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#1
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
I live in a relatively old condo complex, built in the 1960’s or
1970’s, and not the fanciest place around. One issue is that we can’t have clothes washers or dryers in the units because (we are told) the plumbing can’t handle it (and maybe the ventilation system, I'm not sure if that's an issue too). I don’t know the technical details of that, just what they tell us. (We have a common laundry room with coin machines.) Question: With all the advances in technology, you’d think someone would have developed washers/dryers designed for these older type living units. The people who run the condo complex may not be aware of such units (if they exist), so I’m posting this query. Does anyone know if there are special washers and dryers that have been designed to work with plumbing and/or ventilation which is otherwise too “old” for standard washer/dryers? And if so, can you specify what such washer/dryer units are called, and/or who makes them, etc? Thanks in advance for all replies. |
#2
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak"plumbing?
Any idea if the new style "H/E" laundry detergent made for the front loaders would be a solution here? Possibly, if you also used a front load washer with it. The reason is simple, the front loader will use about 70% less water, so the drain might handle the front loader. (the same drain that could not handle a top loader MIGHT handle a front loader) If you used H/E detergent with a non-H/E top loader? It wouldn't suds enough to get your clothes clean. That is, unless you used about twice as much H/E detergent...in which case you'd be paying more money for the same amount of suds, and you'd be flushing the same amount of gray water down the drain... (back where you started). And if you are paying a million for a condo, can't you afford to run a new drain pipe down to the basement? -john- That's what I was thinking. I'm guessing it's landlord preference as to why there are no washers in the building. That is, the landlord doesn't want them in the building, and is using the weak excuse of, the pipes won't handle it. -Dave |
#3
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:43:07 -0700 (PDT), CJ
wrote: I live in a relatively old condo complex, built in the 1960=92s or 1970=92s, and not the fanciest place around. One issue is that we can=92t have clothes washers or dryers in the units because (we are told) the plumbing can=92t handle it (and maybe the ventilation system, I'm not sure if that's an issue too). I don=92t know the technical details of that, just what they tell us. (We have a common laundry room with coin machines.) Question: With all the advances in technology, you=92d think someone would have developed washers/dryers designed for these older type living units. The people who run the condo complex may not be aware of such units (if they exist), so I=92m posting this query. Does anyone know if there are special washers and dryers that have been designed to work with plumbing and/or ventilation which is otherwise too =93old=94 for standard washer/dryers? And if so, can you specify what such washer/dryer units are called, and/or who makes them, etc? Thanks in advance for all replies. the problem seems to be the detergent suds. in new york city, people pay over a million dollars for a coop or condo apartment which won't let them have a washer. dryers ore ok but you either need 220 volt current or a gas hookup. the problem here is the drain pipes which are too small to handle the suds so ther is a problem with things backing up. i had thought that dishwashers were ok because the standard leases with the no washing machine clause were older than dishwashers, but it seems to be ok for them because the dishwashing detergent is low suds. i don't know why they don't make a detergent for washers that would be ok, but there is evidently some problem about it or they would. elise |
#4
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak"plumbing?
