Tumble dryer taking forever to dry…time for a new one?

[Tumbledryerhelp]

I have my tumble dryer around 6 years, the past 6 months or so it’s been taking so long to dry, as in 4 hours to dry towels etc. I’ve cleaned out all the filters even the one at the bottom and I’m not over filling it. Is it just time for a new one?

4 hours! Yes, definitely get a new one

What’s the typical ‘life span’ of a tumble dryer?

Can you get a tumble dryer engineer in? I have a great chap who does washing machines and driers and he has managed to fix both on numerous occasions. I always give it a go even if I think its surely dead and he has only failed once.

I usually replace washing machine and tumble dryer every 5 years, by that time I’ve had my monies worth.

I’ve had my dryer 10 years. No issues.

Is it vented or condenser?

Vented ones should go on forever.

If its vented, check someone hasn't put the wheelie bin blocking the vent (took a while for me to work that one out!)

Have you cleaned the condenser (if it's a condensing type) as well as the filters? When mine starts to get slow, this is the thing that revives it. My dryer is 18 years old.

Lifespan is 5-10 years IME. 4 hrs to dry sounds like an element has gone. Could probably be repaired. Depends on what brand it is / how much you paid for it / how attached you are.

Do you clean the filters of fluff every time you use it (except for the bottom one)? If you don't, you risk the appliance getting too hot and tripping the heaters to prevent fire risk...

I'd get an engineer out to diagnose but it's probably more economical to replace it.

Vented dryer will last years if you can change parts yourself, parts are cheap on eBay and the dryer is very basic. Heat pump ones deteriorate over time and probably can't be easily fixed yourself. Condenser ones are probably easy to fix yourself

Is it a condenser type?
I had this and eventually I went online and discovered that when you remove the condenser filter it reveals a little flap in the base of the drier. Lift that and you can then pick out loads of slimy gunk, mine dried just fine after that.

It’s a condenser! I am so sick of washing taking so long to drive, I’ve 3 small children so we have a lot. Il maybe look into a repair but I don’t think the dryer itself cost a whole lot

Probably try and clean around the condenser filter, flap as described by PP, if that doesn't work it would probably be best to get a new one as it sounds much used, it's not so much how long they last but how heavily used they are, some people might only use them for a couple of hours a week.

I had my last dryer nearly 20 years!

4 hours does seem ridiculous. But - do you put the towels through an extra spin on the washing machine? I do and it makes a big difference. If you have room for a spin dryer, even better.

@Tumbledryerhelp

It’s a condenser! I am so sick of washing taking so long to drive, I’ve 3 small children so we have a lot. Il maybe look into a repair but I don’t think the dryer itself cost a whole lot

If you open the door after half an hour, does the washing feel very hot but still wet? Is the water outlet plumbed into your drain, or do you have to empty a water tank? It sounds like the water might not be draining off so the washing just remains wet.

Also. Have you googled the specific make and looked on YouTube for how to unblock it?

Is the washing wetter than it used to be when it comes out of the machine? Just wondering if your washing machine isn't spinning out as much water as it used to and that's why your clothes are taking longer to dry.

It sounds like it is blocked somewhere or gunked up as tumble dryers can accumulate a lot of unseen gunk and fluff, DH has to take our vented one apart each year to get rid of fluff that has escaped the filter and outlet and is stuck in the crevices.

Ive attached a direct drainage hose on mine. So you can just put the end of the hose into the sink or a bucket so its not collecting in the condenser tray and i find it dries stuff so much better and doesnt get all gunky.