Which Dryer to buy for Laundry in Garage?

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steevg

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#256008 10-Sep-2019 13:07

Hi Everyone,

We’re thinking about buying a Fisher & Paykel Dryer (to match our washing machine) and have been alerted to the new Heat Pump Condenser Dryers. We’re unable to go for a conventional vented dryer as it’ll be installed under a worktop next to the Washing Machine in the Garage, unfortunately ducting a vent to the outside is not an option.

I have a couple of questions regarding which F&P Dryer would suit our needs best:

Presumably the higher the star rating, the more energy efficient the dryer is?

As I understand the technology, the heat Pump Condenser Dryer (HPCD), although more expensive initially, is more efficient than a Condenser Dryer (CD), but takes longer to dry - so is it really that much more efficient given the extra time its cycling?
Does the fact that it’s being installed in a colder ambient environment affect the HPCD’s ability to perform (we have an older style Panasonic Heat Pump in the lounge, and it’s less effective at lower temperatures, and a “Tech” in the local store mentioned the HPCD may not be as efficient as it could otherwise be in a colder ambient environment)?
Does a HPCD need to have moisture removed after cycling as does the CD (if so can this be attached to the normal drain system)?
What do the energy star ratings really mean in real-world conditions?
Are these a true indicator of electricity/water costs (we’re intending to use the dryer for 4-6 full loads in off-peak times during the week)?

Any other comments regarding which model to buy?

We’re looking at either:

DC8060P1
DH8060C1 (which I can’t seem to find anywhere online)
or the
DH8060P1

Thanks for any help, advice or comments.

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90 posts

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#2314863 11-Sep-2019 10:12

. . . . is this the correct forum to post this question?

Loismustdye

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#2314868 11-Sep-2019 10:23

It isn't one of those mentioned but we recently purchased a Bosch series 4 HP dryer for our garage after our old style one was filling it with water vapour when it vented the air.

Absolutely happy with it, went Bosch after my brother and his wife purchased a matching set 2-3 years ago and have raved about it since, they do at least one load in it per day and have seen no discernible change to their power bill.

Ours works well in the cold shed, it does take a lot longer than a normal dryer but the clothes aren't "cooked" like they are in a normal dryer. We love it and are looking at matching Bosch Washing amchine in the near future.

Pretty sure most of them have either a collection container for water vapour built into them or they can have a drainage hose attached to put the collected water into a sink (they don't vent the air into the surrounding environment).

Personally I would avoid the F&P products after having a fairly unimpressive response to a 2 year old Fridge/freezer that needed fixing, them having a 12 month warranty compared to 24 for a lot of others. I also thought they were Haier Products now mostly with a new badge (note this is what Ive been told at least).

empacher48

368 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2314872 11-Sep-2019 10:29

We bought a Beko heat pump dryer and have it installed in our garage and wouldn’t go back to any other form of dryer.

It takes about 3 hours to fully dry an 8kg load of towels, but during that time it uses less power than our top load washing machine on a cold wash. But with a family with three young children and how wet the Auckland winter has been, we can do at least 3 loads most days. I would hate to think how much that would cost running a conventional dryer!

Ours was marketed as an 8 star energy rating and actual power use as stated above. We also have the water draining into the sink through the same drain as our washing machine, so we don’t have to empty the water tank. Also we haven’t seen temperature have much of an effect on performance, the smarts in the dryer keep it running until the clothes are dry.

Stu

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#2314876 11-Sep-2019 10:40

We've bought a Miele hear pump drier for the same reason, laundry in the garage and not near a wall for venting. Only had it for four weeks, but happy with it so far. It drains via a small hose, straight down the same pipe as the washing machine (through the side of the tub).

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Nate001

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#2314885 11-Sep-2019 10:59

steevg:

As I understand the technology, the heat Pump Condenser Dryer (HPCD), although more expensive initially, is more efficient than a Condenser Dryer (CD), but takes longer to dry - so is it really that much more efficient given the extra time its cycling?
Does the fact that it’s being installed in a colder ambient environment affect the HPCD’s ability to perform (we have an older style Panasonic Heat Pump in the lounge, and it’s less effective at lower temperatures, and a “Tech” in the local store mentioned the HPCD may not be as efficient as it could otherwise be in a colder ambient environment)?
Does a HPCD need to have moisture removed after cycling as does the CD (if so can this be attached to the normal drain system)?
What do the energy star ratings really mean in real-world conditions?
Are these a true indicator of electricity/water costs (we’re intending to use the dryer for 4-6 full loads in off-peak times during the week)?

From my experience:

1) Yes a HP Condensing dryer has a higher upfront cost compared to other models but is a LOT more efficient. A CD dryer is rated at ~2000W vs a HP at ~ 500W. A CD dryer is uses the room air to cool the condensing air stream so in effect you're actually loosing energy as heat in to the room, whereas a HP you recover the heat using the HP system resulting in much lower heat loss.

2) A cooler ambient environment can result in a slightly longer run time as the machine does need to warm up. How cold are you talking?

3) Yes a HP dryer collects water that needs to be drained. All brands have a water tank but I highly recommend plumbing it into your drain as you'll be emptying it every cycle.

4) You will notice a lower energy usage with HP models vs CD and Vented.

5) No water costs involved. Only washer dryers use water to dry.

A benefit of HP dryers is they run cooler which can be good for your clothes, but may give you the illusion they are slightly damp when removed as they're not hot and crisp compared to a vented dryer, hot and crisp are not good for you're clothes.

richms

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#2314890 11-Sep-2019 11:02

steevg:

. . . . is this the correct forum to post this question?

