Portable washer and dryer: Haier HLP21N 6.6-Pound Pulsator Wash with Stainless Steel Tub

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Product Details

Product Dimensions: 20 x 20 x 32.5 inches ; 43 pounds
Shipping Weight: 63 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
ASIN: B0002KXMT4
Item model number: HLP21N

Price : $259.95

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Perfect for a small apartment or dorm room, this compact pulsator washing machine will help save on money and time wasted at the laundromat. The machine's 1-1/5-cubic-foot stainless-steel tub holds up to 6-3/5 pounds of laundry, and it connects to the kitchen sink in just five steps thanks to the included quick-connect sink adapter. Even more, the washer's smart technology and electronic controls allow for selecting the wash setting and water level to ensure a perfect load every time. Choose from three water levels based on the size of the load--save water by choosing a lower level for smaller loads. The unit's standard wash cycles include normal, heavy duty, whites, soak, and delicate; its special wash cycles include hand wash, sanitary, and unique or exclusive. The washing machine delivers a maximum spin speed of 740 rpm and its cycle status lights, estimated time-remaining display, and end-of-cycle signal provide added convenience. Other thoughtful details include a removable lint filter, a side strap for easy mobility, and an adjustable leveling leg to balance the machine if it rests on uneven ground. Fill and drain hoses come included. The washing machine measures 17-1/4 by 17-19/32 by 29-29/32 inches and carries a one-year warranty.
This portable washer's smart technology allows you to pick the wash setting and water level, giving you a perfect load every time. This portable washer also offers electronic controls, 3 water levels, 3 wash cycles, end of wash cycle signal, removable lint filter and adjustable leveling leg. The quick connect sink adapter is also included.

Product Features

Compact pulsator washing machine for a small apartment or dorm room
1-1/5-cubic-foot stainless-steel tub holds up to 6-3/5 pounds of laundry
Electronic controls for selecting the wash setting and water level
Connects to the kitchen sink; fill and drain hoses and sink adapter included
Measures 17-1/4 by 17-19/32 by 29-29/32 inches; 1-year warranty

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Customer Reviews

I estimate that I have used this washer for 4 loads each week since buying from J;R in early October, 2006. I live in a studio in New York and bought this one because (1) it has a sink adapter, which the front-loading 14.3-lb model didn't seem to include and (2) at 17.5 inches wide/deep, it fit through my bathroom door, which the front-loading 14.3-lb model (at 20.5 inches wide) wouldn't.
Out of the box, you have to install an included metal pan at the bottom. Install it so that it is convex: there's a reason that the legs are so high. One of the problems I had during installation was that one of the screws holding this metal pan to the body comes very close to a clamp holding the gooseneck drain tube as it exits the body. The clamp had fallen out of position, and the end of the screw is close to where the clamp goes. I don't think I was ever in danger of puncturing the drainage tube, but it's something to watch out for.
You need a place to hang the drainage tube, between 31.5 and 40 inches high. The machine cannot fill the tub with water to a height above the maximum height of the drainage path.
On my first two loads, I made a puddle of water on the ground. There were two reasons for this: the first time, the water supply hose was not tightened sufficiently at the machine end, and water dribbled out and behind the machine until I figured out what was going on. With that tightened (I used a wrench), there was no leak. On my second load, I put in too many clothes (more about that later) and there was a water-resistant nylon jacket on top. Just before the very first spin cycle, some water was cupped on that jacket and did not drain out with the wash water. When the tub started to spin, that water came out. I never loaded that many clothes into the washer again, and haven't had any spills since.
During a normal wash cycle, the machine does the following steps three times: fill, agitate, agitate, drain, spin, drain, spin, drain, spin. The second and third iterations are called the "rinse" cycle. Often, the water out of the drain is still bubbly after the second spin. (I use a quarter capful or less of All no-fragrance 3x liquid concentrate.) So, I run another rinse cycle. If the machine detects an unbalance condition during a spin, it will stop, fill the tub with water, and agitate in an attempt to redistribute the clothes before draining and spinning again. I think the machine does this two or three times before giving up and beeping ten times to alert the user of the unbalance condition.
During the agitation process, this machine tends to intertwine long or extended parts of clothing --- shirt sleeves and socks --- into braid-like knots, which often trigger the unbalance condition during the subsequent spin. For example, when I wash four or five long-sleeved shirts together, I always have to untie and separate two or three of the shirts where the sleeves have been twisted together. I think good washing is where the wash water can touch every surface of the clothes, and being tied together prevents this. These problems probably would not happen with a front-loading washing machine.
What is the capacity of this washer? Well, I would say:
2 bath towels; or
2 pairs of jeans or pants; or
2 sweatshirts and 1 pair of sweat pants; or
4 long-sleeved oxford shirts; or
6 small-size undershirts; or
8-12 medium-size boxer underwear.
That's at the "high" water level. You may be able to load more than that, but I think the clothes won't get as clean, and the machine will probably reach more unbalance situations.
I once tried to wash a terrycloth robe. The robe fit in the tub, but the machine always got to an unbalance condition when it tried to spin. I think it's sort of like trying to run a centrifuge with only one tube. Sometimes after the spin cycle I find a sock or a shirt stretched across the middle of the tub, instead of having been thrown centrifugally against the tub walls.
Using my DSC-P71 digital camera in the multi-burst 30 frames-per-second mode and a light and a dark shirt in the washer, I estimate the initial spin at 450 rpm (light shirt passed once every 4 frames) and a final spin at 780 rpm (light shirt passed about 6.5 times in 0.5 seconds - about once every other frame). If I hang the clothes in my studio (not in the bathroom), then they dry in about one day or less, depending on the humidity. It takes much longer if I hang them in the bathroom.
Update (November 2007): This machine is still running. After a year, here are my comments:
After getting tired of the drain tube clamp falling out, I made two small wedges out of a folded-up credit card to hold the clamp in place.
I made a third spill (and this one was a big one): once, the gooseneck drain hose came apart from the U-shaped drain-pipe hook. So, now I check that connection every week or so.
I always run an extra rinse cycle (or two). If I have time, during the spin cycles, I lower the drain tube to allow more sudsy water to drain out. (This is a high-maintenance tactic, though --- it can lead to floods if you're not careful.) Some types of clothes absorb and retain more water (and detergent) than others, and my skin is better after more of the detergent is rinsed out. You can take just-washed clothes from a standard washing machine and re-rinse them here to check how much detergent is left.
Update (April 2008): In the past two months, I have had two more major spills. Both times, it seems that the water-level sensor got stuck and failed to tell the inlet valve to shut off. When this happens, the water overflows the tub and comes out the bottom of the machine. (Usually, you hear a click when the water level is reached, and then the valve shuts off; but in these cases, the first click never occurs.)
Now that I live in an apartment building with a good laundry room, I use this washer mostly for small items: socks, underwear, undershirts.
Update (April 2009): It turned out that the water-level sensor had failed. The sign of impending failure is that the sensor will sometimes fail to close the valve when set to "high", but will always close at "low" and "medium" water levels. Then, "medium" will stop working and the valve will only close when the water level is set to "low". Since the manufacturer's warranty had expired, I had the part replaced under my credit-card-based extended warranty program. Haier suggested two authorized repair operators; one of them said that they didn't service this model. The other did, and charged $85 (diagnostic service call) plus $60 (labor) plus $21.52 (part). The part had to be ordered and took about five weeks (!) to arrive.

