Appliances

[sbouloc]

Hello All,

I live oversea and I would like to order a washer and a dryer in at Best Buys in the US. My concern is that, here in my country (French Polynesia), we use butane. I heard that propane was used in the US. My question is: can I buy an adaptation kit. If that exist, where can I find it?

Appliance I plan to buy:

Whirlpool - Duet Sport 3.4 Cu. Ft. 7-Cycle Ultra Capacity Washer - White WFW8300SW

Whirlpool - Duet Sport 6.7 Cu. Ft. 9-Cycle Gas Dryer - White WGD8300SW

As I am not an expert in this domain, please also tell me all the accessories I should buy in order to have a clean installation.

Tahnk you for your help.

Regards.

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hello sbouloc -

I am not sure if you are able to convert to butane.  I know that propane conversion kits are available from the manufacturer, however I will have to do a bit more digging.  The gas units come ready for natural gas.

As far as accessories for your new units, I would recommend stainless steel hoses for your washer, and fresh ventilation kit for your dryer. 

I will check back once I have done some more online research.

[sbouloc]

Dorothy,

Thank you very much for your help. I'll be waiting for your next post.

Regards,

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hello again sbouloc -

I was not able to find any information about Butane in my resource materials unfortunately and I do not feel comfortable giving advice on something as serious as gas that I am not familiar with. 

I would suggest calling Whirlpool directly at 1.866.698.2538 for possible assistance. 

Thanks!

[sbouloc]

Dorothy

thank you for trying anyway.

Regards,

[MaytagZach]

The other issues that you are going to run into in your situation are not going to be fixable.

1)  I'm guessing that your electricity is more than 120 volts.  Even with a voltage adapter, you can short out the electronics in the panel.  Outside of North America, I have found that most places use 200-240 volts.

2)  The appliances you are looking for are only warranted in North America.  Meaning you will have to bring them back to the states to get fixed.

I have run into this situation several times with my customers.  I have a big South American population in my area and they want to buy appliances here to take with them because they are cheaper here, but with the cheaper cost comes the 2 other snags I mentioned.  If you have more questions or concerns, let us know.

[sbouloc]

MaytagZach,

Thank you for your answer.

1- Yes, we use 220V here and a voltage adapter is needed. But we are used to that here, and seems to work fine. Many friends have done that before.

2- I am aware that the waranty are voided outside the US, but you mentionned the price factor, the fact is that even after paying the freight and different taxes, the end cost is 50% cheaper than if I buy the products locally. So it will still be cheaper for me even if I have to pay each repair the full price (or I can still import the parts for repair also)

My only concern today is which kind of dryer I will buy: electric or gas. I am really interested in the gas dryer for the economy I can make, because as you can guess, energy is also very expensive here. I won't mention how much my monthly energy bill is, but it is far beyond what you can imagine!

So the gas dryer will be my choice if ever I can find an adator for butane.

Regards.

[Installer]

You would need to find the butane orrifice's for that machine.  They are generally available, but probably not from BB.  You would need to call the manufacturer and get the correct BTU for that orrifice.