LG WKHC202HBA WashTower Review
A powerful washing stack combining a large washing machine and ventless tumble dryer
Verdict
The ultra-large capacity LG WKHC202HBA WashTower offers the ability to do larger loads efficiently while optimizing floor space in your laundry room. The stacked washer/dryer combo provides users with the most optimal technology and performance in its class. The ventless dryer eliminates the need for an exit air duct and gives more placement options, although it is a little slower than vented models.
Pros
- Takes up less floor space than two appliances
- Centralized control panel
- Efficient, ventless drying
- Dual steamers
Cons
- Ventless drying takes longer
- Complicated controls
- Inconsistent spin cycles
Key Features
- Washer and dryer towerThis stack contains a 4.5 cu. ft. washing machine (top) with a 7.2 cu. ft. tumble dryer (bottom).
- AppWorks with the LG ThinQ app for remote control and additional cycle downloads.
Introduction
Are you looking to upgrade your washer and dryer setup while increasing the laundry room’s floor space? The LG WashTower WKHC202HBA is a great choice.
This machine gives you a large washing machine and tumble drier in a convenient verticle stack. With high energy efficiency and AI capabilities, this stack gives excellent results.
Design
- Washer and dryer in one
- Sleek looks
Although a single product, LG WashTower WKHC202HBA is technically two products in one combined tower: a washing machine on top and a tumble dryer on the bottom. The tower looks great and only takes up as much floor space as a single washing machine.
Its sleek glass doors are scratch-resistant tempered glass complimented with chrome accents. At a glance, the doors almost look like the lenses of a camera. This gives the machine an artistic touch that would accent any room.
The controls are conveniently located between the washer and dryer on a central control panel. Since both the washer and dryer operate autonomously, several functions and programs exist for both machines, so it may be challenging for first-time users to navigate.
It may be confusing, especially if they don’t read the manual, so I suggest taking time to familiarize yourself with the control and reading the manual. I found the control panel thorough and straightforward; however, it took me some time to get used to how to operate it.
Since both machines operate autonomously, There are two power buttons, one for each machine. You fill a hidden dispenser just below the power buttons of both machines on the control board. This is quite convenient with its placement. You will find a liquid detergent tray to add your laundry detergent, softener, and bleach.
The washing machine has a small LED light that conveniently illuminates when the door is open. The brightness of the light was very helpful, especially if you need to sift through laundry last minute.
Washer Design and Features
- Steam option
- Works with LG ThinQ
The washer’s 4.5 cu ft ultra-large capacity can easily handle large loads where the standard stacked washer-dryer combos fall short. These washers offer sensory load cycles to optimize energy efficiency and conserve water. The built-in sensors use AI technology to detect load size and type of fabric.
It has a single Full Touch Electronic Control Panel with an LED Display. This control panel is conveniently located between the washer and dryer for ease of access without any strain (despite how vertically challenged you may be).
Equipped with LG’s ThinQ Care, it offers features like Smart Paring, which will share the washer’s setting with the dryer so the dryer knows the time and temperature to dry the load automatically.
Six washer programs exist (Bedding, Delicates, Downloaded, Heavy Duty, Normal, and Turbo Wash). On the other hand, if you wish to set a wash cycle manually, the LG WashTower offers ten different washing options for your specific needs. If you are pressed for time and need a load done as soon as possible, the Turbo Wash option allows the user to do a load in 39 minutes.
Both the washer and dryer utilize steam functions. For wash cycles, it incorporates allergen technology to rid articles of 95% of allergens such as dust, pet dander, and pollen from the laundry. This feature is excellent for those who have sensitivities or skin irritations. With this feature, you can rest assured that your laundry is thoroughly clean and sanitized.
You can also download settings for special garments via LG’s ThinQ app. Here, you will find an array of specific wash cycles for special washes.
The ThinQ app provides proactive, intelligent alerts to ensure your appliance runs smoothly. The app connects through wifi and also notifies you about the machine’s usage, maintenance, and the ability to remote start from your device and monitor wash or drying cycles.
Dryer Design and Features
- Can be automatically set by the washing machine
- Works with the LG ThinQ app
The dryer offers LG’s innovative dual inverter heat pump. What that means is that this dryer extracts the moisture while it recycles heated air. This system allows for more energy-efficient drying in contrast to other ventless dryers.
