Tumble Dryer help

jbarnsie

Hi all


my mother is disabled and her carers need her to buy a tumble dryer due to the amount of washing she gets through a week! I dont have the first clue when it comes to tumble dryers , for instance whats the advantage over buying one with the tube over one that hasnt or vice versa? The dryer will have to go in a conservatory if that helps!

Mum doesnt want to spend more than £200 i have no idea if this is realistic!

thanks for any help

olias

Should only cost about £120. Vented is better (the one with the hose), however if you want to avoid haveing to open a window and poke the hose out everytime you use it, I would suggest replacing a panel on one of the small windows with a UPVC panel into which you can fit a vent kit to have the hose permanantly fixed to the outside. If the conservatory has a dwarf wall, you could also looking into venting through that.

If your mother is disabled, I understand there are grants available to pay for neccessary alterations to her home to help her with her disability, so I would look into this. She may even be able to get the Tumble dryer paid for.

Make sure you get an A rated dryer for energy efficiency and one with two heat settings for drying delicates

Olias

jbarnsie

thanks a lot

going out the window i think! mum has had a lot of alterations done already which have been good

would there be any particualr make or model you would suggest? as i said i think its going to be used a lot so a reliable model is a last

ormus

a condensor dryer wont need a tube out of the window. you just empty the internal water container every day.
john lewis do an indesit for 220 quid and a zanussi model for 249 quid.
we have the zanussi one. no problems at all.
(inc 2 yr warranty).

jbarnsie

thanks ormus

most helpful anyother suggestions?

so is it easy to maintain the condensed ones?

thanks

moonrakerz

jbarnsie wrote: »

thanks ormus

most helpful anyother suggestions?

so is it easy to maintain the condensed ones?

thanks

I would go for a Bosch, bit more expensive but much better quality.

On a condenser dryer you just have to empty the water out after each couple of loads - great water for the steam iron, by the way.
Every few months just check and clean (if needed) the condenser block in the bottom of the machine.
Have had both types, the condenser is a lot easier !

jbarnsie

any direct links for best prices e.t.c?


thanks for all help btw

ormus

the bosch is about 200 quid dearer.
thatll take 10 years to get back in any efficiency savings.

jbarnsie

thanks

i am now more confused!

200-250 is the max budget


any further help appreciated

dander

My thoughts are that unless you are able to fix a vented drier up with a permanent vent, in these circumstances you might be best off with a condensor. I'm assuming your mum's carers aren't there all the time and they might want to set the drier going and then leave your mum alone - in which case if they've opened a window to stick the hose out, then she'll be left with an open window letting the cold in and leaving the house insecure. Alternatively they might decide to avoid leaving her with the open window by just leaving the hose venting into the house - which introduces a lot of damp into the air.

Tumble driers are expensive to run, so if this one is likely to be used every day I would look closely at running costs for various models. It may be worth spending a bit more if it will cut down on the electricity usage in the long term. But probably not worth spending hundreds more, because even with heavy usage it will take a fair while to recoup that.

Ebe_Scrooge

A vented dryer is better in the long run. They're cheaper to run than a condensing model, cheaper to buy, and there's less to go wrong.

The only downside is that you really need to "plumb in" the vent hose properly. Not particularly difficult to do if you can vent it through an ordinary brick wall - just a case of making a hole in the wall, fit the vent kit and make good around the edges. A couple of hours work if you're reasonably OK with basic DIY. You can buy kits to set up a permanent vent through a window - basically it involves cutting a hole in the glass and fitting the vent, this again can be done yourself but is a bit more tricky - and you'll need to get a pro to do it if the window is double-glazed.

Having used both types of drier, I'd go for the vented model every time, even given the minor hassle of fitting the vent. But if the vent will cause a problem, then a condenser is more convenient.