It was dead when we purchased it. A yellow post it note stated: “Needs new fill valve”. It looked like it was at least 30 years old, if not original to the boat. And, Hatteras beautifully built it in with mahogany panel and trim. Getting to the back was a major operation. So, going through all that I decided replacing it was almost as much work and we’d have a fresh machine. Also, I decided to go to a combo unit which would free up some major space above for much needed storage.
From the forum I knew that it would not fit through any of the openings to get it to the dock, other than the forward hatch. (After removing some trim in some cases.) This of course required either 4 people or some mechanical lifting be it a crane/travel lift or a gantry setup on deck. As part of the winterization process I needed to run “pink” through the supply lines, so I had to get to the hoses in the back of the washer. When I found the little access panel that gave me a sort of peek into the world behind the unit I decided I might as well take it out now.
So, a lot of screws and careful demolition later the front trim was off and I could start inching it out of the hole.
Finally got it out and turned 90º. To get a decent grip I had to be forward of it and then couldn’t get past it so had to “escape” through the forward hatch. Like the fridge/dish washer the plan was to make little pieces I could easily carry out the door and to a dumpster.
So there we were with an empty closet. That is a LOT of space. going to do everything I can to optimize that!
So time for new. Settled on another stacker. Yes, combo would save me a lot of space but they don’t wash or dry as well. Plus, I ordered the wrong thing. I THOUGHT I ordered a combo, and a straight washer arrived. Didn’t realize it until it was in the boat. But, at 22-1/2″ it fit through all the door openings. It was meant to be. Ordered the dryer to go on top after that. Washer is Equator EW824-N. Dryer is Equator ED850-V They are available as a package.
Electric was another story. There were two hots and two neutrals on the old unit. Green ground wires were found cut back in the wire. Hmmmm. Both hots came from the 220V “Washer Dryer” breaker. Apparently those neutrals were not fused like everything else. The new units are 110V. I decided to drop the unused dishwasher wire down into the generator room and ran an extension to a new outlet behind the washer. No, you can’t run both at the same time now. There will be a placard stating that. The old heavy wire may come in handy for something else at some point. Whittled a nice flange for the dryer hose out of a $6 vent cap.
And here it is, all done with the pretty teak pieces to hold it all in place.
(Added some of the same flooring tiles as in the galley)
Lady Kay..... a series of boats. 