Condenser dryer producing steam

ripplyuk

This is a new dryer and I’ve used it twice. After about an hour, there’s so much steam that the windows are fogged up and water is dripping down the walls. I’ve never had a condenser dryer do that before and I don’t want to keep using it in case it eventually causes a damp or mould problem in the house. It’s Beko and was bought over the phone on the 1st March so I’m out of the 14 days to get a refund. I know from past experiences that this retailer will simply ignore any phone calls or emails about problems. Do I have any rights to get a refund or replacement? I bought it on my credit card so would it be better to contact the card company? 

bris

There's not supposed to be any steam, the steam is supposed to be collected in the water tray or it can usually be fitted with a pipe to drain away.

Contact the retailer and report it as faulty, they will likely want it inspected and depending on timescales when bought repaired, replaced or refunded.

P.s Check the cap that covers the hole that the pipe would be is attached to is in place. if this is open then thats where the steam will be coming from.

David713

Have you removed the water container and condenser unit to make sure that there isn't any packing materials in either of them?
If it is faulty then you don't have to worry about the 14 day time limit as this is only for cancellations for a change of mind.
With faulty goods, you have 30 days from delivery to reject them for a full refund (providing that the fault isn't due to misuse).
If Beko have a customer helpline, it might be worth calling them to see what they say and if they can verify that it's faulty then this will help with your rejection.

David713

bris said:

P.s Check the cap that covers the hole that the pipe would be is attached to is in place. if this is open then thats where the steam will be coming from.

I would have thought that even if that hole was uncovered there wouldn't be any steam, simply a pool of water below it as this outlet comes after the condenser unit and any steam produced by the drying process would already have been cooled and condensed into liquid.

mattyprice4004

I have to ask, why would you buy again from a retailer you've had such poor experience with in the past? 
I stick to AO.com because they've always looked after me, if a retailer was shoddy (no matter how cheap) I'd drop them immediately. 

davidmcn

Is the condenser actually collecting water at all? My experience of combined washer / condenser dryers is that they tend to produce a bit of steam but not a significant amount.

comeandgo

I have a John Lewis condenser tumble drier and no steam at all.

daveyjp

Check the door is closing and sealing fully, if it is producing that much steam you may be able to see or feel it escaping around the door.  If it does its faulty.

ripplyuk

Thank you for the replies. 

@David713 The water container and condenser seem fine. There’s no packing materials that I can see. I rang the Beko helpline and they told me that they can send an engineer out to check it but if he doesn’t find the fault, I’ll have to pay for his visit. That makes me a bit nervous because the steam only became really noticeable once the machine had warmed up and been on for about 40 mins. I doubt an engineer will wait that long. 

@davidmcn Yes, it collects water but not as much as I would expect it to. The container didn’t have much water in it at the end. 

@daveyjp The door seems to be well sealed. I don’t think this steam is coming from there. 

@mattyprice4004 I really didn’t want to use this retailer again but I didn’t have much choice. The space for this machine meant I needed one that wasn’t very deep and I could only find two that would fit. The combination of Covid and brexit/border issues here in Northern Ireland means that the other retailers I tried either didn’t have anything suitable or they refused to deliver here. 

I’ve rang the retailer but I’m getting the same message of ‘someone will get back to you’ that I got before when I had a faulty washing machine from them. That time, it went on for months. They ignored all calls, emails and letters. I think they’ll do the same thing this time.  That’s why I was wondering if it would be best to use the credit card company, although I expect they will want me to pay for an engineers report first and if he can’t find the fault, I’ll have wasted more money. 

David713

ripplyuk said:

Thank you for the replies. 

@David713 The water container and condenser seem fine. There’s no packing materials that I can see. I rang the Beko helpline and they told me that they can send an engineer out to check it but if he doesn’t find the fault, I’ll have to pay for his visit. That makes me a bit nervous because the steam only became really noticeable once the machine had warmed up and been on for about 40 mins. I doubt an engineer will wait that long. 

If you reject the appliance, the retailer can ask you to prove that a fault exists and your credit card company can do the same so getting Beko to do this might be the best way.
Why not make an appointment for the engineer to visit and about 45 minutes before he is due to call, put a load of wet washing in and turn it on (making sure that you are not exceeding the weight limit for it).
It might also help if you can take a video showing the windows steaming up.

You say that it was ordered on the 1st March but when was it actually delivered?

ripplyuk

@David713 I never thought of that. Yes, I could have the machine already running for a while before the guy arrives. My experience with these engineers hasn’t been good. My washing machine had steam and water dripping out of the soap drawer previously and despite showing Zanussi a video, they still just ignored me. Hopefully Beko is more helpful. 

The dryer was delivered on the 1st March. I paid over the phone.