It would be better to stack the CR top-rated LG WM4000HWA washer and LG DLEX4000W electric dryer. Also at ajmadison.com. Yeah, the washer is a front-loader but the pair will perform better than the GE and at ~$1800 is far less expensive than the Speed Queen ($4400) which is also a front loader.

Thanks! Alas, at 30.25 inches, they are too deep for the space.

I take your point about the Speed Queen being a front loader. That aspect makes me more nervous than the price, which is exorbitant—but if it were built to last as long as the Maytag did, it wouldn't owe me much by the end of its usefulness. Sic transit gloria mundi.

I purchased a Speed Queen (not stacked, just side by side) washer in my last home. I loved that it was all manual dials and no electronics boards to go on the fritz. I was completely under whelmed with how it cleaned and will not purchase another one.

Sorry the LG washtower is too deep for your space. I purchased one for my apartment three years ago and have liked it quite a bit.

Have you shopped at PC Richards in UWS? Sometimes I find it easiest to shop in person in your neighborhood because they are used to dealing with common size limitations that others near you have as well. That is how I ended up with a Speed Queen. It is the only washer and dryer that can completely collapse to go down narrow Philadelphia basement staircases and be rebuild in the basement.

I'm saving my trip to PC Richard for after I've done my online research. Believe me, it's on my to-do list!

It's true the depth of my laundry closet is really limiting. But I'm so happy I can have a washer and dryer of my very own, in my home, instead of a sharing machines in a basement or a laundromat, that I accept the limitation without complaint. IYKYK.

OT but I love your wallpaper!

Thanks! It helps me look forward to doing my laundry. Those birds cheer me up whenever I open the doors, making a chore seem less chore-like.

Check out Yale Appliance Blog report on compact washer and dryers. Bosh and Miele are ventless. GE compact with vent. All stackable and under 30”depth. LG ventless but needs 30” depth. I believe these are the only stackable compact size.

Thanks, will check them all out. I think vented should be okay, as that's what I have now. I'd entirely forgotten Yale Appliance Blog existed—thank you SO much for the reminder, I hope it helps others, too, besides me.

Indeed I know! You and I are both so lucky to not only have W/D in Manhattan apartments but to have vented dryers too. I think ventless is a choice of last resort. We rented an apartment out of town last year with a brand new ventless Bosch. No thanks!

All this laundry talk is enticing me to go put a load in now.

Of all of the brands being discussed here, the majority of them will not supply parts for them past seven or even 10
years. Planned obsolescence continues to worsen if you can believe it. The only two manufacturers that are expected to offer parts and service for their laundry appliances. Long-
term are going to be Speed Queen and Miele.

It is extraordinary that you have the luxury of not only having dedicated laundry in your unit in NYC, but to enjoy the option of vented dryer ducts is just amazing. The Speed Queen will allow you a vented option for the dryer, whereas the Miele dryer is a ventless heat pump design, which is a lot more complex technically. The Miele washer will be smaller than the. Speed Queen’s capacity of 3.5 ft.³. The Speed Queen washer’s spin speed clocks in at around 1200 RPMs and I believe the Miele spins faster at perhaps 1400 or 1600 RPMs, but you give up volume/cubic feet. And yes, both of these two brands are two of the most expensive amongst all of the brands discussed here, but their projected longer lifespan’s could provide the better value in the long run. (Pennywise Pound Foolish“ is an appropriate adage for sure.). But it’s the long-term availability of parts that for me, justifies purchasing any “luxury priced“ appliance. And that’s because no matter how much or little you spend, any appliance that is not serviceable might as well be disposable. Speaking of Service, I would investigate both of these brands to ensure that you have local servicers for any future maintenance or repairs. Given that you are in NYC, you will hopefully have a selection to pick from. Best of luck in your shopping.!

amystoller: "Thanks! Alas, at 30.25 inches, they are too deep for the space."

• The GE GUD27ESSMWW is 30-7/8' deep + additional space at rear for 4" duct
• The LG pair is 30-1/4" deep + additional space at rear for 4" duct

The GE would only be shallower if the duct at the rear of the appliance lined up perfectly with the duct in the wall. But it's clear from the photo you provided that this is not the case for your laundry closet.

The least expensive Miele MIWADREW7 stacked washer/dryer is $4000 and the washer is very small at 2.26cf. In contrast, the LG washer is 4.5cf.

wdccruise, you're so right about the GE depth. I don't know how I missed that. Thank you for catching it!

