Tumble dryer question

[iansr]

I plan on putting a creel in our utility room for drying washing.  I’ve read that MVHR is great for drying clothes but I’m wondering whether I should have a tumble dryer in there as a back up.  If I do, am I right in thinking I should take its vent pipe up the internal wall so that the exhaust steam etc are heading upwards towards the extract vent?

 

Also any thoughts on whether a tumble dryer is a good idea in such circs?

Edited November 17, 2021 by iansr

[Conor]

Modern heat pump or condensing driers don't have vent pipes and passive ventilation is enough -unless you're installing a gas drier?

 We're doing the same and just have a standard MVHR extract point in the laundry room.

[iansr]

Conor, it would just be our existing tumble dryer I would use, which currently (pre MVHR)  vents through an outside wall via ducting from the dryer.  Maybe post MVHR installation it will be superfluous to requirements?

[Conor]

I'm sure the MVHR could deal with the humidity of the drier when it's in use. I wouldn't be cutting a hole in your airtight house for a drier that migh not be used very much!

 

I've been told that a properly setup drying area with an MVHR gets clothes fully dry in less than 12hours.

[iansr]

No I have no intention of venting the dryer to the outside - hence my question about taking the pipe up the internal wall to aim it towards the the MVHR extract vent.

 

12 hours drying time on a creel would be totally acceptable for us.

[Conor]

You could put an extra duct in for the drier and connect i directly like you say? Can't see an issue with that and will keep humidity from excaping.

[iansr]

That's a good idea!

 

I'd welcome more comments from people who have experience of drying clothes just with MVHR.  I'd like to ditch the tumble dryer if I can . . .

[Roundtuit]

We use a clothes horse in the utility room with mvhr, and can dry a washing machine full overnight with no problem, and no condensation or high humidity.  We do still have a condensing drier though, in case we need to turn anything round quickly.  I'd invest in a new drier rather than mess about trying to duct your old one.  Venting directly into the room might put steam into the room at a faster rate than the vent can clear.

[iansr]

8 minutes ago, Roundtuit said:

We use a clothes horse in the utility room with mvhr, and can dry a washing machine full overnight with no problem, and no condensation or high humidity.  We do still have a condensing drier though, in case we need to turn anything round quickly.  I'd invest in a new drier rather than mess about trying to duct your old one.  Venting directly into the room might put steam into the room at a faster rate than the vent can clear.

Thanks.  TBH I didn't know there was such a thing as a condensing drier ?.  So the new plan is,  see how the creel drying works and if we subsequently decide we need a drier  then I'll buy a condensing one at that point.  Looks like a small one could even be wall mounted.

Thanks guys.

[Marvin]

1 hour ago, iansr said:

That's a good idea!

 

I'd welcome more comments from people who have experience of drying clothes just with MVHR.  I'd like to ditch the tumble dryer if I can . . .

MVHR drying is ok but a condensing dryer is a backup I would recomend.  We usually use MVHR drying in the utility room as its quite warm in there. Its a small room so the air is replaced quite quickly.

 

We have a Beko which works ok. The water is collected in a holder in the bottom, although most condensing dryers can be plumbed into the waste to save emptying them all the time.

 

 

 

[markocosic]

IMO ditch the ye olde dryer. It's an electricity chewing monster that costs more to run than it does to replace if you use it much. It'll also fill your MVHR filters in short order. But do extract from UNDER a heat pump dryer.

 

 

Wait to pickup a heat pump dryer when they're on offer. 2 kWh for a full 8 kg load if it's averagely wet. (so £0.40 every time; though new washing machines probably 1400 spin the clothes drier than this and if you only part-dry in the dryer then hand the slightly damp clothes to air dry you reduce energy usage and...avoid creases..and they're dry an hour or so after being removed from the drier) Heat pump driers run cool so won't shrink clothes or burn hour house down. Max power draw so good for maximising PV use if you're a thoroughly lazy person.

