Laundry - Page 3 - Montana Owners Club

Ozz · 12-21-2006, 12:46 PM

I am on the same page with Steve, as many of you know, we have the Maytag's, 220V dryer. The dryer really is powerful, the capacity is very large for an RV. Sue could do 4 pair of jeans in the washer, and easily 4 in the dryer.
It has an automatic sensor, the dryer shuts off when it drys the clothes, even if it is set for a longer time. They are warm and dry when they come out.
I would do it all over, and recommend it to all. Our small combo reefer and freezer and the Monty's freezer are plenty for Sue and I, after all, are close enough to towns if we run low on frozen foods. JMHO..........
Sears, Lowe's, and many appliance centers.
Ozz

Wannabe Full-timer · 12-21-2006, 10:39 PM

Does having the 220V dryer installed by a dealer void your warranty portion of your electrical system on the Monty??? Ozz, where did you buy your apartment size Maytags? I was actually leaning more towards a Sears brand but I would want the one that holds the most clothes and does the best job. Have you compared these two brands as far as capacity??

I would rather have the 220 dryer as I have had experience with a 110 in the past and it took a long time to dry clothes but this was years ago and things may have improved considerably. (The park we would be "living in" does have new 50 amp service). I wouldn't want to void our warranty though either.

Ozz · 12-22-2006, 03:39 AM

They would have to prove that adding a 220 circuit to the dryer damaged a system. I would be the one to repair any electrical problems anyway. Just like my addition of a bike rack on my hitch, I bought this unit to enjoy my time in it, if a warranty problem arises in connection with any of my mods, I will deal with them on it.
We got them at Sears, but I have seen them at Lowe's and appliance dealers. These are the biggest ones that will fit into the space we have.

Wannabe Full-timer · 12-22-2006, 04:11 AM

Ozz, thanks so much for your reply. We sure appreciate it, as always.

My SIL is a saleslady in the appliance dept. at our local Sears so I will have to talk to her about the Maytag versus Kenmore apartment size washer and dryers. She is pretty knowledgeable about the appliances they sell and a very honest salesperson too I might add.

Of course, it would also depend on whether the Maytag or Kenmore set would fit in the 3295 closet too (?).

While we have no electrical knowledge/abilities as you do (but then we all know you are the KING of mods! LOL True!!), I think I might still be inclined to take my chances and go with 220V for a dryer and have a circuit installed for it as I think I would be much happier with the dryer. We would have it installed by a qualified electrician (the dealer???) and plan to purchase an extended warranty (but not sure added electrical would be covered??).

Ozz · 12-22-2006, 05:38 AM

The dealer may not be the best choice for the electrical work. The hat they are wearing is warranty minded, and self serving, as they will not want to get into any situation that they are unfamiliar with. Also they (may not) be qualified for electrical work in this degree. I agree with your first thought of an electrician-a real one. He, or she, will find it no big deal.
I would think the extended warr. would be fine if the electrical was done by a qualified electrician.
You will not be sorry doing this addition.
Ozz

Wannabe Full-timer · 12-22-2006, 05:47 AM

Thanks Ozz. I appreciate your input and, when the time comes, we will pay for the certified electrician to do the 220V installation if we live full-time in a Monty.

c5racer · 12-22-2006, 06:54 AM

Ozz,
Can you run your 220 dryer on 30 amp service? Just wondering, cause a lot of the campgrounds we visit don't offer 50 amp service.

Ozz · 12-22-2006, 07:04 AM

No, but Check out the 'cheater' at CW, you can get 50 amps that way.

richfaa · 12-22-2006, 07:39 AM

We used our 2100 Splendede for the first time..we are happy campers..does a good job...not fast ..but good...beats waiting in a Laundromat.Thanks all, as usual, for the great advise.

virgil47 · 12-22-2006, 09:45 AM

When we bought our used Montana, the stacked washer and dryer were already there. On our March through August trip this year we found them to be very convienient. We always washed on rainy days, leaving the sunny days for exploring the territory we were in at the time. This issue is probably not as important for fulltimers because everyday is a vacation day!
During those periods of non-rainy days, we washed a load a day if we wanted. Just found the darned thing very convienient and expect it would be pretty hard to talk my wife out of it today. We never worried about the weight, even when pulling with the F250 PSD. I like what David said about this discussion getting around to eating and drinking. I sure like to eat.

sreigle · 12-22-2006, 01:31 PM

Our 110v apartment sized dryer is relatively fast at drying clothes. It takes longer than the 200v dryer in our stick home did but Vicki says it is not objectionably long. This is an apartment sized dryer, not one designed for an RV, however.

