washing machine or washer dryers

Ebe_Scrooge

Deleted_User wrote: »

We just use an extension which is well away from the bath..

Eeek, that's not the best idea in the world ! :eek:


Sure, there's no problem with having a washing machine in the bathroom, but it needs to be properly hard-wired in by an electrician, not just plugged into a socket / extension lead.

peachyprice

Makes you wonder how the rest of Europe survive with their washing machines plugged in to a socket in the bathroom

Ebe_Scrooge

Fair enough, but why do the regs prohibit sockets in bathrooms ?

Grenage

Can't you have whatever the hell you like, as long as it's outside zone 2?

ic

macman wrote: »

As above. They're also hideously slow (when acting.as driers) and are the most unreliable type of white goods. Avoid at all costs.
Remember that you can stack the two separate machines if space is an issue.

I would absolutely agree that if you have room, go for separates.

However, I had a Zanussi that lived for nine years - 6Kg wash, 4Kg dry. My parents have the same model, and theirs has been going for about 13 years so far. Mine started getting worryingly hot during the dry cycle (I think fluff had found its way into every crevice so the air wasn't circulating properly - even after stripping down and cleaning it out). I replaced that with an AEG model - 8Kg wash, 6Kg dry.

It tells me a cycle of washing king size bedsheets will take 7hrs - it never does, and usually completes it in about 4.5hrs. I tend to only use the dryer for sheets during the winter months - everything else, clothes and towels, are line dried in the summer, or dried on a rack in the winter - so not wasting space on a dryer I'd use only once a week is ideal for me in my small home. I also like the benefit of the one hour wash and dry cycle - can be a godsend when you need to quickly wash something for a night out.

I'd happily go with something like this again: http://ao.com/product/wd90j6410aw-samsung-ecobubble-washer-dryer-white-35533-2.aspx. Cheaper models will tend to have much smaller capacities, and may lack the sensor drying options that monitor the dryness of the clothes.

ic

EssexExile wrote: »

Someone will come on with the rules later but basically as long as the dryer can't be reached from the bath (no doubt there are regulations about distance) & is hard wired not plugged in & the switch is outside the bathroom it's fine. I found this, it's a few years old so things may have changed:
http://www.amdea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Appliances-in-bathrooms_July09.pdf

Key point you missed is the circuit must be protected by an RCD at the consumer unit. That document seems light on highlighting that fact. I think the rest of Europe have never had rules as strict (or frankly sensible) as the UK - its all about not being able to take a portable appliance (like a hair dryer, hair straightners, etc) that could be dropped into water. Granted the same sort of risk exists in a kitchen - but kids who are the most likely to make a mistake generally can't reach the counter top and sink.

rach_k

Whether a washer-dryer will work for you very much depends on how you plan to use it.

I hang things that might need ironing to avoid creases - t-shirts, school uniforms etc - but often tumble things that I'm too lazy to hang up individually, like pyjamas, kids' underwear and socks. My washer-dryer has a 9kg capacity for washing and a 6kg capacity for drying so I either put 6kg of stuff that can be washed and dried in and set a wash and dry cycle, or put in 9kg of mixed stuff and set it to wash, take out the things I want to hang up and then dry the rest (usually less than 6kg). It does take longer to dry things than a conventional dryer but I manage to do three loads of washing and drying in one day so unless you're needing to 20+ loads a week or you won't be around straight after one load finishes to put the next in, you should be fine! I don't wash at night either so you could do more if you wanted.

We got the washer-dryer when we didn't have space for separates. Now we have the space for them but I wouldn't swap as we really don't need to. We're a family of four and have managed all through cloth nappies and potty training without separates so it feels easy now I'm washing less!

Rosemary7391

Ideally, I'd have a washer dryer and one of those pulley air dryers in the kitchen (I have really high ceilings). Then the dryer would only get used for towels, even in the winter, so having 2 machines would make no sense.

[Deleted User]

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Sure, there's no problem with having a washing machine in the bathroom, but it needs to be properly hard-wired in by an electrician, not just plugged into a socket / extension lead.

Switches for heaters and lights have to be cord operated, so I'm surprised if washing machines are allowed.