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Thread Number: 6570
Condenser dryers |
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Post# 132030 5/30/2006 at 18:44 (6,533 days old) by luxflairguy  (Wilmington NC) |
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Do modern condenser dryers really work? Or am I going to have a high humidity level in the house each time I run it? Opinions, please! Greg | ||
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Post# 132102 , Reply# 2 5/31/2006 at 02:54 (6,533 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Greg,
Over here in Germany they are more common than the vented ones. My first was built in the early 60's; my current one is a 1998 AEG. They have an entirely closed condensing system, so there is absolutely no problem with humidity. They are louder, take longer (you can't use more heat to speed things up, 'cause the condensation process can only remove so much water at any given time), use much more energy. Except for the Bauknects built after Whirlpool took them over, they are all good and reliable. Now reread that sentence above...and make sure you don't buy a US machine built by Whirlpool. Get an Elektrolux if at all possible. Or, if you can affort it, buy a Miele or Bosch/Siemens. One of those will last you forever. Be sure to clean the condensor and lint filter religiously, most folks don't even know there is a condensor and then call the repair people when it "stops working" after only three months. Go for it - but yes, it will heat things up rather nicely. Oh, all the after-market "hook the vent hose up over this puddle of water in a plastic bucket" stuff is worthless. | ||
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Post# 132171 , Reply# 6 5/31/2006 at 11:35 (6,532 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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I had a 1956 Frigidaire condenser dryer. ..........
I may have to interject here. The design of this machine used room air to cool the (air-cooled) condenser, therby heating the room. So, said another way this particular dryer condensed the moisture out of the air, yet put the heat back into the room. IIRC, most of today's condenser dryers do NOT add heat back into the room. They use a WATER-cooled condenser. Therefore, areas with truly cold *cold* water out of the tap (cold climates in winter) I believe would work quicker and better than *cold* water from warmer climates. [BTW=> When I was in Phoenix, the cold water from the tap at 4 to 5 o'clock in the afternoon was VERY warm! I chose to do laundry earlier or later to avoid fading of darks]. [In Puerto Rico and Florida, I have seen tiny 20 gallon (80 litre) storage-type hot water heaters for ENTIRE homes! This appears to work due to the high temperature of incoming water. In my cold climate that would definitely not suffice. Believe it or not I have actually seen these units run on 110v instead of the usual 220v. Apparently a tiny 1,500w heating element suffices there! Back to the issue at hand: Also clothes out of a condenser dryer are slightly *dew-y* but dry quickly in the ambient open-air. Cool-down wrinkle prevention cycles normally last MANY hours for the temoperature in the closed drying-air *circuit/loop* to fall. (At least they do in the LG washer-dryer 110v combo unit I witnessed washing and drying! | ||
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Post# 132175 , Reply# 7 5/31/2006 at 11:55 (6,532 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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oh Miss Mona, you are SO evil!. LOL | ||
| Post# 132188 , Reply# 9 5/31/2006 at 12:43 (6,532 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK) | ||
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Also clothes out of a condenser dryer are slightly *dew-y* b Also Toggle, have found at least with my condenser dryer laundry comes out as dry as it does out of the vented Bosch dryer - and only come out damp/dewey if that's what I set the drying level to :-). Jon | ||
| Post# 132195 , Reply# 11 5/31/2006 at 13:09 (6,532 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK) | ||
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Austin - I know exactly how you feel! Hence why I tend to use my vented Bosch as much as possible :-) | ||
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Post# 132216 , Reply# 13 5/31/2006 at 14:21 (6,532 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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A dryer softens eveything.... Eliminates most ironing. (Use the longest cool-down you can, folks! Prevents stretching of fabrics. Even though line drying has a nice scent, the benefits of a dryer, (esp for towels) IMHO are FABULOUS! Try this one. Put everything in the VENTED dryer for 15 minutes. (10 heated, 5 cool-down) THEN hang out. The fibers get fluffed, lint and hair extracted and you dry with much less energy and get the fresh outdoor scent. | ||
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Post# 132236 , Reply# 14 5/31/2006 at 15:53 (6,532 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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IRC, most of today's condenser dryers do NOT add heat ba | ||
