Would you replace a condenser dryer now or choose a heat pump?

[AInightingale]

I need to replace my condenser drier as it's acting up a bit after 11 years (Beko, cheap, not bad going). Just concerned by yesterday's news that these are now in the govt's sights and they want to phase out the sale of them. I have heard so many conflicting things about heat pump driers. One thing I don't like is the time taken to dry a load of clothes - hours in some cases. I would never go out or to bed with a drier running, so isn't that a right pain in the arse, tying you to the house? They also seem expensive. Only use mine in bad weather or the winter months. Really I'd rather pay extra for electricity for the convenience, but it seems like the choice might soon be taken out of our hands. Would anyone recommend, I'm leaning to another condenser really, and buying it quickly because I don't think the alternative sounds popular.

Right, clearly Milliband has never had to get all the bedding through the wash after the house comes down with a bug in winter. I'm tempted to store one in the loft for when this one kicks the bucket.

OP, I’m with you - buy another condenser dryer now, while you still have the option.

Eh? I love my heat pump dryer. Never noticed any difference with time taken and it costs peanuts to run.

I have heat pump one and it takes anywhere from hour to 2.5 depending on what I am drying and if I overload it🙈 cost very little to run as pp said

I love my heat pump one too, haven't noticed a difference drying time but would actually say its quicker??

It depends. We have a condenser because it lives in an unheated bit of the house (has electric radiator if it's snowing outside but generally not on). We were told that heat pump wouldn't work in a garage area ...

My vented dryer will dry a whole king sized duvet set in an hour. It can do that because it can dry at 70c. Heat pump dryers wont do that, it's why they are cheap to run, it's why they take up to three times at long to dry the same items.

Smaller items can be dried in 20 minutes.

It's a convenience I'm willing to pay for

Damn I didn't know that! I only have room for it in the garage, so when this one goes that's me scuppered then!

So, if your garage falls below 5 degrees, then you can't use it at all, or shouldn't as it likely won't work. In a cold garage, above that, 5-12c, it'll work but will take forever.

I've read posts - on MN - that a large load stuff can take up to five hours? So you just feed it smaller loads at a time. Sounds like the crap drier my parents had in the 80s, cba with that!

I had one, we are a large family so lots of large laundry loads. It was awful. Took hours, things were never fully dry, and washing always smelt a bit musty. Couldn’t wait to get rid of it.
if you only do small loads it’s probably ok.

Yes, I thought long drying cycles might lead to clothes smelling a bit manky, a bit less than fresh. I can't imagine this will be a popular policy somehow, as pp says they don't work well in cold sheds and garages.

My Hisense heat pump drier is way better than my old condenser drier in every way. Quicker and dries better.

Well it's attached to the house but completely unheated, so it does look as though after my current dryer (which is a vented one, except it doesn't vent really - but works) I won't be able to have one. I presume they won't do vented ones either.

Yeah, vented dryers are on the chopping block too.

Heat pumps make sense for some people. They are cheaper to run. If you don't have a large household, or don't have somebody in the home with medical needs that generates a lot of laundry, if you have space within the home, a home that it is kept at a decent temperature ( not the mnetters trying to muscle through to December without putting the heating on), and for people who can afford the upfront cost of a more expensive machine...then, they're fine.

I like my heat pump dryer also. Additional benefit that it warms the kitchen up.

i think it works better than my old vented dryer. That took fucking ages to dry anything as well. I also barely used it because of the cost.

i can get through multiple washes a day easily enough. The eco setting on my washing machine is the same length as a load in the dryer- so first load on timer overnight, that goes in the drier about 8am when the next load of washing goes on. 11 am those are done and next load. Then a 2pm load and that’s 4 loads washed and dried by 8pm.

Apparently you won't be able to buy a vented or condenser model after 19 January next year – they've already passed the legislation, it's to do with the energy rating. I really will need one before then, I think.

You see, how is that quicker? Three hours for a load to dry is eons. I won't even countenance the three hour eco load on my washing machine.

We have got a heat pump drier and it's very good. Dries in a similar amount of time to our old vented drier - although things like towels do take a bit longer - and costs about £1 per load less. We've had it a year and half and it's already nearly paid for itself it saved electricity.

Thanks OP, I didn't know about this! I'll be replacing our ancient condenser with another before the deadline for sure.

Yeah I feel the same. Their seems to be a hate for them on mumsnet and I don't really know why. Had mine for 4 years and love it!

I have a bosch heat pump dryer. Takes about 1.5 hrs to dry a whole load of washing. Costs very cheap and is in my bach porch which is not heated and still manages to dry no problem at low temperatures. Also no clothes shrinkage.

I’ve got a Hisense heat pump that lives in an unheated shed. Absolutely fine and costs so little to run.

Ours works fine in an unheated garage too. Not really sure how long it takes but can do more than one load in a day if we're at home. Generally we use a one hour cycle on the washing machine after work, into the dryer and ready to put away before bed so it doesn't build up and need multiple
loads on one day.