Three reviews of the Haier 13-Pound Combo Washer Dryer
1、If you are limited on the space you have for a washer dryer or are looking for an easy to use “all-in-one” solution this is a product to strongly consider. It does have a few quirks which are easily worked through. I have found that you need to do several small loads vs packing the machine to the max. The reason for this is it takes longer to dry when you have more clothed in the unit. Also jeans and heavy sweaters are difficult to get completely dry, so I advice having a decent drying rack on hand. You do not need to use alot of detergent to get the job done which is a HUGE cost savings in itself.
I have found that I can put a load of clothes in the machine before I go to bed and it’s done and ready for wear or folding by the time I wake up. EASY. I highly recommend this unit to anyone looking for an easy one step washer dryer combo.
2、I bought the machine for my condo thinking it would save me time and money, both of which it hasn’t. I loved it the first 2 months when it was working. Every time they come to fix my machine I have to wait a few days for someone to come….that isn’t the bad part…the bad part is waiting weeks at a time for back ordered parts! A few months ago I received a letter in the mail saying that my machine was on a rework program and I had a special number to call. The selector switch can over heat causing problems in the machine. After months of problems I asked if I could have a replacement machine or a rebate of which I was denied. Then I asked if it were possible to be reimbursed all the money that I spent on laundry mats. I have 2 small children that wet the bed on rare occasion, I need a machine that works. Again I was denied as it isn’t a part of the warranty. I even bought the extended warranty and everything trying to cover myself when I first purchased the machine. Everything I have done to protect myself on this purchase was worth nothing. When the machine works it is an amazing machine…..that is when it works. Until the bugs are worked out with this machine and the company cares about it’s customers I wouldn’t suggest making a purchase.
3、This little washer/dryer combo is great if you have limited space and understand its limitations. It will not do what a full size washer and dryer can do, but my wife and I are able to run it every other day and it takes care of most of clothes we wear on a daily basis. We only take the towels and rugs to the community laundry room in our condo.
However, it does have its advantages. The digital controls let you fine-tune exactly what you want to wash, with detailed settings for fabrics, water temperature, drying, even a time-start-delay. Because it is wholly contained in a single unit, once you figure out how to use it properly, you just throw your clothes in, load the detergent and fabric softener, and forget it about it. When it’s done, you’re done! Run it overnight, or during the day while you’re at work.
Five reviews of the LG WM3431HW 24″, 2.44 Cu. Ft. Washer/Dryer Combo
1、I won’t repeat everything that has been said in the other reviews in detail, but I agree that the performance and efficiency (water and power) of this machine are excellent. It’s gentle on clothes, pretty quiet, and has lots of great options including the ability to delay the wash.
A couple of tips/caveats, however:
*The “auto-dry” feature is very convenient, but takes a lot longer than the “timed dry” feature. It will take roughly half the time using timed dry, which I believe uses higher heat.
*Setting it to run on a delay is great for having laundry dry and ready to fold when you come home, but you need to use powdered detergent (not liquid) if using this feature.
*Once drying is done and goes to “cool down” mode (which keeps it periodically tumbling to prevent wrinkles, you have to hit start, then wait several minutes before the door unlocks. This is to prevent kids from getting burned, but it’s irritating.
*The biggest issue is that over time lint builds up inside the machine which restricts airflow and slows drying, since there’s no real lint trap (the little one at the bottom doesn’t really work). This happens especially if you wash/dry a lot of high-lint items like towels, and you’ll notice that your clothes are taking longer and longer to dry. The good news is that it’s not that hard to clean out, and doing so will restore the drying time of ~90 minutes for a full load.
2、I bought this because we moved into a very small place and wanted to build shelves over where the dryer would normally go using a stackable combination. This is a very good solution for the small apartment dweller, as it runs on a normal 110 volt 3-prong outlet, easily hooks up to a faucet with sink, and doesn’t need a vent. I have been very satisfied so far, but I would recommend reading the other comments for the various caveats. If you are willing to change your laundry paradigm, this might be right for you. The 2.4 cu ft model doesn’t hold much but is good for two people or if you have a larger family, then every other day. Yes, it doesn’t dry as much in the same drum. I have found that even though the clothes feel damp when they are pulled out, if you do it at the end of the cycle when they are hot and spread them out for a couple of minutes, they end up dry. This is a very energy efficient washer/dryer and the energy/water rebates where we live in the SF-Bay Area are quite high.
3、For our lifestyle the washer and dryer is perfect. The dimensions were critical and it fit into its space like a glove.We live in a log cabin and have limited space, we are downsizing and this reall fit the bill. It is a benefit that it uses such a small amount of water as well as power. I would recommend this to others with the idea being IT IS NOT A FULL SIZE W/D. We plan to hang some clothes out when we can, save energy and use the power of the mountain sun.
My wife liked the looks of it so much she asked not to have a door put over the laundry “room” (cabinet).
Again as I said this works for us.
UPDATE: 3 months after purchase the unit failed to drain. We had to drain it using the manual drain. called the service line from where we bought it, US Appliance, they said they would get someone out to service the unit. NO one did, after 4 days I started calling lg service myself, no one would come to our location. we are in the mountains. on day seven I went to SEARS and bought a new stack W/D they delivered it the next day and TOOK the useless LG away.