I'm going to check with my neighbors to see who's using what. And I'll talk to my contractor about whether there's a way to make the GE work. He's performed plenty of miracles already. What's one more? (Ho-ho.)

So, it looks like the GE GUD24ESSMWW may be the only good choice. I sent a query to many of my neighbors. Maybe someone will be able to recommend a viable alternative for the space. I'm lucky I live in such a friendly building!

Meanwhile, I went to my nearby PC Richard only to realize that it isn't there anymore. Which I knew, but had entirely forgotten! At least the doggo and I got out in the sunshine. PC Richard's new location (not quite so new anymore) is well within walking distance, I'll just go another day, after my neighbors report in.

Thanks to all who are playing along. You'll get a full set of Drexel Heritage furniture or a year's supply of Turtle Wax in due course.

1. What is the depth of the laundry center's washer you have now?
2. What is the distance from the rear wall to the front of the laundry center's washer?
3. What is the width and depth of the laundry closet?
4. What is the height of the laundry closet's door opening?

1. Depth of washer: 27.5 inches.
2. Distance from rear wall to front of washer: 29 inches.
3. Width of laundry closet: Approx 51 inches. Depth of laundry closet: 29 inches from rear wall to folded bifold door. (This is what allows the doors to close.)
4. Approx. 91 inches. I'd love not to have to raise the shelf (you can see it in the photo).

Maytag Washer-Dryer LSE7806ACE Dimensions:

Width: 27 1/2 Inch

Depth: 27 1/2 Inch

Height: 73 Inch

Washer Capacity: 2.5 Cu. Ft.

Dryer Capacity: 4.7 Cu. Ft.

Remember, you, too, can win a lovely set of Sarah Coventry Jewelry …

Re-check the depth dimensions of the Speed Queen SF7 wash tower and you will find you can eliminate it as a candidate for your space. It's actually too deep.

Maybe you were looking at the somewhat misleading advertised dimension of a "cabinet depth" of 27.75 inches? Read on in the fine print and it will tell you that the depth with the door and the water supply hoses is actually 31.4 inches.

By now it must be obvious that I've never bought a washer or dryer in my life! I didn't even know "depth with door and water supply hoses" was a thing. Now that you've pointed it out, it's obvious, but good grief. Thank goodness I have kind Houzzers to help me through this.

We're certainly narrowing down the candidates.

A lifetime supply of Rice-A-Roni is in someone's future.

An alternative is the GE GFW148SSMWW and GE GFD14ESSNWW stackable compact washer and vented electric dryer (also at ajmadison). Check the dimensions and make sure you have the electrical circuits to support the two appliances.

Have you looked at Bosch? https://www.bosch-home.com/us/en/category-page/washers-and-dryers

Thanks, SPB. Yes, I have, and I've ruled Bosch out (Miele, too). I want a vented dryer (I have one now). And although I haven't completely ruled out a front-loaded washer, I've had such bad experiences with those that I'm hoping to avoid them. I know laundry centers have their downsides, but for a closet in an apartment with many apartments below mine, they have their upsides, too.

You are still in the running for the collection of musical dolls.

Stopped by PC Richard today. It looks like the 27-inch GE might work after all. One of my neighbors has it and likes it. I can check with the super—excuse me, on-site building manager—to see if can work in my space.

In the meantime, perhaps you'd like to meet my appliance repair tech..

The GE Spacemaker GUD27EESNWW will not fit. It's 30-7/8" deep.

Yeah, that's where we started, wdccruise, and the odds are good that you've been right all along. Please don't feel I'm ungrateful or disrespectful of your expertise.

It's just that it's possible I've measured my space incorrectly. Also, I might be able to increase my space allowance just enough by replacing or rehanging the closet doors—which would be a short-term nuisance but worth it in the long term. I'm motivated to make it work if at all possible.

Meanwhile, other neighbors are reporting in with what they have in their laundry closets. And my repair tech still has queries out for the magical replacement part that might make all this unnecessary. We shall see …

If there's more space or you can adjust the doors, reconsider the CR top-rated LG WM4000HWA washer and LG DLEX4000W electric dryer.

wdccruise, you were right all along—but you knew that! My repair tech who does a lot of work in my building, including other apartments in my line, has confirmed. Also, he confirmed that the necessary part is now unobtanium. Adjusting doors would cause as many problems as it would solve.