Suds don't clean in and of themselves but are a byproduct of the detergent. The manufacturer of one HE detergent had this to say: Can I use ARM & HAMMER Liquid Detergent HE in my regular washing machine? HE detergents are specially formulated to work best in HE machines. While ARM & HAMMER Liquid Detergent HE will work (clean) in regular machines, we recommend that consumers use one of our other liquid detergent products in regular machines. That's because the HE stuff will clean as well as just plain old water. Water alone DOES clean fairly well. -Dave |
#6
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 25, 8:51*am, "John A. Weeks III" wrote:
In article , (elise d faber) wrote: the problem seems to be the detergent suds. *in new york city, people pay over a million dollars for a coop or condo apartment which won't let them have a washer. *dryers ore ok but you either need 220 volt current or a gas hookup. * the problem here is the drain pipes which are too small to handle the suds so ther is a problem with things backing up. *i had thought that dishwashers were ok because the standard leases with the no washing machine clause were older than dishwashers, but it seems to be ok for them because the dishwashing detergent is low suds. * i don't know why they don't make a detergent for washers that would be ok, but there is evidently some problem about it or they would. Any idea if the new style "H/E" laundry detergent made for the front loaders would be a solution here? And if you are paying a million for a condo, can't you afford to run a new drain pipe down to the basement? -john- -- ================================================== ==================== John A. Weeks III * * * * * 612-720-2854 * * * * * Newave Communications * * * * * * * * * * * *http://www.johnweeks.com ================================================== ==================== I agree with you. The H/e detergent is designed to be low suds and should work. I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. |
#7
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:43:07 -0700 (PDT), CJ
wrote: I live in a relatively old condo complex, built in the 1960?s or 1970?s, and not the fanciest place around. One issue is that we can?t have clothes washers or dryers in the units because (we are told) the plumbing can?t handle it (and maybe the ventilation system, I'm not sure if that's an issue too). I don?t know the technical details of that, just what they tell us. (We have a common laundry room with coin machines.) Question: With all the advances in technology, you?d think someone would have developed washers/dryers designed for these older type living units. The people who run the condo complex may not be aware of such units (if they exist), so I?m posting this query. Does anyone know if there are special washers and dryers that have been designed to work with plumbing and/or ventilation which is otherwise too ?old? for standard washer/dryers? And if so, can you specify what such washer/dryer units are called, and/or who makes them, etc? Thanks in advance for all replies. If it was built to code, the plumbing should be able to handle the washers. The dryer is a non-issue. I suspect that the person or persons making money off the coin washers has a vested interest in keeping people from owning their own equipment. That said, grease and fabric make for some serious and expensive clogs. Every washer allows fibers to go out with the drain water. Over time, those fibers get embedded with the grease stuck to the sides of the waste pipes, and clogs form. Having a separate stack for washers limits the problem. Having a filter for all the fibers is impractical, and getting all tenants to not dump greasy foods in the drain impossible. I suppose you could lug a big barrel into your condo, dump wash water from a clothes washer into that, let it settle, and after a day or two decant off the clear water. Not sure what you would do with the sediment other than the obvious. |
#8
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
Dave wrote:
And if you are paying a million for a condo, can't you afford to run a new drain pipe down to the basement? That's what I was thinking. I'm guessing it's landlord preference as to why there are no washers in the building. That is, the landlord doesn't want them in the building, and is using the weak excuse of, the pipes won't handle it. -Dave If it's a condo, there's no landlord -- just a homeowner's association. |
#9
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
Seerialmom wrote:
I agree with you. The H/e detergent is designed to be low suds and should work. I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. |
#10
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 25, 11:56*am, Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply
wrote: Seerialmom wrote: I agree with you. *The H/e detergent is designed to be low suds and should work. *I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. But for those who want to wear the badge of "home ownership" I guess it's better than renting. |
#11
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
Seerialmom wrote
Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply wrote Seerialmom wrote I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. Presumably you actually are that stupid. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. You pay those even if you are renting, stupid. But for those who want to wear the badge of "home ownership" I guess it's better than renting. Pity about the tiny matter of equity, stupid. |
