SWMBO wouldn't let me mend the old one again (it was 25 years old) so we bought a condenser dryer. It's badged Candy, but made by Hoover.
I'm surprised at how much heat it throws out and how warm the condensed water is. I leave the utility room door open when it's running to help warm the rest of the house.
Is this normal, as I've no previous experience of such equipment?
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We've had a Bosch heat pump condenser drier for the last 5 years. It chucks out a bit of heat but a lot less than its conventional condenser predecessor. The condensate gets pumped out and down the waste pipe so no idea of the temperature.
Had a Eureka moment around it today. During the cold spell the utility in which it is housed and the adjoining kitchen have been ridiculously cold. I'd concluded the back door's insulation was breaking down and was bracing myself to spend £££ on a replacement.
This morning I was doing a bit of a clean up and pulled the dryer out vacuum behind. Discovered that the outlet the builder provided for a vented tumble dryer was completely open to the outside!! Now filled it with shredded newspaper and capped it with a plastic bag.
We'd definitely filled it before (we've been here 25 years) but neither can recall when or why we'd opened it again. We never had a vented dryer and anyway the cretins who built the place installed it half way along the depth of the space for the dryer - you'd never have actually been able to attach a dryer.
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I think you can buy blanking plates for them.
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Yes, in my experience the water can get pretty warm from that type of dryer.
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>> Is this normal, as I've no previous experience of such equipment?
Yes the air that comes out is hot, and yes the condensate drained is quite warm
However DO NOT use it to heat the rest of the house, although it condenses a fair amount of water, the air that comes out has high humidity that will cause you problems in the rest of the house.
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Yes, it's normal. Should've bought the heat pump version.
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>> Yes, it's normal. Should've bought the heat pump version.
>>
It's a good idea in theory, but tempered by much more complex, more expensive, much longer drying times, likely to have a (much?) shorter life.
Our White Knight condenser is nearly 15 years old, and still going, despite heavy use (2 small boys / live in Scotland!). Only needed a new pump and repair of the drum support (rivets pulled out, replaced by bolts). I imagine we would be towards the end of the life of a 2nd heat pump one by now (and lost the will to live on the drying time).
Having said that, as boys are now 14 and 11, may well go heat pump when it has to be replaced.
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>> It's a good idea in theory, but tempered by much more complex, more expensive, much
>> longer drying times, likely to have a (much?) shorter life.
When we were looking at a new dryer longer drying times was one of the downsides reviews highlighted for heat pump dryers. Up to four hours was mentioned.
In practice ours (Bosch) isn't that much longer than the previous Bosch condenser.
If you start it with a load of cotton t-shirts out of a 1400rpm spin it predicts 4+ hours but as it's a sensing process it's usually done in 90 minutes and according to the Smart Meter's home display is using around 400watts - max rating is 1 kw. Usually run it overnight on E7 with tees, towels or sheets but items from my extensive Rohan wardrobe dry in around half an hour.
Only had one issue with it - the pump in the condensate tank packed up. Cost about £120 with the Bosch official repair outfit. In practice I could have done it myself.
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White Knight dryers were made by Crosslee Ltd at a factory in Hipperholme W Yorks, built originally by Philips, in the 1970's I think, for that purpose.
Crosslee abandoned UK manufacturing on cost grounds in 2019 and the factory has since been demolished to build housing.
White Knight were belting dryers. We bought one in 1993 that worked perfectly until our house fire in 2019, over 25 years later.
The brand was sold to Vestel. Not sure whether that included any manufacturing assets but it seems unlikely. There are still 'White Knight' dryers.
These are condenser jobs at very low prices and seem to be sold at very low prices almost exclusively here:
www.whiteknightdryers.com/product-category/tumble-dryers/
About half the price of the low-mid range Bosch I bought to replace the indestructible Knight of Old.
