Heat Pump Tumble Dryers - anyone using one?

[JOEPRO]

Need a new tumber dryer - just seen these newer type Heat Pump Tumble dryers. Meant to take longer but up to 50% more efficient in operation

Anyone using a heat pump tumble dryer and is it any good VS a traditional vented machine?

 

[julianf]

We have one. £50 second hand some years back.

They're fine. No problem at all.

I'm sure the "change is bad" crew don't like them, but probably only because they're different.

It's a box wet cloths go in and come out dry. It's slower then a normal dryer, which, I guess, is an issue if you can't plan your life at all.

 

[winchman]

We paid over £500 for a top the the range Bosch, it lasted 4 days and went faulty, after a bit of a fight got a refund and bought a £200 Beko Condenser still working 3 years later. I did have an interesting conversation with a washing machine repair man yes they do still exist. He gets lots of calls to heat pump dryers that fail just outside the warranty and are uneconomic to repair apparently past of the heat pump ends up blocked solid with fluff even a jet wash won't remove

 

[CornishPete]

We've got one and it's great! Does take longer but it uses less energy, doesn't need venting so lives in airing cupboard where old cylinder used to be but probably best it has a sensor and switches off when dry! The Mrs used to put everything in the old one for about 2hrs regardless, drove me mad! Edit ours is a beko, about £230 I seem to remember.

 

[not done it yet]

Far cheaper to run - but more expensive to buy. Drying heat is simply derived from the ‘waste’ heat produced by the heat pump compressor - so no heating elements to create fire risks. Yes, they take longer to dry, but those with smaller PV renewable energy systems can often run them on 100% home generation during sunny periods.

It’s like running a 1kW kettle versus a 2.5kW example. Longer to boil but if only 1kW of PV generation is available the one kilowatt kettle will cost nothing to run.

 

[cheb]

I've had various and have gone back to a basic old style vented machine as they are simpler and quicker. It was free to me for the price of a drive belt. I was delivering a van for a mate and before handover I checked the back. He reckons his wife had the machine put in the back to be taken to the tip but didn't tell him. If you are doing multiple loads in a day then a heat pump machine might be too slow. I've a whole house heat recovery and ventilation system so am not fussed by wet warm air being pumped into the house.

Also, if it's sunny then why use a tumble drier when you could hang the washing on an outside line.

Added: Towels being an exception, just to keep them softish.

 

[Other Daniel]

I've had various and have gone back to a basic old style vented machine as they are simpler and quicker. It was free to me for the price of a drive belt. I was delivering a van for a mate and before handover I checked the back. He reckons his wife had the machine put in the back to be taken to the tip but didn't tell him. If you are doing multiple loads in a day then a heat pump machine might be too slow. I've a whole house heat recovery and ventilation system so am not fussed by wet warm air being pumped into the house.

Also, if it's sunny then why use a tumble drier when you could hang the washing on an outside line.

^^^^

 

[brewdexta]

I hate sodding around with white goods so slowly replaced all ours with Miele over the years. Some are shop second demo models so got a few quid off. We now have a Miele Washer (one element in 16 years), a Miele dishwasher and a Miele heat pump dryer, both about 4 or 5 years old I think, no issues so far,

The dryer does have extensive fluff filters. The usual one in the door and a separate foam/fabric fine fluff filter that you need to get a vacuum out to clean. It tells you when that needs attention with an annoying beep. As others have said, not quite as fast as others, but still ok, most things are dry by the time the next load in the washer has finished unless its massive load of towels.

 

[Shox Dr]

I'm sure the "change is bad" crew don't like them, but probably only because they're different.

Dont know what you mean. Our bit of string works in all weathers [rain does affect performance], doesnt need plugging in, and has worked faultlessly even out of warranty. The wood interface clamps do slip but I can live with that.

As you were

 

[JOEPRO]

Thanks for the replies and experiences above!

Length of time to dry is not an issue for me - my whole house switches over on economy 7 at night for immersion heater and appliances like this which can be delay timed.

One load a day will do us well.

The current dryer is messing around this long time so we don't trust it at night as it mostly doesn't complete cycles. So this is costing an absolute fortune on electricity at the moment.

 

[not done it yet]

Thanks for the replies and experiences above!

Length of time to dry is not an issue for me - my whole house switches over on economy 7 at night for immersion heater and appliances like this which can be delay timed.

One load a day will do us well.

The current dryer is messing around this long time so we don't trust it at night as it mostly doesn't complete cycles. So this is costing an absolute fortune on electricity at the moment.

Tumble dryers are amongst the high-risk category for going on fire. Running at night is not the best idea, anyway, gor this reason. No very hot elements mostly removes the fire risk with these heat pump items, although fluff can build up within the machine. Miele have clearly addressed the issue, others less so.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

We had one. Great when working. Took longer to dry than a condensing. It stopped working during warrantee period and no spares to repair so manufacturer gave us a generous refund which was more than enough to buy a decent condensing dryer. Wouldn't bother with heat pump again

 

[Seadog]

going on fire

How I hate this phrase Whatever happened to "catching fire?"

 

[Bladevane]

We’re lucky enough to be able to make use of a clothes line for drying clothes. Once the initial cost is taken care of we find running costs very low. Just got to keep an eye on the weather.

 

[JOEPRO]

We’re lucky enough to be able to make use of a clothes line for drying clothes. Once the initial cost is taken care of we find running costs very low. Just got to keep an eye on the weather.

Doesn't work for us all year around. We both work long hours and not home during the day and clothes don't dry much during these freezing nights.

In summer we use the clothes line of course weekends and when no risk of rain during weekdays but otherwise a tumble dryer is a necessary evil for a large part of the year.

 

[lazybones51]

We bought a highish end Samsung one a couple of years ago. With a young family it's on most days and I can't knock it at all. It dries the clothes perfectly and doesn't take much (if at all) longer than the old one it replaced. Previously we had a traditional vented tumble drier, which in comparison was a lot more expensive to run.

It has an app (if that's your thing) and the energy monitor section is quite interesting. On average this time of year it's consuming under 1kWh a day, which at todays prices is about 30p. So for ~£8 a month it's well worth it, and with the energy saving against a vented drier it's practically paid for itself.

Edit: screenshots for comparison

 

[winchman]

Place i used to work at bought the engineers a washer dryer for our overalls, many a time I would see people's washing from home going around in it, well its free, it would be rude not to.

 

[Shox Dr]

 

[brewdexta]

We tried the washing line, but saving all our wet clothes up for the 2 days a year its dry in the Pennines was a bit of a challenge, but we did get some nice mushrooms

We do use the washing line in summer, and occasionally at other times of the year.

However we need to get a new washing line, the missus tied one end of the washing line to the house, the other to the wrought iron rose arbour, behind my Ford Ranger. The climbing roses are now trailing roses...........

 

[Gareth J]

Doesn't work for us all year around. We both work long hours and not home during the day and clothes don't dry much during these freezing nights.

In summer we use the clothes line of course weekends and when no risk of rain during weekdays but otherwise a tumble dryer is a necessary evil for a large part of the year.

Indeed, washing line is great and we do use ours for bedsheets, which are timed when it's decent weather (well, in summer anyway).

However, something we have found to work really well is to dry stuff in the utility that also has an MVHR unit fitted. Seems to be very effective with no condensation production. To the point where we rarely bother hanging smalls out, even if it's great weather. Putting it on the line is just a bit more hassle for no saving. A HP tumble dryer will be more convenient yet again, but a lot more to go wrong than the couple of fans in the MVHR box.