Visit our Popular Forums

**Dockhead** · 30-05-2024, 07:55

My boat was built with a Eudoria/Eumenia Sparmeister 802 washer/dryer, like a lot of Oysters, Discoveries, etc.

This particular machine was chosen because it is extra slim, and very robustly built. It's a weird design with a door which flips around to provide the heating element for the drying function.

It's 23 years old now. It's given me a lot of good service but it's got a lot of drawbacks and it's getting hard to find parts for it.

Drawbacks are it uses a ton of water, has microscopic capacity, and the dryer spews moist hot air directly into the cabin.

It has one of those rotary master switches with dozens of contacts, which failed a few years ago, and is unobtainable as a spare, so I've patched it up bypassing one set of contacts with a manual switch, adding relays, etc.

But now it has another problem -- some component involved in regulating temperature has failed, and it now boils my laundry and tries to combust it while drying. I suppose that could only be three things -- thermostat, relay, or temperature switch, and I could probably figure out how to replace those with something or another, but I decided to give another shot at finding a replacement.

The problem with that is the boat was basically built around it, and it's an odd size. I have only 59cm of width, and height is limited. But worst of all, it would have to come through a door which is only 48cm wide, which limits depth.

Lo and behold, LG have come out with a washer/dryer combo with "super counter max depth", which is -- 47.5cm deep with the door off. It's a little too tall but I could lower the floor, OR remove the upper door and let it stick out a bit. Unlike the Eumenia, this one doesn't have any controls on the top, so the mattress could just go straight on it if I'm using the space above as a pilot berth.

There are a couple of different versions of it:

https://www.lg.com/uk/laundry/washer...s/fwy385wwln1/

https://www.lg.com/de/waeschepflege/...er/v5wd95slim/

https://www.lg.com/de/waeschepflege/...er/v5wd85slim/

Downside here its it's a condensor dryer rather than heat pump, so it uses up fresh water supplies for drying. How I wish they made a heat pump one in this form factor.

But a full wash and dry cycle still uses less water than just washing in my old machine, so I guess i can live with it. It will be delightful not to have the hot wet exhaust coming right into the cabin! And the capacity is fully double that of my old one!

I'm posting this in the hopes of benefiting someone else who has been facing the same issue. I'll also post in the Moody Owners Association.

Also, in case anyone has found some other option in this form factor -- I'd love to hear about it.

Pandor · 30-05-2024, 13:36

How does a dryer use up fresh water supplies? I’m not familiar with condenser dryers, but don’t they just condense the water already in the wet clothes?

shimari · 30-05-2024, 17:00

We had a Soba Babynova 1000 on our Southerly. We removed it while in the UK since we don't need it. The size looks a bit smaller than the LG. I can't speak to if it's good or not.

https://www.improducts.co.uk/product/euronova-1000f/

**Dockhead** · 31-05-2024, 01:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandor

How does a dryer use up fresh water supplies? I’m not familiar with condenser dryers, but don’t they just condense the water already in the wet clothes?

There are three types of dryers:

1. Good old fashioned hot air dryers which heat air with a resistive heating element (back in the day there were gas ones too), blow through the drying drum, and exhaust together with the water evaporated from the clothes. That's what I have now.

2. Condensing dryers using a heat pump. This is the newest type, and the best. The condensor part of the heat pump heats air going into the drum, which is then run over the evaporator part, which cools and thus condenses water out of the air, which is circulated right back to the condensor to heat it up and again. Completely closed cycle and extremely energy efficient. I would kill for one of these on the boat.

3. The original condensor type. This heats air like in the first type, blows it through the drum, then the hot wet air goes through a condensor cooled by fresh water poured over it and wasted. It's much less efficient than the second type and it wastes water, but it doesn't blow wet air into the cabin, so that's a plus.

