Front Loader or Top Loader Washing Machine for a Caravan?

Front Loader or Top Loader Washing Machine for a Caravan?

Which washing machine should you get? A top loader or a front loader? A lot comes into play when making this decision such as space, layout, water consumption and capacity.

SPACE & LAYOUT

In our previous 3 large caravans (all 22.6) we’ve had top loading washing machines and they worked really well for us. At first I was hesitant to change to a front loader, but I’m so glad I did! The top loader did a great job, but it used a lot of water and took up too much space for our liking. We had ours located in the ensuite under the bench. Our washing basket used to sit on top of the bench and our rubbish bin sat on the floor in front of the cupboard door that was hardly ever opened as the washing machine was behind it.

With our current van we went with the NCE wall mounted 3k washer/drier machine and absolutely love it. Because we chose to wall mount, we gained enough space in our ensuite to add a slide out rubbish bin, a large cupboard that holds our dirty clothes basket and a lot of other things plus a smaller drawer. We have nothing on the floor anymore as the rubbish bin is hidden and we gained bench space that we can use for our air fryer and thermomix etc. Sure, we had the same bench space with the top loader but every time we wanted to use the machine, what was on the bench would have to come off.

WATER CONSUMPTION & CAPACITY

We found the top loader would use 50+ litres for a medium wash and 70+ for a full wash. You could do a wash and then stop it before it drained the water and add more clothing, and you could also fill the machine with water from a river or lake etc outside, but generally speaking, it used a lot of water. We could wash all the bedding in 2 loads in the top loader but as yet haven’t tried it in the front loader. I think we could do it over 3-4 loads but we prefer to use laundromats for the big stuff where possible.

The NCE uses less than 9 litres on a quick wash, which is the only cycle we use when off grid. I always do an extra spin cycle as it doesn’t do it very well on the quick wash. I can’t remember how much it uses for a full wash, but it’s not much! We can do 3 (quick) loads of washing and use less than 30 litres of water. To do a similar wash in the top loader we would use almost double the water.

NOISE

People often ask how noisy the wall mounted machine is which is a fair question! It spins quite fast, the van definitely moves and it is a little loud, but it only last for about 2 minutes on the spin cycle and is not an issue at all. If it gets out of balance, it can be quite loud but the machine re-balances itself which is pretty handy! The top loader also used to be very loud and jump around a lot on the spin cycle if there were heavy items like towels or jeans and the machine was imbalanced.

DRIER FUNCTION

As a drier, the NCE is very handy, but doesn’t work like a traditional drier. It’s more of a ‘finisher’ and has a 1kg capacity.  As a test, we tried drying a hoodie straight after being washed and it took 10 hours which was fine as we were plugged into power. Generally, we use it more to finish things off if they don’t quite dry completely, or for small items. It was a Godsend when we were at the Gold Coast Holiday Park for a few weeks visiting family and it rained every day! We would hang the clothes on the Slide n Dry Pegless clothesline under the awning to partly dry and then finish them off in the drier for the remainder of the day or at night. As we were plugged into power, it was simple. Would I suggest a washer drier to everyone? No. I don’t think it is necessary, but it has definitely come in handy for us on a few occasions.

POWER CONSUMPTION

As I mentioned before, this didn’t start out as a comprehensive comparison, it was originally going to be a comparison of water consumption. Because of this I have no idea how much the top loading machines draw. In our last van we had 720w of solar and 400ah in lithium and power was never an issue – and that’s all the current power info I have on the top loader. But I can throw a few stats at you about our front loader from the load that I’ve completed right now. We have to keep in mind that the solar was pumping in and we have 600ah of Enerdrive lithium BTec batteries.  On a quick wash while the water is being pumped in, it draws between 14 and 22 amps. During the washing part of the cycle it draws about 7. This is looking at the common loads so anything else that is drawing power is included (nothing else large was running). At the end of the cycle not even 1% of our battery was depleted. From our very rough calculations we figured out that it uses about 10 amps per hour on average.

