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acreed4

Left-side dryer, right-side washer

acreed4
15 years ago

I'm a little overwhelmed by the vast selection of front-loading washers and electric dryers.

Can anyone help me find front-loading washers and dryers configured (or with reversible doors) to sit side-by-side with the dryer on the left and the washer on the right? I would really like a steam dryer.

It seems that nearly all of the W/D sets are configured to sit in the opposite arrangement (washer on left, dryer on right) so the doors open away from each other. However, with the configuration of my dryer exhaust and plumbing (supply + drain), I really need the left-side dryer configuration.

Thanks!

Comments (49)

  • homepro01
    15 years ago

    Most of the Euro brands can be configured this way. I actually think this is how my Miele is configured. Miele and Asko also sell models that you used to be able to reconfigure the doors. I don't know if Miele does this any more but Asko still does.
    Another option is to reconfigure the plumbing and the water hookup.
    Good luck!

  • housefairy
    15 years ago

    The only brand that allows you to change the washer door is the new Electrolux model. I believe all the dryers let you swap the door. The only thing with the Electrolux is they are priced fixed. So unless they are doing some kind of rebate the price "is what it is".

    Mine are set-up the way you describe. My old Maytag FL Neptune allows you to reverse the door. For my new set, that is suppose to be delivered in a couple of weeks, I plan on swapping them.

    I am going to buy longer braided metal hoses for the supply lines. Personally you should always buy the better metal hoses. Cheap insurance against busted lines. Then I am going to purchase an extension hose for the drain. I am hoping with the pedestal that the hose will be long enough since it will basically be 15 inches off the ground. However, my hose connections are on the right hand side of the washing unit. So I will have a extender hose, just in case.

    For the dryer I'll just purchase a new exhaust hose, which they require for installation. And they also require a new electrical hookup plug. I'll just get the six foot opposed to the four foot.

    So re-look at your hookups. It may not be that hard to swap the placement of the units.

  • housefairy
    15 years ago

    I should have been more specific. The only brand I've seen is the Electrolux. The brands Homepro is talking about I didn't pursue in my quest for a new washer/dryer. I think the Electrolux also has a steam dryer.

  • seattlemike
    15 years ago

    We have a similar situation: water supply and drain on the right and dryer exhaust on the left. We purchased a LG set a year ago. As others have stated, the dryer door is reversible, so we have it opening from right to left. The washer door is fixed, also opening from right to left. Yes, it would have been a bit more convenient if the washer door opened left to right, but after using them for a week or two, we don't even think about the doors. (We previously had a top-loader washer.) I would say that, unless you go for that Electrolux previously mentioned, I would just make sure that your dryer has reversible doors, then make your selection based mainly on performance, reliability and price considerations. Having to go around that washer door has turned out to be an almost meaningless inconvenience to us, but that's not to say that such an arrangement might be unsatisfactory to others. And yes, you'll always have that options of either running longer hoses and vents or reconfiguring your hookups. Good luck!

  • wa8b
    15 years ago

    All Miele laundry appliances are configured for the washer to be on the right and the dryer on the left. That is, the washer has the door hinge on the right side, and the dryer door hinge is on the left.

  • regus_patoff
    15 years ago

    The Speed Queen Washer hinge is on the right side.
    They may be reversible.

    ATS Series FL Rear Control
    CTS Series FL Front Control

    Speed Queen Washers

    Speed Queen Frontload Washer CTSA0AWN Installation Instructions

  • bluesbarby
    15 years ago

    My laundry closet has the washer plumbing on the right and the gas connection and vent on the left. I have an LG front loader set that my son gave me. The washer is on the left and came with long enough hoses to do this. We did have to extend the vent hose and gas hose to put the dryer on the right. It works fine. But can someone tell me why they have designed them this way when every house I've ever seen or lived in has the washer on the right?

  • housefairy
    15 years ago

    Bluesbarby, you have just been getting the luck of the draw. The builders try to place where there is the shortest run for the dryer. And they also take in consideration the shortest run for plumbing. Plumbing, especially copper, would win out over dryer venting. The washer is usually situated by the sink. Again, plumbing costs. Before with top loads it didn't really make much of a difference. And most dryers were either the shelf door or you could reverse the swing. The builders are just going to have to get with the times.

  • heimert
    15 years ago

    FWIW, my Maytag Bravos dryer has a reverible door. The washer is a top loading HE, so it's irrelevant. I was in the same situation as you. Frustrating.