 

Beko are as good/bad as any of the faux-premium brands like AEG/Bosch/Neff/Seiees etc. I have one of these:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry/tumble-dryers/beko-pro-dhx83420w-8-kg-heat-pump-tumble-dryer-white-10181344-pdt.html

They're usually on offer at £300-400. 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry/tumble-dryers/beko-pro-ironfinish-b5t4823iw-8-kg-heat-pump-tumble-dryer-white-10227216-pdt.html

Or better yet the A+++ rather than A++ version. Spendy for the savings / out of stock at the moment though.

https://www.toptenuk.org/consumer/product/view/5023790043175

 

Plumb it in (it needs a drain; can be shared with washing machine)

 

Install it over a tiled floor and don't skip the UFH under the dryer (they such from the front and vent out underneath so can, if your floor is cool you can get damp underneath them)

 

Better yet if you're not a short person install it on a plinth (raise it 20+cm off the floor) so that you don't need to bend down. Suck your MVHR from underneath. It will be well lint-filtered from a heat pump dryers as it has to filter the lint internally to avoid blocking its own heat exchangers. Install inside a cupboard because they're fugly and noisy. Stacking onto a washing machine in a floor to ceiling cupboard is great. Or have a clothes rail above it and use the space above as your final drying area for shirts etc on hangars. I tend to grab the load and spread it out on teh bed once part dry, hang the shirts, then gather the rest an hour or two later once dry enough to go in a cupboard.

 

A condensing dryer will use about 5 kWh for the same load. (So £1 every time)

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry/tumble-dryers/beko-dtkce80021w-8-kg-condenser-tumble-dryer-white-10211744-pdt.html

 

Vented units will be in similar territory. Older ones will be worse. Over 10 years you'll soon recoup the £300 in leccy savings if you use the thing.

[Stones]

Ditch the drier, air dry overnight in room vented by MVHR. We've worked with that set up for years. If need be speed up drying time by adding a half hour blast of heat via a fan heater into the closed drying room.

[iansr]

@markocosic thanks for the detailed reply, I’ll certainly look into that option.

[ProDave]

My thoughts on tumble dryers are well known. They exist to make towels and socks "fluffy" to the satisfaction of SWMBO, and that does NOT mean they have to come out dry.  Final drying and drying of stuff that does not have the "fluffy" requirement is done on the airer in the utility room with an mvhr exhaust vent above it.

 

Ours is a condensing tumble dryer and using that breaks my heartslightly less as it's heat stays in the room, compared to one that just blows 2kW of heat straight out of a hole in the wall.

 

Spend the money and get a new dryer, small money in the house building scheme, and re evaluate what it is actually needed for.

[Dave Jones]

pipe  a gas supply to it also, they are much better (cheaper) to run than the electric ones.

[iansr]

One thing is certain from the info I’ve picked up here is that our current vented drier will not be going into the new house !    

[Conor]

1 minute ago, Dave Jones said:

pipe  a gas supply to it also, they are much better (cheaper) to run than the electric ones.

We had a white knight for years, brilliant machine. I'm not so sure of the running cost now, as the efficiency of heatpump driers is much better than old generations, and you don't need a hole in your wall leaking heat!!

[gavztheouch]

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry/tumble-dryers/sharp-kd-hhh8s7gw2-en-8-kg-heat-pump-tumble-dryer-white-10194164-pdt.html

 

I bought this from currys, the cheapest heat pump tumble dryer at the time and its been great. I monitored the energy usage and it is very close to the spec which is 1kwh for a half load and 2 kWh for full load. Like others have said a good chunk of that energy will stay in the house as latent heat.

[joe90]

I had no plans for a dryer in our new built, MVHR in the laundry/cloakroom or line in the conservatory (when it’s raining).

[iansr]

OK I think I’m sold on a heat pump one.  

[Marvin]

51 minutes ago, iansr said:

OK I think I’m sold on a heat pump one.  

+1. 

 

Didn't know they existed until I read all this. About to replace the old one so now going for the heat pump version!!!

 

Thank you everyone!

 

[iansr]

+1.  What a great resource this forum is.

[SteamyTea]

I have a washer dryer, the dryer part is a condenser.

Had it about 10 years now, probably used the dryer less than 10 times.

I did spend a whole pound, at Poundland earlier this year on a new washing line.  That is the third one I have bought in 20 years.

Trouble is, they are too long, so I found the unused half of the previously bought one, as I was putting the remains of the new one away.  So that is the next 20 years sorted.