One for home appliances experts (boring, I know... Sorry!)

[MapisM]

I'm pretty sure that jfm mentioned in the past (though I couldn't find the thread) that he dismantled and reassembled a washing machine and/or a dryer to install it/them in an utility room.
The internal steel drum being the largest single bit, but small enough to pass through the small boat doors.

Now, I might be soon faced with the same problem, but after a few phone calls to the technical assistance of the brands which SWMBO would approve, I keep hearing that in modern machines the external "cubic" shell is in one piece rather than single panels bolted, or that there is an internal "U" shaped structure in one piece, with basically the same size of the external box (in Miele machines, fwiw).

Now, is anybody aware of machines that can still be taken apart completely?
Or am I missing some trick in what jfm said to have done?

 

[BartW]

thats indeed very boring P

last week we have lowered the shelf where our washing machine sits on,
in order to get the machine much more easy in and out, (winch and transom stairs sat in its way, )
machine must soon be replaced but prefer to buy in B or Italy instead of Montenegro....

sorry can't help you with your Q,
you must have considered all options for a bigger door.

 

[vas]

at home I have a 45cm wide top loading washing machine, not due to size restrictions but the ease at loading and unloading without bending to your knees. Cannot imagine NOT having 45cm to fit a washing machine unless you want a dryer (which is indeed only 60cm wide)

ah, to answer your Q, most modern appliances do indeed feature a plastic monococ frame (assume cost and speed...), so doubt it would work unless you are missing 20-30mm

V.

 

[Keith-i]

The last few domestic machines I've had the pleasure of owning or trying to repair have had single piece cases and quite a lot of framework inside. These include Miele, Bosch and Zanussi

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

The original thread was about dismantling a tumble drier to get it into the utility room on a Fairline Squadron 58; iirc Jfm did this a couple of times on his own two Sq 58's, and then led the way when we did it for A&K's Sq 58. We basically took all the screws out of the casing so that we could turn the cube of the appliance into a sort of parallelogram, constrained only by the size of the drum. It then fitted through the narrow doorway to the utility room, where we put it all back together.

I would suggest going to a big white-goods shed where they have all these machines on display and just have a poke around the back of them - if there are lots of screws in the back of the casing, you might have a chance.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

And I think this was the original thread that you had in mind:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?188252-In-build-sort-of-pics-of-Sq58-long-lots-pics

 

[MapisM]

Cannot imagine NOT having 45cm to fit a washing machine unless you want a dryer (which is indeed only 60cm wide)

Yep, the idea was to fit both washing and drying machines.
The problem is the access to the crew/utility area, which is through a 42cm door.
Could become 45 or so by removing the door frame, but I wouldn't fancy risking to ruin the very nice woodwork.
As I understand, that's the very same problem jfm had with the Sq58.

 

[Seastoke]

you could try on a narrow boat forum as they have more washing machines

 

[MapisM]

We basically took all the screws out of the casing so that we could turn the cube of the appliance into a sort of parallelogram, constrained only by the size of the drum. It then fitted through the narrow doorway to the utility room, where we put it all back together.

Let me check if I understood correctly: do you mean that after removing the front and rear panels, the remaining structure (bottom, sides and top) is in one piece but is flexible enough to be "squashed" a bit, hence making it narrower? And if so, do you remember the brand by chance?
I had a look at the old thread (that's the one I had in mind, thanks!), but from the pics I can't understand what models/brand were used for the installation.

 

[Phildorset]

This isn't aimed at you MapisM... I get the impression that you know what you need & will make good use of it.
But on the same topic; the guys who did my winter boat maintenance rather enjoyed telling me the story of a couple who spent circa £10k having the rear of their boat cut open, and then rebuilt, to enable a washer dryer to be installed in the crew cabin. Apparently the boat was sold a few years later... and the machine hadn't yet been used. Nice extra for the new owners I guess - until it needs replacing!

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Let me check if I understood correctly: do you mean that after removing the front and rear panels, the remaining structure (bottom, sides and top) is in one piece but is flexible enough to be "squashed" a bit, hence making it narrower? And if so, do you remember the brand by chance?
I had a look at the old thread (that's the one I had in mind, thanks!), but from the pics I can't understand what models/brand were used for the installation.

