Washer Dryer worth it?

As I repair them I love washer dryers. Theres not been one made where the tumble dryer side can cope with the vibration from the washing side so I get lots of broken wires and failed thermostats and elements, great for business !
From a users perspective it has to be understood that they are very much a compromise. Generally the washing side is the same as usual but the tumble part is what they can fit into the available space and designs vary enormously. In general they are less efficient than normal tumble dryers but more economical as they reuse the warm air. They also dry quicker the less that is in the drum.
You also have to wonder what happens to the fluff ? Few washer dryers make any provision for it and with those that do its just a token effort. The fluff builds up inside, reducing efficiency until you have to bite the bullet and call someone like me :D
Don't let me put you off though, any tumble dryer is better than no tumble dryer and if you have not got the space for a seperate one then a washer dryer is the only option.
 
w3bbo said:
Best get a separate washer and dryer tbh. I have had two combined washer driers and when they breakdown it is hugely expensive to repair. Repairing a washer or a dryer separately is much cheaper.
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Exactly what I was going to say. We've stacked one ontop of the other and it's fine (dryer on top). Also, if you get a separate dryer make sure it's one of those standard hose ones, the ones that collect water (name escapes me) are useless.

Of course if you have a damp house and you're running a dehumidifier anyway you could invest in a few clothes horses and dry your clothes in that room!
 
Something that does two very different jobs like washing and drying is never going to be quite as good as a dedicated unit for each task

We've got seperates here and they work really well for me, my partner and our four kids... there's just one constant washing cycle in this house lol
 
boxman2000 said:
Exactly what I was going to say. We've stacked one ontop of the other and it's fine (dryer on top). Also, if you get a separate dryer make sure it's one of those standard hose ones, the ones that collect water (name escapes me) are useless.
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Condenser Dryers are superb. We've been using one for years and never had a single issue with it and it means you don't to hang a hose out of a window or door.
 
Bought a new washer dryer for my flat, went with a Hotpoint due to the space was limited were it sits and this was not as wide as others.
This has a large wash load 12kg and about 6kg for drying and is very quiet.
 
ManCuBuS said:
Condenser Dryers are superb. We've been using one for years and never had a single issue with it and it means you don't to hang a hose out of a window or door.
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Totally agree with this, we have a condenser dryer and it's been faultless, dries the clothes brilliantly (quickly & well). Why do you think they're useless Boxman, unless you've maybe had a duff one, I can't see any reason why you don't rate them.
 
Tachyon said:
Totally agree with this, we have a condenser dryer and it's been faultless, dries the clothes brilliantly (quickly & well). Why do you think they're useless Boxman, unless you've maybe had a duff one, I can't see any reason why you don't rate them.
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Had one for 2 years (from new), was a hotpoint if I recall and used to finish before the preset, didn't really dry fully and the static shocks you got from some of the clothes was crazy. Also, more of a design fault, but you had to hoover the 'fluff catchment' as that didn't work properly. Cost me more to have an engineer look at it than it did to buy the thing! Probably about £600 wasted in all.

Anyway, the regular tumble dryer I have now which cost £200, generates much less heat, is cheaper to run and doesn't leave the room pouring with condensation, unlike the condenser. Oh, and it dries clothes!

I'm sure people are happy with their condensers but from my experience I won't go back to combos or condensers.
 
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Fair enough, would agree if ours was doing that I'd be calling it useless too. Other than the running costs which I have no idea what it costs to run, I haven't experienced the any of the other problems.
 
Bung your washing on radiators and outside hanging off a line in summer. = free :)

(free as in if you're already paying for gas radiators, so you use it to dry for free).

Even in autumn/winter clothes dry in a day or so if you hang them on rails etc. No point in wasting money on a dryer and combis are crap anyway.
 
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