How do I tell whether I have an electric or gas tower?

Look at the fourth letter of the model number: E means electric and G means gas. A gas tower also has a gas line and shutoff valve behind the cabinet, while an electric one has a heavy power cord for the dryer half.

Can I use only the washer half if the dryer half fails?

Often yes, but keep an eye on the cabinet for odd noises or smells. If the dryer smells burnt or trips the breaker, stop using the whole tower until it has been checked.

Is a laundry tower harder to service than separate machines?

Access is the main difference. The dryer sits above the washer and both are boxed into a closet, so planning for water, power and venting before the visit saves time.

What should I have ready for the appointment?

The model label photo, the exact code on the display if there is one, and a clear path to the closet. Mention whether the unit is on a platform or in an alcove.

Electrolux Laundry Towers in San Francisco

At a glance

Overview

A laundry tower is a single tall cabinet: the washer sits at the bottom and the dryer is stacked directly on top, both controlled from one panel or a pair of panels. It is the layout many San Francisco flats, condos and basement garages end up with, because a closet only a few feet wide can hold a full laundry room. That compact arrangement is also what makes a tower different to repair than two separate machines. When one half misbehaves, the other half is often sitting right beside the problem.

The Electrolux tower lineup

The towers we see are grouped by series and by fuel. The 300 Series includes the electric ELTE7300AW and the gas ELTG7300AW. The 600 Series includes the electric ELTE7600AT and the gas ELTG7600AT and ELTG7600AW. Two more towers, the ELTE730C and the ELTE760C, are electric listings in the 300 and 600 Series; each is a model family, so the last letters on your label vary by finish and version. In the model number, the fourth letter tells you the fuel: E for an electric dryer half, G for gas.

ELTE7300AW and ELTG7300AW, 300 Series, electric and gas
ELTE7600AT, ELTG7600AT and ELTG7600AW, 600 Series
ELTE730C family and ELTE760C family, electric

Where to find the model label

On a tower the label is usually inside the washer door opening or on the frame around the dryer door, and sometimes both halves carry one. Photograph it while the doors are open. Because the washer and dryer share a cabinet, a single model number covers the whole tower, but the dryer half and the washer half can fail for completely unrelated reasons, so tell us which side is acting up.

Complaints we hear most

One side works, the other seems dead

The controls for both halves are tied together, so a dead dryer panel next to a healthy washer, or the reverse, points a technician toward a specific control or connection rather than the whole cabinet. If you are seeing exactly this, the post on a laundry tower dryer side that does not respond walks through the order of checks.

Shaking, walking or knocking in a closet

A tall stacked unit moves more than a short washer when the drum is unbalanced. In a tight closet the cabinet can tap the wall or the door frame and sound much worse than it is. Our article on a laundry tower that vibrates in a tight closet covers leveling, load size and when the cause is inside the machine.

Damp clothes and long dry cycles

Stacked dryers vent through a short run behind or above the cabinet, and lint packs into that run quickly. Weak drying on a gas tower can also come from the burner side, on an electric one from the heating circuit. A technician separates venting from heat before touching a part.

Codes

If the display shows a letter and number, write it down exactly as shown before you power anything off. Our error code library lists the meanings we have verified; search it by the characters on the screen. A code points at a system, not at a single part, so it starts the diagnosis rather than ending it.

Safe first steps

Confirm the tower is plugged in and the breaker or GFCI has not tripped. An electric dryer half runs on its own larger circuit, so check that breaker as well.
On a gas tower, check that the gas shutoff valve is in its normal position. If you smell gas, leave the home, avoid switches, and call the gas utility or 911 from outside.
Make sure the water supply valves behind the washer half are open and the hoses are not pinched.
Clean the lint screen and look at the vent opening on the outside wall or roof for blockage.
Shut both doors firmly and wipe the door gasket.
Use one controlled power reset by switching off at the wall, waiting a moment and switching back on.

Do not remove the cabinet panels, slide the unit out of a closet without shutting off water and power, or bypass a door switch. If you notice a burning smell or sparks, switch off at the breaker and leave the tower alone.

Next steps

If the checks do not clear the problem, the full Electrolux laundry tower repair page explains how a visit works. Since a tower combines two machines, you may also want the pages for Electrolux washer repair and Electrolux dryer repair, which cover the symptoms of each half in more detail. We diagnose before repairing, give a written estimate, and do nothing without your approval.