Tumble Dryer Cost

[Smallfry]

We use a tumble drier a lot during the autumn and winter. Not many days here we can hang washing outside, it’s either raining or to windy. Clothes we don’t need straight away go on the clothes horse. The more serious question is where do all the socks that go missing go ?

We have got a carrier bag here full of odd socks that have lost their partner. Might be the ones you are looking for ?

 

[gaz1]

Ok 25 percent let's say a round a bout figure for my electricity bill 1200 give or take to make the maths easier

So I can save 300 a year I got to go round all of the house turn off all items before I go to bed then in the morning switch half on again and do the same before I go to work then on again when I'm home to save 80 p a day I rather pay the 300 a year lifes to short

Same as those stupid oh get a new electricity meter it will save you loads yea right I know if I'm not in a room to turn the lights off etc I don't need a meter to tell me that

im stuck on a bog standared tariff as they have already tried to bribe me with having the smart meter fitted to get a cheaper tariff
i refused so stuck with a bog standared simple tariff

i can get rid of the tortoise in my case as the heat lamp and the night heat lamp is needed for it, as goes for food its very little

but i cant get any lower than what i have done already and there drivel of get a smart meter to save money is plain b.s

the only way i can get cheaper is buy a battery or few and get a few solar panels/wind turbine and swap some stuff over to them

 

[CompoSimmonite]

We had a heat pump dryer which failed during 3 year warrantee period. Manufacturer said no parts to repair so gave us a generous refund which was enough to buy a new condensing dryer. Noticeable difference time the heat pump type took to dry so wouldn't entertain another.

 

[Islander71]

Tumble dryer is for dire emergency use only here - it eats electric. Use the washing machine only on a low speed spin, that way they last much longer. Then transferred to a stand alone simple "Thomas" high speed spin dryer then hang on outside washing line if its dry, or on a line in the open but covered firewood store if its wet. Finished off if need be on a pole over the wood fired stove.
Our base line use is about 11 units of electric to run fridge, freezer, 2 dehumidifiers ( for timber store and showroom ), immerser in the morning and lights. It can jump to up to about 20 units running workshop equipment or electric oven. We have a 5kw wind turbine that produces anything from 0 to 80 units a day, and solar panels that at this time of year produce about 0.5 units a day, but that goes up to about 20 units in the summer. Overall, we produce a lot more electric than we use, but often not when we use it.

 

[Erie Fred]

I have no idea of the actual cost.. I based the White Night purchase on gas costing 1/3 of electric and the only electric used was for a small electric motor for the fan. Our drier is in a utility room outside the kitchen so there is no benefit of residual heat, also the vent pipe needed the back utility room open when being used. Overall the heat pump drier was expensive but requires less maintenance and has a longer life. Break even on purchase cost alone for Miele/ white night was around 9 years (Miele £750, white night £250). We have had it for about 10 years now.

I don't understand how you can figure a break even cost when you don't know the gas usage cost ?
On many items, cars included, the fuel cost is the major cost, even more than the purchase price, especially
items that are owned for 10+ years.
Maint on a gas dryer ? Most we did was a temp sensor, and a belt.

 

[Cobbler]

Maint on a gas dryer ? Most we did was a temp sensor, and a belt.

one of my neighbours had a gas tumble dryer, it burnt the house down! Mind, the insurance rebuilt it to a really nice standard though.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

they always shrink or otherwise degrade

Do you read the 'laundry' labels on the garments? Not all fabrics are tumble drier safe.

We dry all our laundry in a room with MVHR. Seems to work well and maintain a good RH. Expensive to install but cheap to run.


Hmm, I've been to Slovenia. It's quite a bit more continental than here. You might be able to freeze dry laundry but that's not going to fly in the damp UK! Half the winter it's 100% humidity and drizzling. The other half it's raining.

I've hung washing out in low temps here before, it comes in stiff as a board [and still damp when thawed].

 

[Erie Fred]

one of my neighbours had a gas tumble dryer, it burnt the house down! Mind, the insurance rebuilt it to a really nice standard though.

Yup, happens around here fairly often.
Poor maint is not a regional thing, and just because one person had it happen, doesn't make it a bad machine.

If you keep the lint filter clean with every load, install the duct correctly (don't use the cheap vinyl flex hose) and clean it once/twice a year,
you'll be fine. Some add an exhaust lint filter, and exhaust inside the house (generally the basement) to save heat.