  • bluesbarby
    15 years ago

    Housefairy: The point is since the builders have set it up this way why did the FL manufacturers do the opposite?

  • regus_patoff
    15 years ago

    in my Milwaukee, Wisconsin (full) basement, the utilty tub is in the left corner, next to that is the washer,
    then the dryer (on an outside wall) vent goes up & out the wall ....

  • housefairy
    15 years ago

    Bluesbarby I'm just saying for whatever reason you have gotten the same set-up. In my last home it was set with the washer on the left. And that house was built in the early 80's. Again, it was the shortest setup for the plumbing.

    The one prior to that had the washer on the right. There was a bath directly behind the wall. So the plumbing wasn't the issue. The outside wall was on the left. Thus the dryer was on the left.

    The first place we had, the washer was on the left. Again the plumbing was closest on the left.

    Every little cost is scrutinized by the builder.

  • dadoes
    15 years ago

    Dryers should always be located for the shortest, most-direct route to outside venting, regardless of which of the washer/dryer pair ends up on left/right.

  • cynic
    15 years ago

    I usually see the washer on the left and dryer to the right in this area for some reason. Mine is situated with the laundry tubs in the middle of the wall, and on the far wall to the left is the dryer vent. For me, the old Maytag opened from the right to the left as I recall, but the Frigidaire opened from the left to the right. This wasn't a big problem since I turned them both a bit so the fronts of the machines were about 45° to each other. Then opening the dryer opened against the washer, I'd stand in front of the door/washer and transfer the clothes and of course just put a laundry basket in front of the dryer to pull the clothes out. Now my dryer has a hamper door and is on a platform so I fold the clothes on the door and put them into baskets and take it upstairs.

  • richierich53
    15 years ago

    Our laundry room was configured to have the washer on the right and the dryer on the left. But as others mentioned, the opposite set up is more convenient with most front loading sets. We just switched the machines, and installed the washer on the left and dryer on the right. All hoses and cords reached just fine. Do some measuring and hopefully yours may also.

    I recall most old top loading models also being designed for the washer on the left. But many builders never got it.

  • bluesbarby
    15 years ago

    In my lifetime I've moved 28 times. The washer was always on the right. But that's not the point. I'm just wondering why manufacturers don't offer both options. They allow you to change out the dryer doors but that's worthless if your washer has to be on the right. We did switch them around but it meant leaving clearance behind the washer and dryer so the vent hose would curve correctly. That means my bifold door on the laundry closet scrapes across the front of the dryer door. Oh and my vent goes out the roof since the laundry area is in the middle of the house. Right or left would not have made a difference to the contractor.

  • regus_patoff
    15 years ago

    > They allow you to change out the dryer doors but that's worthless if your washer has to be on the right

    They allow you to change the Dryer Door so they both open the same direction when stacked

  • dgmarie
    15 years ago

    My laundry room is set up with the dryer on the left. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one. I think this makes things more complicated than I wanted them to be!

  • terri23
    15 years ago

    dgmarie, I'm with you. My first house had the dryer on the right but the last three have all had the dryer on the left. Maybe it's because I'm right handed, but I'd like to go left to right when switching the loads. Also, the dryer door, which is a Maytag and opens to the right (and can't be switched) is always in the way. My theory has always been that builders are men and thus don't do the laundry. The best model home I was ever in was designed by a woman and the dryer was on the right!

  • miller53
    13 years ago

    I am so disappointed in the front load washer and dryers.After purchasing a set I was unaware that the dryer had to be on the right and washer on the left.Unless I spent alot of money remodeling it would not of worked.I went back to Sears told them how my set up was in laundry room and he said on the LG's you can reverse the doors only on the dryer.I would still have the washer door problem unless you empty into a basket.They let me exchange for The Kenmore Elite top load washer with dryer that the door opens top down, does the same as the front loaders and actually does more.I am back to the top load washer but I am more than pleased.It too was extra capacity,had water sensor,Steam,clothes rack.My problem was solved without alot less back pain and I saved myself alot of money.

  • nanclm_aol_com
    13 years ago

    It is obvious that the engineers who are designing washers and dryers have never done a load of laundry in their lives. Why do they assume all houses are built with the plumbing on the left and the vent on the right? Rather difficult to switch this so why not offer washers that open the other way? Architects and engineers need to do more research before building.