The ventless drying cycles run differently than conventional dryers. I found the machine to run slightly slower and noticed it overall being more quiet. Dry times are longer than vented dryers; however, LG’s dual inverter heat pump is incredibly energy efficient.
The average cost per cycle amounts to about $0.39 a load. Energy consumption was 1.71KW/h The dryer has a capacity of 7.2 cu ft and offers a good range of programmed and downloadable settings through the ThinQ app.
The steam function is ideal for various reasons. As I mentioned, steam integrated with the wash cycles will eliminate any allergens in the load. When utilizing steam with the dryer, you can quickly get wrinkles out of any clothing and sanitize articles that are difficult or too delicate to run through a wash cycle.
If you are like me and have a collection of raw selvedge denim you don’t want to ruin by putting it through a wash, you can sanitize any denim articles via ThinQ downloaded settings.
This app also applies to special garments, quilts, macrame, doilies, etc. You can easily clean or sanitize these hard-to-wash delicate articles with ease.
Washer Performance
- Removes Stains Thoroughly
- Energy Efficient
- Sensory Driven Cycles
I tested three different cycles for the washer. Normal, Heavy Duty, and Cold Wash. I found that loads cost $0.13 for the Normal Wash, with an energy consumption of 0.225 KWh. The spin cycle retained 33.88% of the water from the Normal Wash, which was good for cutting down on drying time.
I ran a test strip of stains. The Normal Wash cycle did a great job of lifting the stains, as you can see from the before and after shots below.
The Heavy Duty Wash Cycle cost $0.01 more at $0.14 with an energy consumption of 0.212kWh, which was slightly above the energy used for the Normal Wash. This cycle retained 46.38% of the water, indicating that the spin cycle didn’t remove as much as the previous cycle.
Now I ran the second set of test strips through the Heavy Wash Cycle. The Heavy Wash I ran did an even better job lifting the stains for the test strips, so is a good choice with heavily solid clothes.
Now, on to the Cold Wash cycle. This cost was the most economical at $0.08 for the load and energy consumption at .145 KWh, the lowest energy consumed by the three tests, the same as on the LG WT7400CV. Water retention for this cycle was highest at 60.96%. This means that tumble drying takes longer and costs more.
Even with the Cold Wash cycle, it did a good job removing the stains.
Dryer Performance
- AI Automated Smart Cycles
- Energy efficient
- Low in cost
I monitored how much energy was used for each drying cycle, to calculate the running cost, as well as the percentage of how much water from the wet load was removed.
The first drying cycle that was used after the Normai Wash was generated by LG’s AI Smart intelligence setting that already calculated how much time was needed for the load and the appropriate heat settings. I wanted to see how energy-efficient it was and how well it dried the load. Without having to manually choose a normai dryer setting, I simply just loaded the dryer after the wash and pressed start.
The result is that I calculated the average cost to dry a load (20lb aprox) was only $0.39 with 1.71 KWh of energy consumed for the cycle. The percentage of water that was removed was 104.24%, which means that some fibre loss occurred. Ideally, a figure of 100% or just below is better.
For the second test, I manually programmed the cycle to be less dry. This would be ideal for airing your clothes for a short while after. The energy used came out a slight difference of 1.69 KWh. The cost of this cycle ran to about the same price of $0.39. The percentage of water removed ended up being 97.44%, which is a little more gentle on the clothes. Essentially, the cost of either cycle will be no different for either cupboard dry or hanging dry, and far cheaper than with a vented dryer, such as the LG DLEX8900B.
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Should you buy it?
You want low running costs and smart integration
Excellent wash results and efficient tumble drying, combined with a single control panel, make this a great laundry room upgrade.
You only need to replace one appliance
If you only need a single washer or dryer, you’ll find it cheaper to buy just one appliance.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the AI-integrated LG WKHC202HBA WashTowers offers style, takes up less space than traditional separates, and energy efficient wash and dry cycles. Although drying times may be lengthy and controls a bit complex at first, the overall results are worth it.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every washer dryer we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
We test compatibility with the main smart systems (HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and more) to see how easy each machine is to remote control. Smart washing machines only.
We test each machine with the same stains to see which ones are best at cleaning.
We test with the same sets of clothes for each machine, run through a cycle on our test washing machine, so we can compare energy costs and drying performance between tumble dryers
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FAQs
The washing machine has a large 4.5 cu. ft. capacity, and the tumble dryer has a 7.2 cu. ft. capacity.
It lets you remote control the appliance and download additional cycles.
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