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Vestel is owned by Edrogan - the Turkish PM
They buy up old Brand names that were popular in the past and manufacture a range of electrical goods and put different Brand Labels on "similar" stock production. Fridges, washing machines, cookers, TVs, sound bars - they own hundreds of Brand names from around the world - not just European old brands - they make & sell Toshiba & Sharp TVs which were known Japanese TV makes.
Vestel also produce for other manufacturers who sell them as their budget /entry level product.
eg Panasonic entry level TVs around £300/£400 whilst "Real Panasonics" made in a Panasonic owned factory might start at £600+
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If you have a suitable location go for a vented tumble dryer over a condensing type every time. Cheaper to buy, uses less energy, simpler and quicker to dry.
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>> If you have a suitable location go for a vented tumble dryer over a condensing
>> type every time. Cheaper to buy, uses less energy, simpler and quicker to dry.
Unless it is a 'heat pump' dryer, which are all condensing and unvented, and use least energy of all.
The downsides are initial cost and longer drying time. Sensing probably saves money too. Somebody always put our old vented dryer on for an hour at a time and it was probably dry after 30 minutes.
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"Unless it is a 'heat pump' dryer, which are all condensing and unvented, and use least energy of all."
True but you face the risk of dying of old age whilst waiting for your socks to dry.
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I have a second (and third, fourth, fifth etc) set of clothes which I can wear while the others are out of action, either in the wash or tumbling.
Also handy if something in the first set breaks, like a hole in a sock or trousers split.
Beats sitting watching a tumble dryer waiting to dry your clothes.
I suppose I'm surprised that others here haven't thought of doing that!! :-)
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>> Beats sitting watching a tumble dryer waiting to dry your clothes.
>>
I suppose it depends on how often you wash them. Spring and Autumn is usualy sufficient
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>>
>> .... Spring and Autumn is usually sufficient
>>
>>
....even if they don't really need it....
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>> If you have a suitable location go for a vented tumble dryer over a condensing
>> type every time. Cheaper to buy, uses less energy, simpler and quicker to dry.
Whilst I agree vented dryers are much cheaper to buy, why do you think they use less energy when they're rated less energy efficient?
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>> Whilst I agree vented dryers are much cheaper to buy, why do you think they
>> use less energy when they're rated less energy efficient?
The rating (for dryers) is just KwH. A vented dryer may take less H, so your dry load performance may be less KwH than a condensing dryer, which are usually rated less max Kw
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Condensing dryers use more than venting as they use energy to cool and condense the vapour back into water.
Efficiency ratings are not absolute. They compare like devices
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>> Condensing dryers use more than venting as they use energy to cool and condense the
>> vapour back into water.
>>
>> Efficiency ratings are not absolute. They compare like devices
Vented dryers simply dump moisture overboard.
Conventional condensers blow ambient air over a finned condenser where steam turns to liquid and drains to a tank. That process is pretty inefficient in a heated room.
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>> Conventional condensers blow ambient air over a finned condenser where steam turns to liquid and
>> drains to a tank. That process is pretty inefficient in a heated room.
I've never taken one to pieces but I would imagine the incoming air is directed over the heat sink and will pick up and recycle some heat from the condenser. I think it's probably the fact that the condenser dryer just takes longer that causes it to use more power to dry the same load as a vented one.
You also need a reasonably sized and ventilated room to run one in. Not all the water gets condensed from the exhaust air and sucking wet air back in will make the drying less efficient and longer.
Ordinary condenser ones are a bit pointless if you have the means to vent the wet air.
Despite having bought a heat pump dryer we seem to be doing most of it on an airer in the bathroom. Thinking about it, the whole house is a dryer. It takes air in, heats it and blows it out after recovering about 90% of the heat. Unexpected benefit of the MVHR which also controls the humidity quite well so things don't take too long to dry.
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>>Despite having bought a heat pump dryer we seem to be doing most of it on an airer in the bathroom
Washer/dryer here, takes forever to dry, so the ole woman puts the washing in the spare bedroom.