  • jaxo
    10 years ago

    Check this link at Sears.
    It shows they sell both an Electrolux and a Kenmore Elite model with reversible washer doors.
    Apparently there is also supposed to be a certain LG washer that has a reversible door, but I can't find it.
    If you can live with compact washers and dryers, you can get Miele that opens the opposite way by default or Asko washers.

    At Sears, I would lean towards the Kenmore Elite rather than Electrolux because many user reviews say the Electrolux washers are not very durable or high quality.
    I really want a quiet washer, but I'm not sure the reversible door Kenmore Elite is one of their quieter models.

    Does anyone have any knowledge of more choices of reversible door front load washers in 2013? Which current LG model has the reversible washer door?

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sears.com/search=washer+reversible+door?

  • Cavimum
    10 years ago

    "Which current LG model has the reversible washer door?"

    LG's web site should give this information with each model's description.

  • jaxo
    10 years ago

    Yes, they "should," but they don't.
    They "should" have a way to search a sort them by feature, but door reversibility is not a searchable to sort-able feature when browsing through washers on their site.
    You can sort by colors and capacity.

  • Lazarus St. Bernadine
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Excellent question! I also noticed in my new home that the washer sits on the right side where the faucets are installed and the dryer is on the left with the vent is on the side wall parallel to the machine. I tried having them switched, but it was too awkward getting the extended dryer vent all the way over to the left side and around the machine. The dryer also had to protrude way to far to keep the vent from getting crushed.

    I wound up getting a top load washer and a dryer that opens and closes vertically rather than side to side, although I probably could have gotten a dryer with a reversible door.

    I am not happy. :-(

  • larsi_gw
    8 years ago

    Electrolux 60 and 70 Series washers have BOTH dryer and washer reversible doors. Our laundry room, that we configured for Miele, has dryer hookup (venting, 220 and gas) on the LEFT, and washer hookup (water, drain and power) on the RIGHT. One of the reasons we chose Electrolux is their fully reversible doors. Works great, and takes like 20 mins to change both doors (directions are very clear and detailed in the washer and dryer manuals).

  • Stephanie Carne
    7 years ago

    Its now 2017 and I still have the same problem!!!! Extremely difficult to find a left dryer! The Maytag Bravos does have a reversible door but it doesn't have a stainless steel drum!

  • Angie Harmon
    6 years ago

    We just got back from lowe's because my brand new samsung bells and whistles washer and dryer are too deep. Most woman are not 5'7 and that is how tall you would have to be to be able to reach your clothes to put them in the dryer. Sooo, I against my better judgement , start looking at front loaders ( thay all grow mold and smell after a while and need a raised platform) only to find out that most house have the washer on the right and the dryer on the left. The doors open the wrong way and can't be reversed on most brands. Yet Lowe's displays them the correct way so when you open the doors you don't realize the washer is on left and dryer on right, so the washer door is in the way of putting clothes in dryer. Who in the world came up with such idiotic ideas for washer and dryers. So frustrated and I don't want my washer and dryer a foot out from the wall to reconfigure the hoses. Manufacturer's I have one question. Have you ever even done laundry? Ugh.

  • Cedric Owens
    6 years ago

    Answers to all of your concerns Angie have all been discussed recently here and can be correctly answered or debunked. Please ask away for solutions, so you may be properly assisted with valid answers.

  • Angie Harmon
    6 years ago

    Following up on my above comment. There really is no "solution" we had to switch the hoses in the back of the washer and dryer .


  • jujufull
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Seems to me that set-up would be perfect for a left-handed person. It wouldn't work for me. I could do it, but it would be very awkward. The w/d set at a condo we recently rented for vacation was set up like that. It took much longer for me to switch laundry from washer to dryer than it does at home.

  • Kathy Crouch
    6 years ago

    What I want to know is WHY the idiots that build and design houses put the washer on the right and the dryer on the left? I mean you wash the clothes then dry them. So why not put the washer hookups on the left and the dryer outlets on the right? Has to be some idiot that's never done a single load of laundry that came up with the idea to begin with.

  • dadoes
    6 years ago

    My machines are placed with the dryer on the left because that allows a straight-shot out the wall for venting. Facilitating of dryer exhaust should always take precedence.

  • Kathy Crouch
    6 years ago

    Right, but why did they build it that way? I agree that it was somebody that never did a load of laundry!

  • mrb6228
    6 years ago

    Every house I have ever lived in had washer on right dryer on the left. In a top loader world, it doesn't much matter. In a FL world, it is a minor inconvenience. There are FL machines with reversible doors out there, if you fall into that category.

