laundry room, but can't do it easily. The dryer does sit back on the washer approximately 3". The vent then comes off the back of the dryer. According to Samsung documentation, you can relocate the vent to the side, but there isn't any prebuilt provisions to do it. There is space to do it inside the dryer, but you have to cut through the side. Since the dryer sits back on the washer, the washer has to sit forward, but because we have a second floor laundry room, our emergency leak pan under the washer doesn't come out far enough from the wall for the washer to sit forward. At this point, we either leave them side by side, relocate the vent to the side, but they will still rub on the wall, or I move the pan forward which requires cutting into the floor.