#12
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 25, 1:13*pm, "Rod Speed" wrote:
Seerialmom wrote Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply wrote Seerialmom wrote I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. Presumably you actually are that stupid. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. *But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. You pay those even if you are renting, stupid. You don't pay HOA fees OR property taxes when you're a renter...and I'll return the favor: DORK! :-p |
#13
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
Seerialmom wrote
Rod Speed wrote Seerialmom wrote Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply wrote Seerialmom wrote I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. Presumably you actually are that stupid. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. You pay those even if you are renting, stupid. You don't pay HOA fees OR property taxes when you're a renter... Corse you do, the landlord includes those in the rent, stupid. |
#14
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 24, 11:12*pm, Dave wrote:
If you used H/E detergent with a non-H/E top loader? *It wouldn't suds enough to get your clothes clean. *That is, unless you used about twice as much H/E detergent...in which case you'd be paying more money for the same amount of suds, and you'd be flushing the same amount of gray water down the drain... (back where you started). Suds don't clean in and of themselves but are a byproduct of the detergent. The manufacturer of one HE detergent had this to say: Can I use ARM & HAMMER Liquid Detergent HE in my regular washing machine? HE detergents are specially formulated to work best in HE machines. While ARM & HAMMER Liquid Detergent HE will work (clean) in regular machines, we recommend that consumers use one of our other liquid detergent products in regular machines. |
#15
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
In article
, Seerialmom wrote: On Jul 25, 11:56*am, Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply wrote: Seerialmom wrote: I agree with you. *The H/e detergent is designed to be low suds and should work. *I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. But for those who want to wear the badge of "home ownership" I guess it's better than renting. The great thing about the world today is that we have all kinds of choices, and you can aspire to buy or rent whatever kind of housing you want. In my case, I don't want to both with outside maintenance, and I don't want to live next to somebody who thinks it is funny to paint their house pink and yellow polka dots. It is a lot less responsibility for me, and it fits in well my on-the-go lifestyle. -john- -- ================================================== ==================== John A. Weeks III * * * * * 612-720-2854 * * * * * Newave Communications * * * * * * * * * * * * http://www.johnweeks.com ================================================== ==================== |
#16
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
"CJ" wrote in message ... I live in a relatively old condo complex, built in the 1960’s or 1970’s, and not the fanciest place around. One issue is that we can’t have clothes washers or dryers in the units because (we are told) the plumbing can’t handle it (and maybe the ventilation system, I'm not sure if that's an issue too). I don’t know the technical details of that, just what they tell us. (We have a common laundry room with coin machines.) Question: With all the advances in technology, you’d think someone would have developed washers/dryers designed for these older type living units. The people who run the condo complex may not be aware of such units (if they exist), so I’m posting this query. Does anyone know if there are special washers and dryers that have been designed to work with plumbing and/or ventilation which is otherwise too “old” for standard washer/dryers? And if so, can you specify what such washer/dryer units are called, and/or who makes them, etc? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Depending on what you accepted and signed on for when you bought the place, it probably doesn't much matter what technological advances have been made since the place was built. If you agreed to the stipulation when you bought the place, you're probably stuck with it unless you can get the HOA to change the rules. Out of curiosity, exactly what is the restriction? I once rented an apartment for a year where the lease said "no laundry will be done in the apartment" - there were coin-ops on every other floor. I had a washer and dryer from my previous place, which I kept on the balcony (I was on the seventh floor). Is your restriction that of the "no laundry" type, or does it prohibit the appliances? |
#17
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 25, 2:00*pm, "Rod Speed" wrote:
Seerialmom wrote Rod Speed wrote Seerialmom wrote Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply wrote Seerialmom wrote I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. Presumably you actually are that stupid. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. You pay those even if you are renting, stupid. You don't pay HOA fees OR property taxes when you're a renter... Corse you do, the landlord includes those in the rent, stupid. Renters can expect increases; but they don't get separate bills for property taxes. To the tenant they just presume the landlord is greedy, that's it. |
