Tumble dryer requirements

[Martin Pentreath]

It's not exactly a DIY question, but I can't find a better UK group to ask, and you're always all so helpful (flatter, flatter).

I'm looking for a tumble dryer to go in my cellar. (It's dry enough and the washing machine and freezer are already happily working down there). Apparently I'm being a bit fussy because I can find very few machines that do what I want.

1) It has to be a condenser, because I can't vent it down there.

2) I want a pump-to-drain option because I can't be arsed with fiddling about emptying tubs of water all the time.

3) In a token nod towards global warming (and my leccy bill) it has to have a humidity sensor so that it turns itself off when the stuff is dry.

All I can find is the Hoover HHD780X which seems to fit the bill and is not too bad at around =A3250 delivered.

opinions on this model, Hoover dryers generally, or any other recommendations?

Cheers!

Martin

[Martin Pentreath]

PS I've just been doing late night google research, and have decided that Hoover dryers may well be a pile of cack, not least because they put a lot of moisture into the air. I've decided that I really want a Bosch, but they don't make them with the pump-to-drain option.

[Grunff]

You don't want a Bosch, trust me...

Miele.

[Tim Morley]

Not directly no, but my Classixx condensors water tray (well drawer) is at the top. There is a pump which runs up to this, you could modify a little and clamp a hose onto the outlet into the drawer???

[Martin Pentreath]

Miele would be fine, and that model looks perfect, except again it won't do the pump-to-drain thing. Doesn't seem much to ask to me, I would have thought it would be fairly standard on the high-end machines, but in fact in seems to be the low-end machines that have it.

Cheers!

Martin

[Grunff]

It certainly does - we have one sitting in our utility room doing just that!

[Martin Pentreath]

OK, fantastic, the Comet website is strangely silent on that point! It looks like you've solved my problem.

Cheers!

Martin

[Grunff]

Sad as it may sound, that is probably my favourite domestic appliance of all time.

[meow2222]

Better option:

[Owain]

Yup.

[Owain]

Second to Mrs Grunff, I'm sure you meant to say :-)

Owain

[Grunff]

Shhh! She reads this!

[n0tail]

I too have a miele condenser, a T4262C and it does all you require.

However, we have just moved house and in our last house we had a vented AEG (integrated) tumble dryer, it was fantastic. If I could choose again, I'd have vented, they are more efficient and quicker (well, in my experience). the better ventilated your room, the better performance and efficiency you will get from your condenser so as you are in basement, consider installing a vent / fan if it can be done fairly easily.

I shopped around on the net a lot for our washing machine and tumble dryer, this was in december and I got the best price inc delivery from coop-electrical:

Luck.

[Andy Hall]

Don't endanger the poor guy's life.

Besides... this is really the punchline to "why do brides wear white?"

[squidbrain1]

You may want to consider a used Miele dryer or a 'graded' one. It may not matter to you if it has a few scratches. I bought a washer and dryer on EBay, both four years old and look like new. They are built for 20 years use. The build quality is exceptional.

[Michael]

If a few scratches aren't a problem in that location you may want to consider a 'graded' dryer. I personally bought mine off Ebay, not new graded but used and four years old with matching washing machine. They look like new and I've never seen such good build quality. Miele washers are built to do 5000 washes. Another thing I would recommend are those Victorian style airer rails that hang by pulleys from the ceiling- again sold on EBay. If you have the room they would cut your drying bills if at least some drying was done naturally.

[Graham]

I can vouch for Miele.

Our first Miele washing machine lasted 20 years and we had 5 children all of whom had washable nappies.

Our first Miele tumble dryer (a condenser) lasted 18 years.

Both were bought in Germany long before the brand became established here. Needless to say both were replaced by Mieles and we also have a Miele dishwasher.

Graham

[Tim Downie]

Sometimes even the cheapies can surprise you though. We've had our White Knight gas tumble dryer for 17 years now and it's still going strong.

Tim

[David Sims]

Miele T234C Novotronic

BEST BUY

This condenser tumble dryer from Miele is a Best Buy because it dries evenly and has an excellent condenser.

It's a sensor dryer with a maximum capacity of 6kg, and takes 120 minutes to dry a full load of cottons fully. The sensor worked perfectly in our tests, stopping drying at just the right time for ironing or popping in the cupboard.

This entry-level model has a wide range of sensor programs. There's a

15 minute cold programme for airing clothes and a 60 minute fixed anti- crease phase when the drier finishes.

Convenient features include LEDs, which light up to tell you which stage of the drying cycle the machine has reached. You can choose whether to have a program end buzzer.

As with all the Miele condenser dryers we've tested, getting at the heat exchanger is a bit of a chore, but the water container and lint filter are easy to clean.

Pros: Dries evenly, excellent at trapping water.

Cons: No delayed start function, door opening cannot be reversed.

[Huge]

Our Philips washing machine lasted 27 years and the matching tumble drier about 23. Consensus of opinion among family, friends & usenet was there's no way another one would last as long since they have been engineered down to a price in the intervening years. A long way down.

So we bought a Miele.