Residential Washer Dryer in Momentum?

[johnnyte]

Hey guys - I'm brand new here and hoping for some guidance.

We just bought a Momentum 395-MS (picking it up in 2 weeks) and I was going to have the dealer install a stackable washer/dryer. He says it will be $3000 for the Splendide set (parts 81-1524 & 81-1525) with installation. At that price I would really prefer a brand like LG or Samsung that I have some experience with.

What would it take to install a residential unit in the toy hauler? Space isn't an issue. I guess we're limited to 120v, but could it be wired to provide 240v on shore or generator power?

Alternatively, what experience have y'all had with Splendide? Is it a solid brand and I should just accept that as my only option?

Thanks.

[Crespro]

The best site to research a washer/dryer is ajmadison.com. The new 24" stacked washer dryers have a 120V or 240V heat pump dryer. The link I gave you shows the Miele I bought last year, but also this year you now can choose LG, Samsung or GE. The high end 45DPs (Newell) have a 240V dryer connection, so it is possible, but you might check with an electrician about the setup. I chose the Miele because it has a 120V heat pump dryer. The aprartment trend is toward heat pumps because there is no need for the exhaust vent. The dryer heat pump water hose is connected (with the washer hose) to the Grand Design drain. It works fine.

I think the best appliances are from companies that build for apartments and have a million or more units per year. The residential applicances IMHO are much better than the RV appliances. I have six apartment appliances in our 310GK-R (refer, MW, GR, DW, W/D).

Best,

Charles

[howson]

Hey guys - I'm brand new here and hoping for some guidance.

We just bought a Momentum 395-MS (picking it up in 2 weeks) and I was going to have the dealer install a stackable washer/dryer. He says it will be $3000 for the Splendide set (parts 81-1524 & 81-1525) with installation. At that price I would really prefer a brand like LG or Samsung that I have some experience with.

What would it take to install a residential unit in the toy hauler? Space isn't an issue. I guess we're limited to 120v, but could it be wired to provide 240v on shore or generator power?

Alternatively, what experience have y'all had with Splendide? Is it a solid brand and I should just accept that as my only option?

Thanks.

My DW is very satisfied with our Spendide setup, though it does only allow for small loads.

Enter splendide site:gdrvowners.com in your favorite search engine (google, DuckDuckGo, etc) and the results will be a list of threads on the Splendide here on this forum.

Please take a moment, too, to check out the Welcome Letter to New Members: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

Howard

[Crespro]

Hello,

Let me suggest three options. My first choice would be the Samsung WD and a 240V circuit for about $2,500. The circuit seems to require a two pole breaker, 10/3 wire to the heat pump dryer and a 240V receptacle. Essex and Newell have this option. Our EE friends may help this ME with a better explanation. The unit needs a 50 amp connection, but that is available in all good campgrounds. $2,200 for the Samsung WD and $300 for the circuit. My second choice is the Miele with the 120V heat pump dryer. Europe has converted from the vented to the heat pump dryer, so this is a strong trend. Ours works fine. $2,500 for the Miele WD. The third choice is the Spendide WD for $3,000. We had a Spendide in our prior RV and it worked fine, so long as the loads were small.

I hope the Moderators would suggest to Grand Design that they consider the 240V circuit in future Momentums and Solitudes. They then could also offer the Samsung WD as an option. Like the Samsung refer, this will take time to build market share, but the trend is clearly in this direction.

Best,

Charles

[Jlawles2]

Crespro The OP needs to be cautious on using 240VAC for a drier. I have seen it, and it has been suspected that the pedestals in some places do not carry 240VAC but instead branch the 120VAC (intentionally or unintentionally) feeding each side of the circuit the required 50 amps. Since nothing in a camper truly requires 240VAC, its' not an issue.

I did install as set of cheap voltage monitors to be able to quickly trouble shoot incoming issues. This may be an option for the OP as it will allow for quick diagnostics to determine if there is truly 240VAC before attempting to use the appliance and having issues.

[ncitro]

Crespro The OP needs to be cautious on using 240VAC for a drier. I have seen it, and it has been suspected that the pedestals in some places do not carry 240VAC but instead branch the 120VAC (intentionally or unintentionally) feeding each side of the circuit the required 50 amps. Since nothing in a camper truly requires 240VAC, its' not an issue.

I did install as set of cheap voltage monitors to be able to quickly trouble shoot incoming issues. This may be an option for the OP as it will allow for quick diagnostics to determine if there is truly 240VAC before attempting to use the appliance and having issues.

