Our new washer and dryer have arrived!
That means our old set is gone — and selling them on Craigslist worked out perfectly (thanks for buying them, Leslie Ann!). We were appliance-free for a few days, which you may have noticed in the video house tour.
By selling the old machines for $250, our already-discounted total dropped from $638 to $388. After adding the wall plug, the stacking kit, and taxes, our out-of-pocket was closer to $460, but we still feel great about the overall deal. It was fun to see so many of you take advantage of similar discounts, whether through a 20% off extra or the low advertised base price per machine.
Delivery and installation by Lowe’s mostly went smoothly. The crew forgot the stack kit — the bracket that secures the dryer on top of the washer — even though we ordered it on the same receipt. One installer had to return to the store, which added about 30 minutes to the process. The other installer used the wait to rest at our kitchen table (or at least he sounded like he was taking a short nap).
The Whirlpool Duets we chose offer higher capacity than our previous Duet Sports and have a slightly simplified control panel. That’s fine with us — as long as they clean and dry our clothes, functionality matters more than bells and whistles. So far they’ve performed well.
One oddity: our washer whistles when cold water pumps in. During the very first load it made a loud, high-pitched whistle whenever the cold fill was active. After trying to tweak the cold-water supply ourselves with no improvement, we called Whirlpool. A technician came out and explained that this isn’t uncommon and that a faulty supply valve inside the washer is the likely culprit. They’ve ordered the part and will return next week to replace it. Because the machines come with a manufacturer warranty for the first year, the repair is covered.
In the meantime, we’re constantly trying to tell whether the whistle is the washer or the tea kettle — they sound the same. We’ve also started dreaming up future built-in shelves beside the appliances and under the window for shoes, laundry supplies, and other mudroom-style storage. “Someday” is the operative word, but planning is half the fun.
Anyone else have appliance delivery wins or horror stories? We’d love to hear them — I’m sure someone can top ours.
UPDATE: Many readers asked whether my 5’2″ wife can reach the top controls, and requested a photo of her demonstrating it — so here you go:
It’s not a stretch for her at all — her arm isn’t fully extended and she’s not on tiptoe. Nice and reachable.
By the way, I got an email from Lowe’s about a 20% off sale on select Samsung appliances at $229 or more; they were offering the discount in-store and online with no coupon code. Just passing that along if anyone’s still shopping.
Final note: The repair team returned within a week and fixed the supply valve, eliminating the whistling. Problem solved — happy, quiet laundry sessions ahead.