A dryer is a robot. Once they become common then people give them names, but still a robot.

Richard rich.ms

richms

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#2314899 11-Sep-2019 11:08

I got the normal condenser drier because the savings never stacked up on the heatpump version, plus it warms the bathroom up nicely in winter if I time the washing load right.

Total heat output from it is noway near as bad as the old unvented F&P so in summer just leaving the bathroom fan on removes that heat quick enough, and I heard that the heatpump ones were way slower than standard condenser ones. Its already bad enough being slower than the washing machine on a quick cycle when its the weekend so its bulk washing time. Jeans and shirts and socks take about 55-70 mins in the dryer, which times nicely with a quick 60 min wash cycle. Towels are much longer but ive found that not taking it to the max is quite a bit faster than a full load. One lot of 2 towels, 2 facecloths, bathmat and handtowel takes about 90 mins to get dryish enough to fold, getting that last bit out to extra dry takes a lot longer. Trying to do 2 lots of towels will take 3+ hours and not actually tumble for most of the time so its really ineffective. I have never weighed what I put in just a case of if the door closes then its fine.

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timmmay

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#2314901 11-Sep-2019 11:13

I would look at the total cost of ownership. I read somewhere that heat pump based appliances don't last as long as you might like, so when you weigh up the purchase price and lifetime vs the cost of power they might not stack up for low users. For high users maybe they would.

A load of towels in our standard vented F&P drier takes about 1.5 hours max, and costs (.2c/kwh * 2.0 kwh * 1.5 ) is about 60c per dry. A heat pump drier should be at least three times more efficient, so say 20c per load. Let's say a standard drier is $600, condenser is $1400, heat pump is $2100. That difference is

Standard vented upgrade to heat pump: 3750 loads to make up the purchase cost
Condenser upgrade to heat pump: 1750 loads to make up the purchase cost

If it lasts ten years, which is probably on the high side, you'd have to do a load every day to make it worthwhile moving from vented to heat pump. If you had to get a condenser model and were considering going to heat pump then it's only a load every two days to make up the cost. After that it's savings.

My maths could be totally out, but it looks like whether it's financially worthwhile depends on how many loads you do, whether you want to pay up front, and whether you plan to be in the house a long time - I doubt you can move them easily.

steevg

90 posts

Master Geek

#2314913 11-Sep-2019 11:38

Hey thanks everyone for your input - with the variety of responses I'll need to go back to the "experts" and ask a few more questions - especially one's related to recommendations about F&P products & lifespans etc.

Definitely worth checking out, but I must say, to date with other appliances we own, we've had pretty good support from F&P, hence why we're looking at their Dryers, but wasn't aware that they're now under the Haier company - that may be a game changer.

Any other comments would be most welcome.

ratsun81

508 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2315151 11-Sep-2019 16:53

Ive got an Electrolux Condenser Dryer (EDC2086GDW) which we've had for about 3 years now,

Quite happy with it, no issues with it underperforming in winter and the initial price compared to a Heatpump Dryer really made it for us.

What you must consider if you are going the heatpump route is amount of use, if you dont use it daily the payback isint worth it.

For example Dry time for a full load of towels is less than 2 hours, big bonus with it is that it helps to heat the house with dry air at the same time.

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CokemonZ

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#2315167 11-Sep-2019 17:37

Bought a hoover heatpump dryer end of line from noel leeming a couple of years back.

Takes about 30% longer than our old vented, but as someone said above the clothes come out a lot cooler - took a while for my wife to admit the clothes weren't coming out damp.

Laundry used to be like a sauna, no longer. We haven't plumbed it in, just empty it every dry or two. just like emptying a dehumidifier. We use it almost every day, and it's great. recommended.

Stu

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#2315196 11-Sep-2019 18:58

ratsun81:
What you must consider if you are going the heatpump route is amount of use, if you dont use it daily the payback isint worth it.

Payback doesn't really factor in to it, considering the comment by the OP that venting isn't an option. I read the same statement (on Consumer, from memory) when I was looking at options. If you don't have the option of venting due to the location of your laundry, then the heat pump models are really the only way to go. The last thing I want is ~10m of flexible ducting in our ceiling space growing nasties due to moisture that never quite dries properly, let alone ugly ducting running up the wall before entering the ceiling.

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mudguard

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#2315222 11-Sep-2019 19:55

I bought a normal dryer recently, how critical is it to vent outside? It's in the garage, I just open the garage door about 10cm and nothing seems to get damp.

To be fair, it's only used once a week.

timmmay

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#2315241 11-Sep-2019 20:27

mudguard:

I bought a normal dryer recently, how critical is it to vent outside? It's in the garage, I just open the garage door about 10cm and nothing seems to get damp.

To be fair, it's only used once a week.

Driers vented outside probably dry the clothes a bit faster, use a bit less power, and do a bit less damage to the room they're in. If it's a garage probably no big problem, bit maybe check for condensation walls, windows, etc. I'd still vent it myself.

Loismustdye

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#2315272 11-Sep-2019 21:41

We got our Bosch for $1600 on special, so only a margin more than a condenser drier. Just keep an eye out for a Harvey Norman big sale.
The primary reason for us was the huge amount of moisture dumped not the garage (attached to the house), the garage windows and back aluminium door were absolutely dripping in water when it was used.

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