Heat pump tumble dryer

[HelloWorldItsNiceToMeetYou]

About a year ago my old vented dryer broke and I bought a heat pump dry, sold on the energy efficiency. We are a busy household of 5 teens and 2 adults plus pets.
We have an 8kg candy model.

I can't tell you how bloody long it takes to dry the clothes.

Half a load rakes about 2.5-3 hours. A full load takes 5 hours to be properly dry.

Does anyone else have this issue? I know they are meant to be slower than vented and condenser dryers, but it's driving me mad. I can't get through the laundry quickly enough and it's constantly piling up.

Are there any hints people have?
Are condensers better? We have remodeled the kitchen and now couldn't have a vented one, but I need to do something...

If you can put a vent hole in the wall for the back of it, a vented one but there aren't many around, usually about £250-£300, if you can't put a hole in the wall then a condenser dryer which cost a little bit more. Hole is about 4-6 inches diameter.

Condenser dryers are more flexible but a bit more maintenance as you have to empty the water tray extra.

Add a dry towel when tumble drying, it'll speed it up a bit. I add a hand towel and it normally knocks about 20mins off the drying time, so a larger towel might save you a bit more time.
I do have a condenser though, not a heat pump machine.
If doing multiple loads I also hang stuff on airers while I wait for the machine to be done with the last lot as a little bit of air drying time does reduce the time it takes to tumble dry.

You would be better with a condenser dryer. A heat pump would take hours and hours in an unheated garage.

You don't have to put a hole in the wall - you can buy a container which goes onto the end of the corrugated pipe thing and collects the water.

I have the Beko model from Currys which does 2 loads of washing (put in together) in about 2.5 hours. I definitely think it's your machine that's rubbish unless you have it in a cold room outside

BEKO Pro iron finish B5T492311W from Currys 9kg

My condenser is great, the water reservoir is in the door so you can clearly see when it needs emptying. It's a Hoover 10kg machine. Housed in an unheated conservatory.

Beko heap pump Beko heap Beko
Do not try to save on the cheaper one!

I have a bosch heat pump. Had it a couple of years or so now and love it. Takes about 2.5 hours to dry a full load on a low heat setting. Wouldn't be without it!

@HelloWorldItsNiceToMeetYou don't get a heated airer they are awful (even with the cover on)
I have a big plug in dehumidifier which stops condensation from hanging wet washing around the house and dries it quickly too

I have a blomberg one. As long as the filters are cleaned out every so often it's pretty good. A full load of towels takes about 2ish hours. I do several loads a day sometimes and easily keep up with it all.

Mine is in an unheated downstairs toilet/utility. Works fine. They are more efficient in a heated room.

Thanks I'll check that out
I have a beko washer which is great

I've got a Samsung one, 3 hours is the most it ever takes for a massive load, I love it,

They do take longer than vented ones but mine definitely doesn't take 5h.
Where do you have it? In the kitchen or a garage etc? Because they work better at room temperatures.
Also you have to clear the lint out every time because it effects the sensor

Oh also I have a 9kg washer and dryer but the dryer definitely does better with half a load. If I have mixed fabrics like towels and bedding i will dry them separately because that overall takes less time. The sensor gets confused I think if you have just one or two things that need longer to dry

Ps mine is a Beko, although there are niggles I've been pleased with it. Had it almost 18 months now

Mines takes around 3 hours depending on how much stuff is in it. It a lot cheaper though so I don’t care so much. I use it nearly every day

Worth noting this annoys me on the Beko:

"automatic anti-creasing function rotates the drum periodically for up to 2 hours after a cycle has finished"

You can't turn this "feature" off it's not that big of a deal if you're in the room with it as you can turn the whole dryer off to make it stop, but it annoys me if I've set it to run and then I'm nearby but not close enough to turn it off - the intermittent noise bothers me more than a constant one.

Had a Haier one that lasted 2 years.

Was my first tumble drier so had nothing to compare.

Then the thing broke and I spent a fortune trying to get it fixed (sunk cost fallacy).

Gave up and bought a cheaper condenser. Would not go back to heat pump, ours was running constantly whereas out condenser usually finishes most loads after an hour or so.

I like mine. I could only get an integrated heat pump one (beko)

it’s much cheaper and I’d happily take the cost effectiveness over the longer drying times.

however I don’t tumble dry much. Most I will hang on an airer overnight and just finish off in the dryer. Generally only towels and sheets, so one or two washes a week.

Another one with a Miele and while it dies take longer than the old condenser...... It's certainly not taking hours

Ours is the model that doesn't reverse, so yes bedding gets tangled but don't see it as too much of a problem

That’s great if it works but our heat pump dryer used to literally take all day (over 12 hours) to not even fully dry anything and it would smell so bad I would have to wash it again-even if it was just one towel or a few pairs of knickers and socks. My new condenser is done and dusted with a massive load in 45mins. I can’t believe that all day Vs 45 mins is cheaper. Plus having to wash it all again. I have three children and really don’t have time for it.
@Lovethesparklylights go for a condenser if it’s in a cold garage-there’s no heat there to swap.

We’ve just bought a Bosch series 6 in the sale. It’s fantastic and a game changer for me.

A couple of people have mentioned the damp smell. This is another thing that drives me nuts. It takes so long the clothes start to smell damp!