Or more specificly: why don’t they make a washing machine that dries as well as washes? On a dishwasher you can have a dry cycle after the wash, so I wouldn’t think it would have anything to do with the heating element getting wet or anything. Seems like there’d be a big market for something that does both jobs and takes up half the space, so I must be missing something really obvious.
G’day
They do make washing machines that dry as well as washing. My sister has one.
Regards,
Agback
Yup, you can get washer/dryers;
Pro:
They only occupy the space of a single machine.
They (sometimes)cost marginally less than the price of a washing machine added to the price of a tumble dryer.
Con:
If it breaks down, you lose two functions.
They are not terribly efficient (so I’ve heard) - both in terms of energy-efficiency and wash performance.
The load capacity is often reduced because of the need to accomodate dual systems in a single unit.
Having spent three months in a building with only a washer / dryer, I can confirm that their performance leaves a lot to be desired, particularly the drying part. In fact, it tended to leave the clothes only marginally less damp than they started.
This was in England, by the way, and I see that the other two responses are from outside of the US; I don’t know whether these machines are available at all in America. (No great loss if they aren’t.)
It would be even better if you could also use it as an oven to cook and as a TV but the fact is that it is more cost efficient to make separate things for separate functions.
Many years ago I tried to invent the umbrella which could also be used to give enemas but my friends managed to convince me it was not worth the effort.
They are available inside the US, because someone on these very boards was ranting about them.
She’s telling the Attorney General, and I’m telling all of you…
Ha… my umbr-enema will be in the stores while you’re still grappling with the pickle matrix mm hai!
My folks have one of these on their boat. It washes fine, but as Fretful Porpentine says, it can’t dry fer shit.
Multi-function devices are (in my opinion) generally to be avoided (for the reasons that I listed earlier and probably a few more), however, if you’ll pardon the hijack, I’d like to sing the praises of the HP all-in-one inkjet printer/scanner/copier I just bought - I only really got the thing because there isn’t sufficient desk space at home for a separate scanner and printer (and, I suppose, that the copier function works even when the PC is not switched on), but I was absolutely gobsmacked when I set it up:
You install the software first, then plug in the device (nothing unusual there)
It prints a print head alignment sheet (nothing new there)
But what’s this?!? - it doesn’t ask you which of the printed patterns you think looks best, no; it asks you to put the print head alignment sheet face down on the scanner glass and it sets itself up without any fuss at all.
Bloody clever.
>> it can’t dry fer shit
I have to say that in the ones I have seen you are supposed to was a load and then dry about half a load. In other words, it is supposed to be able to wash more than it can dry. I imagine a lot of people are just not doing it right.
It washes clothes fine. However I agree with everyone. They do not dry clothing well. However if you read the directions they say that clothes will feel wet but if you leave them lay out for a few min they will be dry. Has something to do with the condensation method of drying the dryer uses.
You also lose the ability to batch process. You can’t wash and dry at the same time. So it takes twice as long to do the wash.
But you do have the ability to start it and forget it and it will be totally done, well that is if it actually works.
>> But you do have the ability to start it and forget it and it will be totally done, well that is if it actually works.
No because you cannot dry the full load. You have to take part out and dry it later.
Yeah, but you just wash in half loads too. Not that I use ours.
Dunno about other models, but mine’s rated energy efficient and washes as well, if not better, than top-loaders I have known. (ickyness warning) I bought mine the very day I noticed the machine in the public laundry I was about to use smelled a bit ripe, investigated, and found poop smears on the rim. Think I’ll go give my sweet little washer/dryer a sincere hug of gratitude right now.
Former appliance salesman checking in
Washer/dryers are quite popular here in the UK, especially amongst those who live in tiny flats and just don’t have room for two separate machines. They are indeed a compromise, but nevertheless a workable solution for those with a lack of space. For many, it’s better than having no dryer at all.
As others have pointed out, a washer/dryer can only dry half a load at once. A machine which can wash 11 pounds of laundry will only be able to dry 5.5 pounds. So, after washing a full load, you’ll need to split it into two batches for drying. Alternatively, if you only have a smallish load to wash, you can set the controls so that the machine advances into the drying cycle automatically.
The reason for this? Look at a regular front load washer and the MATCHING dryer. You’ll see that the dryer drum is always bigger than that of the washer, because you need room for the clothes to tumble freely in the airflow. Because the combination washer/dryers have smallish drums, they can only effectively dry small loads. As with any dryer, overstuff it and the airflow will be hampered, resulting in poor drying performance.
Also, washer/dryers do not vent the steam outdoors. Instead, a mist of cold water from the supply tap is used to cool the steam inside the machine and condense it back into water. It then gets pumped away through the drain hose. Convenient, but it also slows down the drying process. You can get your clothes completely dry, but it will take a long time.
Like I said, it’s workable, but you have to keep on top of your laundry in order for it to be practical. Wash and dry a small load each day, rather than saving up a whole week’s laundry and wondering why you can’t get it done in a couple of hours.
I had one of these when we lived in Paris. It was a great washer, although it was sort of a pain to unload half the clothes to dry them. It was not nearly as big a pain as going to the laundromat, however. And boy, could it dry! I had a baby in diapers and was pretty grateful for it.
At the risk of hijacking this thread, why don’t they simply pump the air out of the unit instead of using that complicated method kirk280980 describes? That’d get the water out of the clothes, and should use less energy than a conventional dryer.
[ul]
[li]You’d need a pretty robust vacuum pump to handle the water vapor, detergents, dirt, oils, and general crap that gets put in a washer. That’s expensive, complicated and maintenance intensive.[/li][li]The washing drum would have to be tough enough to stand up to a vacuum. Reinforced quarter inch steel is heavy and costly.[/li][li]The door would need a robust, greaseless and idiot proof vacuum seal.[/li][li]You’d still need a heating element to prevent your clothes from freezing as the water evaporates, so you wouldn’t gain much over just having a heater.[/li][li]You’d be really annoyed if laundry items that contain foam padding, or trapped air, expanded and burst during the dry cycle.[/li][/ul]
OTOH I can’t think of a single reason why Umbrellas couldn’t be modified so as to also provide a refreshing and healthful enema. 