Adding stacked washer & dryer

We are considering getting rid of the Splendide 2100 combo washer/dryer and replacing it with a stacked washer & dryer. Perhaps an apartment style or regular residential units.

Has anyone done this modification? Is there enough room in the space where the washer is now to add the additional unit? Is there a huge reconfiguration of water lines, etc.? If it has been done, did you just add a dryer and keep the combo washer/dryer as the washer.

Any input would be appreciated.

Stan

It can be done if you have the space.  You will have to configure the dryer for 120v operation unless you re-wire for a 220v supply to the washer/dryer area. 220v operation would also restrict you to 50A campsites when using the dryer.

Also: Some coaches do not have a load center designed to provide 220v power on a branch circuit. If you have an Intelletec load center with built in Smart EMS, it may not be able to install a 220v "twin" breaker.

Well, Gary. First, thanks for the response. As Becky always says, "this brings on more talk." I'm pretty sure we don't have an Intelletec EMS. We don't have Multiplex either, it came out in the Monterey in '06.

As for the wiring. Couldn't we just make sure the washer and dryer are both electric? Or do they have to run on 220? Looks like I'll be talking to Bob the Electrician.

The Washer will be 120. Unless you get the dryer from an RV place it will likely be wired for 220, but many can be convert to 120.
The cabinet where your Slendide is already has 1 dedicated 120 circuit. In our coach Monaco actually use a single circuit for both the Washer and Dryer. The Dryer is designed to run at 15 amps MAX and the washer usually doesn't apparently draw more the 5 amps. I wanted to make sure so I installed a second circuit for the Dryer.

Do you have access to you Main panel to be able to run a second circuit? If so then you could run just a 120 circuit, but I guess you could also run a 220 circuit, if as Gary notes the panel is capable of doing this and you have the available space in the panel.

ken

220 and 240 volts are used interchangeably, the voltage you get depends on how the campground's power transformers are wired.

The advantage to higher voltage is it produces more energy per amp compared to 120 volts.  20 amps at 120 volts produces 2400 watts, at 240 volts you get 4800 watts of power.

More power = more heat and shorter drying times.  A 120 volt dryer will take twice as long to dry a load as compared to an equivalent 240 volt dryer.

To use 240 volts from 50 amp shore power, you need a power panel that allows ganged breakers - i.e. the two incoming hot legs are interleaved to alternate breaker slots in the panel.  A dual ganged breaker will then deliver 240 volts.  Home style breaker panels are arranged this way, some RV power panels are not.  If your power panel has two rows of breakers radiating out from a center mounted main breaker, there's a good chance it is not designed to deliver 240 volts.

Note that technically wiring an RV for 240 volts is an electrical code violation because there's nothing that says the RV is always plugged into a 240 volt feed.  If you use a reducer to plug into a 30 or 20 amp 120 volt feed the 240 volt appliances they will appear to be dead but their internal wiring is still energized at 120 volts to ground or neutral.  Depending on how they're constructed, this can damage some appliances if they're turned on while being fed from a 120 volt source or it can pose a safety hazard to someone working on the appliance if they assume the power is disconnected.

Couldn't we just make sure the washer and dryer are both electric?

Click to expand...

No. Lou explained it, so I won't go into it further.

Most dryers can be easily changed over to 120v operation. It's not unusual for stack sets to be placed in apartments or older homes without 220v service to place where it will be installed. You do, however, need two 120v outlets on separate 15 or 20A circuits, since both the washer and the dryer will often operate at the same time (the advantage vs a Splendide combo). You will be popping the breaker regularly if you don't have two.

You have several options in changing out you current combo Spendide washer/dryer with separate units. Yes, you can keep your current washer/dryer in place and use it as a washer only. This will eliminate plumbing and waste/drain modifications--saving time, money and headaches.

There are several 120v dryers available that can be mounted on top of or above your washer. Most feature outside venting options that you should consider desirable if you go this route. You will need to find an underused circuit in the RV for the dryer to branch off of for a dryer outlet, or you will have to run a new, dedicated outlet. Two options to consider are to tap into the microwave circuit--it's usually a dedicated circuit for the oven, so running the dryer on this circuit will pose no problems if you don't use the microwave at the same time. 

Another option is to create a 120v input running from the campsite shore power's 120v outlet. Run a cord from the post's 120v outlet to a dedicated outlet for the dryer. Simple, and no strain on the RV circuits at all. 
As to the option of apartment size vs full size machines--forget it--you will have to go with apartment size unit unless you want to blow up and reconfigure one side of your coach.

Keep in mind that the 120v dryers out there do not handle big loads much better than your current machine. You will still need to do small loads, but with separate machines, you will reduce the wash/dry time as you can do a wash clothes and dry clothes simultaneously.