Appliance shopping, dryer division...

Earlier this spring, my dryer puked - again. This time it was the heating element.

So, seeing as I live in the woods, I hung the wash on my clotheslines.

Now that there's snow on the ground, that's not quite an option at this point. My repair guy is MIA, and since the dryer is more than 18 years old, I'm looking at a new one.

I found a Hotpoint dryer at Home Depot in my price range - conversion kit included (I have propane) and free delivery. Can anyone tell me if they've had good luck with that brand?

(I'm very much against getting another gas dryer, but I would have to have the electrician come and rewire my laundry area to put in an electric dryer.)

 

A few of us on this board are full enough of hot air to replace the work your dryer once did.

Seriously, though, I got a Kenmore washer/dryer the last time I needed those appliances. No problems whatsoever. My grandparents had HotPoint IIRC and they didn't have complaints or issues.

 

I sold appliances for a couple of months in the mid-90s. Hotpoint is General Electric's "value priced" line of appliances. For all intents and purposes a Hotpoint appliance is identical to a GE appliance save for the name. Sort of like how Panasonic could charge you an extra fifty bucks for a receiver by putting Technics on it.

Pretty much every apartment I've lived in has Hotpoint appliances. I'm sure the other apartment-dwellers on here can vouch for their proliferation. I tend to not move very often. I've never had to have an appliance changed in any apartment I've lived in so I'd say that Hotpoint appliances are good for at least five years.

If you're considering having your laundry room rewired to accommodate an electric dryer then a Hotpoint gas dryer will likely be a good purchase. It'll permit you to dry your laundry till you decide to go electric. You can always sell the gas dryer or donate it to charity when that time comes.

 

Mrs. Bubbler and I have had the Kenmore 80 series for nearly a decade now. Never had a single problem ... and we got the washer and dryer used.

 

I bought my first w/d two months ago from Home Depot. Went with the Admiral, which is the Maytag/Whirlpool value line, when it was on a huge special. Got both for under $600 delivered and installed. I love them.

 

When the washer died a couple years ago (the mate to the now-defunct dryer which the hubby and I bought right before we got married) I bought a Kenmore front-loader. I've been less than impressed. I had to call for service when it was still under warranty, and I wound up calling and reaming them because the repair guy, who was supposed to show up in the A.M., didn't show up till 9 p.m. at night. That was after I called to raise holy heck because they weren't going to show up for THREE WEEKS! Hanging wash is one thing, hand-washing clothes? I don't think so! (The distance to the nearest laundromat makes it a necessity to have a washer and dryer at home.)
My Kenmore washer has also been known to eat clothes - there are times I pull out a t-shirt or pants and a part of it is destroyed. I know it's getting caught, but how and where is STILL a mystery. (And no, I don't overload it.)
It makes me sad, because all our appliances were Kenmore growing up and they seemed to last and last and last...

Well, I stopped by Home Depot before heading home from work last night, they didn't have the Hotpoint dryer on display, but I can order it and have them deliver it - free of charge and they will take the old dryer away, free of charge.

I'm thinking I'll be ordering one today...

 

Since you have snow on the ground, I can assume you don't live aywhere close to my house. I actually have a dryer in the garage that'll be going on Craigslist whenever I finally get around to it. We had a Hotpoint a while back. It did okay until the heating element crapped out on us after about five years. The one I'm going to unload is a Roper (Hotpoint for the Whirlpool brand). After the washer crapped out, we got a great deal on a couple of Samsung frontloaders. Things do the laundry almost too fast.

 

K, after further review, now I'm leaning more towards the Amana. The Hotpoint doesn't have an "end of cycle" buzzer.

I have got to make up my mind.

Expendable, the snow has melted (for now, haha). I have clothes hanging on the line right now as I type. But later this week? Probably will snow again...

 

Rosie:

I've got a Hotpoint gas dryer that we've had for 19 years. I've had to replace a couple switches on it (did 'em myself--repairclinic.com is great!) but no other problems. So it's been reliable. My only thing is that I vowed I'd never buy another GE appliance after I got ripped off by their factory repair guy once. Obviously, I don't do factory service anymore. I've got to say though that the thing just keeps on chugging away.

Our washer is an Amana we bought the week we moved into our new house nine years ago after the twin to the dryer started gushing water. We've had the service guy out once on the washer, about a year ago because the bearings went out or something.

 

Here's the Amana I'm looking at...

http://www.amana.com/laundry/dryers/6_5_cu__ft__traditional_gas_dryer_ngd4800vq.pro

 

BTW, my dryer -- which I took copious second-guessing for on a thread for actually fixing myself -- is still GOING STRONG months later.

rb