Where have all the integrated vented tumble dryers gone?!

[Stu666]

Where have all the integrated vented tumble dryers gone? Ours is 20 years old and has recently begun making a great impression of a cement mixer! I could have a crack at repairing, but given its age, it's probably time for a new one. I am absolutely flabbergasted than I can't find a single integrated, vented, dryer on the net! Have they been banned or something? Really want to avoid a heat pump as I've not heard great things about them, and I can find plenty of freestanding vented dryers, just not integrated?

 

[Jurassicspark]

A quick search reveals loads of vented dryers available.

Why don't you just buy a condensing/heat pump one instead?

 

[Stu666]

A quick search reveals loads of vented dryers available.

Why don't you just buy a condensing/heat pump one instead?

Integrated?

 

[ericmark]

I had a vented, rather cheap, and simple, it had a timer, and a selection of 1 kW or 2 kW, that was it, it would trip out on overheat at 2 kW with the slightest kink in the pipe, so it was used for most of its life on the 1 kW setting, in the main 90 minutes would dry the clothes, if not then would give it a little bit longer.

However, moving into new house, no hole bored in wall, so window left open, we got some black mould as a result, clearly the room was cold, but not heated anyway, but we decided rather than bore a new hole in the wall, we would bite the bullet and get a heat pump drier.

So it took 180 minutes, twice the time of the vented, it would dry more per load, and used about half the power of the vented, but at double the drying time, there was little gain running cost wise at first glance, however in spite of the Utility room not being heated, we found the kitchen got warmer even when drier was not in the kitchen, and the black mould went, lasted around 6 months, and it failed, got a replacement under warrantee and that one seems to be OK.

Main gain was built in timer, so can use off-peak at night, but the use in the day not so good, as working out when we would get 180 minutes of sun shine so powered by excess solar not so easy, the unit has a host of programs, and it is hard to know which is best for general washing, and the power use not so easy to work out, as the heat pump starts a mark/space ratio to maintain the heat required, and the clothes seem to come out with fewer creases.

The small pipe which allows it to dump the water in the same waste as the washing machine, means it is located where we want it, not fixed by the vented exhaust.

All in all, yes, the heat pump has been better than the vented, but not by a huge margin. Had the hole been already bored, when the first one failed, would have likely returned to vented. The main problem is selecting when to run the machine, mainly it is state of charge of the solar inverters battery each day I have 5 hours at off-peak at 8.95 p per kWh, then the battery starts to discharge, around 9:30 am on a good day shown here, the solar starts to come in, and by 11:45 the battery is full again, but by 16:15 the solar starts to reduce, and one wants to ensure the washing machine, tumble drier and dishwasher are all finished by then.

The shorter time of a vented drier and higher power use, means the 2.3 kWh I exported on the 3rd of Feb could have well been less.

So it is not just how much power is used, but when the power is used, today I am sure I will run out of battery before midnight (10% held back for UPS power to central heating).

I am undecided as to if the heat pump drier saves money, the other condenser driers don't have the option of using a lower heat, and since my utility room is so small, it would get too hot. The vented also it depends on how dry the air in the room is.

 

[JohnD]

I still use a vented. Simple and hardly anything to go wrong.

I cored out the hole in the wall years ago.

 

[robinbanks]

I do like our heat pump dryer, mostly..

It's slow which makes it ineffective if we suddenly realise the thing we want to wear in an hour has only just finished being spun on the washer, but doesn't get as hot and doesn't shrink clothes so much

It's considerably cheaper to run than the vented one, the energy monitor claims

The biggest reliability problems we've encountered have been plasterboard screws and similar falling out of pockets and getting jammed somewhere where they do their best to rub a hole in the drum or metal lace ends on shorts and trackers getting trapped through the vent holes at the back of the drum, ruining the lace and sometimes needing dryer disassembly to get the metal lace binder out

The self cleaning works well, but that doesn't make you don't have to empty the lint filter. The microswitch that detects the door is closed occasionally needs the cacuum cleaner on it while being poked repeatedly with a stick, I guess to suck out/move any fluff that is blocking the contacts and making it refuse to start because it thinks the door is open

It's less of a fire risk IMHO

It did cost six times what the vented one did; Bosch heat pump, Logik vented

The end of cycle behaviour is particularly irritating at night and no one can be bothered getting out of bed to go downstairs to turn it off; it runs the drum for about ten seconds and beeps repeatedly, then waits a few minutes, then does it again. It does this for about an hour

The last 20 minutes of any program seem to be cool down, also annoying if you have a short time to get something dry, and set the program for the exact time eg setting 40 mins warm program, half of it is going to cold and ineffective

Not a heat pump issue but the door isn't reversible. It's paired with a Bosch washer whose door opens the other way so not a huge problem but perhaps something to think about if you want eg a vertical stack in a narrow room and both appliance doors opening the same way

All in, I really like HP dryers and think they're a good application of HP technology but we do keep a vented for a quick blast "get it dry because we're short on time"

 

[Stu666]

I bit the bullet and ordered a heat pump model. We're generally pretty good at keeping on top of the laundry and rarely have the need to get anything dry pronto. Hopefully the extra drying time won't be too much of an issue and the reduced electric bills should offset this somewhat. Went for a Beko model as it was the only one in our price bracket that advertised it had a drain vent. Can't be faffed with emptying water after every cycle and it's right next to the sink, so it makes sense.