#18
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 25, 2:47*pm, "John A. Weeks III" wrote:
In article , *Seerialmom wrote: On Jul 25, 11:56*am, Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply wrote: Seerialmom wrote: I agree with you. *The H/e detergent is designed to be low suds and should work. *I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. *But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. *But for those who want to wear the badge of "home ownership" I guess it's better than renting. The great thing about the world today is that we have all kinds of choices, and you can aspire to buy or rent whatever kind of housing you want. *In my case, I don't want to both with outside maintenance, and I don't want to live next to somebody who thinks it is funny to paint their house pink and yellow polka dots. *It is a lot less responsibility for me, and it fits in well my on-the-go lifestyle. -john- -- ================================================== ==================== John A. Weeks III * * * * * 612-720-2854 * * * * * Newave Communications * * * * * * * * * * * *http://www.johnweeks.com ================================================== ====================- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - That's another advantage to the condo lifestyle or someplace that has a HOA. I'm sure there's pros and cons to both. |
#19
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
Original Poster -- OK, I really should have included this in the
original post: Every now and then some new owner (or new renter, since some people rent out the units) goes out and buys a portable washer/dryer. And as soon as they run it, everyone else has no hot water. (That's how we know they are doing it, the hot water goes away....) So, maybe there are issues with draining the suds as well, and I have no idea how we'd ventilate the dryers, but the one clear issue seems to be that for some reasons -- again, I know nothing about plumbing -- but when people put washers in, they hot water seems to get drained from the pipes for everyone else. So the question, maybe, is whether there are some low water flow washers out there that are meant for this sort of thing. As for a few respondents who asked, "if you pay a million for a condo, they can't add some extra pipes?" -- believe me, no one here paid $1 million for their condo. No one here can even imagine what $1 million looks like.... As for the laundry room making money, we actually have pretty good management here, and I doubt that's the issue. If I can bring to their attention a way to get washer/dryers into the units in a way that works, they would look into it. On Jul 24, 10:43 pm, CJ wrote: I live in a relatively old condo complex, built in the 1960’s or 1970’s, and not the fanciest place around. One issue is that we can’t have clothes washers or dryers in the units because (we are told) the plumbing can’t handle it (and maybe the ventilation system, I'm not sure if that's an issue too). I don’t know the technical details of that, just what they tell us. (We have a common laundry room with coin machines.) Question: With all the advances in technology, you’d think someone would have developed washers/dryers designed for these older type living units. The people who run the condo complex may not be aware of such units (if they exist), so I’m posting this query. Does anyone know if there are special washers and dryers that have been designed to work with plumbing and/or ventilation which is otherwise too “old” for standard washer/dryers? And if so, can you specify what such washer/dryer units are called, and/or who makes them, etc? Thanks in advance for all replies. |
#20
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
Also, can someone explain what an "H/E" washer dryer is? Or an "H/E"
laundry detergent? Couldn't find anything on the Web.... |
#21
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
Seerialmom wrote:
On Jul 25, 2:00 pm, "Rod Speed" wrote: Seerialmom wrote Rod Speed wrote Seerialmom wrote Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply wrote Seerialmom wrote I never could understand the concept of a "condo" that's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. Presumably you actually are that stupid. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. You pay those even if you are renting, stupid. You don't pay HOA fees OR property taxes when you're a renter... Corse you do, the landlord includes those in the rent, stupid. Renters can expect increases; but they don't get separate bills for property taxes. Separate bills are completely irrelevant, they pay the increases anyway. To the tenant they just presume the landlord is greedy, that's it. And they pay the property taxes anyway. |
#22
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
Seerialmom wrote:
That's about the only thing I could think of, too. But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. But for those who want to wear the badge of "home ownership" I guess it's better than renting. Homeowner association fees only go up to cover costs; they are not-for-profit corporations, and if you weren't paying the money to them, you'd be paying it on exterior maintenance and all the things that the association pays for. |
#23
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:30:41 -0700 (PDT), Seerialmom
