Vented tumble dryer noise levels – any quiet dryers?

[m_alison]

Hi, we currently have our washing machine and (vented) tumble dryer in an outbuilding with no internal access from the house, which is very inconvenient, especially in winter. We are planning a kitchen-diner extension which will include bringing the washer and dryer into the kitchen as we cannot afford a utility room extension as well. Our only concern with this is the noise level of the dryer being in the kitchen, and wondered if anyone has any advice/ideas about a quieter venting dryer. We are not worried about the washing machine noise as our expensive AEG (less than 5 years old and very unreliable), which was *horribly* noisy on spin, died beyond economical repair recently and we bought a Panasonic which had a 5 year warranty promo. It has an inverter motor (so I guess rather like the ISE machines but of course cheaper build in other ways) and is unbelievably quieter than the AEG. (In case this info is of use to anyone thinking about a new washing machine!) However our AEG sensor vented dryer is still working fine (it’s great, actually) but *very* noisy. We thought about stacking the washer and dryer in a custom-built cupboard to reduce the noise a bit (architect’s idea) but the only place to put such a cupboard would mean a condensor dryer as there isn’t a spot on an external wall to do it. After reading the info on dryers on this website, we now realise that is a very bad idea due to condensors needing air circulation. So if we can’t do the cupboard thing I don’t see the point in changing to a condensor dryer (unless they are much quieter??) as in all ways except the venting issue I just don’t think they are as good as venting dryers. So the upshot to this long post is: 1) any ideas on fairly quiet (vented) tumble dryers and 2) any other thoughts on the scenario I’m describing? Advice much appreciated, Miranda

[kwatt]

Re: Vented tumble dryer noise levels – any quiet dryers?

Hi Miranda,

Noise levels are a very subjective thing indeed, as explained in depth here:

http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/buyi … evels.html

Fact is, in a dryer, you have a big empty box with a massive drum running around, a motor running and a fan running or more. There’s not really many ways to quieten it down too much.

That said, some are less intrusive than others in my opinion but, nonetheless you will never make them anywhere close to being silent. All you need is a zip or metal button in them to prove the point as they clang off the drum. Again, subjective and a personal opinion.

You really shouldn’t have them in an outbuilding though, you run all sorts of dangers doing that, especially so with electronics in your new machine and, if they pop due to the environment you may well find that the warranty will not cover the cost of any repair.

K.

[m_alison]

Re: Vented tumble dryer noise levels – any quiet dryers?

Thanks for that link, very interesting about noise ratings and the dB scale and I now understand why Miele do not give dBA ratings for their appliances. However, any pointers on which dryers you think personally are less intrusive? We have a wooden parquet block floor which is on top of concrete. Thanks

[kwatt]

Re: Vented tumble dryer noise levels – any quiet dryers?

TBH Miranda, you pays your money…

They all make noise. How intrusive you think it is will be entirely your opinion and mine wouldn’t matter much.

I have an old ISE vented dryer, I know when it’s on as I can hear it but I don’t find it at all intrusive. The newer condensers are quieter still but a few people find them loud but, most people can hardly hear them running. It really is down to personal opinion and the circumstance and to say otherwise I think would be misleading.

You hear (no pun intended) exactly the same about washing machines and dishwashers. It’s just personal taste and opinion at the end of the day.

K.

[m_alison]

Re: Vented tumble dryer noise levels – any quiet dryers?

Yes, if ISE still made a vented dryer I would be buying that, but they don’t… Some reviews suggest Miele dryers are fairly quiet but I’m not sure it is worth paying Miele prices for a dryer as opposed to other appliances because a vented dryer is not nearly as complicated a machine as other white goods and so I think their prices are a rip-off for vented dryers. Some reviews of newer Miele dryers are also complaining that their sensor function isn’t as good as on older Mieles they’ve had, so not sure if the quality is declining yet price still high (which is essentially what we found with our AEG appliances). It’s hard to get a test-run in a shop of a dryer and even if we could, as you say it will sound different in our house anyway! Argh!

[kwatt]

Re: Vented tumble dryer noise levels – any quiet dryers?

Yeah, vented dryers are getting rare.

Low demand is the reason although they are in some ways better but, people prefer the installation convenience of condenser dryers and, these days, there’s very little between them in terms of real world performance or energy use.

Low volume means, higher prices. Which in turn makes condenser tumble dryers more attractive.

I’ve no experience with the Miele dryers so I can’t comment on their performance although I would expect it to be pretty much as good as you will get on a domestic dryer.

Noise level though, not a clue.

K.

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