[Closed] Tumble dryers - Yay

I'm looking as well, just for doing bedding
vented is out for me as i want site the dryer away from the window
condensers are expensive to run but work
heat pump are cheap to run but everyone I've ever spoken to who own them say they never properly dry or you have to run them so long to dry stuff that you probably don't save on leccy. And like you say they are generally more expensive to buy.

I'm going on Octopus Agile which is a time of day leccy tariff so i'll probably buy a condenser tumble dryer and set it to run at the cheapest rates (usually somewhere 11.30pm - 5am)

I vote for condenser.

Vented without a vent is alright if you also want a sauna.
Heat exchanger is more efficient but doesn't make much difference money-wise as it's more expensive to buy so that offsets any savings on energy. It also takes longer to dry stuff as it runs cooler.

Condenser here - works great

Got a new one recently and went from vented to condenser. It has lots of bells and whistles so stops drying when clothes are dry rather than on a fixed time - which greatly reduces drying time. Which reminds me - I must plumb in the output pipe rather than simply emptying the tank! Not too hard, but the rest of the family seem incapable of emptying it!

Why don't they want to put a hole in the wall? It isn't a big or messy job. It would be madness to have a vented one and have it blow damp air into the garage - even if they did go out and occasionally open the door there would be long-term potential for damage (mould etc).

Why don’t they want to put a hole in the wall?

Well, the main reason is there isn't a wall to put it into, it'd need to be into the garage door.
They also intend to put it into the corner furthest from said door.
Plus, and this is the main reason, they just don't want to, they don't use it much and they're old and hard to persuade...

They do realise that there won't actually be a hole in the wall as such, it'll be filled with pipe on one side and some form of grille on the other?

I don't mean that disrespectfully, rather it's the sort of notion that my gran would get into her head, that she'd have to plug the pipe into the wall every time she used the dryer and then disconnect it again leaving a big hole afterwards.

Cross-posted, sorry.

The garage is surrounded on all three sides and top then? Integrated between houses, sort of thing? Kinda forces your hand somewhat then, I was going to suggest just getting it installed and not telling them... (-:

So if they can't (rather than won't) put a hole in a wall then I would suggest a condenser as the much higher cost of a heat pump drier would render it uneconomical if it is only for occasional use for an older couple.

Of course a condenser would need to be emptied regularly or be plumbed in.

I bought a condenser dryer about 3 weeks ago to replace our dearly departed elephant trunk type one.

Got it from AO.com for £199 delivered. Easy to use and it pumps out dry air rather than the damp stuff that the old one did when the trunk fell from the face.

I would say though that it's not the easiest thing to empty when its floor mounted, the water tray is a bit of a squeeze to get the fingers under and remove. Need to check out how much the feet extend when the garage isn't such a tip (3 bikes in the way).

The garage is surrounded on all three sides and top then? Integrated between houses, sort of thing?

Exactly that. Not telling them would be an option but they'll definitely notice a hole in the garage door!
Condensing it is then.

Another option (depending on the door type and their risk for security) would be to simply bung the pipe from a standard drier out of the door - if it's a roller door then there would only be a 6 inch opening and if its an electric door then it would be almost as secure as a fully closed door.

Another option (depending on the door type and their risk for security) would be to simply bung the pipe from a standard drier out of the door – if it’s a roller door then there would only be a 6 inch opening and if its an electric door then it would be almost as secure as a fully closed door.

That was suggested, it's an up and over, and my Dad has a few bits in there, bikes and garden machinery, that he wouldn't want to easily had away.

We have a condenser dryer in an unheated garage and it works well. I would recommend.

Edit: reading whyte101s post. Our Bosch has a collection tray at the top and needs emptying about every 6-7 loads if spun. The condenser unit is still at the bottom but that needs cleaning twice a year ( instructions may say different)

We have a condenser drier.

It's ok for what it is. Does the job, and dries stuff properly given sufficient time.

The main downsides to condenser IMO are emptying the tank (definitely plumb it in if you can), poor energy use compared with a vented model, and reliability issues - it is inherently more complex than a vented machine and hence there is more stuff to go wrong.

All things being equal I'll probably get a vented one when this one dies. Ours is seven years old now I think, so actually doing OK for modern white goods, but it would probably have been skipped two or three times over by folks with more access to cash or less tolerance for taking the damn thing to bits 🙂

Bosch - Heat Exchange works a dream. They are a lot cheaper now I am sure you can get one for around £450.

Condenser is good for us. Worth checking if you can plumb the waste water to drain, often it's a separate kit, else you have to empty a water tank frequently.

If I was buying again I'd look for a delay function that goes to single hours - we're on Octopus Agile and the 3/6/9 hours on our current one isn't great if you've stuck things in at 6pm and want it running just after 7.