Tumble dryer novice..... what do i need to know???

[Up2nogood]

I am moving and am finally getting space for a long dreamed of dryer. We have a washer dryer atm at the dryer bit it pointless. What do i need to look for in a good one..... 2 adults 2 kids (2yo and 4mo). any recommendations?

The first obvious question: will you have a vent pipe to outside or do you need a condenser one (it collects water in a drawer you empty manually).

Condensers are more expensive, and can leak more moisture into the room. But more flexible in terms of location.

Aside from that, the main feature I like is a sensor one, so it switches off when dry rather than when 'time is up' - which might be when the clothes are still wet or when they were dry half an hour ago.

You need to clean out the fluff.

good question, i think i recall seeing a vent but we art going again on saturday for final measurements so will check. ohhh sensor check, sounds useful. i'm so giddy (need to get a life). On average how long does out take to dry a load?

put the fluff out for the birds to collect for nest building. I use a spare feeder pegged to the washing line.

Put a dry towel in with your laundry and it drys faster.

I prefer a vented drier but it's a pain if you want to move it and got the biggest drum possible because the noise drives me nuts so could dry more.

I looked for one with a child lock, sensor drying, reverse action and that had the same capacity as my washing machine.

I also looked at the free Which guide here, and read lots about them on Mumsnet.

Mine was also 'graded' so was £50 cheaper than a perfect item. It still had a full warranty, was in perfect condition, but the box was damaged

I Like the idea of the birds making nests from the fluff!

Mine is a sensor dry. It will occasionally stop before some items are completely dry, usually duvets, there is a timed setting for when this happens...not sure if all machines will have that setting but it's worth checking.

I also use tumble dryer balls which are meant to speed the drying time up and make your clothes even softer.

very big things like duvets, it is useful to pull out halfway through, shake, and put back. They can roll into a ball and be wet in the middle.

vented ones are simpler and have less to go wrong.

I think all but the most budget have dryness sensors.

Do all dryers now have reverse motion or whatever it is called? Mine is quite old and was cheap so it only rotates one way, therefore things tend to get tangled. When it dies I will get a reverser.

no. my old one did reverse, the new one doesn't. It might vary with price.

the new one does have a bigger drum, though.

Don't pay a lot for a million programmes you'll never use. Our new one coming on Saturday doesn't even have sensor drying and is only costing £149. In reality, we've only ever used one or two programmes at the most and never run it while out or in bed, so there's always someone in to keep an eye out for when it's finished.

Our current (dead) Hotpoint dryer used to take an hour to do a full load which tied in nicely with the washer's 55min prog - one in, one out x 5 on wash days!