LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower Review

Introduction

Stacking a tumble dryer on top of a washing machine is a common configuration in a utility room, either via a dedicated mounting kit or a shelf. It’s a good way to save space, while maintaining separate appliances, but it can be hard to operate and use the tumble dryer, which has to be stacked on top. The LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower fixes that: it’s a separate washing machine and tumble dryer, only the units are pre-stacked into one device, with a central control panel that runs across the front.

With automatic drainage for the tumble dryer and some clever automatic programming options, and neat app control, the LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower is a highly desirable device for those that want a neat, combined tower.

Design and Features

• Separate washing machine and tumble dryer
• The control panel runs across the middle
• Tumble dryer pre-configured with a drainage hose

The LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower is a tall device with a 12kg washing machine at the bottom and a 10kg tumble dryer on top. They’re presented as a single device and come pre-stacked in the tower configuration.

Turn the unit around and it’s clear from the side that the devices are actually separate, but cleverly fitted together into the tower configuration, sharing a control panel at the front.

It appears as though the two devices could be separated, which makes sense from a maintenance point of view.

At the rear, there are two plugs (one for the washer and one for the dryer), a water outlet and inlet for the washing machine, and a smaller water outlet pipe for the tumble dryer. It’s assumed, correctly, that as there’ll be water and drainage for the washing machine, there’s no need for the tumble dryer to have a tank, as water can be pumped straight out into your drain.

It’s slightly messy at the rear, but once you’ve connected all of the pipes and power cables correctly and pushed the tower back, you won’t notice.

LG does provide adaptors so that you can easily connect the washing machine and tumble dryer to the same drainpipe.

Placing the control panel in the middle of the unit makes a lot of sense, as you can program both devices without having to reach up to get to the tumble dryer. Both can be used separately, although the washing machine can cleverly be used with the Prepare to Dry option to pre-set the tumble dryer, with it pre-warming towards the end of a wash cycle.

The washing machine has a very large 12kg capacity, with a large door and a useful light that makes it easy to see what you’re loading and unloading.

For the washing machine, the cleaning options on the machine are a touch limited, and feel more like those on an American machine. There’s an option for Eco 40-60, EasyCare (for items that don’t need ironing), Cottons, Delicates, Quick Wash and Tub Clean. There’s also a Download option, which is a slot that can be programmed for an extra cycle via the LG ThinQ app.

With the ThinQ app, there’s complete remote control over the washing machine. Wash cycles can be sent to the LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower, but there’s only a remote start if enabled via the control panel, which is the same for all smart washing machines and is a safety feature.

There are multiple additional Cloud cycles via the app, which can be used via ThinQ or one can be saved to the washing machine via the aforementioned Download button.

There are some quite clever cycles in there, such as the Juice and Food Stain option, which uses increasing water temperatures to tackle all types of stains. It’s just a shame that these options aren’t available from the main control panel, as it does mean that the ThinQ app is a necessity to get the most out of the LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower.

Strangely, the app didn’t let me select any of the standard wash cycles using the app until I’d turned on Remote start; otherwise, these options can only be selected using the buttons on the front of the washing machine. The Download cycles can be selected and sent to the washing machine regardless of whether remote start has been enabled or not.

For each wash cycle, there’s a choice of temperature, TurboWash (this reduces wash time while maintaining cleaning quality), rinse level, wash intensity, and an option to use steam, which is good for hygiene and releasing the toughest of stains.

There’s a standard detergent drawer that pulls out and can take powder or liquid.

The tumble dryer on top, has a large door and it’s easy to load and unload thanks to the integral light inside.

There’s a standard lint filter in the door, which needs emptying after each cycle; the secondary filter at the condenser self-cleans, so you don’t have to manage this. I’ve not seen this as an option since I reviewed the Whirlpool W6 D94WR UK.

This tumble dryer also takes a flat rack that clips into place. This allows you to dry items that should be kept flat, such as jumpers and shoes. Drying can take longer and can be more expensive, as flat drying isn’t as efficient as tumbling, but it’s nice to have the option.

