Vented tumble dryers

I'm picking up a tumble dryer at the weekend and haven't yet decided whether to go for vented or condenser. The vented ones are cheaper and the condenser has the added hassle of having to empty the thing every time you use it. I'm going to be putting the dryer into my shed which has no window (well it has 2, but they're just plexiglass sheets, they don't open or anything) and for the time being, the door is going to be left open a crack so that I can trail an extension lead out back to my house. (I want to see how much of a hassle this will be before going down the route of a permanent electrical outlet.)

Either way, am I just better off with the condenser in the first place, or since it's a shed, would a vented machine work fine with no venting attached (I'm pretty sure my parents' machine has no venting on it, and it's working fine in their shed)?

Any helps would be appreciated.

If it is in the shed why not just drill a hole a the back of the drier and vent it properly?

My mother had her dryer in the shed, it eventually got used as a shelf. I have a condenser and I only empty it about 1 a month, fairly low usage though. Consider that if you want to bring it into the house in the future a condenser is probably the way forward.

I'd be more concerned about the extension lead out the back. Could you encase it in a hose or pipe of something at least.

Otherwise I'd vent out the back wall of the shed, cheap plastic covers for the hole in the wall as well.

Vented are less prone to breaking than condenser...they are cheaper and more reliable. Which makes sense is they just chuck the steam straight out, no cooling, condensing and collecting of it. A shed is extremaly easy to cut the 4 inch outlet from.

As someone else said, be careful with an extension lead. For example, they are not designed most of them, to be used in the rain. DO NOT leave most of it wound up in the reel if the shed is very near to your house...the tumble dryer could be drawing a high load of electricity and if the lead is all tighly wound up it vcan cause an overheating and a fire...so unwind it all.

You should really look to make the switch to armoured cable from yoru house to your shed asap.

Interesting you say they are not reliable, had one for 5 years that got a lot of use and didn;t have a bit of bother with it. So much so that the when purchasing one recently I went back to the exact same model. The original one was donated to Mother bear btw

vented are less complex than condenser...hence a more complex machine can be more susceptible to breaking. Doesn't mean of course that they will but they have more parts available to break!

Once you purchase a reputable brand there is no difference in reliability between vented and condensor. Condensor is aimed at those who do not have provision to vent to outside i.e. appartment or enclosed room etc. If you are locating it in a shed I would suggest you cut a small opening and vent it with the hose which is supplied with the dryer. Opening the door is fine as a temporary step but long term the condensation will damage the shed and its contents. I agree completely with what others are saying about the cable from the house...heed their good advise and seek out an extension chord suitable for outdoor use.

The difference in price is approx 90-100 euro for a Zanussi or Whirlpool condensor vs. vented dryer (D.I.D). Ask yourself the following; Is it worth the hassle of buying and running the cable from house to shed cutting a hole to vent and perhaps having to pay for a permanent electrical outlet down the road, having to take the clothes down to the shed every time to put them in the dryer? Do I have room in the house where I could locate the consensor? Will I eventually want to move the dryer into the house at some stage in the future? The answers to these questions will make the decision for you.

Btw and for the record I was involved in domestic appliance sales in a former life! Good Luck!

Previous AAM thread:

Vented tumble dryer -v- condenser

"but long term the condensation will damage the shed and its contents"

Would definitely agree with this statement. Sheds are damp enuf places without serious condensation adding to the problem.

BTW everyone its best to also clear the fluff filter every time you use the machine.

sueellen said:

BTW everyone its best to also clear the fluff filter every time you use the machine.

Click to expand...

Definitely second that, for some reason about a year ago I went through a phase of forgetting to do this.

I was wondering why the clothes were still very wet even after a full cycle or two and was about to call the landlord for repairs when I realised the fluff filter was completely stuffed, clearing it returned the dryer to perfect working order.

I knew people who had the tumble dryer next to the boiler for the heating and the fluff etc was being sucked up by the boiler and it fecked it up as it blocked the air inlets...