Splendide / Vesta - anyone using these?

[Darkspeed]

Anyone have? use? this washer/dryer and or dishwasher?

Good? Bad?

NEW Splendide 2100XC (WD2100XC) washer-dryer

Westland Sales - VESTA Countertop/Built-In Dishwasher

trying to layout a fulltime floorplan

Thanks..

[blickcd]

Do a search for on line reviews. The Splendide washer/dryer usually gets poor ratings as it leaks and breaks down a lot, and parts are hard to get.

A while back I was curious about this too I have a 31' center bath trailer and was able to get some photos of a Splendide install in the closet of a similar trailer. If your trailer is also a center bath, let me know and I will post photos and details of the install.

Note I did not install one in my trailer. Just did a lot of research on how it would be done.

Christopher

[Jammer]

Splendides are somewhat popular in larger motorhomes and 5ers. The cycle time is long and the load size is small. They seem to be most popular with couples and individuals, who find that they can keep up by running one load a day. They don't really have enough capacity for families.

Due to the amount of water used they aren't practical without full hookups. Most campgrounds that offer full hookups also have coin laundry.

[Darkspeed]

LG now makes one to compete..

[overlander63]

I just removed a Splendide washer/dryer today that wouldn't dry the clothes, and flooded the RV.

[blickcd]

Terry, you might be the one who sent me photos of the one you removed, as well as a description of how it was installed. To their credit, I'd say the previous owner did a decent job of installation. Their only fault was buying this machine.

Do these photos look familiar? First one has the machine removed from an aluminum platform that supported it over the wheel well in the closet. Second one shows the machine in place. I can describe in more detail about power, water, and drain connections if anyone is interested.

Christopher

[lewster]

Being a factory authorized repair and warranty center for Splendide, I can tell you that most of my motor home customers have them and don't have issues with them (and they number in the hundreds). One simple rule: DON'T EXPECT HOUSEHOLD PERFORMANCE FROM AN ALL-IN-ONE UNIT! This is where most of the complaints originate.

These are compact machines that do a good job of washing a small load. The dryer section (located in the same drum) is heated by a single 120VAC element and has much less drying capacity than a residential 240VAC dryer with a huge drum.

Many of my customers wash a full load and then separate it into 2 smaller loads for drying. This gets very acceptable results. As far as the leaking and breaking (parts are NOT hard to come by if you call the factory...they have all you want!) I simply have not seen this in my service calls (which are very few on these units, BTW).

Think what you want and listen to all of the crap on the web, but don't pass judgement and parrot what you get from a forum somewhere unless you have the actual experience to stand behind your opinion.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by blickcd

Terry, you might be the one who sent me photos of the one you removed, as well as a description of how it was installed. To their credit, I'd say the previous owner did a decent job of installation. Their only fault was buying this machine.

Do these photos look familiar? First one has the machine removed from an aluminum platform that supported it over the wheel well in the closet. Second one shows the machine in place. I can describe in more detail about power, water, and drain connections if anyone is interested.

Christopher

No, it was in a class A bus.

Originally Posted by lewster

Being a factory authorized repair and warranty center for Splendide, I can tell you that most of my motor home customers have them and don't have issues with them (and they number in the hundreds). One simple rule: DON'T EXPECT HOUSEHOLD PERFORMANCE FROM AN ALL-IN-ONE UNIT! This is where most of the complaints originate.

These are compact machines that do a good job of washing a small load. The dryer section (located in the same drum) is heated by a single 120VAC element and has much less drying capacity than a residential 240VAC dryer with a huge drum.

Many of my customers wash a full load and then separate it into 2 smaller loads for drying. This gets very acceptable results. As far as the leaking and breaking (parts are NOT hard to come by if you call the factory...they have all you want!) I simply have not seen this in my service calls (which are very few on these units, BTW).

Think what you want and listen to all of the crap on the web, but don't pass judgement and parrot what you get from a forum somewhere unless you have the actual experience to stand behind your opinion.

I was asked to save the unit, if it is repairable. Like you stated, Lew, they're not household units. I don't know what was done to the one I pulled out, hopefully a checkout will show a single part or two that's bad. Filling itself to the point water is pouring out of the dryer vent tube outside the coach is a bad thing.
It looks like someone attempted repairs with a hammer before I got hold of it...

[slickandrews]

Hiya- We have a Splendide Combo-Matic 6200 in our house's kitchen. It came out of a travel trailer, and was in the TT for at least 2 years.
We haven't had any problems with it, but ya gotta learn how to "work" with 'em... They certainly don't do well with oversized loads.