After reading this post and watching the video, I hope you have a bit more of an idea on what washing machine will best suit your caravanning experience. No matter what you choose, I’m sure just getting away in the caravan will be enough to make you smile!

7 Day Menu Plan. How We Shed Those Few Pesky Kilos During Lockdown Without Exercising!

7 Day Menu Plan. How We Shed Those Few Pesky Kilos During Lockdown Without Exercising!

OK, so we don’t actually know how many kilos we’ve lost as we don’t carry scales with us, but what we know we have lost are a few double chins, a couple of muffins tops, some back blubber and the bad moods from being ‘frumpy’.

We have been on the road full time since October 2020 and keeping on top of the healthy lifestyle has been challenging, but, with a little pre-planning you can keep on top of it!

We have been in lock down in Coober Pedy for 7 days. 7 DAYS! (Today is our last day). And to make it worse, the weather has been extremely average making exercise almost impossible. The winds have been howling to the point where Chris is starting to lose his mind. You know those people who can’t handle windy days? Well, he’s one of them. And we aren’t talking the occasional gusts here and there, we are talking incessant howling winds of about 40km that continue all day and right through the night. We had one day in the middle where it calmed a bit and I raced outside and squeezed in 15 minutes of a workout before being forced back into the caravan.

Cranky Chris hates the wind! 😂

And if I’ll be really honest, I’ve been sitting in front of this computer smashing out what I can while we are forced to sit still. I’ve walked to the amenities twice: once to take a long shower and wash my hair and once to use the loo when Chris went to dump ours. I’ve also walked to the laundry 4 times, and that’s it.

Cups of herbal tea in between meals are great!

 So how, during this time, have we both managed to shed the blubber? Food. That’s how! As soon as we heard we were in lock down, we decided that this was it. Well, we’ve been saying that for a while now, but this was it for real!  This is the time we actually got back to eating how we used to eat all the time. No snacking on junk, no carby wraps (gluten free or not) and no ‘just this time’. No compromise at all. We have been low carb/keto for the entire time and I’m going to share with you exactly what we ate on what days and when. You can copy what we did, modify it to suit your lifestyle or just laugh at us for not eating sugar! What you do with this info is up to you, but let me just say, it hasn’t been hard at all, and we feel 100% better.

Bacon and eggs with all the extras – loaded with butter!

The food. What you put into your body matters, it really does! We have been 100% gluten free this week. No exceptions. Reduced dairy, but not entirely dairy-free. Drinking lots of water and no alcohol (I don’t drink but Chris usually does. This time he has had just one beer). We eat a high (healthy) fat diet so we add butter to almost everything. Avocado and coconut oils are also common ingredients in my cooking. We add oils to salads and avocado is often added to meals. And this week, we’ve had crepes every single night. I just make a big batch whenever we run out! Usually I menu plan, but not this week. It was just grab the ingredients I know are healthy and make what I can using them. If we eat the same meal twice – so be it!

Chris has a black coffee every morning (sometimes he uses the coffee machine and sometimes he has COFFEE SWITCH) and I have a shake with my supplements in it. I also have a shake before bed. I have trouble sleeping and I have adrenal issues. My night shake with Adrenal Switch really helps with this.

SWITCH NUTRITION PRODUCTS: You can use our discount code ADUCREW on all products at https://switchnutrition.com.au/. I have been having this same shake for over 6 years now. I worked with my naturopath over many years to find out what my nutritional deficiencies are and take supplements to suit. Some are powders and those are what I add into my shake. You don’t have to do this, but it’s a good idea to find out if you have any deficiencies and address them 😁

 

What’s in my shakes:

SNACKS:

We haven’t been snacking much, but when we do it’s:

  • Boiled eggs (I ‘boil’ these in my air fryer!)
  • Salami or a few twiggy sticks
  • Soft cheese (gouda, havaarti, brie, camembert etc)
  • Nuts (not peanuts)
  • Cucumber rounds (used like crackers) with deli meat/soft cheese
  • Cottage cheese with avocado

I’ve been drinking my supplement shake for over 6 years!

