Laundry (ventless) section in kitchen - keep it compact or expand?

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

My condo HOA only allows ventless electric dryers, and I see that most options in the US market are compact size and only one manufacturer that I know of, Whirlpool, makes a standard sized dryer - model WHD862CHC.

The slot in the kitchen where the existing machines reside is only 25" wide, fitting two vertically stacked Asko machines that are each about 23.5" wide, so to fit the 27" Whirlpool, I would need to expand the space a by a few inches and sacrifice some counter space to do so. We are redoing the kitchen cabinets, so this is something we have been considering. Due to the increased height, we will also need to remove some cabinets that are above the existing machines as well. Depth wise, I think the Whirlpool will fit, we have 33" inches to work with and the machine itself is 31", but I feel like we would be cutting it very close as they are located near a door.

Is this trade off worth it? The reason I'm considering the larger machines is because my wife and I might start a family soon and we weren't sure if compact machines could handle the increased amount of laundry. However, due to the lack of available machines that are standard sized, I'm not so sure if this is a good idea, or if we would be better off sticking with compact machines and buying something from a premium brand like Miele. Would this be enough for a family of 4? I also don't want to wind up in a situation where we don't like the Whirlpool or can't get our hands on one, leaving a big gap of unused space in the kitchen.

Below are some photos of the kitchen, and the two laundry machines are to the left of the fridge. We will most likely be keeping all the appliances except for the laundry machines, but other layout ideas would be welcome!

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Comments (6)

boba1
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
The depth of the matching Whirlpool washer is 31 9/16 inches. Need to allow a bit for water and drain hose connections/supply. Rather than the Miele W1 & T1, consider their Little Giant Performance Plus for larger capacity.
clt3
5 years ago
I have no suggestions, but Abt shows more than a couple of ventless dryers that could work for you: Ventless dryers
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delray33483
5 years ago
99% of europe uses "compact" units with no real complaints of it being too small. If they were too small then the market would shift towards larger units. Mfgs only make what people want to buy.

we have the Miele unts (in 2 houses) and find them acceptable. To be sure, you will be running a few more loads. If you separate clothes (white, darks, delicates) you wont have a problem as the load size will be appropraite. If you are a shove it all in there then you will find it small.

The Miele Little Giants are great but very expensive and require two 220v lines. The Miele W1/T1 units are both 110v. Easier install (especially in a condo with limited space in the electrical panel) and little heat generated due to the heat pump. I cant tell if your cooktop is radiant or induction, but radiant top and condensor dryer would generate alot of heat in a small kitchen.
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
I do laundry every day and honestly those small front loaders can handle a lot of laundry because they can be filled completely and they spin out much dryer than top loaders. I would stay with the smaller stacked ones since none of the dryers can be vented they will never function as well as proper vented one.
wdccruise
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
The white Whirlpool WHD560CHW is nearly identical to the WHD862CHC and costs $450 less.

When installed in "recessed area", the stacked pair would require 5" between the appliances and the rear wall, and nearly 60" from the rear wall to the opposite wall to allow the door to open fully.

The dimensions of the stacked Miele WXD160WCS, TXD160WP dryer, and stacking kit are here.

(Aside from the floors, countertop and backsplash, what's wrong with the kitchen?)
spiritflower
5 years ago
We have the whirlpool ventless dryer. The manual says 5 inches from the wall but we kept getting error messages until we pulled it out to be 6-7 inches. Along with how the front door sticks out unless you have lots of room you might keep running into it. It also produces a lot more humidity than a non-ventless one.