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Hi everyone, I hear you are the people to ask about white goods! I just moved into my first home. It has a space where a washing machine should be, and I’m fast running out of socks.
I’m a single person and don’t do much washing – normally only once a fortnight or so. I could do it more often but that would be with a small load, and so I’d need a special feature that would let me do this. I don’t go to the gym or do sports, so it’s all what you’d call “lightly soiled” and so low temperatures and quick washes are fine. I don’t have any allergies, or pets, or special fabrics, or hand-wash-only things.
I am told the flats I am in are prone to condensation and so I shouldn’t really be planning to dry things inside, but I hear bad things about washer-dryers and so maybe I’d be better with a really good spin speed and hope that they will at least hang-dry fairly quickly. There is a launderette around the corner for emergencies.
I read an article about washing machines on this site which said most people use their washing machines about 250 times a year. I reckon I’ll be about 10{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of that. No wonder nobody sits next to me at lunchtime. But it should mean that my machine will last for years and years, right? Does that make a difference to the one I ought to buy? I was assuming that I may as well get a cheap one because people say you only get a few years out of them these days and for me the cost-per-wash is going to be pretty high anyway. (If I’m going to buy one for £1,000 and have it break after four years that’s £10 a wash plus running costs and I would be better off going to the launderette!)
And finally… the washing-machine-shaped space has two water pipes, one has no tap-thingy and the other has a RED one. I know machines now are cold water feed only. Have they blocked the wrong one off, or used the wrong colour tap (and it’s actually cold water)? How can I find this out? I am going to need someone to install this for me and I don’t want them refusing to do it because it’s non-standard. Also… I think the space may be 1.5m-and-a-bit from the wall… how can I tell this for absolute sure (what are the exact bits that I need to measure “from” and “to”?), and is that going to be a dealbreaker? If the delivery men are going to refuse to do it, there’s no point paying for installation as I’d only have to pay someone else anyway.
Sorry for hugely long first post. If anyone can advise on either the machine selection or the installation bits and pieces that would be really appreciated. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Re: Please help a clueless idiot buy the right washing machi
Hi vimtoad
First off I would still buy a good quality washer like a Siemens or a Bosch. Washing machines need to be used regularly to keep them in tip top condition. If you are going to be a light user approx four loads a month I would recommend you carry out a maintenance wash every couple of weeks just to keep the machine in the best possible condition. I would also leave the door slightly open when not in use as well.
As far as the install goes, you are quite correct that all machines are now cold fill. An easy way to ascertain which is which is to turn on the red one into a large bucket and if the water runs cold you have then got the right one.
If you use a local independent dealer they will make sure you receive the correct advice and that the appliance is installed correctly.
RETRA is a good first port of call for a good local independent.
HTH 🙂Don
Re: Please help a clueless idiot buy the right washing machi
Thanks Don! So there aren’t any particular features I should be looking for, just the brand? That does make life easier. I was maybe getting a bit bogged down in the specs, thinking that I ought to be going for one of these ones where it “knows” how much washing you’ve put in (so that I can maybe do small loads, which will make inside drying easier) and so on.
I’m a bit nervous about turning on the “tap” because it’s not actually a tap it’s kind-of just the top of the pipe, so it points upwards, and I have no idea what pressure the water might come out at (and what if I can’t turn it off?!).
Re: Please help a clueless idiot buy the right washing machi
If you don’t feel confident to have a go yourself do you have a friend you could call on?
If not you would need to get an odd job person or a plumber in to have a look.
Don
Re: Please help a clueless idiot buy the right washing machi
New to the area – no family, no friends. 🙂 I’ve been renting for the last 15 years so I have no experience of having to sort these things out for myself, and because I actually own this flat (with a mortgage that keeps me awake at night) I’m hyper-scared of doing something terrible that will cause thousands of pounds worth of damage.
I’m mulling over whether to get a machine with installation and hope that if there is a complication (like the hose isn’t quite long enough or whatever) then they’ll still be able to do it, or whether to just get delivery and pay extra for someone else to come round and install it on the assumption that it’s likely to be non-standard. It looks as if the former will be about a third of the price – but false economy if I pay and then they won’t do it.
Anyhow, thanks for all your help so far Don. Just articulating the problem helps me realise that in the grand scheme of things none of this is a big deal.
So… any old Bosch/Siemens? Cheapest one is fine? I need to get it ordered asap due to having dithered for so long already and not many clean clothes left.
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