A couple of things that the previous owner stressed to us were... Keep the door seal clean, DON'T overload the machine, and leave the door laying open when the machine won't be in use for more than a day or so. The manual even says these same things, I guess that's why it's held up so far... The manual has been followed to the letter.

Years ago, we owned a side by side or stackable (whichever you wanted) set of Ariston appliances. THEY WORKED GREAT! I'm still on the lookout for the exact same models, which I can't find or remember the numbers on... I'd love to put a set of them in our Argosy 28 MH.
They sure were tiny, but the dryer had a huge capacity (for it's size), and I think the washer would take a 15 pound load.
The best part of it was, that the dryer only dried the clothes "enough"... because it would sense the humidity while running. We never had to iron anything, and nothing ever shrank.

If you have the room for two small units in your rig, I'd suggest going that route. I remember both the Ariston washer and the dryer only being like 4 feet wide, 2 feet deep and about 36" tall when they were side-by-side. THEY WORKED GREAT, and performed like "regular" residential units.

Either way though... I guess anything that gets bounced along for miles is eventually gonna have it's share of problems. Installing a washer or dryer in the smoothest-riding area of the rig you can think of would probably help out a lot... maybe amidships, near the galley.

CHEERS!
Slick

[Glenritas]

My wife reacts to detergent so using a campground laundry is off the table.

We are installing a washer & drier in our '69 Trade Wind where the third bed is
in the kitchen. They will be covered with a new counter top and cabinet.

The drier will be in the forward location so the vent will exit ahead of the wheel
opening. The washer will be directly over the axles.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Glenritas

My wife reacts to detergent so using a campground laundry is off the table.

We are installing a washer & drier in our '69 Trade Wind where the third bed is
in the kitchen. They will be covered with a new counter top and cabinet.

The drier will be in the forward location so the vent will exit ahead of the wheel
opening. The washer will be directly over the axles.

Was this installation done?

[Txbeekeeper]

Originally Posted by Darkspeed

Anyone have? use? this washer/dryer and or dishwasher?

Good? Bad?

NEW Splendide 2100XC (WD2100XC) washer-dryer

Westland Sales - VESTA Countertop/Built-In Dishwasher

trying to layout a fulltime floorplan

Thanks..

I am in the still looking category for Airstream but my current POS 5th wheel (which I hate) has the WD2100XC installed. with 3 years of use I can say we have been very satisfied. We tend to spend 6 weeks every summer on the road so I estimate that we have put over 250 loads through it by now. It took the DW some time to adjust expectations but now she has it as a must have option for any trailer we buy.

It will easily wash and dry a set of queen sized sheets and pillowcases in one load. It will wash a days worth of clothes for two people. Jeans are no problem but they take a while to dry. We often dry our towels in the dryer if we are in a particularly damp area like the pacific northwest.

Couple of notes:
- don't get the ventless version, it uses a lot of water (to condense the dryer exhaust) and doesn't dry very quickly or well
- the washer will wash about twice the amount of clothes the dryer will dry. In other words after washing a full load you need to remove part of the load to dry. If you only load the washer with a 'dryer load' then the unit will wash and dry without any action on your part.
- it's slow. like most of the Euro style front loaders it is very thrifty on energy, water and soap. It does this by pausing a lot during the wash and rinse cycle to let the water and soap do it's thing. It's also easier on the clothes than a top loading agitator model
- it's heavy - 145 pounds. the washer uses 1200 rpm spin to wring the clothes pretty well. that takes a good sized motor, bearings and some counterweights. important you consider where you place it. there is vibration too, mostly when the spin cycle is jiggling the whole trailer
- I have had no problems or service issues. when folks talk about leaking I am not sure why they have had problems. the unit is well built and not flimsy. I can say if you didn't winterize it thoroughly you could definitely damage the pump or valves and get a leak. you have to run antifreeze into both hot and cold and then cycle the washer to get the pump thoroughly filled with the antifreeze. The rv supplier I bought it from recommended a drain pan that is sold to fit it. the drain pan is then piped out of the compartment. I didn't add this so can't attest.

There are other options out there just google 'apartment washer dryer' or 'portable washer dryer'. If you forgo the dryer there are inexpensive washers out there that you can put in the shower and wash/spin a small load of clothes. They are completely manual fill. Never used one but others have said they like them. They are inexpensive and plastic so expect you get what you pay for.