Trickle vent open + heating on 24/7 (heat pump) washing dries in no thyme.
Bought an expensive Brabantia rotary washing line, but the 10s of billions of Starlings use it for target practice :)
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>> Vestel is owned by Edrogan - the Turkish PM
Wrong Erdogan.
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But founded by Asil Nadir.
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Sharp licensed their Brand Name to Hisense and then sued them in the US, claiming that Hisense had devalued the brand by sticking Sharp badges on their low-end TV sets when they were only supposed to go on the 'premium' sets.
Case was dropped before the Judge started looking at the contracts.
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>>Vestel is owned by Edrogan - the Turkish PM
You sure about that?
>> They buy up old Brand names that were popular in the past and manufacture a range of electrical goods and put different Brand Labels on "similar" stock production
There's a lot of it about. I have a "Blomberg" fridge freezer made by the quaintly named Arcelik which markets them using Blomberg's German heritage. They are rebadged Beko's made in Turkey.
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I have recently acquired a second hand White Knight spin drier for a couple of pounds. Great when hand washing wool/cashmere, but astounded by how much water it extracts from clothes which have been through the Bosch washing machine with fast spin - about half a washing up bowlful!
That means times in tumble drier greatly reduced, really only using because I hate ironing!. I also have started using the dehumidifier to start drying off, in a small room. It really makes a dent in the costs of tumble drying.
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>> I also have started using the dehumidifier to start drying off, in a small room.
Used to do that in my previous place, but I don't think it'll work here.
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>> However DO NOT use it to heat the rest of the house, although it condenses
>> a fair amount of water, the air that comes out has high humidity that will
>> cause you problems in the rest of the house.
Thanks the the heads up, noted!
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>> However DO NOT use it to heat the rest of the house, although it condenses
>> a fair amount of water, the air that comes out has high humidity that will
>> cause you problems in the rest of the house.
It shouldn't... the drying air is a 'closed' circuit inside the machine, the condensing air is once through so doesn't pick up any water. In theory... ours used to leak quite a lot of of the 'wet' air, but it's been much better since I had it all apart and cleaned all the fluff out of the inside ducting, and it's been much better since.
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This is a brand new machine and out of interest I put a weather station monitor in the closed utility room while the tumble dryer was running. The humidity level quickly rose to 20% above the rest of the house.
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OMG. This forum has been hijacked by mumsnet.
What next.
Best way to pluck eyebrows?
What's the best way to shave legs?
Off to lie down in a darkened room ;)
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>> What's the best way to shave legs?
Those who have cycled competitively may have a view....
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>> OMG. This forum has been hijacked by mumsnet.
>> Off to lie down in a darkened room ;)
Yeah, that PMT's a bitch init.
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>> OMG. This forum has been hijacked by mumsnet.
While she's having a mid-afternoon nap........................................
Anyone suggest a cure for condensation dripping off my lavatory cistern, making the floor wet in a shower room?
Last edited by: bathtub tom on Fri 27 Jan 23 at 15:15
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!) open the window and increase the heating to reduce the moisture level in the room atmosphere.
or
2) use a dehumidifier
or
3 don't flush the lavatory to allow the water in the cistern to reach room temperature
or
4) insulate the cistern
or
5) put an old towel underneath the cistern to catch the drips
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6) re plumb the cistern to the hot water supply
7) fit a fish tank heater in it
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8) Turn the damn tumble drier off!
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9) Spray the cistern with Jif so it at least cleans the floor when it drips....
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>9) Spray the cistern with Jif so it at least cleans the floor when it drips....
Spray it with Peanut butter?
Last edited by: Kevin on Fri 27 Jan 23 at 21:00
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Put the dog's bowl under the drip. Voila ! Another job sorted.
Ted
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Hah! Mums net can be a VERY unpleasant place, no comparison.
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Tumble dryers - Bromptonaut