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Post# 132240 , Reply# 16 5/31/2006 at 15:59 (6,532 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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I fail to see the point af an air-cooled condenser dryer UNLESS one is in a cold climate where the heat is needed and/or humidity is not good. Isn't it just as easy to vent an ELECTRIC dryer right into the room? BTW=> Scandinavian countries use all kinds of energy to have saunas, but used to snub electric dryers for *wasteful* energy usage. Perhaps condenser dryers that extract the heat back onto the room (without adding humidity)is ideal for their mentality. | ||
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Post# 132241 , Reply# 17 5/31/2006 at 16:00 (6,532 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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| Post# 132242 , Reply# 18 5/31/2006 at 16:01 (6,532 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK) | ||
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I fail to see the point af an air-cooled condenser dryer UNL It doesn't use water. You know how us Europeans like to conserve water... *rolls eyes* | ||
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Post# 132313 , Reply# 20 5/31/2006 at 23:06 (6,532 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT) |
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though line drying has a nice scent, the benefits of a drye | ||
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Post# 132355 , Reply# 22 6/1/2006 at 07:32 (6,531 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Condenser vs Exhaust
The use of a heat exchanger in modern condensers eliminates the problem of moisture venting into the room - it is a "closed-cycle". The difference between ambient room temperature - about 75° or so and the 175° or hotter inside of the dryer is more than enough to produce condensation. The air coming out of the drum is, after all, saturated. It wants to dump some of that moisture and any "cool" surface will do. No one who has ever used a traditional, vented US dryer would ever want to use anything else. When you can't vent, then the condensers are the only alternative. They don't need 240V lines because the amount of moisture they can condense at any given time is so limited that the heat of a 2.4 Kw element like mine has is perfectly adequate. Loud, slow and energy consuming they are and remain. Of course, when you consider the absurdly low spin speeds most American washers have, then you understand why the US dryers work so well - they have to. My AEG is the "modern" Electrolux variation, it is true - quieter and better built than my old AEG. I don't even want to talk about the Whirpool stuff anymore. Whoever thinks it is great stuff, go for it. What do the consumer guides know, after all? They are probably all owned by all the other manufacturers who just gang up on poor Whirlpool. This is not a European problem, this is the result of US consumers accepting the last piece of s*** from the manufacturers. Our grandparents would never have tolerated the junk being dumped on the US market today. Buy American, sure - but why should folks who buy American be punished for it with the stuff on offer in the States? They work hard for their money, it is a real pity... | ||
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Post# 132385 , Reply# 23 6/1/2006 at 10:01 (6,531 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT) |
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A little whimsy | ||
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Post# 132392 , Reply# 24 6/1/2006 at 10:35 (6,531 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Post# 132394 , Reply# 25 6/1/2006 at 10:42 (6,531 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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I'd like to learn the difference. | ||
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Post# 132395 , Reply# 26 6/1/2006 at 10:45 (6,531 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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BTW, I have a Miele condenser dryer and I am very happy with it. Yes it's noisy, but that is because it needs a lot of room air (blue in the drawing) to condense the airstream inside the dryer (red in the drawing). The Miele is very well sealed, I never have a problem with moisture. Ofcourse I am lucky to also have an AEG vented dryer so on warmer days I can use that one. But I use the condenser dryer far more than the vented one. I have the impression that the Miele is also much more forgiving for not cleaning the condensor. Although I use it a lot I don't have to clean the condensor very often. I hadn't done it in months and had a look at it because of this thread. There was some dust, but cleaning was not really necessary. Louis | ||
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Post# 132396 , Reply# 27 6/1/2006 at 10:48 (6,531 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Steve, I think the Frigidaire Filtrator uses an open system that takes in air. The air is heated, then goes through the drum and after that goes through the condensor where the bigger part of the moisture is condensed. Then the air leaves the dryer and is blown back into the room. So there is only one airstream. Does anyone have a drawing of the Filtrator system? Louis | ||