wrote: On Jul 25, 2:47=A0pm, "John A. Weeks III" wrote: In article , =A0Seerialmom wrote: On Jul 25, 11:56=A0am, Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to reply wrote: Seerialmom wrote: I agree with you. =A0The H/e detergent is designed to be low suds a= nd should work. =A0I never could understand the concept of a "condo" t= hat's nothing more than an apartment, except you can paint the walls and change the flooring if you want. It saves you from rent hikes yearly and hopefully also gives you some equity. That's about the only thing I could think of, too. =A0But HOA fees go up, so do the taxes. =A0But for those who want to wear the badge of "home ownership" I guess it's better than renting. The great thing about the world today is that we have all kinds of choices, and you can aspire to buy or rent whatever kind of housing you want. =A0In my case, I don't want to both with outside maintenance, and I don't want to live next to somebody who thinks it is funny to paint their house pink and yellow polka dots. =A0It is a lot less responsibility for me, and it fits in well my on-the-go lifestyle. -john- -- =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= 3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= 3D=3D=3D=3D=3D John A. Weeks III =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 612-720-2854 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 = Newave Communications =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0http= ://www.johnweeks.com =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= 3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= 3D=3D=3D=3D=3D- Hide quote= d text - - Show quoted text - That's another advantage to the condo lifestyle or someplace that has a HOA. I'm sure there's pros and cons to both. right. where i live [chelsea in manhattan] single family houses do exist. one went on sale a few months ago for only 4.6 million. the construction people are getting it into shape now. a coop or condo is the only realistic choice for most people. elise |
#24
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:55:35 -0700, Samantha Hill - remove TRASH to
reply wrote: Dave wrote: And if you are paying a million for a condo, can't you afford to run a new drain pipe down to the basement? That's what I was thinking. I'm guessing it's landlord preference as to why there are no washers in the building. That is, the landlord doesn't want them in the building, and is using the weak excuse of, the pipes won't handle it. -Dave If it's a condo, there's no landlord -- just a homeowner's association. in manhattan a lot of these apartments are in older high rise luxury buildings and the cost of retrefitting the drain pipes would be enormous. the tenants just leave the laundry problem to the maids. elise |
#25
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 25, 8:43*pm, CJ wrote:
Also, can someone explain what an "H/E" washer dryer is? *Or an "H/E" laundry detergent? *Couldn't find anything on the Web.... This explains it quite well: http://www.cleaning101.com/laundry/HE.pdf |
#26
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 25, 8:36*pm, CJ wrote:
Original Poster -- OK, I really should have included this in the original post: *Every now and then some new owner (or new renter, since some people rent out the units) goes out and buys a portable washer/dryer. *And as soon as they run it, everyone else has no hot water. *(That's how we know they are doing it, the hot water goes away....) *So, maybe there are issues with draining the suds as well, and I have no idea how we'd ventilate the dryers, but the one clear issue seems to be that for some reasons -- again, I know nothing about plumbing -- but when people put washers in, they hot water seems to get drained from the pipes for everyone else. *So the question, maybe, is whether there are some low water flow washers out there that are meant for this sort of thing. That's nothing do to with suds and everything to do with not having a large enough water heater. There are washers that run only on cold water and heat their own water. We used to have one and it worked great. As for dryers there are ones that don't need to be ventilated outside. They condense the moisture out of the outflow air. Those are quite common in Europe. |
#27
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Jul 26, 10:36 am, WDS wrote:
That's nothing do to with suds and everything to do with not having a large enough water heater. First, I really appreciate the replies. However, as to the specifics, it can't be the size of the hot water heater. The condo complex consists of a couple of dozen garden style units, and they are all fed off a common water supply -- I think there are two boilers that feed the whole place. And when I say that someone using a washer takes away the hot water, it's like, the hot water just isn't there, and as then at some point it's there again. So it's like the hot water pressure in the pipes is affected by the (illegal!) washing machine that someone is using. But, I am wondering if these High Efficiency washer/dryers could work in our complex. I will have to bring it up with the condo board. Any other suggestions are appreciated as well! On Jul 25, 8:36 pm, CJ wrote: Original Poster -- OK, I really should have included this in the original post: Every now and then some new owner (or new renter, since some people rent out the units) goes out and buys a portable washer/dryer. And as soon as they run it, everyone else has no hot water. (That's how we know they are doing it, the hot water goes away....) So, maybe there are issues with draining the suds as well, and I have no idea how we'd ventilate the dryers, but the one clear issue seems to be that for some reasons -- again, I know nothing about plumbing -- but when people put washers in, they hot water seems to get drained from the pipes for everyone else. So the question, maybe, is whether there are some low water flow washers out there that are meant for this sort of thing. That's nothing do to with suds and everything to do with not having a large enough water heater. There are washers that run only on cold water and heat their own water. We used to have one and it worked great. As for dryers there are ones that don't need to be ventilated outside. They condense the moisture out of the outflow air. Those are quite common in Europe. |
