Over and Under

[TheOldFellow]

I'm planning to revise the home laundry, presently divided between a Bathroom (Washing machine in a cupboard) and the Garage (Tumble Dryer making my machines rust).

There area several feasible ways of doing this, but one that I'm considering is to stack them. A proper stacking pair is expensive. I'm thinking of making a shelf for the dryer over the washer ( in a cupboard, but not in the bathroom! ). Clearly it will need to be quite strong, but tumble dryers are not exceptionally heavy and the joist-span will only be 700mm - both the walls and the cupboard back will be new stud walls.

Can anyone see and 'gotchas' in this idea? Anyone done it?

R.

[chris French]

In message , TheOldFellow writes

I'd ahve thought that was ok.

But mine just sits on top of the washing machine and has never had a problem.

But, the floor is solid, the machine is a newish Bosch that is properly levelled and doesn't wobble about very much as it seems to have a nice smooth spin.

YMMV

[NT]

Does this not tempt you?

[Toby]

When our kitchen was being redone, I temporally stacked the dishwasher on top of the washing machine, and the tumble dryer on to of that, in our bathroom (solid floor) I tied them to the wall, to ensure they could not fall over, but they never moved, they were like this for a good month, and are now back in normal service, and are fine.

Toby...

[Steve Walker]

You can buy a plastic square for this, it just sits on the washer and the dryer sits in it - the square just stops the dryer gradually moving and falling off.

SteveW

[Norman Billingham]

Ours sits on a shelf above the washing machine without any problems. The shelf is 19mm MDF about 700 mm square but is supported on all four sides -

2x1 bearers on back wall and both sides and a 2 x 1 along the front. I got a couple of full extension drawer slides and put a pull out shelf under the unit to provide space for baskets of washing whilst loading/unloading - makes a big difference. Been like that for at least 10 years and the shelf shows no sign of deflecting under the weight of our condensing dryer.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I used a square of polystrene foam (in a short tenure in rented accom..)

[Tim Decker]

I did this in my previous house. I built a framework, then a shelf out of some old kitchen top. Finally I built a cupboard around this. It really helped to keep things quieter. I would definitely recommend keeping the dryer separate as even well installed washing machines can move around.

Tim

[TheOldFellow]

Me: yes, her: no. The noes have it, the noes have it.

Isn't democracy wonderful. I might just get away with insisting on an A-rated dryer provided you can also heat Cumbria with it. Some things are not worth fighting for.

R.

[Calvin Sambrook]

Everyones version of "expensive" is different but at £21.54 inc VAT and P&P, direct from the UKs major tumble dryer manufacturer I'd say this

is "cheap".

I have one which I bought many years ago and have transferred between different tumble dryers and washing machines. It's just a thin steel frame which sits over the washing machine and bolts to the tumble dryer, on a Crosslee (mainly branded White Knight) machine it bolts neatly to the holes your just unbolted the feet from. It is 600mm and a bit wide and is adjustable front to back. The only gotcha is that some posher washing machines are now sporting controls on the very top of the front panel which are obscured by the frame. Nothing an angle grinder can't fix though.

[The Medway Handyman]

Did similar 10+ years ago. Got a welder mate to fabricate two brackets for the tumble drier & bolted them to the wall. Few self tappers through the brackets into the drier, never moved since.

[TheOldFellow]

It seemed to me when I looked that they were manufacturer specific, if you say they ain't then I may go that way. But I just like making stuff. I also like the idea of being able to slide the washer out leaving the dryer behind.

We are into making things last here, the current dryer was bought in the 1970s (I know as I was at school when my mum bought it, and I'm 60), and still works very well, although SWMBO wants a new one as the timer is U/S and the paint is flaky. The washer came with the house and is at least 15 years old, again SHE wants a new one as the softener dispenser doesn't work. No pleasing some women, and I just replaced the hot water valve too.

R.

[John]

I made a sort of shelf out of Dexion so that I can put the nose of my car under it - up the the end of the garage where it resides.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Steve Walker saying something like:

I've had my dryer stacked on top of the w/m for years without any fancy bracketry at all. Never fallen off.