How about microwaving the clothing ?

 

[Colin Barron]

I don't understand how you can figure a break even cost when you don't know the gas usage cost ?
On many items, cars included, the fuel cost is the major cost, even more than the purchase price, especially
items that are owned for 10+ years.
Maint on a gas dryer ? Most we did was a temp sensor, and a belt.

The only break even i could work out was on purchase price comparison. All i had to go on for running costs was gas was 1/3 of electric, and heat pumps per dying cycle were half that of ordinary electric dryers. I did look at Miele gas when i bought the heat pump model 10 years ago but they were expensive, commercial and unavailable to retail customers. A neighbour had a major house fire with a cheap tumble drier, he claimed on the insurance but it was touch and go whether they would pay up. They did pay up eventually.

 

[Colin Barron]

Yup, happens around here fairly often.
Poor maint is not a regional thing, and just because one person had it happen, doesn't make it a bad machine.

If you keep the lint filter clean with every load, install the duct correctly (don't use the cheap vinyl flex hose) and clean it once/twice a year,
you'll be fine. Some add an exhaust lint filter, and exhaust inside the house (generally the basement) to save heat.

How about microwaving the clothing ?

Are you suggesting that it is a coincidence that cheap as chips tumble driers tend to have more fires than expensive well built makes?

 

[ajlelectronics]

I've hung washing out in low temps here before, it comes in stiff as a board [and still damp when thawed].

It needs air flow to dry. A still, cold day would do as you say, but add in a decent breeze and they will dry even at low temperatures.

 

[Erie Fred]

Are you suggesting that it is a coincidence that cheap as chips tumble driers tend to have more fires than expensive well built makes?

No, gas tumble dryers are very common here, and I don't know of anyone running a commercial one.

I'm saying just because there are house fires caused by them, they are not usually at fault.
Maybe the british safety standards are not as strict ? Maybe the installation is not as good/regulated ?

Not keeping them clean is.

Electric dryers "over here" burn houses down all the time as well.

Gas tumble dryers (either NG or propane) are the cheapest to operate at least with our energy prices.

 

[Erie Fred]

It needs air flow to dry. A still, cold day would do as you say, but add in a decent breeze and they will dry even at low temperatures.

I find that when sandblasting outside, a winter day is the best as it's the dryest.
I have sandblasted in a snow storm.

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

For drying clothes I highly recommend a small room with a dehumidifier in, it can take 6/8 hours, but no clothes shrinkage/less noise/less power usage.
Also useful for getting the damp out of cars/boats/caravans etc.

Can't be that small a room ...
"Also useful for getting the damp out of cars/boats/caravans etc."

 

[Farside]

Back to the main room with a woodstove, and the laundry hanging overhead.
Add a caldron on a swinging jib, and your all set.....

And a pig in the corner.
Lovely.
Are shoes optional?

 

[Farside]

Do you read the 'laundry' labels on the garments? Not all fabrics are tumble drier safe.

See that stuff on the lint filter?
That's your clothes, that is.
Since I stopped using the tumble drier, my t-shirt life has lengthened considerably.

 

[ajlelectronics]

See that stuff on the lint filter?
That's your clothes, that is.
Since I stopped using the tumble drier, my t-shirt life has lengthened considerably.

Same fallacy concerned not using a decent vacuum because lots of pile appeared in the bag. That lint / pile is already no longer a part of the whole and its appearance doesn't signify more damage than was previously there.

 

[Farside]

Same fallacy concerned not using a decent vacuum because lots of pile appeared in the bag. That lint / pile is already no longer a part of the whole and its appearance doesn't signify more damage than was previously there.

Only telling you what I find. The lint doesn't magically appear out of thin air.

 

[AVI_8]

We try to dry the largest dampest things over the kitchen chairs overnight, but in a damp Scottish winter they go in the tumble drier the next day, I’ll never have a condensing drier again, had one once, they are not good, you need to get that damp air outside, condensing driers just re-circulate damp air.
Why is it so hard to type after 2 bottles wine!

 

[prepman]

My Beko Compressor Condensing dryer is a godsend, wouldn't be without it, just a tumbling de-humidifier. In winter puts heat back into house minus water. Win-win.