Kenmore Washer and Dryer Review

My 20 year old dryer finally bit the dust and I decided to reduce my carbon footprint and not replace it.  After a month of drying laundry on every available pillar and post in my basement, I finally decided to check out dryers on the Internet.

I've never owned a Kenmore appliance, but my sister is a dedicated customer and all her appliances are either Kenmores or other brands purchased from Sears.  After checking out several websites I decided to go with Sears because in addition to carrying other name brand products they also had the Kenmore brand.  I liked he idea that I could shop for features in the comfort of my own home and then see the actual dryer in the bricks and mortar store.

I wanted a gas dryer with a large capacity.  My washer, which I replaced several years ago, was bigger than the dryer I had and it was annoying to have one wash load and then two dryer loads.  I also had a space issue.  The dryer was going into my basement, but my smallest door opening was 26.5". 

I wasn't really interested in anything fancy.  I just wanted a bare-bones machine that did the job.  The dryer I originally selected had no features and was $399.  It was basically an oven that tumbled clothes. 

The saleslady suggested this one (#78652).  It had a flat back so it would fit through the door.  It had several cycles and temperatures so I could accommodate thick terrycloth towels and permanent press shirts.  And, best of all, there was a 15% off promotion going on that brought the price of the dryer down to $399.  Of course the other dryer would also have qualified for the promotion and been even cheaper, but I decided to go with this one.

Sears will deliver and haul away your old dryer and their installation people will install the new one.  I was concerned because I didn't want to have to pay someone to disconnect the old dryer (delivery people are not allowed to do this) so it could be removed.  My salesperson arranged for the installation people to pickup the new dryer from the warehouse and deliver it so they disconnected and removed the old dryer, then installed the new one.  This was something that seemed difficult to set up on the website.

The installation people were very nice, but not as professional about delivery as the delivery team that delivered my refrigerator (separate review) and unpacked and hauled away the old appliance and all the packaging.  The dryer got scratched on the way into the house, but it was going into my basement so I decided not to make an issue of it.  They left the box saying they had no room in their small truck, but they were taking away the old dryer so I was happy.  My husband cut up the box and we put it out for the next recycling pick up.

After a few days, I noticed a gas smell in the basement. I used some dish detergent and found the joint above the shut off was leaking.  I took a little of the white Teflon paste from the new connection and smeared it over the spot and the bubbling stopped.  I called my plumber who suggested I call back the installation team.  The old dryer had been difficult to remove and he said they probably loosened the shut off cock when they disconnected the old dryer.  They returned immediately and were very apologetic.  They tightened all the connections including the shut off and told me to call again if there was a problem.  The installation is covered for one year.

I've had the dryer for close to a month now and it seems to do a nice job of drying the clothes.  I like the automatic moisture sensor and the timed cycles.  I turned off the end of cycle signal because you only hear it if you're down in the basement.  I like the location of the lint filter on top of the machine.

I didn't think I needed the drum light, but it does help you find those single dark socks that like to try to stay in for another ride.  I'm not quite sure what the Quiet Pak is about.  It seems to make the same amount of noise as my old machine, which wasn't bad considering its location.  All in all I'm satisfied with my purchase.