'A' rated tumble dryer

[Nicedad]

Despite my best endeavours, my wife likes using the tumble dryer. Whenever I'm about I'm normally the one pegging washing on the line.

Recently the tumble dryer which is 17 years old (5 years since a major refurb) has been playing up. 

So bitting the bullet I have just placed an order the most efficient tumble dryer on the market. An AEG T59840, 'A' rated. condenser, using heat pump technology.

I want to be exporting as much of my PV generated power as possible.

[knighty]

have you thought about a gas one ?

being one of 6 kids my mother needed a tumble dryer all the time... an electric out would have cost a fortune !


they're hard to find, but if you're happy buying on the internet search for "white knight" (the people who make them)

ours works perfectly.... it's a hell of a lot cheaper to run.... and probably about 10 times better for the environment too!

[Ivan]

Nicedad - I could have written your post!! Seeing the tumble drier going makes me want to cry. All those hard-earned watts.....

I do like the idea of a gas drier, and have heard of them, but never seen one (I think they used to sell them in the Gas Board shops). If the warmth is given up to the room, during the winter, it might actually be very low cost, as it's offsetting heating.

[daftlad]

How about pre heating the air with a solar air heater?

http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6899.0.html
http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4961.0.html

When the sun is shining may as well use it?
laters

[knighty]

the heat out of the drum is still blown out of one of those white tube thingies.... - it's pretty moist air and would probably make your room damp....

but I'm sure you chould reclaim a lot of the heat ?

hadn't thought about it before.... but even just a heat exchanger to warm up the air going into the drum would be a very good idea.... should make a massive difference too !

[daftlad]

So plumb it into a heat recovery system?
laters

[dhaslam]

I have a condenser drier.  It leaves the utility room completely dry and the heat goes into the heat recovery system, about 2kwh.   However I cannot see any rise in temperature in the other rooms. Possibly it just offsets night time cooling.  The drier is Zanussi, B rated. 

[daftlad]

I have a condenser drier.  It leaves the utility room completely dry and the heat goes into the heat recovery system, about 2kwh.   However I cannot see any rise in temperature in the other rooms. Possibly it just offsets night time cooling.  The drier is Zanussi, B rated. 

How is the moisture condensesed out of the moist air?
Condensate (water) is produced in air conditioning systems by cooling the air, Is this how it works in a drier? If so to cool the air heat must be produced? what happens to that?
Basically how does a condenser drier work? and does the drier that nicedad is buying work the same way?
laters

[knighty]

I just googled it (was intrested too)

In a condenser dryer, there are two separate "loops". The inside "loop" of air is sealed from the outside environment - air from within the drum is heated, then blown through the tumbling clothes, then the moisture-laden air is passed through a heat exchanger, where the water recondenses. The same dry air is then reheated, where it is again blown through the drum and clothes, and the cycle begins again (this is a more-or-less continuous process).

The outside "loop" in a condenser dryer consists of either air or water. Some condenser dryer models are air-cooled, and use the ambient room air as a heat sink, by blowing it across the outside of the heat exchanger. These dryers will tend to heat the indoor air in one's laundry room significantly. Note however that ONLY heat is released - all MOISTURE is contained within the unit. The condensed water can be either pumped away to a drain line (e.g. into a standpipe shared with the clothes washer) or stored in a container within the dryer to be emptied later (not all models offer both options).

sounds good, the only problem is.... it would have to be electric...

if it was gas all the oxygen in the air inside the system would be used up and then the gas wouldn't burn anymore ?

[Nicedad]

I did look into the white knight gas units as there is a gas supply close by and the consumption charges are smaller and the dryer costs are cheaper. But I have a relative who had one for a few years and it gave no end of problems with an almost permanent smell of gas in the room despite being serviced several times. Also there is the gas connection and servicing costs to factor in.     

[knighty]

ahh, we had constant problems with our first one too.... always fixed under garantee..... untill we complained and the replaced it for a brand new one free of charge...


the same engeneer came out each time and he was a decent guy / knew what he was doing (unlike a lot of the people in that kind of job!)

anyway... he told us they'd had a lot of problems with them, but they shifted production to a different factory in a different county (think it was india at first) and they've all been perfect ever since..... ours has anyway.... going on 6 years wihtout a problem and it does at least a couple of runs a day !

[daftlad]

I looked up the AEG dryer that Nicedad has ordered and I am guessing that the heat used to dry the clothes  is recycled using the "heat pump technology".
Which (I am guessing) may make it more efficient than the gas dryers you mention.
laters

[dhaslam]

The AEG T59840 seems to be the only dryer that uses heat pump technology. This is supposed too give 50% saving in energy.    There are air cooled ones, like mine,  which just condense the water using a heat exchanger and water cooled that use extra water to cool the air, usually they are combined washers and dryers.   The normal condenser versions use about 15% more energy than vented dryers but save all the heat in the house.    I use about €40 euro worth of electricity per annum for drying so it would take about fifteen year to pay for the price difference, probably more than the life of a dryer.   

[Nicedad]

I don't dispute the pay back period, but do my best to keep things going. 17+ years for the current one.

As often discussed on the forum its not all about pay back periods.

[billi]

Hi

Here is a list of the most efficient driers  and most  with a heatpump  as well    the top rated is a gas driven

http://www.ecotopten.de/prod_trocknen_prod.php

I wonder if i could use the heatpump models for heating  as well  



Billi