Description
What the WKE100HVA is and where it fits
LG’s WashTower puts a washer and dryer in one factory built cabinet with the control panel in the middle, which LG brands Center Control. That arrangement solves a real ergonomic problem: on a conventional stacked pair, the dryer controls sit above head height and a shorter person cannot read them. Here both machines are operated from one panel at chest level. This version pairs a 4.5 cubic foot washer with a 7.4 cubic foot electric dryer, weighs 346 pounds, and is finished with tempered glass doors and rose gold trim. The cabinet is listed at 30.6 by 79.34 by 32 inches, so the height is the constraint: nearly 80 inches means a low ceiling basement or a closet with a shelf will not take it.
Living with it day to day
The 4.5 to 7.4 cubic foot pairing is well matched, and that matters more than the individual numbers. A dryer needs roughly half again the volume of the washer for laundry to tumble properly, and getting that ratio right is what stops a full wash load having to be split for drying. Sensor Dry is the other feature that changes daily behavior: a moisture sensor ends the cycle when the load is dry rather than running a timer to its end, which saves both energy and the fabric wear that comes from over drying. LG lists 11 drying cycles, 6 washing cycles and 9 option cycles, with a four tray dispenser, which is a longer drying list than the gas fired LG WKGX201HBA offers.
It is worth noting that the near identical LG WKE100HWA lists only 6 drying cycles, so the cycle counts across this family are not consistent between listings and should be checked against the model specification sheet. The Allergiene wash cycle uses steam and carries AAFA certification, with LG stating removal of up to 95 percent of common allergens including dust, pet dander and pollen. LG publishes no decibel rating. Buyers comparing tower designs should also look at the LG WKEX200HBA, which is the same idea with a different cycle set.
Controls and connected features
ThinQ provides the connected layer, with ThinQ Care sending alerts about usage, maintenance and early diagnosis to a phone. AI Fabric Sensors detect fabric texture and load size and set wash motion and drying temperature accordingly, and Smart Learner adapts to how the household actually uses the machine over time. LG’s framing is that the user should stop choosing cycles and let the machine decide, which is a legitimate design position and explains why the cycle list is shorter than on LG’s standalone washers.
One curiosity in the specification data: the controller type field reads App, which is not accurate. A WashTower has a physical control panel and the app is an addition to it, not a replacement. Washing and drying run from the machine’s own board and complete with no network, so losing ThinQ costs remote start, notifications and diagnostics rather than function. On a single unit that welds two machines together, it is worth remembering that a control panel failure takes both halves out of service at once, which is the structural risk of the format and is not something an app can mitigate.
Running cost and upkeep
The electrical data here is the most useful in the WashTower family and deserves careful reading. The wattage field records 7.2E plus 3, which is 7,200 watts. That is roughly four times what a standard 15 amp household outlet can deliver, so this appliance requires a dedicated high amperage laundry circuit with the appropriate receptacle. The voltage is not published in this listing, and it should not be guessed, so the exact supply must come from LG’s installation manual and be verified against the existing outlet by an electrician before the appliance is delivered. For reference, the closely related WashTower listings in this catalog record 30 amps in one case and a plainly wrong 720 watts in another, so the specification data across the family is not internally consistent.
The venting question is not settled by this listing either. The included components are given as a drum, a drain hose and a manual, with no venting duct, whereas the white sibling lists a venting duct with the qualifier if applicable. An electric dryer of this size is normally vented, and a duct route to an exterior wall should therefore be assumed to be required until the manual says otherwise. Energy Star is listed as a specification met but no annual energy figure is published. Upkeep is both routines combined: tub clean cycle, washer door left ajar, gasket wiped, dryer lint filter emptied every load, and the vent duct cleared periodically, which is a fire safety task rather than an efficiency one. One data fault: the installation type field reads Built-In for a freestanding appliance. Other stacked and unitized options, including the rotary controlled GE GUD27ESSMWW, sit across the dryers section.
Highlights
- One shared control panel at chest height rather than dryer controls above head height.
- Well matched 4.5 cubic foot washer and 7.4 cubic foot dryer, so loads do not need splitting.
- Sensor Dry ends the cycle on moisture rather than running a fixed timer.
- The wattage requirement is published, which most laundry listings omit entirely.
- AAFA certified Allergiene steam cycle with a stated 95 percent allergen reduction.
- Single factory built unit, so no stacking kit has to be bought or trusted.
Things To Consider
- At 7,200 watts this needs a dedicated laundry circuit, and the voltage is not published.
- No venting duct appears in the included components, so the venting requirement is unclear.
- Cycle counts differ between this listing and the near identical white model.
- The controller type field reads App, which does not describe a machine with a physical panel.
- The installation type field reads Built-In for a freestanding appliance.
- Nearly 80 inches tall, so a low ceiling or a closet shelf rules it out.
Who it is not for
Anyone whose laundry space has only a standard household outlet cannot install this without electrical work, and 7,200 watts makes that unambiguous. Low ceilinged basements and closets with shelving cannot take an 80 inch appliance. Households that want to replace one machine at a time, or place washer and dryer apart, should buy a separate pair. And anyone who wants a long list of manual cycle choices will find LG’s philosophy here works against them, since the machine is designed to make those decisions itself.