Iirc we took all the panels off, and then the remaining chassis could be parallelgrammed down to allow it to fit through the door. I don't recall the brand but it might be worth a pm to A&K.

 

[MapisM]

This isn't aimed at you MapisM... I get the impression that you know what you need & will make good use of it.
But on the same topic; the guys who did my winter boat maintenance rather enjoyed telling me the story of a couple who spent circa £10k having the rear of their boat cut open, and then rebuilt, to enable a washer dryer to be installed in the crew cabin. Apparently the boat was sold a few years later... and the machine hadn't yet been used. Nice extra for the new owners I guess - until it needs replacing!

Luckily, destroy and rebuilt the boat to install some appliances is something swmbo wouldn't even dream of asking!
Just trying to explore the options available with reasonable effort/cost... :encouragement:

 

[A&K]

Hi Mapism, the tumble drier we took apart and put back together was a Siemens one. Thanks again to JtB, JFM and team! How many screws did we have left over Jimmy? ��

 

[MapisM]

Good to know, thanks.
By chance, do you remember to which sort of minimum size you've been able to reduce the thing?
Or in other words, through what door width were you able to pass?

 

[Freebee]

I solved this problem by buy a half load machine which is smaller, white knight make them,

 

[A&K]

Not off the top of my head I'm afraid. It was the gap that gets you down into the utility room in an old shape Sq 58 if you can get on one or anyone else can measure. It's a pretty small gap though. 80cm wide maybe? I probably wouldn't have thought it would work had jfm not already done it!

 

[MapisM]

Yep, I know what you mean 'cause I've been on the Sq58 and also inside her best in class utility room.
I just wasn't sure about the width of the passage, but that's bound to be much less than 80cm, otherwise the machine could have gone through as a whole.
No matter thought, in the meantime swmbo is considering an alternative arrangement which she thinks might be acceptable... Fingers crossed!
Thanks everybody, anyway.

 

[jfm]

Hi M
On my Sq58 it was LG, and on A+K's it was Siemens. The LG has the advantage of a left sided door hinge (private joke!). In both cases the metal painted sides and top came off, and the bases were an injection moulded chassis, but we totally dismantled the thing and rebuilt it with self tapper screws. We didn't just parallogram it, we substantially dismantled it, although some pieces stayed connected (eg by wiring loom) and were threaded through the narrow door.

When buying both machines I looked in the shop and couple see they were held together with screws and could be dismantled.

In the Silver Dee refit 18 months ago we did this for both a tumble drier and a separate washing machine, both normal 60cm. I can't remember the brand but a typical brand like Whirlpool. We will be doing it again for the aquastar 74, maybe end of this year.

I wasn't aware that anyone is making these things nowadays in one single piece and I'm not convinced that is true. I just had a new Miele dishwasher delivered at home that I'll take out of the box this week and i'll take a look at its construction, but I would be amazed if these things don't come apart and fit through a narrow door

The door in Sq58 is 400mm btw

 

[MapisM]

Aha, I was guessing that there was a door nowhere near as wide as 80cm...
It's just a hair more than 40 in "my" boat (42), but that's it.
To open a larger passage, she should be destroyed... :ambivalence:

Looking forward to what you will find out at home with the Miele, TIA for reporting.
It was the first choice of S, so I rang their technical assistance, and they confirmed me that they do NOT have a single external shell as discussed before, but nonetheless there is an internal, "U" shaped cradle under the drum, which is just about as large as the overall machine.
Which stands to reason, considering their sheer weight...

 

[jfm]

Aha, I was guessing that there was a door nowhere near as wide as 80cm...
It's just a hair more than 40 in "my" boat (42), but that's it.
To open a larger passage, she should be destroyed... :ambivalence:

Looking forward to what you will find out at home with the Miele, TIA for reporting.
It was the first choice of S, so I rang their technical assistance, and they confirmed me that they do NOT have a single external shell as discussed before, but nonetheless there is an internal, "U" shaped cradle under the drum, which is just about as large as the overall machine.
Which stands to reason, considering their sheer weight...

yes but the u frame can be removed from the rest. Then the drum bearing unbolts from the frame, then you have thr drum loose, and everything in small enough pieces. Basically everything is held together by screws and click tabs, and nothing is "monocoque" in my experience.