blbl's Full Review: LG WM3431 Front Load All-in-One Washer / Dryer
I just bought the LG WM3431H washer/dryer combo. As long as it is dependable and lasts longer than the Equator 3612 (which died after 2 years and 4 needed repairs) I feel it is really worth the price I paid.
What I really love about this machine is that it has a complete digital readout display telling you how much time you have left on your load of laundry. It also has an internal water heater to heat the water which both of these features I did not have in my last washer/dryer combo.
It has 9 different wash cycles (Sanitary, towels, normal, perm press, delicate, wool/silk,hand wash,speed wash ,drain + spin)
It also has a soak, extra wash, rinse & spin, spin only, or dry only option.
For your spin choices you have extra high, high, med., low or no spin.
You also have a soil level choice of extra heavy, heavy, normal, normal light and light.
For the dryer you can either set it for how long you would like it to dry for or you can set it for low temp, less, normal or more. One REALLY nice thing this machine is it has a dryer sensor so it will stop when it is dry automatically. Once it stops it will continue to rotate I believe it is every 30 seconds to help prevent wrinkles until you take your clothes out. You can even pause the dryer and check to see how dry your clothes are (this may seem like no big deal but on my last washer/dryer combo this was not an option you had to wait until it was done before checking your clothes. So to me this is a nice feature) You need to use fabric softener it makes your clothes dry faster and wrinkle less. Plus of course they smell better.
It also has a delay start so if you want to set it to start while you are out you can also do that. You can set it for a 1-19 hour delay. I have not done that so I can't really comment on that feature.
I was used to a VERY loud spin cycle on my last washer/dryer combo. I have to say this one you can barely hear.
For people with children it even has a child lock on the door.
It is a front loading machine so it uses very little water.
They recommend using a low suds detergent.
I have my machine on wheels so I just roll it into the kitchen when I want to do a load of laundry and hook it up directly to my kitchen sink (using a special sink adapter that you can buy at any hardware store). And once it is done all you do is disconnect the hoses and wheel it back to wherever you want to store it while not in use. It is VERY easy to hook up you do not need any tools to hook it up. The dryer is ventless. So that means you do not have to have a special dryer vent.
You plug it into any normal wall outlet it does not need any special electrical power outlet.
It also has a bell that dings to let you know your clothes are done
The wash time varies depending on which wash cycle you chose. For the normal wash with normal soil it takes about an hour to wash and an hour to dry. I washed something this afternoon on delicate and it took about 35 minutes for the wash and I did not dry this load.
So far I have to say there is nothing negative about this machine that I know of. It is perfect for anyone looking for a washer/dryer combo. As long as it is dependable (which only time will tell) you should not buy any other washer/dryer combo.
UPDATE: One Month Later
Every time I use this machine I think how much of a better machine this is than the Equator I had. I Just wish I knew about it 2 years ago before I wasted my money on the other machine, but I guess maybe it is a good thing. It makes me realize how nice this machine is compared to the Equator and what I was giving up and what I should have had.
My clothes come out cleaner than using a public washer and since it is a so gentle I wash items that say hand wash and they come out perfect.
I set it to dry usually for 60 minutes and my clothes come out completely dry. I recommend using the cool down once the dry finishes (they still tumble so the clothes won't wrinkle) . If you take the clothes out right after the timer dings the clothes are STEAMING hot and it is possible to burn yourself.
As long as the machine continues to work I would say this is the best large purchase I have ever made.
UPDATE:
Almost a year later and so far so good. Still running like the first day I bought it.
ANOTHER UPDATE
Now it is 1 year 3 months since I bought my combo. I wheeled my machine into the kitchen just like I always do and started my laundry. A few minutes into the cycle I hear water gushing everywhere. I run in there and see the drain hose has a HUGE tear in it. The tear is right where it is held to the machine by the plastic clip. After calling the place I bought it from they advised to call the company that handles the extended warranty. I called them and was told that hoses are not covered as part of the warranty. That is considered wear and tear. So I then called LG and at I was told that since my machine is over a year that it is out of the original warranty time from them. So I then spoke to the parts dept. and was told by them that it is real simple to change the drain hose. It is just held in by a clip. I bought a new hose. It was only $12.00. No big deal. But then when I took a closer look at the machine I realized that the hose goes deep into the machine and that I would have to tip it over and it might be more involved then just unclipping it and hooking the new one to it. So I called back and explained I thought it was the fault of the clip. They were VERY VERY helpful and agreed to extend my warranty until the end of this year so I could have a professional l come out and change it for me. They told me I could cancel my hose order and that would be covered also. But when I checked the status it had already shipped out. And the repair company would have had to order it any way and that would just take more time. I was not concerned over $12.00 and they were nice enough to pay for the repair of it. What more could I ask for. If this was Equator I would have been lucky for them to first of all answer the phone and then after waiting months I would have been told to bad it is out of warranty.
I think the real reason this broke it because I have to move the machine into the kitchen to use it and move it back after. I think if the machine was not moved and the hose was just stationary it would have not cracked.
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