First ever Tumble Dryer - what to go for

[nic11]

We've never had a tumble dryer (in our mid 50's) and usually use a washing line and trips to the Laundrette over winter. We also have a decent dehumidifier that's used sometimes for small amounts, but for various reasons decided we need to consider getting a tumble dryer.. We've a small kitchen area so most likely it will need to go in either the (not really used much) conservatory or the spare bedroom (but concerned about moisture there).

Seems to be a minefield of options, and was thinking a condenser one may be best, especially if in an unheated conservatory. I appreciate it's probably a matter of doing a web search, but hoping for some guidelines from people's experiences of what to do or not. TIA

 

[BlueLoo]

Heat pump.
And you get what you pay for.

Heat pump because they don't sweat condensation. Also, electric is dear. You'll make your money back if used regularly.

Or a vented out the building if it's to dry the odd thing.


All depends on where, and how often you use it

 

[blup]

Had a Siemens condenser for eight years, very reliable as long as you clean the fluff etc

Blup

 

[DiyNutJob]

Bosch appears to have good support for spares. If you are somewhat hardcore with DIY, machines with a good supply of spares is worth going for. The condenser type is time tested and should be ok. To conserve energy, you can just dry what you immediately need. The rest can carry on as before.

 

[mattylad]

We have a heat pump one, much cheaper on leccy however sometimes things are not done as dry as we would like so they have to be done longer than on an older dryer.
It's getting to the time of year when it starts getting used more.

 

[dishman]

Options:

Vented - (heat and moisture is vented outside)
Pros: Generally cheap to purchase. Simple operation and not much to go wrong (unless you buy one with needless bells and whistles). They dry clothes very quickly and can be very convenient.
Cons: Expensive to run, especially if used a lot. They are simple because all the heat is extracted outside along with the water from your clothing. Need a hole drilling through the wall for a vent pipe.

Heat Pump: (water is condensed internally and heat is re-used to dry clothes)
Pros: Very cheap to run. Higher cost of purchase should be recouped within a few years.
Cons: Newish to the market so there is a lot of unreliability out there. Lots of cheap and poorly made models.. You generally have to pay more to get something good. Take longer than vented machines to dry clothes. Need to keep on top of maintenance. Ideally needs to be plumbed into drain to avoid having to empty a tank.

Condenser Dryer (water is condensed internally but heat is not extracted)
Pros: Useful in circumstances when you cannot fit anything else and are on a budget.
Cons: High power consumption, just as expensive (if not more) to run as vented. Often create a humid warm atmosphere in the room they are in. Take a very long time to dry clothing. They combine the Cons of Vented and Heat Pump dryers with little benefit. Hot water in a tank needs to be poured down the drain, unless you get it plumbed in.

Personal Opinion:
I have mainly used vented machines. I have been sceptical of modern machines, especially heat pump dryers after seeing my brother go through two hoover heat pump dryers very quickly. They took a long time to dry and soon developed faults with their touch panels. I have always preferred the simplicity of simple "dumb" machines with normal switches etc.

However after his two Hoover machines, my brother bought a more expensive Samsung (Series 9 DV90T8240SX/S1) heat pump dryer, and it has even impressed me. Still takes longer to dry than vented, but not excessively so. It's nearly silent. No changes to the room atmosphere (warmth/humidity) so seems well sealed/built. Has not missed a step after 2 years of heavy use. It can and has been plumbed into the drain which makes a big convenience difference. No tank to constantly empty. The controls are well made and (although still smart) reliable.

 

[Wayners]

Vented every time blowing the moisture and fine fibre particles outside.

Other option is a dehumidifier with laundry function as works better and cheaper to run. We use a dehumidifier mostly and occasionally a condenser dryer but I don't like it and will never buy another

 

[DiyNutJob]

Often create a humid warm atmosphere in the room they are in.

My 30 year old bosh doesn't. It doesn't mist the windows. Cooking with extractor on, does.

 

[dishman]

My 30 year old bosh doesn't. It doesn't mist the windows. Cooking with extractor on, does.

Quite likely because it is a 30year old Bosch, when they were made in Germany and to a good standard.

The majority of Condenser dryers these days are poorly made and badly sealed. Also, using them in a tank emptying mode probably makes them more likely to leak moisture. If possible connecting them to a drain is always preferable.

I'd personally be wary of using a Condenser dryer in a small, unheated space. Very likely to get a lot of condensation while in operation. More-so if not plumbed in.

My suggestion, if you are only occasional users and can make a hole in the wall for the vent, would be a vented machine. Get a basic bosch model or something.

If you use it often, and don't mind additional outlay for a quality model, heat pump.

Or....keep going to the laundrette. More expensive but you can do huge loads at once and very quickly. Also you get to chat to random people

 

[JohnD]

I got vented, because they are very simple and have next to nothing to go wrong.

As I have solar panels I try to schedule it for days when there is some sun.

 

[Mottie]

As I have solar panels I try to schedule it for days when there is some sun.

Do you find that the sun isn't good enough for drying clothes then?

 

[BlueLoo]

I got vented, because they are very simple and have next to nothing to go wrong.

As I have solar panels I try to schedule it for days when there is some sun.

Yea.
If you dont have to worry about the outlet and electric, this is ideal

 

[Notch7]

In a previous house, a 3 bed semi, I bought a vented tumble dryer but didn’t have a vent, I used to stick it out the window then one day just pointed the hose into the hallway…I found it warmed up the stairwell and upstairs hallway and produced no condensation at all. Mind you that was autumn not freezing winters day.

 

[Mottie]

Go basic. You can’t go wrong with that if it’s for occasional use. I bought an all singing, all dancing heat pump dryer and found it wouldn’t work in my shed, Gave it away to my son and bought basic vented.

 

[BlueLoo]

Go basic. You can’t go wrong with that if it’s for occasional use. I bought an all singing, all dancing heat pump dryer and found it wouldn’t work in my shed, Gave it away to my son and bought basic vented.

Too cold.