MVHR & Tumble Dryers - Vented or Condensing?

[Fallingditch]

Back in ebuild, two years ago, there was a lot of discussion about the importance of not confusing your MVHR system by having a vented tumble dryer (or a kitchen extractor fan).

 

Has anybody running with an MVHR system actually made use of a vented dryer? or kitchen extract?

 

(Reason I ask is because vented dryers are much more reliable (but would prefer not to get into a discission about dryer reliabilty) and extractor fans really do get rid of them smells).

[ProDave]

I have a personal hatred of tumble dryers. Their sole purpose in life appears to be to make towels and socks "fluffy" which you can't achieve (so I am told) by any other drying means.

 

I used to loath them because the thought of 3KW of heat just being expelled from the house through a hole in the wall was just "wrong" in so many ways.

 

Thankfully our old one broke, and at the same time someone up the road was having a clear out and gave us a condensing dryer.  Now although it still uses lots of electricity to fluff the towels, at least that heat now stays inside the house (the utility room becomes very warm now when it's on) and so I don't loath it's use quite as much as I used to.

 

So condensing is my recommendation.

 

 

I have to say the extractor fan in the utility room is the biggest white elephant in our house. It is there purely to satisfy building regs and i don't recall it ever being turned on, and we have never had issues with condensation or mould even with clothes hanging on a dryer in their.

 

[Barney12]

9 minutes ago, ProDave said:

I have a personal hatred of tumble dryers. Their sole purpose in life appears to be to make towels and socks "fluffy" which you can't achieve (so I am told) by any other drying means.

 

I used to loath them because the thought of 3KW of heat just being expelled from the house through a hole in the wall was just "wrong" in so many ways.

 

Thankfully our old one broke, and at the same time someone up the road was having a clear out and gave us a condensing dryer.  Now although it still uses lots of electricity to fluff the towels, at least that heat now stays inside 

 

I have to say the extractor fan in the utility room is the biggest white elephant in our house. It is there purely to satisfy building regs and i don't recall it ever being turned on, and we have never had issues with condensation or mould even with clothes hanging on a dryer in their.

 

 

+1 on a condensing dryer. I converted SWMBO over to one a few years ago and it works fine. 

+1 on the utility extractor. Absolutely pointless. I don't think ours has ever been on in any of our houses. 

[SteamyTea]

You could test the idea with a fan heater.  Just point it at the MVHR extract in the room and see what happens.

 

I think the main problem is that MVHR is not designed to cope with the higher temperature differences and the greater airflow that a vented tumble dryer produces.

 

 

[PeterW]

Most MVHR sensors are humidity based and from experience the extract from a condenser dryer is a little more humid than the outside air but not much. I can't see why it would upset the system ..?

[ProDave]

I think the OP's question was regarding the fact a vented dryer extracts air from the house, so the mvhr will have to input more air than it is extracting hence it will be unbalanced.

 

I am trying hard to make an air tight house so no letterbox, no cat flap, and definitely not a 110mm round hole in the utility room wall.

 
 

[dogman]

We have heat pump drier, They are more money up front but so far have been a lot cheaper to run.

seem to be on for a couple of hours a time but ours is in a part of the house tat is cool.

[Ferdinand]

I think either would be OK if you have MVHR.

 

Perhaps choose a condenser drier that you plumb plumb in to avoid having to empty it by hand?

[ProDave]

Energy saving tip for Tumble Dryer haters:

 

In order to get the required "fluffyness" you do NOT need to run the TD for 2 hours or until they are bone dry.  45 minutes in the dryer is enough. The towels still come out a little damp and finish off drying on the airer naturally at no cost, and when dry pass the "fluffy" test 
 

[ToughButterCup]

1 hour ago, ProDave said:

[...] the airer naturally at no cost, and when dry pass the "fluffy" test 

 

 

I get round that one by saying that hard, non fluffy towels are excellent because they have become exfoliating towels,  and they are very expensive to buy.

That lie works for about 3 seconds.

[joe90]

I have told my swmbo that we are NOT having a tumble drier in our new air tight build but a " lazy Susan" ( is that correct) in the conservatory. Many on here and other forums talk about how MVHR units dry washing very effectively.

