New tumble dryer – advice needed

[marmot]

Hi

Please can you give me some advice regarding buying a new tumble dryer?

Currently I have an old (coming up to 25 years 😯 ) Creda tumble dryer made especially for House of Fraser (Allander) – model number 37417

It’s front vented which is awkward because I don’t have a vent hose and therefore when I use it must do so with the door and window in the utility room open and of course all the times I need to use it it is usually cold and or raining! And it blows dust all over! (Years ago it used to be in the garage so was less of a problem). I don’t use it that much (probably why it’s lasted so long!) because I do believe in saving energy, both for my pocket and the planet, but there are always times when it’s really useful and it’s then I think I really must replace it!

I checked on Which for ‘best buys’ and became aware that there is a new condensor dryer on the market which is ‘A’ rated made by AEG (and also another by them for John Lewis) and uses different technology to achieve the energy saving. Now, they’re not cheap, around £500, nearly twice as much as some of the ‘best buy’ vented models but the running costs interested me. Also, John Lewis and AEG are both offering a 5 year guarantee on these models at the moment. The slight drawback to these models is that Which say they’re not as good at trapping the water as some other dryers but rate them as ‘acceptable’. (They must, however, be a whole load better than my current dryer!)

So what do I do? 😕

Buy a new vented dryer? Buying a vented model isn’t a problem because my husband is quite capable of knocking a hole through the wall to accomodate a vent hose and I was going in this direction before I spotted the new option. Overall, the concensus of opinion seems that vented dryers win over condensor dryers anyway.

Buy one of the condensor dryers with the new technology (both rated ‘best buys’ by Which) because the running costs are cheaper? Also would save the hassle of my husband knocking a hole in the wall!

Or is it even worth, at this late stage, buying a front vent hose kit for my existing, but ancient dryer? (If there is one still available that will fit this model?) Mind you, the running costs of this dinosaur are probably sky high compared to ‘C’ rated ones of today.

Any advice would be much appreciated regarding the whole spectrum of tumble dryers.

Thanks 🙂

[don]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Hi Marmot

This article should answer all of the questions 😉 on the different types of dryers available. General consensus among the trade is go for vented with a sensor.

HTH

Don

[iadom]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

I may be mistaken but don’t those ‘A’ rated dryers have horrendously long programme times?

Jim.

[don]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

The only one I know of Jim is the AEG T59800 http://www.aeg-electrolux.co.uk/node146 … odID=15129 with the heat pump which claims to use 50{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} less energy. But if it needs to run twice as long then it`s a trade off I suppose :rolls:

Don

[kwatt]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Initial reports I’ve had on that dryer from customers and a Blomberg one, which isn’t available in the UK, is that they ain’t that great. That shouldn’t really come as a surprise as it’s the first round of a new technology, at least it’s new within the size constraints and domestic environment.

Complaints so far seem to centre around the performance of the dryers and the especially extended drying times.

Hence, not really recommended yet. 😉

This also applies to the John Lewis version of the AEG dryer.

K.

[marmot]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Hi Don, Jim and kwatt! :waving:

Thanks for your (always) very helpful advice! This is such a great site and so informative to read (it’s easy to a spend a lot of time without realising it trawling through the Q’s and A’s). Looks like I will concentrate only on vented models now. One thing though, I assumed they were all vented out the back but I’ve now noticed that as well as that they can also be vented out the side and underneath. How? Why?

The one we’ve got just rolls in and out of a standard sized space between the units in our utility room and I just assumed that my husband would knock a hole through the outside wall at the back to accomodate the vent hose (obviously with a proper fitting through the wall etc). Is there anything important that we need to know about doing this?

Once again, any advice would be gratefully received 🙂

[kwatt]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Hi Marmot,

Watch how you route the vent hose as, if it dips, you can get the condensation forming a puddle which = mould = smell = not good. 😉

This is why all venting, whether for hood, dryers etc. is always recommended to be as bend and dip free as possible as the last thing you want is to have to take it apart to clean it all out.

If your vent goes straight through the wall to a proper outlet on the outside it will be fine and normally maintenance free for years on end. For a decent vent kit, if you need one, give Dave a poke on spares@ukwhitegoods.co.uk and he can give you the options and pricing.