I will take a closer look at the other machines you've suggested, and make sure I have the circuit requirements.

The set of encyclopedias may soon be yours!

It looks like I'll be getting the GE GFW148SSMWW and GE GFD14ESSNWW. Thank you, wdccruise, for that recommendation. I found out my nearest neighbor has them and likes them, which is reassuring as well.

My building's new management company has instituted a handful of new roadblocks, both logistical and financial, to accomplishing anything as putatively simple as buying and installing a replacement appliance, so it will probably be a while before I can report a done deal. (NO brand-new car for management!)

Try very hard to get the current washer-dryer repaired. Shopping for a new washer and dryer pair shows that many are flimsy and not "durable goods".

If the washer-dryer is really unrepairable, consider moving the door frame outward an inch or two or whatever it takes.

apple_pie_order, I absolutely agree with you as to the the lack of durability (really, planned obsolescence) of most modern appliances.

I've explored both your suggestions, and discussed them in my earlier comments, but perhaps not very clearly. So, just so you know I'm not blowing off your ideas without due thought, read on …

The motor part I would need for my 27-year-old laundry center is no longer sold, no longer made, and—according to my own research and my repair tech's research—not to be found. To be fair, there may well be some NOS in the basement of a local appliance store somewhere in the USA, but nobody is advertising its availability, and if it does exist, the store owners may not even be aware they have it. I've devoted enough of my time to hunting this unicorn part and feel it's time to give up the quest.

I did consider extending the closet-frame outward. Since then I have realized it's not a practical solution, especially considering the narrowness of my hallway, which has doors not only to the laundry closet, but the utility closet, both bedrooms, and a bathroom. And I've learned that demo and construction would not only require even more paperwork to be submitted, but a longer wait for approval, and additional construction costs on top of more extortion from the building manager, making what is already not a cheap project into something more expensive than I feel it is worth.

Buying appliances is always a gamble. But my neighbor has and likes the machines I've decided on, and my repair tech has specifically recommended GE as needing fewer repairs than LG, thus cutting against his own immediate interests (although maintaining good customer relations).

TL;DR: Been there, done that, buying a different T-shirt!

Amy, did your appliance repair tech mention the name of the defective part? Did he mention something like a capacitor or a centrifugal switch? Or a bearing?

If it's a capacitor, you might be able to buy an equivalent from a good electrical supply house, or an industrial motor repair shop. Ask for your repair tech to look at the specs on the old one, voltage and MFd, and you can get an equivalent from aforementioned stores. It might be physically different, might need to fabricate a bracket or extend some wiring, but electrically it will work just as good as long as the specs are the same.

If a centrifugal switch or bearing, it might be harder to source, but it would be worth a shot to bring the whole motor to an industrial motor repair shop with a description of what's wrong with it. They might have an exact replacement part on hand, it just won't say Maytag on it.

A capacitor should cost around $20 or less, slightly more for bearings.

It's a Maytag LSE7806ACE gear case. In web searches it comes up variously as "discontinued," "not available," or not at all. I know my repair tech looked himself, and he came up empty, too.

I can't say the Maytag owes me any money. It was 13 years old when I bought my apartment, and it's given me 14 years of good service, needing repair only once in all that time (until now). I think it's earned its retirement. *sniff, sniff*

"It's a Maytag LSE7806ACE gear case"

searspartsdirect.com shows parts diagrams for that model but there's no part called a "gear case". I wonder what the repair guy was looking for.

I think he was looking for this: https://www.partswarehouse.com/Whirlpool-Transmission-prog-ind-WPL-6-2097750-p/WPL-6-2097750.htm

searspartsdirect shows this as item #18 in the Transmission diagram:

That's part #206707 and ebay has several. You can also buy parts inside the transmission.

Here they are in all their glory: GFW148SSMWW & GFD14ESSNWW + stacking kit. Total time for disconnecting & hauling away old laundry center, and delivery and installation of new washer and dryer: Three days. Don't ask me why unless you really want to know. It's done now, and that's all that counts.

Fortunately for me, the detergent I've been using for years is designed for HE use, so as I write this, I am washing my first load of laundry!

Thank you, everyone, for all your help! Maybe I could have done it without you, but I'm awfully glad I didn't have to try.

You have all won your choice of a DREAM HOUSE WORTH $100,000 or a COMPLETE HOME MAKEOVER. Unfortunately they are imaginary. But my gratitude is real.