#28
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:56:28 -0700 (PDT), CJ
wrote: On Jul 26, 10:36 am, WDS wrote: That's nothing do to with suds and everything to do with not having a large enough water heater. First, I really appreciate the replies. However, as to the specifics, it can't be the size of the hot water heater. The condo complex consists of a couple of dozen garden style units, and they are all fed off a common water supply -- I think there are two boilers that feed the whole place. And when I say that someone using a washer takes away the hot water, it's like, the hot water just isn't there, and as then at some point it's there again. So it's like the hot water pressure in the pipes is affected by the (illegal!) washing machine that someone is using. Sound like a psychological issue. Why don't the "no hot water" complaints happen when somebody fills a tub, takes a shower, or washes dishes? Because those are legal activities? The hot water pipes are the same no matter the use, and the valves can be cranked wide open in every case. --Vic |
#29
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
I live in a relatively old condo complex, built in the 1960=92s or
1970=92s, and not the fanciest place around. One issue is that we can=92t have clothes washers or dryers in the units because (we are told) the plumbing can=92t handle it (and maybe the ventilation system, I'm not sure if that's an issue too). I don=92t know the technical details of that, just what they tell us. (We have a common laundry room with coin machines.) Question: With all the advances in technology, you=92d think someone would have developed washers/dryers designed for these older type living units. The people who run the condo complex may not be aware of such units (if they exist), so I=92m posting this query. Apartment washers and dryers used to be popular in the late 60's/mid 70's. You filled them from a faucet and drained them into a sink or tub. They ranged from an old-fashioned wringer washer, to one we owned that had a rotary agitator and a small spin tub on the side to which we had to manually transfer the load for spin drying. We coupled that with a 120v electric dryer which vented into the house. It all worked quite well. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any such units from my web search. |
#30
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
I live in a relatively old condo complex, built in the 1960=92s or
1970=92s, and not the fanciest place around. One issue is that we can=92t have clothes washers or dryers in the units because (we are told) the plumbing can=92t handle it (and maybe the ventilation system, I'm not sure if that's an issue too). I don=92t know the technical details of that, just what they tell us. (We have a common laundry room with coin machines.) Question: With all the advances in technology, you=92d think someone would have developed washers/dryers designed for these older type living units. The people who run the condo complex may not be aware of such units (if they exist), so I=92m posting this query. Does anyone know if there are special washers and dryers that have been designed to work with plumbing and/or ventilation which is otherwise too =93old=94 for standard washer/dryers? And if so, can you specify what such washer/dryer units are called, and/or who makes them, etc? The Avanti W789SA @$319.00, 115v washer has rollers for portability and has separate fill and drain pipes. Otherwise it is fully automatic. http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/W789SA.html GE Spacemaker DSKP333ECWW electric dryer, 120v @$589.00. Exhaust Options: 4-way (Shipped Exhausted Through the Top). No mention of rollers for portability. http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajm...KP333ECWW.html It's probably easier to find a 120v electric dryer than a rollable portable washer. |
#31
Posted to misc.consumers.frugal-living,misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
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clothes washers and dryers for older units with "weak" plumbing?
That's about the only thing I could think of, too. But HOA fees go
up, so do the taxes. But for those who want to wear the badge of "home ownership" I guess it's better than renting. Homeowner association fees only go up to cover costs; they are not-for-profit corporations, and if you weren't paying the money to them, you'd be paying it on exterior maintenance and all the things that the association pays for. That's a bit naive. Some HOAs hire family or friends to do work and jack up the labor costs, or overpay for admin work. |
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