Four small-space designs
The four look similar in a showroom photo, but they are built differently, and what matters later, access for service and what can be replaced alone, follows from that.
A full-size front-loader under a stacked dryer
This is an ordinary 27-inch front-load washer. The dryer sits on top of it on a stacking kit that bolts the two cabinets together. The washer does not know it is stacked, so it washes exactly as it would standing alone, with the same drum, the same capacity and the same parts.
The washer half of a laundry center
A laundry center is one appliance with a top-loading washer in the lower half and a dryer in the upper half. The washer's lid opens into the space between them, so its basket is smaller and shallower than a full-size top-loader's. The controls for both halves usually sit together on one panel at the top.
Compact 24-inch washers
Compacts are narrower front-loaders built for closets, galley kitchens and small apartments. Many stack with a matching compact dryer, and many can slide under a counter. Capacity is smaller, so a household that washes bedding for four will run more loads.
All-in-one washer-dryers
An all-in-one washes and then dries in the same drum, and often needs no dryer vent at all. On the washing side it behaves like a compact front-loader. Because both jobs share a drum, check the manual for how large a load it can wash and then dry in one run before counting on it for bedding.
What ENERGY STAR says about small machines
ENERGY STAR notes that certified washers come in stackable, under-the-counter and combination washer-dryer designs for smaller spaces. It rates washers of 2.5 cubic feet or less against their own efficiency targets, separate from full-size front-loaders and top-loaders, so a compact is compared with other compacts.
A certified all-in-one has to meet the washer criteria for its size and the ENERGY STAR dryer requirements, except the limits on drying time. For a buyer, the practical point is to compare Integrated Water Factor between compacts rather than against a full-size model with twice the drum.
Source: ENERGY STAR — Clothes washers — Certified washers are available in stackable, under-the-counter and combination washer-dryer designs for smaller spaces; ENERGY STAR — Clothes washers key product criteria — Washers of 2.5 cu ft or less have their own criteria; all-in-one washer-dryers meet washer criteria plus dryer requirements except the time requirements
Measuring a closet for a stack
A full-size stackable washer with its dryer on top stands well above head height, and closets built before stacked laundry was common often come up short somewhere. Check each of these before ordering:
- Height to the lowest obstruction, a shelf, a light fixture or the door header, with a few inches spare for tipping the dryer up onto the kit.
- Depth including the door handle in front and the hose loops behind; a closet door has to close over the finished stack.
- Width with an inch or so on each side for air and for sliding the pair out later.
- The position of the supply valves, the drain standpipe and the outlet, which all need to be reachable once the stack is in place.
- Whether the maker lists a stacking kit for the exact washer and dryer model numbers.
Service on a stacked or compact washer
The washer is the lower machine in every stacked layout, which is where most service happens. That shapes how repairs go:
It helps to leave room for that work when the stack goes in. A closet with a few inches to spare on each side and a clear path to the doorway lets a technician slide the pair out on a moving pad instead of lifting the dryer down. Keep the space in front of the washer free of built-in shelving, since the lower front panel and the pump filter are reached from there, on the floor.
- Front-panel parts such as the pump filter, the door lock and the door boot are reached without unstacking on most full-size pairs.
- Parts reached from the top or the back, like an inlet valve on some models, may mean sliding the whole stack out or lifting the dryer off.
- A laundry center's washer is serviced inside a shared cabinet, often with the dryer half partly opened as well.
- Compacts pack their parts tightly, so jobs take longer than the same repair on a full-size washer.
Keeping a stack steady
A washer that walks is a nuisance on its own and a real concern with a dryer riding on top. Level the washer on all four feet and lock the feet before the dryer goes up, and keep loads balanced: a single heavy rug or a waterproof mattress cover is a classic cause of a violent spin.
Whirlpool advises against placing pedestals under stacked washers and dryers, since the extra height and the combined weight make the stack less stable. GE notes that its unitized and compact washers are the exceptions that still ship with fill hoses, while its full-size washers do not; confirm what comes in the box before delivery day.
Source: Whirlpool Product Help — Pedestal questions for front-load washers and dryers — Pedestals should not be used under stacked washers and dryers because of height and combined weight; GE Appliances — Washer inlet fill hoses — GE unitized and compact washers include fill hoses; other models have shipped without them since August 2010