If you go with the Sears Kenmore, several here have reported they come with a switch so you can run the washer or the dryer but not both simultaneously. Dustytuu's husband (an electrician) wired around that so they can run both. So you might make sure the installer takes care of that. Our Crosley/Whirlpool units both run at the same time.

mjflora · 12-27-2006, 01:01 PM

We're sitting in a campground just outside of Dallas and I decided to do my first load of laundry in our combo machine. I'm sitting in the back at the desk and it just went in to spin cycle and I'm bouncing up and down. Is this normal? Would a kingpin support help? Or maybe our rig isn't stabilized well enough to begin with? What do you think?

Driftwoodgal · 12-27-2006, 01:33 PM

We aren't in our Monty long enough right now to worry about the washer/dryer thing yet. When we do start staying in it for longer periods we will look into the pros and cons of buying them.

While reading the posts it looks like the women wash most of the clothes. You guys best be sure that you are remembering to buy some fresh flowers, the Hallmark card..... etc. You don't want the little woman to go on strike.

Colleen

richfaa · 12-27-2006, 02:07 PM

We have now used our splendede a few times now and it does send a vibration throughout the 3400 when it goes into spin. I think we could be stabilized a bit more.. however I figure the vibration goes with the territory.

DonandBonnie · 12-27-2006, 03:02 PM

Rich,
Just curious. About how much laundry can you put in one load with your new Splendide and how long does it take to run full cycle?

richfaa · 12-27-2006, 04:18 PM

According to our owners manual...the length of time depends on which cycle you use. The wash cycles run anywhere from 45-80 minutes to wash and the dryer cycle runs from 30-120 minutes. It also says that you can put a full set of sheets and pillow cases in one load (for a queen size bed). It uses very little water and lower amounts of electricity. When you watch it wash, you wonder where the water is... it's very different. The book says to load the laundry based on the drying load since the barrel is small and there is less space to dry. It's not as easy to interrupt a wash load and at certain points, it won't let you open the door if you interrup it... but overall, it does a great job washing and drying. Vented is the only way to go. We've heard from several people, who don't have vented units, that they never really dry completely. We have found that if everything is not dry, we remove the dry stuff and put the damp stuff back in for a short tumble. The dry cycle is very easy to interrupt. (Helen wrote the above..not me..)

Parrothead · 12-27-2006, 05:42 PM

Ours vibrates a little but we don't bounce up and down. Are you sure the w/d is level. That would cause a bounce if it isn't. The spin cycle is the only time it vibrates. Otherwise we aren't even aware it is on. It takes a bit of trial and error to get use to it but in the long run we feel is the only way to go. BTW we have the smaller of the 2 Spendide combos and I do the sheets in two loads. Flat sheet with a few underwear or towels and then fitted sheet and pillow cases. I like the way they come out better that way. JMHO
Happy trails........................

sreigle · 01-06-2007, 03:23 PM

The only place we feel vibration is a very slight vibration in the floor when you are standing next to it, on certain cycles. But ours is a different brand, Crosley/Whirlpool and a stack, not a combo. But that shouldn't matter. When we had the Majestic stack in here, we got a lot of movement in the rig. So I think it has at least partially to do with the stability of the w/d. You might also make sure all the packing materials were removed. On the Majestics I read that if not all are removed, the result is vibration. Ours are running right now and have been for several hours. No vibration.

Ozz · 01-06-2007, 04:53 PM

A HVAC note; remember with a vented unit, you are drawing air out of your RV, open the closest window or vent, otherwise, the air is being sucked through the slide seals, stove vent and places that will not be what you would choose first.
Air out=air in.
Ozz

Parrothead · 01-06-2007, 05:44 PM

Okay, Jim, I' not following you. Where is the dryer getting the air? Isn't the motor or fan in the dryer creating what blows out the vent? The washer/dryer is completely enclosed. We always have vents opened anyway and there is that vent in the top of the closet in the 3400.
Happy trails......................

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