 7 DAY MENU

what we ate during lock down and when

 

I’ve kept things really simple. No fancy recipes and nothing that takes too long (aside from the crepes). Of course meal times vary a little but this gives you a rough idea.

DAY 1.

Breakfast. None. Chris had a coffee, and I had my usual supplements shake.

12:30 pm Lunch. Bacon, eggs, halloumi and ½ an avocado each.

5:30 pm Dinner. Crack Slaw.

7:00 pm Dessert. Gluten Free Crepes.

DAY 2.

Breakfast. None. Chris had a coffee, and I had my usual supplements shake.

12:30 pm Lunch. Leftover Crack Slaw.

5:30 pm Dinner. Air Fryer Chicken Thighs with steamed bok choy, broccolini and zucchini.

7:00 pm Dessert. Gluten Free Crepes.

DAY 3.

Breakfast. None. Chris had a coffee, and I had my usual supplements shake.

12:30 pm Lunch. Bacon, eggs, halloumi and ½ an avocado each.

5:30 pm. Dinner. Leftover Air Fryer Chicken Thighs with steamed bok choy, broccolini and zucchini.

7:00 pm Dessert. Gluten Free Crepes.

DAY 4.

Breakfast. None. Chris had a coffee, and I had my usual supplements shake.

12:30 pm Lunch Bacon, eggs, halloumi and ½ an avocado each.

5:30 pm. Dinner. Air Fryer Frittata.

7:00 pm Dessert. Gluten Free Crepes.

DAY 5.

Breakfast. None. Chris had a coffee, and I had my usual supplements shake.

12:30 pm Lunch. Steak with butter and Green Salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.

5:30 pm. Dinner. Coconut Lamb Curry with Cauliflower Mash.

7:00 pm Dessert. Gluten Free Crepes.

DAY 6.

Breakfast. None. Chris had a coffee, and I had my usual supplements shake.

12:30 pm Lunch. Leftover Coconut Lamb Curry with Cauliflower Mash.

5:30 pm. Dinner. Lamb Chops with Brie Cheese and 2 fried eggs.

7:00 pm Dessert. Gluten Free Crepes.

DAY 7.

Breakfast. Chris was hungry so he had a coffee and 2 hamburger patties (with butter). I had my usual supplements shake.

12:30 pm Lunch. Leftover Coconut Lamb Curry with Cauliflower Mash.

5:30 pm. Dinner. Sausages and steamed bok choy, broccolini and zucchini (with heaps of butter)

7:00 pm Dessert. Gluten Free Crepes.

 

CREPE TOPPINGS: (these are what we have)

  • strawberries
  • blueberries
  • dairy free cream (or normal cream)
  • butter
  • Natvia NO SUGAR syrup (I love the caramel Chris loves the chocolate!)
  • Nuttvia Hazlenut Spread
  • lemon juice and Sukrin icing sugar

 

And there you have it! This is what we ate during our lock down in Coober Pedy. As your body starts to adapt, you will find yourself craving less food and generally being less hungry. When we are in the ‘rythm’, it isn’t uncommon for us to not eat lunch until 2:00 and Chris sometimes does 24 hours fasts. We both love intermittent fasting and what it does for our health. Women do need to be careful with hormones though, so don’t push past the 15 hour mark without some sort of fat (I have a tsp of coconut oil).

I (Miriam) am a certified nutrition coach and personal trainer. That’s how I know stuff 😉

 Lambert’s Geographical Centre of Australia. Snapped just a few days before SA lock down!

DISCLAIMER:

Please check with your GP before commencing any new diet plan. This is just what we did and can’t guarantee it will work for you.