Using the tumble dryer is similar to the washing machine, with a selection of drying cycles available via the control panel, including Cotton, Easy Care, Mixed Fabric, Quick Dry, Delicates, Refresh and Condenser Care.

Again, the ThinQ app provides an additional selection of Cloud Cycles for special drying jobs, including Warm Air, Shoes, Rack Dry, Deoderization and Small Load. One of these cycles can be saved to the Downloaded slot on the control panel for fast access.

As with the wash cycles, I found that I couldn’t use the app to select any of the standard cycles that appear on the control panel until I’d enabled remote start.

Once a mode is selected, there’s a choice of drying modes between Cupboard (default), Extra and Iron. I could choose between the energy-efficient option or the Time option, which reduces drying time by using more energy.

Performance

• Excellent stain removal
• Good energy efficiency across the range of cycles
• Simple, quality drying

I started by testing the LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower’s wash performance, starting with my standard load of clothes, which weighs around 5kg. That’s an average load for the UK.

I found that the Eco 40-60 cycle cost around 25p to run (assuming an energy price of 24.5p per kWh), which is very good and shows that the LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower deserves its A energy rating. There are cheaper machines to run, such as the Haier HW110-BD14397U1, although this washing machine does have a slightly smaller 11kg drum.

With this cycle, my clothes came out just 34.02% heavier, which shows that the spin cycle did a very good job.

Wash performance was good, using my standard stain strip, which has the following stains (left to right): red wine, cooking oil, ketchup, orange juice and gravy. I found that this cycle was enough to wipe out most stains, although there were some slight traces of ketchup and orange juice left behind. Still, that’s an impressive result.

Washing using the standard Cotton 30°C cycle wasn’t as impressive. Running costs were good, with the LG WT1210BBTN1 WashTower costing just 26p. My clothes weighed 42.32% more (a touch over the ideal of 40%). The quality of the clean fell behind that of the Eco 40-60 cycle, and there were a lot of stains left behind, as you can see below.

I then went for an intense wash, setting the machine to use the Cotton 60°C cycle, with an Intense wash selected and steam enabled. This pushed the cycle cost to a still reasonable 60p per cycle, and my clothes weighed 43.57% more. With this wash cycle, all of the stains were wiped out, bar the red wine stain, which often benefits from a colder wash.

I tried the Food Stain wash, which uses gradually increasing water temperatures to try and remove food and juice stains. This cycle cost 33p to run, which is low, and my clothes came out just 39.83% heavier.

The cleaning results were a bit mixed. The oil, orange juice and gravy stains were removed, and the red wine stain was greatly reduced; however, the stain strip folded in two and the ketchup stain spread over the strip.

Using the cold wash option, the cost per cycle was 31p, as a lot of water was used. This cycle might be good for delicate clothes, but the wash performance wasn’t very impressive and a lot of stains were left behind. My clothes also gained 44.35% in weight through water retention.

I also tried the Fast wash, which is designed for up to 1kg of clothing. If you need lightly soiled clothes fast, then this cycle costs 13p to run, although the spin cycle isn’t very effective, and my clothes came out 83.75% heavier.

I then moved to use the tumble dryer. Here, I started with the Cupboard dry option, which cost 31p to run, which is competitive for the size of the drum. You have to hunt around to find something a lot cheaper to run, such as the Haier HD90-A3Q397U1.

My clothes came out 101.24% dryer than they went in, which means some fibres were lost during the drying process.

If you want the same results but faster, setting the tumble dryer to prioritise time shortens the cycle, but running costs jumped to 53p. Unless you’re really desperate for your clothes, I’d use the longer, more efficient cycle.

I found the Iron dry setting better. This cost just 26p to run, and my clothes came out 100.84% dryer than they went in, so fewer fibres were lost.

Using the tumble dryer’s shelf, I used the deodorise option with my gilet. This cycle helped plump it up, and make it smell fresh, all for a cost of 6p.

Should you buy it?