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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Tumble dryer

17 replies

hashbrownsandwich · 29/08/2023 13:28

AIBU to NOT consider a heat source tumble dryer?

I have a vented which is now beyond repair. DH has suggested a heatsource but some friends have said they don't recommend, although nothing specific.
I've never had a condenser so not sure on that.

AIBU and what's your opinions on heat source if you have?

OP posts:
SharpLily · 29/08/2023 13:33

I have a heat pump one. It's pretty shit. Economical to run but needs to be on at least four hours to get an average load even close to dry! I've had condenser and vented in the past and they were much better than this.

declutteringmymind · 29/08/2023 13:35

I think the tech is too early to go for it. Get another cheap vented if you can afford the energy, and put the money saved in the pot for solar panels

Original poster
hashbrownsandwich · 29/08/2023 13:37

Oooh thank you both, this is interesting. I'm only looking for a cheap one so maybe the £260 vented one is worth a shot.

OP posts:
CyberCritical · 29/08/2023 13:38

Vented if you have somewhere to vent it already set up. We have a condenser and it's great, need to empty the water container every time (collects so much water!!) but that's quick and easy, it's just part of the routine now and I empty the fluff trap at the same time.

egowise · 29/08/2023 13:39

I got a heat pump and thought it was shit. Turns out I was using it incorrectly 🤣

You really do need to use the correct settings for them

FurryGiraffe · 29/08/2023 13:44

I had a condenser until recently and now have a heat pump. Both great- and definitely doesn't take 4 hours to dry a load! A full load of mixed washing maybe an hour and a half. If its a full load of towels or bedding then a bit longer. It's really economical too.

BerryGoodPudding · 29/08/2023 13:45

I have a Beko sensor condenser so it stops drying when it detects the clothes are dry. It is a B rated and came ready plumbed so I don't have to empty the drawer of water. I haven't got time to be waiting around for hours on end for a tumble dryer to finish, hence the one that dries in an hour or less.

Should add in my edit, my washing machine spin is 1600 so gets a lot of water out of the clothes before tumble drying.

Allywill · 29/08/2023 13:46

I have a hailer heat pump one - purchased when our vented one broke. Cost about £360 so approx £100 more than a vented. I was sceptical as had read about them taking ages and stuff not being dry. It takes a little getting used to and it does take longer than I was used to - but if you use it correctly (ours you can set to iron dry - so comes out slightly damp or cupboard dry - comes out completely dry.) it is absolutely fine and uses much less electricity. I had all but stopped using the old one as it was expensive to run - I dont feel as bad using this one.

SELondonLurker · 29/08/2023 13:47

We have a Miele heat pump, not plumbed either. IMO it’s great. Cheap to run and quiet. It definitely doesn’t take 4 hours to dry…! 1-2hrs MAX dependent on load size.

Viewfrommyhouse · 29/08/2023 13:47

I can dry a load of towels in less than an hour with my heat pump dryer. It can either be used as a condenser or plumbed into the waste pipe. Its great, and so cheap to run.

User174398521 · 29/08/2023 13:49

We will replace ours with another vented one, the savings with a heat pump one isn't really worth the wait for things to dry

GasPanic · 29/08/2023 13:52

Heat pumps should be able to save a lot in electricity.

But it depends on how you dry.

I hardly ever use tumble drying. I have a 1600 rpm washing machine that spins to pretty dry anyway, then hang in a room to finish off. In Autumn/Spring I use a dehumidifier to keep the house humidity levels under control.

I only really need the tumble dry in winter, but if you are not using it very often it may work out cheaper to go for the non heat pump as it will take ages to recover the purchase price.

If you are doing industrial quantities of washing and need to tumble dry all year then the heat pump probably makes more sense, but I have no clue what the best one is.

andrainwillmaketheflowersgrow · 29/08/2023 13:54

We have a condenser washer/dryer and it's absolutely fab. Cost about £500 and can wash and dry a load of laundry in 90 minutes. Towels and bedding takes about three hours all-in.

I can control it from my phone which is helpful and I get an alert when the washing is done too.

ItsFunToBeAVampire · 29/08/2023 14:20

I've only ever had a condenser dryer before and the last 2 I had were rubbish, I don't know if it was the ones I had (Candy) or something I was doing. It would take literally hours to dry.
I got a heat pump one 6 months ago and it's a game changer for me. It takes 60-90 mins to dry a big load and way less for smaller ones. I got a Hisense one and I'm really pleased with it.
I'd read similar things about it taking hours to dry but I've not had a problem so far.

Blughbablugh · 29/08/2023 14:35

I have a bosch heat pump dryer and it's fab! Not cheap but will happily dry a load of washing within two hours and very energy efficient!

MrHopsPortal · 29/08/2023 14:45

Blughbablugh · 29/08/2023 14:35

I have a bosch heat pump dryer and it's fab! Not cheap but will happily dry a load of washing within two hours and very energy efficient!

Snap! I have the cheapest Bosch one and it's bloody brilliant. Probably 60-90 minutes to dry a mixed load. It claims to take 3 hours+ to dry a set of bed linen - but it auto adjusts and it has never taken anywhere near that long.

And it doesn't seem to shrink anything either.

FinallyHere · 29/08/2023 19:48

Ours is in a brilliant location but no venting possible. We have a condenser which drains into the same pipe work that empties into the same drain as the water.

Love how soft and fluffy the towels turn out. DH was very anti and has been totally won over by soft fluffy towels.

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