Gas tumble dryer

[untitled]

Hello,

I’m after some advice. I am about to buy my very first tumble dryer. We have a small flat and plan to install the machine in the cellar. The temperature down there is fairly constant all year round (say 10 degrees C?).

Initially I thought we’d have to go for a condenser type but I have just realised that I think I may be able to vent out by going up 1.6 metres to a metal grating air vent between the property entrance steps as shown in the last photo.

There is also an easy gas supply coming in and I think ventilation will be good as the cellar is communicated on two sides by the floor void.

Does anyone see any problems with making this choice or is there a better option available?

Also any recommendations for a model? We are a busy family of 3.

Thank you very much if you are able to help!

All the best.

[Martin]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

A basic Beko or White Knight VENTED dryer would be my choice. Avoid Hotpoint and Indesit rubbish and don’t even think of a gas dryer. 😉

[untitled]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Thanks Martin,

Is gas a bad idea then? I’d heard that Energy Rating is A+ and much cheaper to run on gas rather than electricity. Do they cause problems or are dangerous for example?

Definitely got my eye on White Knight.

Cheers

[Martin]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Gas needs a Gas Safe registered installer to fit. If it fails then a ‘manufacturer approved Gas Safe repairer’ has to be located to fix it…..nightmare to avoid I’d say.

[kaibart]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

1st of all you have no gas pipe there as far as I can see and you can’t have a gas dryer as ventilation has to be correct which it isn’t so from a gas safe engineers view go with what martin has recommended for you kai 😉

[untitled]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Ok Kai,

Thank you. The mains gas comes in here and it’s a 22mm pipe feed. As for ventilation I was hoping there would be enough via the door and floor voids. If there isn’t enough would a condenser or heat pump be sensible to lower running costs?

Thanks…

[kaibart]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Heat pump dryers I really don’t like they take a age to get warm and condensers have more maintenance and take longer to dry than a vented a basic white knight at £139.99 at the range is amazing value for money.

[iadom]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

I would never advise routing a vent hose from a dryer upwards above the level of the dryer. They can fill with condensation leading to water running back into the dryer, hoses getting clogged with damp fluff or even totally blocked.

I once had a stacked dryer( on top of a washing machine ) in a kitchen that was vented upwards into the loft space. It filled with water which leaked into the washing machine causing major damage to the electronics.

A very common fault on dryers vented upwards in garages and even though you say the temperature never drops below 10C the last foot or so of the hose will be subject to outside temperatures and winds that will be much colder in winter.

In this instance I would go with a condenser dryer unless you can remove and dry the vent hose at regular intervals during winter time.

[untitled]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Hi iadom,

Thanks.. this makes sense. I had read somewhere about creating a u bend to drain off moisture not expelled at the lowest point. Something as rudimentary as a bucket and a hole on the bend??? Am I just getting too complicated here? I was trying to avoid the condensing version because I’ve heard plenty of cons including long drying times, damp clothes + condensation created in the room. This is the last thing I want as buying a Tumble Dryer is to avoid the mould and condensation on walls in the first place (damp clothes on radiators etc).

Opinions matter!

Thank you.

[iadom]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

I would always advise a vented dryer as long as the vent hose conditions are correct, my own dryer is vented. You do need to take care with the routing of the hose though.

[untitled]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

The vented option seems the best and I agree with Kai that looking at the numbers it would take like 5 years to get the money back on a more expensive condensing version… and… if it takes an age to warm up then this is going to be a hassle. So much for lowering emissions (?).

There must be oodles of cases where venting has to occur above the machine. Any opinions on the following:

Vent horizontally into a 110mm waste pipe. U bend up with a 90 degree bend with a rodding eye cover with a hole in it and another 90 degree elbow to the exterior horizontally. Drain moisture through the hole in the bottom by the U bend and open up the rodding eye for removing damp lint periodically. The smooth edges of the 110mm waste pipe should help the lint to fall down to the u bend.

I’m convincing myself as I type that this is the way forward.

Yey, ney or get a life?

[iadom]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Heat pump dryers take an age to heat up/dry the load. Condensor dryers don’t take any longer than vented ones but are more complex and need to be cleaned religiously to work correctly.

There are lots of dryers vented upwards, and lots of calls to the problems caused by this. 😉

Rather than go the full ‘Heath Robinson’ 😀 you could simply use the dryer with the hose going up to that outlet but don’t fix it permanently at the top. Then after drying your clothes just lower the pipe to the ground to allow it to drain/dry out.

[Martin]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Here’s another option for your vented dryer…. 💡

[kwatt]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Gas and heat pump dryers are fine in terms of running costs if you do heaps and heaps of drying as in, virtually commercial levels of use.

If not, they’re a waste of time for most people given the huge additional costs to install and/or purchase let alone, as others have pointed out, the installation costs of gas and the fastidious care required for heat pump.

For most people, most of the time, they’re not worth the bother.

So in that environment especially, I’d avoid both like the plague.

K.

[untitled]

Re: Gas tumble dryer

Hang on….

Martin, does this mean no venting outside at all???

[Author]

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