Can We Bring Our Washer And Dryer From The Us?

[cbonanni]

If you are shipping a container , you may buy 220v appliances in the US and ship down. There is a company , I think called 220v that sells them.

 

[Ries]

Most modern (say, made in the last 20 or 30 years ) electric motors are able to take at least a 10% variation in power, and in hz- Hz being the 50 cycles versus 60 cycles.
So an appliance that was actually a 220v, 60hz motor, should have no problem running on the power here. The motor may run slightly slower than in the USA, but that can be advantageous, as it doesnt get as hot.

As far as things like appliances, though, it depends if they have internal wiring that is 110 volts.
Ghost is a bit confused- he is correct, that his machine needed converting, but in the US, anyway, "2 cycle" refers to a very obscure and obsolete type of power that is only used in the Syracuse/Buffalo Ny area, and in Philly.

What he means is that, in the USA, 220 volts is usually derived from TWO hot, 110 volt wires. Hence, the 220 part of the washer gets its power from BOTH, and the 110 volt part- the electronic transformer, the lights, etc- get their power from ONE of the wires.
Here, in Argentina, we have ONE wire that is 220volts.
So, without a transformer, you cant split it and get 110.

Some brands of appliance use a small internal transformer to take the 110 down to 24 volts or so for the controls- and, theoretically, you could switch this for a 220 to 24 volt transformer- but it takes somebody who really knows what they are doing. Others use 110 more thru the appliance, and the conversion is even more complicated.
Could a really good electronics technician do this? of course. But the standard electrician here may have more trouble.

So, sure- its possible. But its gonna be a lot easier just to buy an expensive, high quality unit here- they are hard to find, but LG, and similar korean stuff is out there, particularly on mercado libre.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

I figured that the OP was talking about a gas dryer which uses a 120v electric motor to turn the drum and sometimes light the pilot burner. Don't bring an electric dryer here, the cost of the conversion Ries is talking about would far exceed the cost of having a gasista connect the dryer and gas is a much cheaper utility here.

 

[ghost]

There are outlets in Miami and Long Beach that sell pre converted appliances including dryers. But why bother. Electricity here is expensive. Bring a gas dryer. Plus you can easily sell it hen you leave.

 

[Ceviche]

what about Televisions bought from US. Do they work well here?

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[ghost]

Most of the newer TVs are made to run on either 110 or 220.

 

[hannstew]

what about Televisions bought from US. Do they work well here?

Call me Sheldon, was that sarcasm?

 

[steveinbsas]

I bought a used Ariston secarropas por aire (forced air) on mercadolibre in 2010 and it still works great, though I usually dry my clothes on a 15 meter line where the breeze is often strong enough to dry them very quickly, especially after using a secarropas centrifugo (high RPM centrifuge).

Here are a couple of used Ariston forced air dryers that are presently for sale on mercado libre:

http://articulo.merc...alor-y-frio-_JM

(a "steal" at $3000 pesos).

And here's another one that is priced at $4200 (the same model I have):

http://articulo.merc...l-impecable-_JM

Note: I had an Ariston washer/dryer combination that used high heat to dry clothes and I hated it!

This is the style of secarropas centrifugo that I use before line drying my clothes:

At 2800 RPM, the clothes are almost dry...and in spite of the high RPM, they are not "super wrinkled" after using it.

 

[rickulivi]

Not so fast . . . We had a Whirlpool washer/dryer in the States for 20 years, four kids, a housekeeper, and two parents. Worked beautifully but eventually died. Bought brand new Whirlpool set at Home Depot in 2012 and for some unknown reason also bought a five year extra warranty. Within three months the washer broke down; the repair man came out, fixed it and gave us a copy of a $500 bill, which the insurance co. paid. Two months later, the same new part broke again, and the service guy came out once more. Fixed it for another $500 parts and labor. Each time, of course, we ended up at the laundromat for the week it took to get the special part delivered.

For what the repair man was charging the insurance company, it should be cheaper to give me a brand new one but no, they can't do that. That would be too smart! Two months later, the washing machine broke down once more and this time I got fed up. Went out and bought a brand new one at Lowe's, but a GE model. This time I bought the warranty with gusto. Three months later, this one broke down too. The entire neighborhood heard me yelling in anger!!

Bought a new third one. We now use it with great care, and talk nicely to it. We are very gentle with it, and walk around it in tiptoes to avoid unsettling the machine.

Quality in good old USA is NOT was it used to be. But then maybe it's me. In Argentina I refused to buy an American brand, so I bought an LG. The first time we used it, the thing flooded our laundry room. Go figure!

Those laundromats looks really good to me. But I am really trying to persuade my wife that we would really be better off if she started washing by hand, like in the really good old days!

 

[ajoknoblauch]

In the Botánico, we have three cheap and quick but fine laundry services within a block of our apartment. I wouldn't even bother with washer and dryer.