First off lets get right to it whenever you are purchasing a specialty type item you are going to pay more for it and possibly get less from it. The reason for this is that over many years conventional units have been designed to provide the best quality output for the lowest cost. In addition because they are the ones being sold the most the price will almost always be less due to how factories produce them. If they need to make a specialty item that means opening up a new factory line and that costs money that the manufacturers pass on to the consumer. You really need to have these drawbacks in mind and only purchase one of these units if you fall into the category of consumer that can really benefit from their use.
As this howto goes on you might feel that we are taking the side of not purchasing one of these units and to some extent you would be right however if you are the person who would benefit from a single unit washer dryer then they are an excellent and best choice for you so read the entire How To before you make any choices. Some reviews fluff up everything but YouRepair tries to be straight with you in our reviews so that you can make good decisions, save money and have a better life.
This is not to say that portable units which are different than All In Ones aren’t good options for people in apartments or for other applications its to say the combination of washer and dryer in one unit may not be right for most people.
What Are Single Unit Combo Washer Dryers?
You may not have even heard of these units but the main thing behind them is that you are purchasing one unit that can both wash and dry your clothes. This means you put dirty clothes into the washer dryer and clean dry clothes come out.
It really sounds like an excellent way to go and you wonder why all units don’t come this way but there are some drawbacks to combining the washing and drying in a single machine.
What Are The Drawbacks Of Single Unit Washer Dryers
We have already gone over the fact that a single unit washer dryer is going to cost you more than buying two similar separate units. You can expect to pay anywhere from 25% to 100% more for the same capacity of wash that can be processed. The smaller the unit seems to result in a higher price.
Capacity is often smaller than conventional units. Although manufacturers like LG and GE do produce larger 4.5 and 5 Cubic Foot combo units if you were in need of a very large washer dryer there are conventional units that come in larger than that. Many large capacity dryers are available up to 7.5 cubic feet which allows your clothes to dry much faster and expand and fluff up after the wash cycle. This is almost twice the capacity of the largest single unit versions but many single unit lower cost units come in at 2.5 cubic feet which is much smaller. If you have a large family or are constantly washing and drying bulky items then conventional is the way to go.
Cycle Times are also much longer than conventional units. Where it might take an hour to dry an oversized conventional load of clothes it can take two hours in a larger unit and up to 4.5 hours in a smaller 2.5 cubic foot capacity unit just to dry 2.5 cubic feet or less of clothes not to dry the same amount but to dry less clothes. If you have a 4 hour dry time and a 40 minute wash time for 2.5 cubic feet of clothes or about half of a conventional unit then drying is where you are going to hit the wall of aggravation.
You also have to remember when you are using conventional units to wash and dry your clothes you can be washing the second load while the first is drying. This cuts overall processing time dramatically.
Most units aren’t externally vented so that means if you have a smaller unit without external venting or a larger unit where you choose to not externally vent the hot dryer air you can be causing health problems in your home. Higher humidity levels alone or the fact it could lead to moisture related mold growth. You will have to be diligent about your use and provide overall venting of the room it is located in.
What Are The Best Points About Single Unit Washer Dryers?
The best thing about these units is that you can put them any place you have normal 110v electric and water available. This means they can be used in older apartments, converted homes or even in commercial establishments to provide cleaning on site rather than having to go to a laundry or hire a service.
The next thing is you are likely to pay back your cost in just a few months especially if you have a larger family. Now remember we said capacity and drying times are an issue so this might mean doing wash more often (maybe twice or three times a week instead of once) but at least you aren’t using someone else’s machines.
For a commercial establishment they can offer great service. For any food type establishment that needs to wash towels, maybe uniforms or other items you can put a load in every night and it should be ready when you show up the next day. Not sure I would mix mechanics rags and uniforms in the same unit but give it a try if you want.
Finally is the space saving. There are just some situations where you don’t have another option due to space. That could be an RV or a Cabin or an Apartment without a hookup. Having a unit like this brings so much freedom for you that the downsides are minimal.
Final Note
In other How To articles we go over the differences of portable and conventional washer dryers. How much you want to invest and why you need the units are the determining factors on which you buy.
I will say that a conventional washer dryer unit with minimal electronics is the way that I personally go. They allow you to set load sizes / water volume and the temperature of the water. Dryers allow you to set the time your dryer stays on. This is all you really need and all of the settings on these units are really just for flash. Now would you possibly benefit from a Normal and Delicate setting on your washer? Maybe you could but other than that it is just agitation and water to wash and drying time on the dryer. This means fewer electronics and timers and sensors to go bad. It is going to keep your unit running for decades vs costly service calls or parts being replaced.
However today everyone wants something fancy. They even have units with Bluetooth which makes no sense to me but ok maybe someone really needs that option. For me these extras and specialty items are fun at first but you will find that you never use 80% of the settings.