Has anybody any major opinions on these good or Bad ?. I currently have a vented tumble drier that is nearing the end of its life (but still usable)...I would like to get another drier and run them both until the orig one packs up (lots of kids and lots of washing !!!) I do not want to hammer another hole in the garage wall (double brick) So a Condensing Tumble drier seems ideal for the moment. I am thinking a fairly cheap one (£189 ish at comet/Miller Bros). Do you think this is a good idea ? Regards
We have a condensing t-d. A Zanussi. It's been no trouble in the n years ( >5) that we've had it but they're less efficient and so cost more to run than the vented type and they're more complex so there's more to go wrong, but we had no choice. T-D's are hardly difficult to obtain, if your existing one has been enough so far I'd wait until it packed up and then replace it with another vented.
I can only tell you what we have found from the previous owner of our house. We live in a 2 bed mid terrace, only 10 years old, prettty well insulated. It was occupied by a family of four, in the small kitchen there was a washing machine one and and a condesing dryer the other. When we came oto view the house it felt damp, despite it being a dry week all the windows were open etc, but the air in the house was damp. Upstairs under the eves, by the window there was mildew, only house on the estate with it, and there are similar sized families living in them the only thing we can putit down to is the dryer. Since we moved in and have not got a tumble dryer the house has been fresher and dryer. We removed the mildew and to date not a sigle sign of it returning.
I am afraid I do not know the model, but i know it was a candy machine.
We have one and I love it. It wasn't cheap, as when we looked at the features we started adding things to our list of requirements! The features that I think are important are:
Sensor that knows when enough moisture has been drawn out and stops
Reverse action drum. Goes one way and then the other, so clothes don't get twisted.
Turns drum over once every five minutes once cycle is over, so clothes don't crease. All these features because I don't "believe" in ironing. These features ensure smooth clothes.
We chose condensor as it was an extra put in the corner of our bedroom (really need to extend!), and we didn't want to plumb or vent. It can be plumbed to empty the water, but we just empty the tank every 3 loads or so. An added unexpected bonus - it puts the baby to sleep in seconds (and mummy) and adds a nice wee warm fug to the room :-) I like having it in our bedroom as clothes get put on hangers and straight into the wardrobe and there is no laundry hanging about waiting to be taken upstairs. Also I haven't ironed in 3 months. I now only buy tumble dryable clothes and as for old stuff, well, if it doesn't survive it goes in the bin!
When we renovate I intend moving both washing machine and tumble dryer upstairs permanently. It makes no sense to have dirty laundry upstairs, take it down to wash and dry, and then cart back up again. Things end up dangling on radiators sitting in piles etc. Why are they traditionally in kitchens or utility rooms downstairs? Very illogical. I intend to streamline the whole process: into basket, into machine, into dryer, on hanger, into wardrobe. Downstairs will be laundry free! No ironing, no piles. I would recommend an expensive model if you don't intend to iron, and a cheaper one if you do. The more sensitive dearer models leave just a tiny bit of moisture behind so clothes do not wrinkle.
It adds £200 a year to our electicity bill. No ironing? Family of five? Well worth every penny! I HATE ironing.
That's how my son's house is arranged. The washer and dryer are behind folding doors in the upstairs hall, near the main bedroom, and right next to the linen cupboard. Very sensible arrangement.
One reason they are often installed downstairs is that they frequently leak, which would bring down the ceiling. If you intend to put a washer in upstairs, make some sort of arrangement to collect any leaked water before it damages anything. Some sort of wet floor or collection tray arrangement plumbed to an overflow through the wall would be good.
Just bought a Bosch 6920 integrated condensor. It's got more buttons and lights than a 1960's Star Trek episode. Of course, all you need to do to actually use it is load up and press "Start", but all the options could be found rather intimidating.
Condensing driers are much more energy efficient. Instead of blowing hot air outside they reuse it round and round, just extracting the water content. They dont blow heat out at all.
However, a fast spin washer is more sensible in most cases. With 1300 or 1400 spin you dont need a tumble.
That I agree with. Just bought a 1600 spin washing machine that should cut down on energy bills quite considerably.
That I don't. Are you seriously suggesting that you can wear clothes straight out of a 1400 spin washing machine? You couldn't even put them away without them rotting.
Eh? Surely you mean: "NO!!!- buy two cheap dryers instead. Dry washing twice as quickly as with one expensive one. Then when the first one breaks you have no downtime."
No! I mean "Cheap condensing dryers are a waste of space. Get a Bosch, and no less." It to do what it is supposed to do. That is dispense the moisture in the tray. Cheap ones do not. Got it?
The first thing that made me consider dumping ironing was when I discovered my MIL never ironed. She had five kids and always looks pristine. She removed a wash immediately and tugged the clothes straight immediately and put them on a radiator. She then hung them when they were 95% dry. I was entirely amazed -they are all neat and flat.
The trick is to take the wash out immediately and tumble it. Again hang as soon as the tumble dryer stops for best results. At this point they have tiny creases and look like they need a wee iron, but don't shove into the wardrobe immediately, but give them five mintes in the air 1st. When you take them out of the wardrobe you can't tell them apart from from ironed stuff. I started this out of necessity as I was so busy with 3 wee kids. Now it just seems daft to iron at all.
You can't get a crease down the arm of a shirt/ trousers if you are that kind of stuffy person tho. And Marks and Sparks Italian shirts come out crumpled. Hubby has 2. I shoved them in the wardrobe and refused to iron them. He ignores them and thay have been left there. Low iron or no iron shirts work best. Avoid any clothes that need ironed at two dots or 3 dots on the iron symbol, or one that needs ironed while damp. Some of these do come out OK, but most are unlikely too. The same goes for things that are non-tumble dryable. Although its the 1st thing I look at when buying, we do have some. I toss them all in, saves time not having to sort into can and can't tumble piles, and if they die, they die. They didn't deserve to live if they want ironed. I'm heartless like that... So far no casualties tho.
Another thing is the fabric conditioner. You need to use it. I only use Comfort. I have used standard, Easy-iron and the new Quick dry and there is a difference. From an ironing point of view, Easy Iron has the best results. But the clothes feel a tiny bit slimy coming out of the wash and sometimes they need 2 goes of the tumble dryer - they are slow to dry. Quick Dry does indeed dry quickern (a lot quicker) which saves on electricity, but you get a slightly less flat appearance. Still acceptable for most clothes though. Ordinary comfort is in between. You definitely need some fabric conditioner though, so if you are allergic this is not for you.
Our tumble is a Hotpoint TDC60 and it cost £329, after shopping around on the internet. Can't remember which one we got from in the end, maybe appliancedirect?
A washer dryer will consume more electricty as it has to dry itself. Not good for a busy family - A wash and dry cycle takes about 2 hours. At 3 washes a day for us, it just wouldn't work. For a bloke on his own it would be great. Stick it on the morning and it's all down when you come home. The "keep turning after drying complete" option would be vital in this case to avoid ironing.
Must go. Tumble dryer just finished it's cycle. :o)
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