Loredo · 31-05-2024, 03:02

I'm having a hard time figuring out the space you have available. Yet, did you consider a top loading washer? Those might fit (?) and provide a lot more options in terms of dryer. European "standard" measures for those are +/- 60 cm deep, 45 cm wide, 80 high. You mention a 48 cm wide door... no problem with a top loader. Food for thought?

Loredo · 31-05-2024, 03:06

I just checked the dimesnions of the LG in your links. If you can fit that one, then any top-loader will fit too.

**Dockhead** · 31-05-2024, 03:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loredo

I'm having a hard time figuring out the space you have available. Yet, did you consider a top loading washer? Those might fit (?) and provide a lot more options in terms of dryer. European "standard" measures for those are +/- 60 cm deep, 45 cm wide, 80 high. You mention a 48 cm wide door... no problem with a top loader. Food for thought?

I've never seen a top loader with a dryer. Have you?

rslifkin · 31-05-2024, 05:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I've never seen a top loader with a dryer. Have you?

I haven't, but if you could figure out a way to fit separate units (even if they can't be next to each other), I've seen some pretty compact (and inexpensive) hot air dryers (meant for the vent to be ducted outside) available on Amazon. Unfortunately the heat pump dryers seem to only be available in bigger sizes (and they're expensive). The heat pump combo units being an even more limited selection.

MicHughV · 31-05-2024, 06:17

Speaking for the vast majority, a washer and dryer onboard is way beyond my payscale.

Can I suggest clothes washed in a tub, filled with soapy water, in the cockpit, and hung in the rigging to dry.

The space currently occupied by the W&D, can be converted to something more useful, like a likker cabinet, unless off course, you already have one of these on the boat, in which case I'm flat out of ideas.

**Dockhead** · 31-05-2024, 08:31

Not a project for me, but you could make a heck of a condensor dryer with a heat exchanger and cold sea water.

Audeamus · 03-06-2024, 13:55

We've had the LG 3 years still going strong, however been in the tropics so not used the dryer yet. Just pushing off to Alaska so we will see soon, er the water will be cold so drying efficiency will be good. Although we know drying capacity is small. The seawater heat exchanger idea appeals to the engineer in me but just thinking about it seems like a folly - but I do have seawater pump plumbed into the system for anchor wash which does backup our freshwater system pump - hmmm
BTW had to cut the old machine into pieces with a hacksaw to get it out the door.

more · 03-06-2024, 14:19

only bosch https://www.bosch-home.com/ne/en/mkt-product/WNA14400ME

**Dockhead** · 03-06-2024, 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Speaking for the vast majority, a washer and dryer onboard is way beyond my payscale.

Can I suggest clothes washed in a tub, filled with soapy water, in the cockpit, and hung in the rigging to dry.

The space currently occupied by the W&D, can be converted to something more useful, like a likker cabinet, unless off course, you already have one of these on the boat, in which case I'm flat out of ideas.

In the tropics, your solution is fine, but in my climate (mostly about 60N), the cockpit tub wash and lifeline dry is a no go. And the dryer is more crucial than the washing machine. In some parts of my cruising area we may have a week of rain at a time, or snow and ice on the deck.

I do have a dedicated "likker" locker, complete with drawers for cocktail paraphernalia, and another locker for cocktail glasses, so no need to sacrifice the laundry space.

Actually I would say that the washer/dryer on board is one of the single best things I have on the boat -- for cruising long distances from home or any port for that matter, and for long periods at a time. I would give up a whole lot of other things before I gave up that.

**Dockhead** · 03-06-2024, 14:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audeamus

We've had the LG 3 years still going strong, however been in the tropics so not used the dryer yet. Just pushing off to Alaska so we will see soon, er the water will be cold so drying efficiency will be good. Although we know drying capacity is small. The seawater heat exchanger idea appeals to the engineer in me but just thinking about it seems like a folly - but I do have seawater pump plumbed into the system for anchor wash which does backup our freshwater system pump - hmmm
BTW had to cut the old machine into pieces with a hacksaw to get it out the door.

Which LG?

And what old machine did you take out?