I've been searching for a garden apartment for over a year, but so many of them don't have a washer/dryer in the apartment, and I really don't want to do the shared laundry thing -- especially since we have a unit in our apartment now, so I'm use to being able to do laundry whenever I want.
I've been told that it's possible to have a washing machine installed in place of a toilet (providing there is enough room for the machine and the landlord allows it, of course).
Does anyone know if this is true, and if so...
1. Would we also probably need to have a higher voltage electrical outlet installed?
2. What do you think the approximate charge would be to have all this done?
3. Would we be able to have a dryer anywhere in the apartment? I think there are "condenser" dryers that don't require a vent? And would this also require a high voltage electrical outlet?
I obviously know nothing about plumbing or electrical issues, but it sure would be nice if I could expand my search criteria while apartment hunting.
I assume that you want a washing machine in addition to a toilet and not to replace it... you would need a top loader, and then watch out for the spin drying...
as it is, installing a machine is usually easy enough - depending on the model you usually only need a cold water feed, a waste outlet and a normal power supply.
As for dryers, well you can get condensing ones, that dont need an air vent, but they are usually much more expensive.
If you want a more accurate quote, go to Fust or similar retailer and ask about if they would do the installation for you, and what the cost is. They usually do this.
and if you are replacing the toilet--- mind how you go!
I'm not sure what "single phase" means... or what is "3P."
Seriously, in high school, they should make women take auto mechanics and electrical/plumbing courses instead of home-ec. We sewed a teddy bear and make macaroni and cheese in my home-ec course!
Does anyone know if it would be possible to use warm or hot water in the machine if doing it this way? Guess I'm not sure if the machine can heat the water or if a hot water inlet is required(?).
most machines heat the water themselves, so you can have the various temperature wash options. so a cold feed is standard, some will also use a hot feed, but not just hot without cold...
Be careful - I'm sure the landlord may have something to say about this. In apartments past, the best way to share noise up and down the building was through the bathrooms.
And I do remember my wife wondering how the washing was so efficient with only cold water coming into the washing machine (and dishwasher). For an intelligent woman, she sure asks some silly questions...!!
Re; the other part of your question, ventless dryers are quite common here. We have a stack-on top-one where you just dump the condenser tank out after every load.
p.s. I'm going to be selling it in about a month or so, when we get ready to blast off for the states.
We moved into a small 85sqm apartment in Zurich and found a good niche that would suit a washer machine and dryer stacked.
There was no plumbing in the wall but we had a plumber drill through the wall and connect the water to the water in/out from the kitchen. Crude, but it works very well.
We wrote to the management requesting to put in a washer machine and dryer in the apartment but were careful not to specify where.
They replied that as long as any plumbing is done by a qualified plumber this would be no problem so we were free to place it where we wanted.
Bought a condenser dryer because we were not close enough to the exterior wall.
So far, no problem and using a regular extension wire for them both, but careful not to run them both together.
So all in all was nice and easy and much more comfortable for my wife seeing as the building doesnt even have a dryer.
I've just had a thought ...... when I renovated our first house, back in 2000, the bathroom was completely stripped bare, including the bog - and the u-bend, leaving just a 10cm pipe in the floor. It had to be taped over to prevent the stench of all my neighbours' crap clogging my nostrils; which wasn't 100% successful.
Can you be sure, that with the khazi gone, that you're not going to be breathing in other people's poo steam? ..... many modern toilets have the u-bend incorporated in the porcelain.
I think that it's a reasonable question. I had never seen a washer with a heating element until I moved to Europe. All the ones that I'd ever owned in the states had hot and cold inlets.