I've saved a lot of money using this rather than paying the apartment common wash fee. I would buy it again if nothing was better on the market, but there are a few cons that you should know about, and a few tips I'll share at the end of the review:
- You can't really leave the apartment while running it. The water outflow hose can come loose and water can dump into your bathroom. See tips.
- You can't run it at "high" water level. Leave it on "medium". My best guess is that the water sensor works like a "brita" filter -- it counts spins of a water-wheel to estimate the amount of water in the tub. This is not very accurate and on the "high" setting, the tank will overflow and dump water on the floor.
- It often requires intervention once during the wash cycle. It stops and reports an unbalanced load, which can start an endless fight to rebalance the wash. It's not an overfill issue -- it's a pure balance issue. This happens on 30% of my loads. See tips for trick to combat.
- Capacity is small. I went from doing 3 loads of commercial washer to 5-6 loads in this unit. (I am now a total hang-dry convert -- clothes last a lot longer than running in the drier, and saves money.)
- Haier support is poor -- I called because the inflow gasket leaked a bit, and they said it was easier to return the unit than to send me a new 50 cent gasket. Over time, the leak seems to have sealed itself.
Tips I can relay from using this washer for six months:
+ A lot of people install the bottom plate incorrectly. It is quiet if you install the bottom plate so that the bulge faces OUT toward the floor. This is non-intuitive and poorly documented, and the screw holes aren't perfect.
+ Trick to prevent endless unbalances: When the washer comes unbalanced in spin cycle (50% of my loads), there is a trick to avoiding the endless re-rinse, re-spin cycle that can follow. You should turn off the water, turn off the machine, re-balance the laundry, turn on the machine, and force the machine into SPIN-ONLY by pressing the program button four times. This will save you lots of time.
+ Buy a cheap water flood detector for peace of mind. There is cheap cute one called a LeakFrog. Put this on the floor. Now, I can run the wash without worrying about a flood. (This saved me once when outflow tube untied itself.)
+ Buy a "5 gallon paint strainer mesh" to collect lint and avoid drain clogs -- rubber band it to the outflow. (These are a couple bucks at the hardware store and are normally used to filter paint before going into a sprayer.) You will be amazed at the amount of lint that collects in these meshes. If you don't have one of these, you may clog your tub drain, requiring a service call. (This happened in my building.)
Sum-up: Not perfect, but I'd buy it again because of the money savings.