    MRB

  • Kathy Crouch
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    My dryer door is reversible, have a top loader washer. Too bad house builders and architects don't do laundry and figure out how backwards it all is. My laundry area is in the hall in the middle of the house. The vent goes up and out for the dryer. Not a single reason they didn't build it left to right except nobody ever thought about it I bet. To reverse the door I need someone mechanically inclined which isn't me.

  • jujufull
    6 years ago

    I hear you, Kathy. Homes can be built so that dryer venting is not an issue for a washer on the left and dryer on the right. If the owners build the house and want the washer on the right, that's one thing. But if they're right-handed (like the majority of the population), they typically want the washer on the left and dryer on the right. In all the homes I've lived in during my life (rented and owned, of which my hub and I have built one), I've never seen hook-ups where the washer is on the right.

  • dadoes
    6 years ago

    Three of the houses in which I've lived had the dryer on the left, washer on the right. The other had the machines facing each other on opposite sides of a little hallway coming in from the garage into the kitchen. In all cases I was happy to have a place for machines, no care whatsoever as to their positioning.

  • jujufull
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    The Maytag Bravos does have a reversible door but it doesn't have a stainless steel drum!

    I'm shocked to see this. My Bravos washer and dryer (which I dearly love) both have stainless steel drums. At the time we bought ours, all Bravos washers and dryers had them. You may find another Bravos dryer model which has it.

  • HU-695512638
    3 years ago

    I'm in the exact same scenario! Called the service number and specifically asked about Right side hinged WASHER door, and they spent 20 minutes looking through all brands and models to only say at the end that there are none with this right Hinged option for washers (Dryers, yes, but wouln't you think that implies the same need for the washer units?!?) I did see the one guy who said to flip the units in your laundry room space and get longer feed and discharge hoses and tubes, and might have to resort to that option. Otherwise, what I'm looking at is a pricier plumbing and drywall job to change the location of the faucets and drain...? Is that correct?

  • rcandresen
    3 years ago

    Electrolux makes washers and dryers with changeable doors so you can change the door swing.

  • jwvideo
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Also, Speed Queen offers its FF7008 model with a right-hinged door. However, they are priced at around $1900. If that price does not deter you, the right-swing door model may be out of stock currently at your local dealers due to Covid -related production cutbacks.

  • jaxo
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Wouldn’t it be cheaper and open your choice of washer options to pay a contractor/plumber/drywall guy to swap the connections around than spend $1900 on a washing machine that you wouldn’t have wanted otherwise?

  • jaxo
    3 years ago
  • jwvideo
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    >>>"Wouldn’t it be cheaper and open your choice of washer options to pay a contractor/plumber/drywall guy to swap the connections around"<<<

    Might be, which is why I mentioned the SQ price. Especially so if HU##### wants a matching dryer and adds in the relatively high cost of Speed Queen's dryer versus, say, spending a lot less to get one of the Electrolux models with reversible washer doors (EFLS427, 527, and 627., IIRC) and their matching dryers.

    Also, I'm recalling that our local Home Depot has some of the new GE "fresh vent" (or maybe "Ultra Vent") front load washer models, and one or two of of those GEs now have reversible doors on the washer. (At least Home Depot said they did.) Sorry, can't recall model numbers at the moment but might be worth your while to check on.

    Despite the high price, Speed Queen FL models do have a devoted following for reasons outlined in this older thread and this other one.

    The SQ FL models come with a full five year factory warranty, too. But bear in mind that, if warranty service is needed for some reason, it goes through the selling dealer. So, it is best to check out your local vendors rather than buying a SQ on-line from an out-of-area seller. If you buy from an out-of-town online vendor, and are not inclined to DIY repairs (the SQ's are easy to work on, IME), getting SQ to arrange local warranty service reportedly can be slow and cumbersome.

    Those considerations might or might not make the Electrolux and GE models seem more attractive choices.

  • jaxo
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Aren’t Electrolux washers low quality mechanicals wrapped in a more stylish wrapper?

    I’ve read that Electrolux washers break down more often and don’t end up lasting as long as some lower priced brands like LG.

  • ci_lantro
    3 years ago

    GE also has full size front load washers w/ reversible doors.

    My washer is on the right side/ dryer left. Top load SQ & hamper door dryer.


  • jaxo
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    The GE UltraFresh looks good since you can change the doors if you move to a new house.

    If you buy a right hinge washer, you are usually stuck with that layout and will likely have to replace the entire washer again if you move.