IN a word, unless you live in a LG service area DO NOT BUY LG, investigate the service area very well before you decide.
4、I’ve had this machine since 2006, and I am in love with it. I live in a rental in NYC in a building without any laundry room. This means that prior to this machine, my husband and I had to gather our clothing, and walk 4 blocks to a public laundry mat. Not only is that inconvenient, but you’re sharing machines with absolute strangers is not that sanitary and this really hit home when we were doing laundry and a homeless man came to wash his clothing in the machine next to us.
First thing I have to say is, this machine is NOT for everyone. If I had the option of having a regular side by side washer and dryer, I would not have purchased/liked this machine. The machine is small enough to fit anywhere. I have it set up between the sink and refrigerator. Since it is small enough to fit just about anywhere, this means that your loads are going to be smaller as well. Personally I don’t have a problem with load size….instead of doing laundry once a week, I do laundry every other day or every two days during the week.
I think the first thing people need to understand about this machine is that it’s a trial and error process. When you first start using it you’ll have problems getting a load done as sometimes the machine is “unbalanced” and cannot spin. When that happened to me I used to stop the machine, and reload it to make sure that it was balanced (making sure to have some heavy items in the bottom, smaller items in between, a couple of more heavy items on the top). A normal cycle takes 58 minutes….my clothing comes out super clean. Sometimes when I am in a hurry I’ll do the “speed wash” cycle, which only takes 30 minutes.
Sure laundry takes a little longer because it’s an all in one unit, but I have NEVER had a load longer than 3 hours. This weekend I washed a complete queen size sheet set (fitted sheet, 2 pillow cases, and a sheet) and it took 2:30 hours from start to finish. Did it come out wrinkled??? Yes, but I personally don’t care since it’s my bedding. Was it dried when I pulled it out….YES!!! That I do care about. I read some of these reviews and I am amazed at the reasons people give it low rating (can’t wash another load while drying…really? you didn’t figure that one out before you brought it?) Is it a perfect machine…no, but for people without regular machine options I think it great.
Size of the loads….this is something else you have to play around with. When I first started using the machine, I had read that you should be careful with your load size, so I was making my loads really small. I just finished a load right now which included 8 shirts, 2 shorts, 1 long pajama pants, 3 underwear….the total time for this load, 2 hours (using speed wash, 30 minutes, and drying with timer set at 1:30 hour). My load was clean and dry. Taking your clothing out of the dryer is something else you have to get used to because the load will feel damp, but it’s not. All you have to do is shake the condensation out (and I really do mean shake. What I do is when I pull it out of the machine, I shake it and set that piece of clothing on the back of the dining room chair. By the time I am done pulling everything out, all the clothing is dry and ready to be folded and put away.
Vibrations/Shaking…the machine is fairly quiet. The only thing that make a loud noise is when it’s expelling water and even that is tolerable. I can watch tv in the other room and it doesn’t bother me. When the machine spins, it spins very fast (which helps with making sure your clothing is almost dry by the time the wash is done) but this means that there will be some vibration. My floor is wood, and you don’t really hear it. Now if I touch the counter or stove I can feel the vibration….but not hear it. My downstairs neighbor had never complained.
I’ve also read people complain about a musty smell inside the machine and I’ve never had an issue like that. I also make sure to take care of my machine. After I am done using it I let it cool off a bit (the time it take for me to put the clothing away). I take a piece of napkin and make sure to dry out the water that stays between the drum and rubber. After I am done with that, I do not close the machine but leave it open for a couple of hours. I also remove the detergent dispenser, rinse it, and leave it open as well so it dries out.
I have to admit that I have never cleaned out the inside of the machine for lint…but I plan to have my husband do it soon. I printed the instructions that I got from someone who reviewed the machine here. But even with all this time using it and not cleaning it properly, I really haven’t had an issue. I bet when I clean it out my drying time is going to take even less.
In conclusion, if you live in an apartment where regular laundry hook-up is not available and are tired of going to public laundry mats or sharing machines, you should really consider buying this washer/dryer unit. But do so with the idea that it does not work the same as a regular dryer and therefore you need to adjust the way you do laundry…..but the advantages of having your own machine in the apartment far outweighs any negatives this machine may have. I wish I could hug whoever invented this machine 
5、have been using my lg w/d combo for over a year now. i have a very small condo and lack of space, 220 power and venting were the deciding factors for me. i LOVE not having to take my laundry to the basement and worry about moving the laundry from the washer to the dryer. this machine has worked great for me.
i do more smaller loads now. usually 4-6 loads a week for just one person (and a cat). it rarely takes over 3 hours to wash and dry total and occasionally i choose to dry less time and line dry to finish. i never dry my jeans anyway. and yes, if i wash one towel, 2 wash cloths and a hand towel — it is full. don’t try to cram too much into this machine. it works a lot better with small loads.
i like the delay function so i can set it up in the morning and time it to be done when i get home from work.
things are more linty than a normal dryer. i got a lint roller. but my clothes come out a lot softer than the regular dryer because they’re not baked to a crisp. it’s a gentler dry.
it has different settings for “hand wash” “delicates” and “speed wash” in addition to normal etc.
i really like it. the only real annoyance i have with it, is that the door takes a really long time to unlock after a dry cycle, even after pushing the unlock button.
it is supposedly very water and energy efficient. i recommend the lg WM3431HW.
