Adding washer/dryer difficult?

[Don Bradner]

If you look back to march 21st in the posts here you will find my post about
installing a Splendide in our PT40.

Item 3 is very subjective, and the opinions about washer/dryers in motor homes
vary from "not on your life" to "indispensable." I think that "indispensable"
becomes more common for people who spend a lot of time in their coach, but it
isn't unanimous there.

In our case, my wife would not consider RVing without one. We installed one in
our first SOB (it was plumbed), and the next one had a factory install. When we
bought the PT-40 it was understood that getting a washer/dryer into it was a
requirement, and it could not be in an outside bay. I took it as a given that we
could manage it, but there were several times during the install when I
questioned whether it would be successful.

Since PT-40 interiors vary, I'm not now going to assume that it is always
possible to get one in.

In order to install one you need a space that is wide enough, deep enough, and
has access to water and sewer, either black or grey. You can see our coach
pictures at http://www.arcatapet.net/travel/wanderlodge.cfm and you will see
that we have a fairly common floorplan for a 90. I don't think there was any
choice but to use the closet across from the shower/tub. The back right corner
of that closet has a trace containing the vent for the blackwater tank (which
also takes all of the kitchen sink output - only shower and bathroom vanity flow
to grey water on this coach). Hot and cold water run along the floor behind the
bottom drawer beneath the closet.

The space measures out as "not enough" so the challenge was to make it enough.
Removing a full-height plywood block-stop from the back of the left-hand door
allowed the right door to open enough to get the unit in. Cutting off the trace
at the top of the unit allowed just enough front-back clearance when it was
pushed up against the vent pipe itself. Cutting a 16x16-inch hole in the closet
floor made it much easier to do the water plumbing, with the cutout portion
reinserted on top of cross-braces.

I did most of the grunt work except the plumbing, working with a local RV place.
Ended up with a bill around $1450, and I think it would have run at least $500
more if they had done it all. The end result is here:
http://www.arcatapet.net/travel/images/9...g_3922.jpg

It is a hard decision, and I don't know how to help you make it other than to
describe what I did.

The installation data sheet for the Splendide 2000S, with measurements, can be
found here: http://www.splendide.com/wd2000s_datasheet.pdf

The 2100 is bigger/better, but needs another inch front-to-back that we could
not squeeze out.

On 4/7/2007 at 8:06 PM Ryan Wright wrote:

>Hi folks,
>
>I've been thinking about picking up a PT-40 for awhile with the
>intention of living in it. As a result, the washer/dryer combo is a
>necessity - and I don't want it in the cargo bay, I'd like it up in
>the coach.
>
>Thing is, I've seen several nice coaches for sale that either do not
>have this option, or have it in the cargo bay. My questions are:
>
>1. How difficult/expensive would this be to add to a coach that didn't
>have it?
>2. How difficult/expensive to move one from the cargo bay?
>3. How useful is this washer/dryer unit, anyway? Does it typically work
>well?
>
>Thank you for your assistance.
>
>-Ryan
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

Don Bradner
90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"
Eureka, CA