Need a new Tumble dryer (I know about defumidifier cabinets, thanks, she will not have it, even though I have explained it until I'm blue in the face).
Which is best:
1) To condense, and keep the heat in the house. 2) To duct the hot air outside.I have the option of doing either, but can't see how to judge the issue.
R.
I'm on my 3rd condensing dryer (over about 17 years), I see absolutely no reason for restricting the position of the appliance to the location of a bloody great unnecessary hole in the wall. Contrary to what people who haven't had/got one might tell you, they do not steam up your windows and they do not fill the room with dust.
You seem to have answered your own question.
Condense in the winter, duct outside in the summer.
I can't say I've ever thought about it from an energy efficiency perspective. According to John Lewis "Vented machines are cheaper than condenser models and normally use less energy" whereas condenser models are "a little more expensive to run" but whether they've taken into account heat lost to the outside through the duct I have no idea.
Personally I've only ever had vented dryers, and as there's a permanent duct in place it would make no sense to replace with a condenser type (which have the inconvenience of needing the condensate emptied, or being plumbed to a drain if the kind which can pump it out).
Richard.
Much better get a gas one. I'm just onto my second one after even more years.
We used condensing since the obvious/easiest duct position would exhaust towards the neighbours house, he wasn't keen. I feel that the room moisture level increases with condensing. Nothing terrible, the paper is still on the walls.
reason for restricting the position of the appliance to
steam up your windows and they do not fill the room
Their average life was less than 6 years then? I would hope for more.
AIUI the comparison of relative efficiencies is now complicated by the introduction of dryers using "heat pump" technology. Of course they cost more and there's a compressor to go wrong.
Another *possible* consideration is the state of your knees/back/other bendy bits. Avoid the condensing ones where you have to bend right down to near the floor to empty them if you think you might be (un)lucky enough to live until that is problematic (as it was for me for a while last year).
I'm on my 3rd condensing dryer (over about 17 years), I see absolutely no reason for restricting the position of the appliance to the location of a bloody great unnecessary hole in the wall. Contrary to what people who haven't had/got one might tell you, they do not steam up your windows and they do not fill the room with dust.
Hmmm...contrary to what people who have not actually owned every condenser dryer in the world might tell you, some of them can, and will steam up your windows - our Hoover HNC160, for instance, which has done it from new. I would still get a condenser dryer next time though.
Apologies for Windows Live Mail 2011 not marking the message properly...got to find the "> " setting in the ribbon somewhere!
We have had both. Our preference is for a condenser mainly because we can't site a dryer on an external wall for a duct. They do warm the room but they also increase the humidity - the condenser units are not 100% efficient. The only drawback I can see is the need to keep the condenser unit clean otherwise drying takes longer and electricity consumption goes up when the condenser gets blocked with fluff. On my Creda this is a messy and fiddly job. Bosch make the EcoLogixx 7 condenser dryer which uses over 40% less energy than a standard A-rated dryer and has a self-cleaning condenser, but it costs an arm and a leg to buy.
No gas here, apart from the bottles we use for the gas hob. R.
Are there models that switch? I didn't know that.
It really is easy for me to go either way. I live in a bungalow and can easily duct up and over to a soffit exit.
R.
I plan to install the damn thing on a platform above the washer in a cupboard. It will have a drain nearby and can be permanently plumbed in. I can easily arrange for the cupboard to be vented too, so extra condensation may not be a problem.
R.
Since the old washer/drier gave up the ghost many years ago, we've just had a washer, and dry using the clothes line supplemented, where necessary, by throwing something over the rads.
A ducted dryer throws masses of haet outside. You pay for that. Condenser ones throw much less away.
I'd sooner just hang the clothes up than use a TD, theyre just a waste of money & time imho.
NT
That depends on the quality of the appliance. Do not buy cheap versions, like Hotpoint.
If one is available using a heat pump go for that, as the bill be at least
40% cheaper.
They can be attached to a drain.
That's a shame. Our old White Knight is over 20 years old now and still going strong (although I did have to replace a solenoid coil just last week).
Tim
We are still using our original one which is 20+ years old. Unfortunately the time switch has died so the clock which I use to ensure that it uses off peak electricity at night, also serves to limit how long the drier is on for.
We use a clothes line when weather permits but we live in a hard water area which means that unless we finish off most items of washing in the tumble dryer everything feels as though its been starched. The tumble dryer loosens the limescale which then collects in the filter.
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