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Original poster

Tumble Driers - vented or condenser?

33 replies

dandeloin · 07/02/2020 21:17

Hi All,

so the most boring question of the evening goes to meSmile. I have a condenser drier and its useless so looking to change the machine. Just wondering if vented machines in general are thought to be better than condenser driers, or is there any difference in their performance? Thanks

OP posts:
Batshittery · 07/02/2020 21:31

I'll join you in the boring corner Grin

I have condenser drier and it's great. Dries quickly, loads of settings and even a light in the drum.

What makes yours so useless?

dustibooks · 07/02/2020 21:33

I didn't even know they still made vented ones. All seemed a bit old-fashioned, having that long squidgy pipe dangling out of the window.

SallyWD · 07/02/2020 21:35

We had a vented one that was OK but not great. Traded it in for a condenser one which is soooo much better. Maybe you just don't have a good one? Ours is a Bosch and was a Which Best Buy. It's excellent.

nevernotstruggling · 07/02/2020 21:39

Depends where it's going in the house. I had a bog standard candy vented in my garage that was still fine after 7 years. Moved house and planned to have drier in cupboard. Sold vented. Bought condenser. So fucking noisy in the house I built a shed in the garden and paid for an outside plug.

The condenser is ok. I bought it off gumtree but god it's so high maintenance emptying the water - going out and checking it's still going and blah. It gets upset in cold weather.

I miss the vented very much.

SallyWD · 08/02/2020 07:35

@nevernotstruggling I don't experience these problems with my condenser dryer. OK. I have to empty the water after each wash but it only takes about 3 seconds. I don't have to check if it's still going. It has sensors and stops when the clothes are dry. Mine doesn't get upset in cold weather - just works normally. And it's no louder than my old vented one was!

bonzo77 · 08/02/2020 07:41

Does a condenser dry faster? We have a vented one with the hose through a hole in the wall. Takes an 8kg load 2hr ish to dry if using high heat.

LizziesTwin · 08/02/2020 07:43

You can connect up a condenser drier to a drain so you don’t have to empty them, ours came with a hose etc.

TulipCat · 08/02/2020 07:49

It probably depends on the model for either to be honest. I have a Samsung Ecobubble condenser dryer which is next to my washing machine so is plumbed in so the water tank empties itself into the washing machine pipes. No need to ever empty the tank manually. I think you may need the same brand washing machine to do this though.

adagio · 08/02/2020 07:51

I had a washer/drier which was useless at drying - You had to split the load after washing, then it took forever to dry, everything came out crumpled. i ended up using a laundrette if we had huge amounts to dry and the weather was awful. When we had the garage rebuilt I put a vented white knight out there (4yrs ago I think) and it’s amazing at drying, and you can dodge ironing most things, just like laundrette ones- and fluffy towels are awesome. It’s possible my bar is quite low after the terrible last one though. Makes an unhappy noise a bit these days but still works fine so I’m ignoring it.

Duvetdweller · 08/02/2020 07:55

I got the cheapest one I could find when we were having an extension. It’s a beko condenser. Senses the clothes are dry, it’s brilliant. And it is next to a sink in the utility room so I just pour the water straight down - no bother at all.

SoloMummy · 08/02/2020 08:02

Vented gets my vote. Much better than condenser that should work in theory but always let down and can cause damp in my experience.

surlycurly · 08/02/2020 08:02

I've got a grundig condenser and it does a great job with a load up to 10kg. Takes several hours, however but doesn't cost a fortune (I watch my smart metre like a hawk). I only
Have to empty it after two loads and it would be almost noiseless if I didn't have fried balls in it. It's not on the level of the big American ones though. I dream of one of them!!!

Cynderella · 08/02/2020 10:22

We have a condenser that's vented and while it's OK, it seems to take longer to dry a load than my old vented one. However, it takes a larger load, so I guess it works out about the same.

Ours in plumbed in, so no emptying, but cleaning the bottom filter/condenser or whatever it's called is awkward.

VanGoghsDog · 08/02/2020 10:26

I think funding one with an easy to empty water reservoir and fluff filter is key. My Candy is very easy, you just lift the inner door out and tip it in the sink which takes about a millisecond. The fluff filter is easy too.

I find mine dries well. Though my last one was terrible so I may also have a low bar.

LesLavandes · 08/02/2020 10:30

Vented is much cheaper

mencken · 08/02/2020 16:01

condenser was around £130 and works fine. You can get super-economical ones but they take decades to pay off the electricity saved unless you use them twice a day every day. Ours is winter only and then only if a long spell of wet weather.

areallthenamesusedup · 08/02/2020 23:55

Check the moisture output if it is in a basement /anywhere where damp could be a problem. Less efficient can leak moisture into the atmosphere. WHICH publish the efficiency rating re moisture leakage if it could cause a problem.

choirmumoftwo · 09/02/2020 00:15

I've just bought a heat pump dryer. Very similar to condenser but recycles the hot air so has A+ energy rating, better than any condenser I could find though slightly more expensive. Plumbed into the mains so no emptying either!

minniemoll · 09/02/2020 00:26

Vented every time. Put it on an outside wall and make a hole with a vent on it for the pipe.

Fluffycloudland77 · 09/02/2020 09:12

My condenser takes an hour to dry a load. I connected it to the sink trap so no emptying.

CrotchetyQuaver · 09/02/2020 09:25

I'm firmly in the vented camp following awful experiences with washer dryers years ago.

Packingsoapandwater · 09/02/2020 09:30

I have a beko condenser. It works just fine and, yes, it needs emptying but it's not a huge fuss.
I keep ours in a tiny box room that we converted into a walk-in wardrobe and it makes life so much easier having it upstairs.

Original poster
dandeloin · 09/02/2020 16:49

Thanks everyone for your opinions. My current machine is just "useless" as I can really only air clothes /bedding in it. It doesn't dry things at all, when they are any way more than slightly damp. We currently don't have an option to fit a vented machine - would have to get some work done in the utility room to make a vent. Not a show stopper but not ideal either. Can someone please tell me about heat pump condenser driers.? I've had mixed information from my local electrical store. One chap says they take a lot longer to run a cycle than a regular condenser - his colleague told me that they only take a few mins longer.. I am so confused. With 3 young children at home & the mountains of laundry which come with them, I don't want to buy something that is going to take hours to run a cycle to dry bedding/towels etc. All I want is an efficient machine that I can throw clothes from the washing machine into and surprise surprise the tumble drier will actually dry them (especially on wet miserable weekends like this one..) Smile

OP posts:
Oly4 · 09/02/2020 16:51

I have a condenser, never even occurred to me to get A vented one. I just tip the water out after each load - easy peasy

itsUnderMyPillow · 09/02/2020 19:30

I have a Beko heat pump one. It's supposed to be more eco ? It's bloody slow but it doesn't shrink stuff so I am adapting my routine to suit it . It takes about 90 mins to dry a standard load of washing .
So instead of doing five loads of washing in one day like I used to. I now do a load a day ( and have the weekends off )