Heat pump dryer

StevenGude

Hi

We're looking at buying a tumble dryer as with 2 kids we just can't get all the washing dry.

Only place we can put one is garage - no outside wall access as although semi detached houses are extended right up to eachother. Taken temp today and consistently around 11-12 degrees.

Is this too cold for a heat pump? I read it has to be a min of 10-12 depending on dryer. On colder days it could well breach this temperature.

grumbler

StevenGude said:

We're looking at buying a tumble dryer ...

Only place we can put one is garage - no outside wall access

I don't understand the point about outside walls. Is the garage the only place with an accessible outside wall? Why do you need an accessible wall?

secla

As above heat pumps are condensers so dont require a vent to outside. Dont know about low temps for using one but they would certainly become less efficient kept in a cold area

We just got a heat pump drier after our condenser gave up, i was sceptical about the energy savings but according to our smart meter it uses less than 1/3 of the electricity the old one did

goodwithsaving

I have had a beko one for years and it's excellent. It's been in garages, in built-in wardrobe spaces, and in utility rooms. I haven't noticed a problem in performance when it was outside, and when I can't use the line outside I will continue to use the tumble drier even with energy prices as they are because I don't actually think it's that expensive to run and to me, it's worth it because I dislike seeing clothes all over the place trying to dry, or smelling like BO if they haven't dried properly. Don't hold me to it, but I actually think it's cheaper than the dehumidifier because it dries the clothes many hours quicker.
I don't understand the outside wall thing either. They can have a disposal pipe, but mine uses the internal water tank which I empty when it's full / after each load.

StevenGude

Sorry, use of punctuation wasn't correct. I only mentioned ni outside wall access to rule out the suggestion of a 'traditional' vented alternative 

goodwithsaving

I reckon you'll be fine. I never regretted buying mine - and they were a bit more expensive back then. I'd replace it in a heartbeat (and some saving) if it broke tomorrow (I hope it doesn't now I've said that).
Where possible, mine has been in garages/outbuildings and it's been absolutely fine. It's just a pain having it away from the house, but better than being without.

babyblade41

I called the engineer during the cold snap we had as mine had stopped drying. Cold air but not warm.

He asked me where it was & as we are renovating I told him it was in the barn. It was apparently too cold .

Lo & behold when the temp rose again it worked fine 

benson1980

We've just bought a Grundig A+++ rated heat pump dryer to replace our old condenser drier. We use the tumble drier loads (at least 7 times a week), so seemed to make sense cost wise.

It's in our unheated utility room attached to the back of the garage. Probably slightly warmer than garage in there but not by much, and seems to be working fine. Cost-savings wise a little early to tell but ordinarily I was seeing each cycle adding at least £1 to £1.50 to our usage. Yesterday I ran it and this seemed to be more like 30-40p.

benson1980

Monitored temp today bearing in mind it was particularly cold, and exact running costs with a smart plug I’ve just purchased. Was 4-5 C in our utility room and drying a decent sized load cost exactly 30p.