Dryer Installation Requirements
Installing your tumble dryer correctly and in the right place is essential for safety
Most people think that you can install a tumble dryer just about anywhere, much as is thought about most appliances but sadly this isn’t the case and you have to consider where that you will install the machine before you buy one.
When you decide where you will install the machine you can then decide what type of tumble dryer you actually require or, what type of dryer you can accommodate with the installation requirements.
Many modern electronic dryers may well even display a fault code if the ambient or, room temperature is too low and just not operate at all.
This means that areas that can be subject to extremes of temperature such as garages, conservatories and so on are very often unsuitable to install a tumble dryer in and, some manufacturers will not offer a warranty if you put them in such places.
Dryers In Low Temperature Environments
Almost every winter, especially a cold one, we get a rash of service calls telling us that a condenser (or heat pump) tumble dryer will not dry. Often this is accompanied by some sort of water leak or condensation problem.
The dryer is ordinarily then found to be in a low temperature environment and the result is unsurprising to us.
What happens is, instead of the water condensing in the condenser of the dryer it starts to condense on other cold surfaces, like the inner cabinet or even the drum of the tumble dryer itself. Meanwhile all that happens to the laundry in the dryer is that it gets mildly warm.
For a condenser dyer to operate correctly the room temperature must be above at least a 5˚C minimum or, it won’t work.
Given many unheated garages and other outbuildings can get much lower that this during a typical UK winter it means that a good number of dryers installed in such areas will not work or will go faulty over the winter months due to this alone.
The irony of it being, that’s the time of year that you most want to use a tumble dryer!
Many modern electronic dryers may well even display a fault code if the ambient or, room temperature is too low and just not operate at all.
Vented tumble dryers will often work below this temperature but it isn’t recommended.
Tumble Dryers Need Air To Breath
A tumble dryer needs a ready supply of cool (not too cool and not too warm) air to “breath”.
It has to take air in that is cooler than the air in the dryer and it also has to be able to expel that air once it’s heated and, even on a condenser or heat pump condenser tumble dryer, that air which is expelled will have some moisture in it, just as a vented dryer expels the air with moisture in it out the vent.
That means a few things for you to consider when you set out to buy a new tumble dryer.
The first is that putting a condenser or heat pump dryer in a confined space with little or a restricted supply of fresh air is a non-starter. You cannot put it in a cupboard and close the door for example. As an absolute minimum you should really have the dryer in a room that has at least 3m² with a fresh supply of air, even an open door to an adjacent room or an open window will do.
If you don’t do this then all that happens is that the dryer ends up recirculating the air and, in the process, heating it up. With condenser based dryers this just kills the efficiency of the machine meaning you can end up using way more electricity than you probably realise.
Air Too Warm To Allow Correct Operation
Although not a problem seen that often, at least here in the UK, you can get almost the same thing happening where the air the dryer gets is too warm.
The air passing over the condenser is too warm and the dryer is unable to get a cold enough surface to condense the moisture in the warm air.
This is effectively what happens when they are shut in an unventilated room, especially a small one.
Again vented dryer cope better with these extremes but are not immune to issues caused by them.
As with the winter, during the summer months garages and other outbuildings can get really warm, far too warm to allow your dryer to work correctly, if at all.
Consider Your Needs
The best thing you can possibly do, before choosing a new dryer, is to consider not just the fancy features and looks of the machine but very much where you will install the dryer as that will often determine which one is best or, in a lot of cases, even possible.
Can you recommend a ‘A’ rated condenser dryer for garage install?. during winter my garage temperature is drops down and hence need one to work in low temperature tolerance.
Hi,Not really as you would have issues with condensation at the very least. Tumble dryers are not designed to work in that sort of unheated environment and more so modern dryers that have electronic components in them that are much more sensitive to condensation etc.
i have a condenser dryer that isn’t working and I believe it is the cold. it is in a garage. Will it work again when the ambient temperature increases? thanks
I am about to move and the only space with drainage for my washing machine is right next to a gas cooker. My washing machine is a combi washer/dryer…is this position safe for it?
It shouldn’t be an issue but the washing machine or dryer next to a cooker can be a problem.
[quote name=”Kenneth Watt”]It shouldn’t be an issue but the washing machine or dryer next to a cooker can be a problem.[/quote]What sort of problem? Is it a safety issue? The current set up in the flat is a separate washing machine and dryer, but I purchased the combi last year as my current flat doesn’t have the space (or the space for airdrying!)
Heat can leak from the cooker when in use and damage the plastics on any adjacent appliances.
Hi The previous owners to our property had a ventalated tumble dryer in a kitchen cupboard (obviously with the vent leading outside) we would like to replace it as they took it with them but I have been told that this is not a good idea. If there is a vent leading outside and we leave the cupboard door open when in use is this sufficient or is it a non-starter?ThanksCharlotte
It would depend very much on how much airflow you have and what dryer you install.
We have our tumble drier slide under the worktop, it was fitted here by the Kitchen installers and works fine, is there any need to pull it from its location when its in use to allow it to have more air.We always have our outside window open.it is a Condenser type drier.
In most cases, no there shouldn’t be any need to but it depends on individual circumstance.
I want to install a condenser dryer in my airing cupboard which is where I believe the previous owners stored it.The cupboard has shelves where I store my linen and towels.
Hi Janet,A condensor tumble dryer will not work correctly in a confined space, they need good airflow in order to operate correctly so I would not advise what you plan here.
Thanks Kenneth.So even if I live the door open whilst using the dryer,it will still be a problem?
Possibly.Heat can build up in the space and cause issues with the condensing process and possibly trip overheat thermostats if it gets too warm.
Could I put a condensor dryer next to a fridge freezer with a 40cm gap between
Hi Theresa,Yes, that should be okay.
Hi we’ve been asked to move our dryer upstairs – currently it’s in the hallway – and I know we cannot place it directly into carpet. Can we put it on a metal tray we have – it’s the bottom of a dog cage – or should it be on wood? Thanks
Hi, I am planning on installing a tumble dryer in a large cupboard (68cm wide, 62cm deep, 200cm high). Is my best option: a) a condenser, b) a vented or c) an integrated, vented tumble dryer? Thanks.
hi i am planning on buying a tumble dryer not sure what type yet probably a vented one. i was planning on putting it in the kitchen but in the winter it gets very cold in there. on a very cold winder it could get to 0 degrees Celsius(lowest it will get). would the tumble dryer be able to work at this temperature?