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Hi,
I’m looking to buy a tumble dryer from the currently available ranges.
I have solar PV installed and I’ve devised a system that can switch appliances on when there’s sufficient free power (ie, equivalent to some form of variable external switch/timer). With a tumble dryer being a high power appliance obviously it will be preferable for me to keep running costs down by using my own solar generated power as much as possible, and having the dryer switch on/off automatically (in ~30 min time slots).
Most currently available dryers seem to require that someone is present to choose a function when it is first switched on. What I need is a model that can be pre-programmed that will then start the program when the mains power is restored.
I’ve asked in a few shops and the sales staff are normally unable to advise confidently which models will work in this scenario. The very basic (smaller) models that have a mechanical timer look as though they would, but I’d rather get a more modern and efficient unit with sensor drying and condenser perhaps.
Does anyone have any knowledge of which models/brands may work in my situation? Any help with this appreciated, thanks.
marc
Re: Which tumble dryers will work with an external switch ?
Switching the dryer on and off in 30 minute time slots is not advisable. To dry an average load of something like towels would take between 60 to 90 minutes depending upon washer spin speed etc. All dryers have a ‘cool down’ period of around 10 minutes at the end of a cycle to allow the element to cool down and help reduce creasing. If you stop the machine after 30 minutes of a 60 minute cycle the element will be glowing hot with no fan to cool It. This will lead to early failure of the overheat safety thermostats.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HDRe: Which tumble dryers will work with an external switch ?
Hi, thanks for your input.
That’s a good point you make and I can appreciate how that could lead to early failure. I wasn’t aware that dryers nowadays have fans to cool them down following a cycle.
My last dryer (about 10 years ago) did not have such a fan, it just dried at one of two heat settings, had a mechanical dial, and when the dial got to zero, or was manually turned to zero it just went off, and silent. So with a basic (old school) dryer such as that I think my theory could work. But as you imply, dryers now are more sophisticated and have other things going on.
Maybe my idea is not possible at all, but if such a model exists that worked like my old dryer did, but also had some of the more modern features, then maybe that would be what I’m after.
Any more ideas from the community before I give up? 😉
cheers
marc
Re: Which tumble dryers will work with an external switch ?
The last ten minutes of the program would be a drying phase with no power to the element so, no heat. It allows the dryer and the clothing to cool off.
Doing away with that and terminating the program early will lead to the failure of overheat thermostats with 100{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} certainty.
I have never seen a tumble dryer that didn’t do this and I’d bet your last one did, even if you didn’t know it.
K.
Re: Which tumble dryers will work with an external switch ?
You’re probably right, but the old thing used to get used and abused and it was the door that broke off in the end that killed it. Clothes used to come out so hot you could hardly hold them.
Thanks for your thoughts anyway, we’re just about to abandon the automatic control idea for the dryer and get something with an inbuilt delay timer instead.
Cheers
marc
Re: Which tumble dryers will work with an external switch ?
May I suggest a solar powered clothes line, theres a motorised one on the market, I seem to remember…
There are some dryer cupboards on the market think ISE do one, which are low wattage (0.7kw full load) & may suit your set-up.
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