[Russdl]

Joe, I'm guessing not (re lazy Susan) because I think that's one of those spinny round things that you put your condiments on.

 

I'm going for one of these, rescued from the bungalow we will (hopefully) be demolishing soon.

 

 

 

I reckon this, and maybe a little fan heater should do the trick.

 

As ever, waiting to be corrected.

 

Russ.

 

Edited November 6, 2016 by Russdl
Because I can't even up load images, how am I ever going to build a house!

[ProDave]

That's what we have and it works very well. contrary to what everyone says, in a moderately well insulated house, it does not cause condensation and mould.
 

[Stones]

We used one of these airers in our last house and very effective it was to.  Our new utility room has an area of vaulted ceiling specifically so we can put two airers up out of the way (above 2.4m high).  The utility room extract has been strategically positioned in this area as well.

[Ferdinand]

2 hours ago, joe90 said:

I have told my swmbo that we are NOT having a tumble drier in our new air tight build but a " lazy Susan" ( is that correct) in the conservatory. Many on here and other forums talk about how MVHR units dry washing very effectively.

 

Yes - Lazy Susan is a turntable for the table.

 

The pulley is called a Lyons Maid ;-o !

 

Ferdinand

Edited November 6, 2016 by Ferdinand

[Barney12]

13 minutes ago, Ferdinand said:

 

Yes - Lazy Susan is a turntable for the table.

 

The pulley is called a Lyons Maid ;-o !

 

Ferdinand

 

LMAO. NO that's an icecream!! Try Kitchen Maid  

[Barney12]

3 hours ago, recoveringacademic said:

 

I get round that one by saying that hard, non fluffy towels are excellent because they have become exfoliating towels,  and they are very expensive to buy.

That lie works for about 3 seconds.

 

Would you beleive my wife actually subscribes to the course towel idea! They're not even allowed near fabric softener. Apparently they aren't better for you and dry you more effectively. 

[ProDave]

15 minutes ago, Barney12 said:

 

Would you beleive my wife actually subscribes to the course towel idea! They're not even allowed near fabric softener. Apparently they aren't better for you and dry you more effectively.

She's definitely a keeper .
 

[VIPMan]

A Tumble Drier would seem surplus to requirements if you have MVHR and Passive House standards. We plan to dry our clothes outside but haven't got around to fixing up the clothes line yet. From moving in three weeks ago we discovered that clothes dry very fast simply hung out in the utility room. Still plan to put up the cloths line though.

[joe90]

OOPS ?

[jack]

We have (or will have once we get around to finishing it!) a drying cupboard in our utility room.  There'll be a slide-out frame with drying racks and two hanging rails. 

 

It has an MVHR extract and will draw warm air from the adjacent plant room through from bottom to top.  Depending on how well it works, I may add in an extract fan on a timer to provide a bit of an extract boost of warm air from the plant room when we have a lot to dry.

[joe90]

56 minutes ago, jack said:

We have (or will have once we get around to finishing it!) a drying cupboard in our utility room.  There'll be a slide-out frame with drying racks and two hanging rails. 

 

It has an MVHR extract and will draw warm air from the adjacent plant room through from bottom to top.  Depending on how well it works, I may add in an extract fan on a timer to provide a bit of an extract boost of warm air from the plant room when we have a lot to dry.

What a great idea, I will have a small plant cupboard in our cloakroom so could install an MVHR extract duct in the cloakroom and use that for drying when the conservatory is not sunny enough ?

[Temp]

Our tumble dryer is now 20 years old. It's lived that long because it gets very little use now we live in a house with MVHR. Most things, even towels dry overnight on a rack in the guest bathroom. We have to use a lot of water in the steam iron because things dry out too well.

[Stones]

9 hours ago, jack said:

We have (or will have once we get around to finishing it!) a drying cupboard in our utility room.  There'll be a slide-out frame with drying racks and two hanging rails. 

 

It has an MVHR extract and will draw warm air from the adjacent plant room through from bottom to top.  Depending on how well it works, I may add in an extract fan on a timer to provide a bit of an extract boost of warm air from the plant room when we have a lot to dry.

 

We had exactly this sort of arrangement in our last 3 houses. Worked really well, the only limiting factor being the size of the cupboard and number / type of hanging rails.