Putting washer and dryer criss cross from connections.

February 20, 2010 2:24 PM

Is it okay to place a washer and dry opposite of where the connections are (The dryer is electric)?

I purchased a new washer and dryer set. Samsung WF218ANW and DV218AEW.

I would love for the doors to open out with the openings next to one another so I can easily move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. (That is Washer on Left, Dryer on Right) as that is how the doors are.

Here's the issue though. My washer connections are on the right and my dryer plug/vent are on the left on the wall in the laundry room.

I purchased 'bust proof' metal hoses for the new washer and a reinforced aluminum dryer vent for the dryer, and I want to know if I can 'cross' these, that is run the hoses from the right side of the wall to the left side and of course the dryer from right side of wall to vent connection on left side.

Note: its all on one wall : X Y
X: Dryer vent/plug
Y: Washer hoses and drain
But I want
Y X now due to the doors
Also, I have looked at 'swapping' the doors but I can't find anything in either manuals.

posted by dolemite01 to home & garden (4 answers total)

You are over-thinking this. Yes, you can swap places. The things you need to look for are whether there is a little slack in the water lines, so they don't get tugged when the washer vibrates during the spin, and that there are no kinks in the dryer vent line when everything gets shoved back against the wall. Since the vent line will be a little longer than normal, it would be a good idea to vacuum it out once or twice a year just to keep lint from building up, but I have seen vents that are fifteen feet long work just fine. Clean the lint trap up front on the dryer after each load of clothes.

If the hoses are a little short, you can get short extensions for them. And, of course, you do shut the water lines off when you leave the house don't you?
posted by Old Geezer at 2:34 PM on February 20, 2010

Thanks for the response, I'll makes sure to follow your suggestions.
With regards to turning off the water, I just noticed in the manual that it says to turn the water off when one is done doing laundry for the day, the only problem with that is the washer or dryer will cover the connection and its a hard to reach place.
posted by dolemite01 at 2:38 PM on February 20, 2010

According to Samsung's own website, you cannot reverse the direction of the door on the washer. So much for that idea.

You can use longer water hoses. If the electrical cords can reach then just plug them in. But if the cord is not long enough then you should have the electrical outlet moved (or one added) for the dryer. You should never use any sort of extension cord for a high-drain device like an electric clothes dryer.

When you connect the dryer vent be sure to do a decent job of it. Don't add excessive bends or turns. Duct work is relatively cheap, do the job right.
posted by wkearney99 at 2:42 PM on February 20, 2010

The whole turning off the water thing is there to cover their ass. If the water hoses burst it will make one hell of a mess. So them telling you to turn it off after every use gives them a legal 'out'. Few if any people do this. I only turn mine off when leaving the house for an extended time (like for vacations). But then I also replace my hoses every three years or so whether they need it or not. Cheap insurance against the horrendous mess of a massive water leak.

And on a related tangent, don't let your water pipes bang when spigots are shut off. It's called water hammer. Left unchecked it can lead to breaks in the pipes. It's pretty simple to counteract by adding a relatively inexpensive water hammer arrestor. I've got a pair of them (1 hot, 1 cold) on my washer water lines and it completely eliminated the pipes banging as the washer turned the water on/off. Better safe than sorry.
posted by wkearney99 at 5:41 AM on February 21, 2010