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Post# 132554 , Reply# 28 6/1/2006 at 23:00 (6,531 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Post# 132636 , Reply# 29 6/2/2006 at 12:34 (6,530 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Why thank you, Louis-
that is a great drawing. I like the whole idea - it is such a pity that it costs so much energy. The condensed water I "zurückgewinne" I use for ironing (after it goes through a coffee filter) and for house plants. If I end up doing several loads in one go, there is usually enough to satisfy my LG for a the wash cycle...use it then for woolens. No softer, cleaner water possible than de-ionized. Sorry, Steve - I don't have any pictures to show you...pity, 'cause I, too, am very curious. Come on guys, show us what ya got under those skirts, huh? Please? | ||
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Post# 132646 , Reply# 30 6/2/2006 at 13:29 (6,530 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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i needs me one-a dose- | ||
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Post# 132658 , Reply# 31 6/2/2006 at 14:49 (6,530 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Actually Keven, I don't think the modern condenser dryers use much more energy than vented ones. If you look at the energy labels that the vented and condenser models get, the differences are small. A few hundred watts per load. I use the condenser dryer in colder season so the heat inside is not pumped outside. And in the warmer season I use the vented dryer so the house doesn't heat up. Best of both worlds. So Steve's thought is correct that you can actually save energy with using a condenser dryer.
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Post# 132873 , Reply# 32 6/3/2006 at 05:33 (6,530 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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Maybe, maybe not
Louis, That is (for me) an open question. Certainly the newest condensers aren't anywhere near as bad as the older ones in energy use (never mind water). Still, a few hundred watts here, a few there...but you are right - I looked it up and was surprised who close they now are. I still prefer hanging clothes out to dry when the sun shines (ich habe es damals, als wir noch eine Sonne in München hatten, vorgezogen...) and just toss the towels and undies in the dryer to air-fluff for 15 minutes afterwards. | ||
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Post# 132898 , Reply# 33 6/3/2006 at 09:28 (6,529 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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sandpaper towels and razor drawers.
Is the fluff in the dryer better before line-drying or after? I like to tdo that before, to retain the outdoorsy scent. Underwear in dryer? Don't you like the undies to shave and exfoliate your spheres? (ducks and runs!) LOL [May I request a German translation for the *good* stuff? Clueless. If not for public consumption, pls feel free to e-mail me!] *HUGS* | ||
| Post# 132934 , Reply# 34 6/3/2006 at 13:25 (6,529 days old) by bpetersxx (laf in on the banks of the Wabash River) | ||
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Post# 132937 , Reply# 36 6/3/2006 at 13:35 (6,529 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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sorry 'bout that
Steve, I'm home with a bad cold and guess I was driftin' there a bit. (ich habe es damals, als wir noch eine Sonne in München hatten, vorgezogen...) (that is, I USED prefer to, back when we still had something called "a sun" in Munich) I am a firm opponent to both razor burn and agent orange...and stiff undies dried to sandpaper strength is so not my world. Either shave it close or grow it a few days... | ||
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Post# 133222 , Reply# 37 6/5/2006 at 08:23 (6,527 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Post# 134988 , Reply# 38 6/11/2006 at 03:10 (6,522 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Post# 134989 , Reply# 39 6/11/2006 at 03:11 (6,522 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands) |
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Post# 135144 , Reply# 40 6/11/2006 at 21:06 (6,521 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY) |
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Post# 141185 , Reply# 42 7/9/2006 at 23:56 (6,493 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains) |
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6 of one, half-a-dozen of the other
Some dryers can vent to the side, so that may not be a limitation. I live in Europe(when I am not in the US like now) and we have used ventless dryers for decades. They work, they are efficient, they do not produce any humidity, they take longer, they cost more to buy and run. Bosch build good stuff, their service in the US sucks the big one. Don't buy from them unless you have written proof in your hot little hands that there is an authorized dealer close to you who also handles service. I use the condensed water for ironing and - after three loads of wash - have enough to run a silk cycle with the soft water in my washer. | ||
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