HTH

K.

[marmot]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Hi kwatt!

Thanks for the speedy response. I will now look for a dryer that has a back vent in exactly the right place to go through the wall in as straight a line as possible (shouldn’t be too difficult – but then again, famous last words!) And yes, I will contact Dave to supply me with the correct vent kit to attain perfection! (In tumble drying at least! 😉 )

I can’t stress enough how useful and informative this site is and also how nice the people are who run it. It’s a pleasure just reading it!

Once again, many thanks

[kwatt]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

marmot wrote:I can’t stress enough how useful and informative this site is and also how nice the people are who run it. It’s a pleasure just reading it!

Thanks marmot the comments are appreciated as we do try to be as nice and helpful as we can. 😉

K.

[aqualectric]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Hire a 4″ core drill from a tool hire centre – this will cut a perfect hole through the wall with little mess. No need for bashing out bricks and the subsequent making-good afterwards – the vent kit solid pipe will be a snug push fit. 😉

Hope that helps,

Steve.

[marmot]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Thanks aqualectric for the tip. I will pass the info on to the man concerned 😉 All I have to do now is pick a vented tumble dryer …………

[marmot]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Hi!

Here I am again! :rolls: I’ve narrowed the search for a vented tumble drier down to either a Bosch Exxcel WTV 74104, a Bosch Logixx 74306 or an AEG T37400.

Can I assume that all vented tumble dryer outlets are situated at the same height even though they may be either on the rear left, right, middle or sides of the machine?

I ask because, as luck would have it, the electric socket on the back wall in the recess where the new tumble drier will be situated is on the lower, left hand side as is the vent on the Bosch. The bottom edge of the socket is 29cm above the floor.

I think we could drill a hole through to accomodate the vent pipe without having to re-site the socket but if anyone has some accurate measurements it would help. Has anyone any idea exactly what the highest point is of the rear vent outlet on the Bosch? Or any advice?

I had a look at the online downloadable manuals of both Bosch and AEG to see if there was any accurate info. It would appear the AEG’s rear vent is neatly placed low down, right in the middle of the machine and on their website states it is at ‘plinth level’ so that would be no problem.

Has anyone an opinion on these machines either? There aren’t that many vented ones out there to choose from anyway; I guess condensor dryers are becoming more popular because of the ‘can stick them anywhere’ factor.

Thanks

[iadom]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

One thing worth asking about the Bosch dryers, do they reverse tumble. I have a couple of customers who have bought Bosch dryers in the past year or so and they don’t reverse tumble. Contrary to Bosch’s claims, they do roll certain loads into a ball just like the old single direction dryers of years ago. 😥

Jim.

[marmot]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

Hello iadom

Your comment rang a bell so I looked in the now well thumbed Bosch brochure and sure enough there is some blurb about ‘archimedic paddles’, ‘three dimensional distribution’ and ‘reverse tumble action is a thing of the past’.

Oh dear, the more features manufacturers put on their appliances, the more difficult it is to make a choice.

In all fairness to Bosch, ‘Which’ haven’t made any comments about clothes getting all tangled and I haven’t seen it mentioned on any consumer reviews I’ve come across. Is it because some people stuff their machines with too much or don’t read their manuals? Who knows? I’d be really annoyed though if I bought one and I had that problem.

Could veer towards the AEG model now especially as it’s cheaper although that doesn’t appear to have a wool care programme even though on their website, under that model number, it says ‘new wool care programme’. Maybe older versions didn’t, newer versions do, how would I know which version I was buying, especially as photos on different websites vary and do I really need a wool care programe anyway? How many real woollies do I actually wear these days? Do I really need a woollen drying basket? Now there’s a thought? Where do I keep aforementioned basket when not using it?

If someone can tell me where I can buy a hose to stick on the front of my existing, ancient (yet reverse tumbling) Creda, to shove out of the window I’ll get one of those! 😆

[kwatt]

Re: New tumble dryer – advice needed

marmot wrote:If someone can tell me where I can buy a hose to stick on the front of my existing, ancient (yet reverse tumbling) Creda, to shove out of the window I’ll get one of those! 😆

Hoses here, the smart a$$ reply is free. 😉 😆

K.

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