 

[JohnD]

I have solar panels so I make a point of using the drier during hours of daylight, and preferably when it's sunny.

So the greater electricity usage of a vented is not significant.

 

[ericmark]

It's considerably cheaper to run than the vented one, the energy monitor claims

Is it? If I compare vented at 2 kW to heat pump at 600 W yes, but that comparison is not really fair, if I compare vented at 1 kW to heat pump at 600 W then not so cut and dried.

I did use an energy monitor on both, but the problem is the vented was manual controls, so hard to say if the dryness was the same with both.

I have solar panels so I make a point of using the drier during hours of daylight, and preferably when it's sunny.

So the greater electricity usage of a vented is not significant.

So do I, at the moment not getting payment for export, so yes use when the sun shines, but the tariffs on offer seem to show more payment for export to fee for off-peak, so once our payment for export is sorted, it will be cheaper to dry overnight than to use the sun.

This means timers are required to start drier at the selected time. Our dryer, washing machine, and dishwasher all have timers, but both the dryer, and washing machine both tumble the clothes every so often until the selected time, this means can't use the bowl of detergent in with the washing, as it will pour out concentrated onto the washing, one has to use the dispenser draws, and it must use some power while waiting for the start time. As yet not measured.

But the big problem is the program selection. There is a long list of programs, and selection does change time to dry, and I have not a clue which to use, we wash each colour independent, so ready to dry by colour, not silk, cotton, wool etc. Also, how much is put in also makes a difference, I do not weigh the clothes first, so I found a whole series of energy used per wash, and so cost per wash was rather hit-and-miss.

I want the condenser heat pump drier as don't want to drill a hole in the wall, the non heat pump will not really work in such a small room, unless using water to condense with, but it seems some people do their washing in the kitchen, can't see how food and washing mix, but that is what is often done, so for some the heat from the non heat pump condenser dryer may be a plus point?

A heat pump drier is still a condenser drier.

So, although I use a non-heated utility room, for many pumping central heated air outside, or heating the kitchen is a factor to be considered, I want to keep my kitchen as cool as possible, induction hobs really help with that, as does LED lights, last thing I want is a drier heating the room in the summer.

As to integrated, the EICR rules may have changed that? If on wheels or under 18 kg the item is classed as portable, and is tested as part of the inspection and testing of in-service electrical equipment often called PAT testing, but if fixed, then it is tested as part of the EICR reading the English law on rented property, the IET still divide into installation and equipment which makes more sense, but the government does not.

A bit silly as the chance an electrician is also gas safe registered so he can remove casing on boilers to inspect wiring is unlikely, so few take any notice of the new rules, but this may have some bearing on it?

 

[opps]

Integrated?

Hoover make an integrated heat pump dryer.

Hoover H-Dry 300 7kg Integrated Heat Pump Tumble Dryer - White BATDH7A1TCE-80 | Appliances Direct

Buy Hoover H-Dry 300 7kg Integrated Heat Pump Tumble Dryer - White BATDH7A1TCE-80 from Appliances Direct - the UK's leading online appliance specialist

www.appliancesdirect.co.uk

I had an older model. The first one delivered was excessively noisy. They replaced it. Two years down the line the drum stopped spinning. I had to fit a new capacitor. In some respects, having to do so was a blessing because I then discovered that the lower half of the machine was covered in fluff.

Build quality wise, not brilliant, but I guess it is better than the Beko ones. Takes ages to dry anything, but I guess uses far less electricity.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Ours is 20 years old and has recently begun making a great impression of a cement mixer! I could have a crack at repairing, but given its age, it's probably time for a new one.

Fit some new bearings, not expensive.

 

[opps]

Fit some new bearings, not expensive.

Good point.

Our cheapo hotpoint vented dryer was 20+ years old. Over the years I replaced the belt and a few minor components. The bearings needed replacing but she that now no longer lets me live at home decided to replace it when she ripped out the kitchen and went for the heat pump dryer.

I am only guessing, but after 20+ years it was still probably economically viable to replace the bearings.

 

[Stu666]

Fit some new bearings, not expensive.

I did consider replacing parts but it's a relatively obscure and long-discontinued Kenwood model. Not easy to obtain. I've been in this boat before tbh, it's at that age where once you start throwing cash at it, something more expensive will go wrong next week.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I did consider replacing parts but it's a relatively obscure and long-discontinued Kenwood model. Not easy to obtain. I've been in this boat before tbh, it's at that age where once you start throwing cash at it, something more expensive will go wrong next week.

They will be a perfectly standard sealed bearing, and easily sourced from any bearing stockist. The white goods manufacturers, are not into manufacturing bearings.