Life span of a tumble dryer.

[AnnB30]

What’s the average for a heavily used dryer? Generally daily use!

I ask because ours is on the way out I think (condenser type).

It’s about 6 years old and used most days.

Dp is p**sed he thinks it hasn’t lasted long enough

But 6 years of daily use is good surely?

We’ve had no problems with it until now.

My Creda one lasted about 15 years' or more. Have an AEG now probably 6 years' old

Ours is 10 but I have repaired it twice. It’s an old fashioned tube out of the wall one though so not much to go wrong

My Bosch condenser dryer went bang last Summer after 15 years. Used every other day in Winter but less so I’m Summer. I hate the replacement Bosch. It takes hours and the sensor is so sensitive it stops tumbling if one item is dry even if the rest of the load is damp.

I think 6 years is good going for a tumbler. Our last few have lasted around 4 years each on average. DM had a Creda drier with the vent that lasted about 15 years!

@Griselda1

I'd recommend the heat pump tumble driers, much gentler on the clothes and that crazy level of heat you get in the other ones just doesn't happen.

tried one. Took all day to dry a load and was v.unreliable (Bosch). I could see the idea was good but swapped it for a condenser Bosch which works fine and can take 2 washloads a day and dry them. I like to leave the items in the residual heat for as long as possible

Doesn't surprise me sorry @AnnB30

Me and DH have been together 35 years, and living together for 33 (since 1988.) Up to 2010, we had had 2 televisions. One in 1988, and one in 2010. 12 years and 10 years they lasted.)

The one we got in 2010 lasted 5 years, (til 2015,) then one we got in 2015 lasted 3 years, (til 2018,) and the one we got after that (in 2018,) lasted 18 months. So March 2020 we got the TV we have now. We are fully expecting it to break down any minute now.

See also washing machines, microwaves, toasters, kettles, etc etc... Used to last sometimes for a couple of decades, and now you're lucky to get something to last one to two years.

We have had our fridge since 1988. 33 years. When it packs up (if it does,) I would bet a year's salary that the replacement doesn't last 33 years! In fact I would go so far as to bet it doesn't last HALF that!

Sadly, there's no profit to be made from items that last a long time, so manufacturers purposely put a shelf life on items, that means they will break, several months after the guarantee expires.

And those extended warranties you get aren't worth the paper they're written on. If you are 'lucky' enough to not be fobbed off with 'it's wear and tear so it's not covered,' they take 6 to 8 weeks to come out, they do a bodge-job 'repair' on your item, they don't fix it properly, and then come back several months later with a reconditioned replacement, that they charge you £70 to install, on top of £50 for the call-out. The additional cover you took out only covers the 'parts.'

It's pretty shit really. Anything you buy now, (electrical,) you have to just assume you will have to buy again within one to two years.

I had our first one for 17 years, second one is 4 years old and hanging on by a thread and I hate it!

@littlepattilou I agree. My grandparents have had some of the same appliances in their house for many years but some that have been bought or replaced in more recent years haven’t last long at all. Crazy isn’t it!!

Thanks all. It’s still drying clothes for now so not completely unusable but taking a long time and pausing all the time, I think the sensors are off too as clothes are finishing damp and needs to go back on. As well as that it’s making a god damn awful noise!

Maybe it’s beko. We had. A beko washing machine that didn’t last past 5 or 6 years either. For a different washing machine now!

We had a condenser one which only lasted about 2 years. Prior to that we had a White Knight vented one which lasted over 10 years and our current one is also vented (again WK) and it’s about 7 years old. Dries perfectly but the timer dial is buggered so I have had to stick it in place with gorilla tape and not forget to check it!

I personally think the condenser ones don’t last as long as vented ones.

My previous one just gave up the ghost after about 5 years, but to be fair it was used at least once every day, and often could have been on 3 or 4 times when the children were babies / toddlers. It was a heat pump dryer and I liked it because it didn't shrink the clothes. It used to take around 2 hours ish to dry a load, but I didn't mind. Towards the end it just started taking longer and longer to dry, so it had to go. Plus I think we shouldn't persevere with tumble dryers if they seem to be on the way out, don't want a fault to develop and burn down the house...

So I replaced it with another heat pump one, but this time a Bosch, about a month ago and it is bloody amazing!!! I have to remind myself that no one is interested in my laundry and not to go on about it, but it dries a full load in an hour or less, and then sends me a notification on my phone to say it's done. I love it!

I thought my condenser dryer was on its last legs the other day because it was stopping every 25 mins without drying fully. Gave the condenser unit a soak in washing up liquid then a blast with the shower and an almighty amount of fluff came out of it. Works fine again now, so maybe it just needs a bit sterner treatment!

I bought one from a nurse who stated she was unable to afford to run it.
That was 28 years ago and it's still going. A Phillips- only a timer and two settings hot and less hot.

Our last one was 8 years old, sold it with the house, afaik it's still going! And it was one of the Beko fire ones (we got it fixed). Got a Bush now, let's see how this one goes.

Sorry our tumble was Indesit. The fridge was Beko and died after 5 years.

My mum bought my tumble drier second hand from a neighbour when I was 13. I inherited it when she moved into a small flat. It’s still going strong.
I’m 56 ...

Our very basic one is about 4 years old and makes a worrying squealing noise sometimes so don't think it will last long. But we got it free from Hotpoint as a replacement for another older one that we didn't even buy ourselves so we're fine with it.

My mil has had the same vented tumble dryer for 22 years now, the door is a bit difficult to close but as it's just the two of them and it still works she hasn't replaced.
Our own is 9 years old, quite heavy use and still going strong.
We did have a scare in October when it just would start and made a sort of humming sound. Googled it and was able to buy a replacement part for £7 and my eldest teen opened it up, we dusted the whole interior, changed the part and it's working again. Its a condenser dryer.