Need Help/Advice On Integrated Washing Machine/Tumble Dryer!

jennifernil

We did that in our kitchen, now 35 years in place, as we had a freestanding dishwasher and did not want it to stick out at all.   Have not bothered in the utility room as we reckoned it did not matter.  There is plenty of space in there and no tight corners to bother about

jennifernil

bazzie said:

Hi All,

Thanks for all your replies so far! It is an Appliance minefield out there!

The Washer & Dryer will be going into the Utility Room so now considering freestanding units over Integrated after reading comments here - am I right in assuming that the Integrated ones are a smaller capacity to allow them to be integrated? The reason I originally thought about having them Integrated was that everything would be hidden & it look like all cabinets with that clean, uncluttered look but if Integrated are more hassle than they are worth then maybe it is not worth the bother?

Looks like Bosch & AEG are liked well here - my sister again will only want German so I will have to go with a German Brand - except Miele!

Which are better - Bosch, AEG, Siemens etc?

I am terribly confused by the Bosch Ranges - they do a Series 4 & 6 but each Series has so many models that is quite difficult for me to tell them apart & see how they differ & what advantages one has over another - maybe I am just thick! I need to get: Washing Machine, Dryer & Dishwasher & there must be around 6 models of each Appliance in each Series!

With regards to the Dryer - we are not heavy users - it will be mainly used in the colder seasons but if we assume twice a week with it not being used in Summer, I am undecided as to what type to get - Condenser or Heat Pump?

We cannot have a Vented one & I read that the Condenser & Heat Pump ones do not perform anywhere near as good but they consume the most energy. As we are not heavy/regular users, energy usage is secondary to drying ability as long as energy usage is reasonable.

How do Condenser & Heat Pump Dryers perform against each other in terms of drying times? Does the Condenser Type use noticeably more energy than the Heat Pump Types?

For example, if the Condenser Type takes say 30mins longer to fully dry a load but consumes double the energy than a Heat Pump one or vice versa then it will help me decide which type to go for.

I am trying to balance Drying performance/time against energy operating costs for our type of usage to try & determine which is the best type to get for 

I usually look at price, and choose a model that is in the middle of the range.  I have not so far regretted not buying the top of the range model, in fact the ones I have have some features  I never use.

For the WM, get one that has a good top spin speed, ours goes up to 1600 and towels come out reasonably dry.    We do use the dryer a lot, a shoulder injury means pegging out is very difficult for me, so that is important  to us.   We have a vented dryer so cannot comment on other types, other than to say they seem to take ages to dry compared to ours!

For trousers and T shirts, I spin at 1200, dry to "iron dry" then hang up to finish off, no ironing required then.

Yorkie1

With Bosch, it may be that the lower priced series machines are made elsewhere than Germany, if memory serves me right from when I bought my d/w fairly recently. Always best to check, if this is important to you, rather than assuming all of their machines will be made in Germany.

Annie1960

I have a Zanussi combined integrated washer-dryer. Works fine, six years old. My previous one was also Zanussi, and I only changed it because I got a new kitchen and needed it integrated. 

baser999

😂😂 our Bosch dishwasher packed up last night - ten years old and used three times a week -  error code suggests it’s  the flow sensor that’s gone?. Will make a few calls tomorrow.

jonnydeppiwish!

If you can avoid it, I’d avoid integrated appliances except for DW. Just personally, I find them more expensive and not as large capacity.