I'd be surprised if this was common practice. While I amor admit there may be a few out there that have done this it would be causing pretty massive issues we would have heard about. If they wired it as you suggest there would be a very real chance of overloading the neutral as its size (usually 6AWG) is expecting the two feeds to be out of phase to keep the maximum current it could carry below 50 amps.

As for a 240V appliance, while possible it would require replacing the circuit breaker panel in the rig with a residential panel as the RV panel has the two phases working out from center not alternating, so a double pole breaker won't work. This could certainly be done (and I had done so for my first inverter subpanel) but does add to complexity and obviously cost. I have seen a member that had a workaround that did allow him to connect a 240v load but it left the breakers disconnected so they could not trip together, and I cannot recommend that.

[Jlawles2]

ncitro Neil, On my 303 the panel is setup such that it's more like a residential and alternates. If the main is on one end, it's setup like a residential. if the main is in the center, then it's split.

And since the pedestal is setup for 50 amp per leg, with most campers maxing out at 30 amps per leg, the neutral is on the limit as the 2nd half most likely does not pull 30 amps. Even if it did, it's short term.

I would not be surprised if you find a split 110V vs true 240v more frequently than you expect.

[ncitro]

ncitro Neil, On my 303 the panel is setup such that it's more like a residential and alternates. If the main is on one end, it's setup like a residential. if the main is in the center, then it's split.

And since the pedestal is setup for 50 amp per leg, with most campers maxing out at 30 amps per leg, the neutral is on the limit as the 2nd half most likely does not pull 30 amps. Even if it did, it's short term.

I would not be surprised if you find a split 110V vs true 240v more frequently than you expect.

We had this debate a few years ago, and had the engineers at GD weigh in. The 50 amp rigs are able to draw 50 amps per phase, for a total of 100 amps. This is particularly possible on units with three AC units, you get those going and the microwave as well as a toaster or coffee maker and it can add up quick. Since the wiring is 6AWG the neutral requires both of those lines to be out of phase to cancel each other out so no more than 50 amps is ever flowing on the neutral at one time.

TucsonJim Correct me if I am not remembering that discussion correctly, as I recall you were heading that discussion.

[Bradmartin]

CRESPRO I am interested in the model Washer and dryer you purchased for your rig. I have a Momentum 2020 GD 376THS I am very interested it the fact you don't have to vent the dryer????

[Country Campers]

Crespro

Please see post above , #9.

Bradmartin , using the tag will help alert the individual that you are trying to reach.

Brian

[howson]

CRESPRO I am interested in the model Washer and dryer you purchased for your rig. I have a Momentum 2020 GD 376THS I am very interested it the fact you don't have to vent the dryer????

While waiting for Crespro to respond, consider doing research on vented vs non-vented. When I did my own research (a few years ago at this point) the vented was recommended (if the RV is able to accommodate) as the ventless model had negative reviews from users who were unsatisfied with the dryer's performance.

[ncitro]

howson Yeah I would think a problem with the heat pump version would be the humidity from the dryer going into the camper, which can sometimes already have condensation or humidity issues.

[johnnyte]

Thanks for the responses - you convinced me that there's too much to consider to just pull the trigger. Instead we're going to try using the laundry at RV parks and see if that's a sustainable solution for the 2 of us. If not, I'll do the necessary research.

I'm finding there's a LOT more to figure out with RVs than I ever expected.

[howson]

I'm finding there's a LOT more to figure out with RVs than I ever expected.

I think everyone believes that RV's are as complicated as a kiddie pool but after dipping their toes in the water find out it's the equivalent of the Mariana Trench.

[Crespro]

CRESPRO I am interested in the model Washer and dryer you purchased for your rig. I have a Momentum 2020 GD 376THS I am very interested it the fact you don't have to vent the dryer????

Hi Brad,

The Miele WD is excellent. It is one of the top quality German units. The drain for the heat pump dryer is taped to the washer drain and both are taped (10 mil pipe tape) to the drain in our 310K. The 120V heat pump dryer is reasonably close to a 240V vented dryer. I have not tested this, but I suspect it is as fast if not faster than the GE or Spendide 110V dryers.

As you can see, i had to add a maple 1x6 frame and reverse the door to make this work on a 310 GK-R. Your Momentum should be fine for the install.

Best,

Charles

P.S. The price will go up in April -- maybe earlier. There is no humidity increase with the heat pump -- the water is extracted and flows through the drain.