Tumble Dryers

Merlin5

Merlin5

Merlin5

Soldato
Joined
17 Aug 2009
Posts
18,758
Location
Finchley, London
Hi guys. I'm seriously thinking of getting a tumble dryer. I've got an 8kg capacity Samsung Ecobubble washing machine so I guess it makes sense to buy an 8kg dryer. Problem is, I'm limited on available width, it needs to be no more than 23" wide, maybe 23.5". Can anyone recommend one?

Also, how expensive would you say running one is? I normally put the central heating on when I'm drying clothes and put them on the radiators. I'm not sure if it's cheaper doing that or putting the clothes in a dryer, depending on how long the cycle needs to be. Apparently a cycle is only about 67p.

'How Much Do Tumble Dryers Cost to Run? The most popular tumble dryers use about 4.5 kWh per cycle. According to the Energy Saving Trust, electricity in the UK costs an average of 14.37 pence per kWh, so running the average tumble dryer would cost about 67p per cycle. 13 Jan 2021'

I only need to use a dryer for this time of year as in the warmer months I always use the clothes line in the garden.
 
As a note, electricity costs considerably more than that now on average (think we're paying about 20p/kwh

We're going to try for twelve months without a tumble drier and see how we fair. Could be disastrous..
 
Have you considered a dehumidifier? We just bought one and it's drying clothes in a day on the highest setting with the added benefit of less condensation on the windows, less cooking smells, seems easier to heat the house and it stays warmer for longer, house smells less damp when drying clothes etc

Only problem is noise, it's a constant white noise which I'm getting used to now but can't have it on at night due to where it's located but seems to be working fine just on in the day
 
Years ago before my other half moved in I never had a tumble dryer and hung my clothes outside sometimes but mostly around the house on radiators, doors and the banister. Once she moved in and brought her dryer with her, I wouldn't do without one now (tumble dryer to be precise :D). Clothes feel nicer, towels aren't like cardboard and it's a lot more quicker and convenient.

Consider a heat pump tumble dryer if you have the space and the budget. Our normal condensing tumble dryer packed in after 11 years of use so needed a new one

Here's some maths!
Normal condensing type tumble dryer average annual power consumption - 560kWh, at 20p per kWh that's £112 a year in electricity.
Heat pump tumble dryer (A+++) average annual power consumption - 176kWh at 20p per kWh that's £35 a year in electricity.

At today's energy prices that's over £700 in savings over 10 years. That's how I justified spending so much on one.
 
Out dryer was making some worrying noises today as if the buttons were being pressed so i've just been looking. It does seem that heatpump ones are a no brainer with todays electric prices, i'm wondering if it'd be worth changing ours even if it doesn't die as ours is a very basic vented on so really inefficient.

Also we couldn't do without one in our house, it's on most days. No idea how you'd cope otherwise as there's no way there'd be enough space in the house to put them on clothes horses and the like and you'd have to run a dehumidifier as well otherwise everywhere would be constantly damp.
 
I got a heat pump this year to try to reduce ongoing costs. I only use it when drying on a line isn't an option. With electric going up, every little helps.
 
The_One said:
Get a gas tumble dryer way better than any electric
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Quite inconvenient for some as they (obviously) are only available as vented, that and the need for a gas safe installation. (Plus thats if you can find one at all, you are pretty much only able to buy commercial dryers as gas these days in the UK).
 
Jez said:
Quite inconvenient for some as they (obviously) are only available as vented, that and the need for a gas safe installation. (Plus thats if you can find one at all, you are pretty much only able to buy commercial dryers as gas these days in the UK).
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white knight manufacture gas domestic tumble dryers can buy direct from them i work on them quite frequently

a gas tumble dryer is less than half the price to run compared to an electric and is also more carbon friendly for those environmentalists.

Savings far outweigh cost of installation
 
The_One said:
Thats not correct white knight manufacture gas domestic tumble dryers can buy direct from them i work on them quite frequently

Infact a gas tumble dryer is less than half the price to run compared to an electric and is also more carbon friendly for those environmentalists.

Savings far outweigh cost of installation
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I was aware that White Knights did a single model widely available in the UK, but i think that this is now discontinued?
 
Its not on their website any more, i am not sure? I mention that as i tried to find it a few weeks ago for something else. (Unfortunately no gas anywhere near where i live, or i'd have one :))

Commercial there is choice, probably better dryers too.
 
Not sure why you need to spend £800 on a heat pump dryer, they can be had for half that.

The efficiency differences between different heat pump models will be very small.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Not sure why you need to spend £800 on a heat pump dryer, they can be had for half that.

The efficiency differences between different heat pump models will be very small.
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Is it true that heat pump dryers take longer to dry clothes?
 
koolpc said:
Is it true that heat pump dryers take longer to dry clothes?
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Yes, but I don't know why that is a big deal. It's not like you sit there watching it until its finished and you should be using the longest 3.5 hour plus eco cycles on your washing machine anyway to save energy.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Yes, but I don't know why that is a big deal. It's not like you sit there watching it until its finished and you should be using the longest 3.5 hour plus eco cycles on your washing machine anyway to save energy.
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With a family of four, when you consider washing towels, bedding, clothes, school uniform etc my washing machine is already on once or twice every day - if I used the eco mode my washing machine would be running constantly all day every day :o
 
ci_newman said:
With a family of four, when you consider washing towels, bedding, clothes, school uniform etc my washing machine is already on once or twice every day - if I used the eco mode my washing machine would be running constantly all day every day :o
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Agreed.

My wife prefers to do the washing once or twice per week rather than constantly churning it around the house all week. As a result, the machine is used back to back pretty much all day, one day per week, the dryer needs to keep up with a normal wash cycle.

Firstworldproblems, but that's how we do it, a slow dryer wouldn't work for us. Not to mention the odd time where i value being able to quick wash and then quick dry (high heat very quick for one item) an item which i have forgotten to wash, but need inside say the hour.
 
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