reverse direction dryers

[brucelucenta]

So what's the bottom line on buying a dryer in the USA that actually reverses rotation equally from one direction to the other? Is there such a creature? It would make sense, since all front loader washers reverse now.

 

[jkbff]

The only one I've ever found that was American was the GE profile dryer with the tear drop door.

I wish I would have never sold that dryer. It was dual motor, so the air flow was never compromised.

I do like the Miele condensing dryer, but a lot of people don't seem to like them.

As soon as I can figure out the circuitry I am going to rebuild a Maytag Dependable care to reverse tumble on a timing switch.

 

[brucelucenta]

Thank you, that is good to know. I wonder why it is that there are not more of them? It would seem to me that it really wouldn't take that much more to have a reversing motor, even if it has to be a separate motor from the blower. It would certainly eliminate all the balling up of large items.

 

[DADoES]

 
Fisher & Paykel's SmartLoad topload dryers have reverse tumble, as I have discussed numerous times, but unfortunately were discontinued several years ago so specimens available now are only what may come up as used on CraigsList or at resell shops.  The reverse pattern is 40 seconds of reverse every 4-1/2 mins so it's not fully equal-time for both directions.  However I have found it to be effective for sheets, blankets, bedspreads, and such.  It also reverses on each tumble-cycle during the intermittent-tumble wrinkle prevent function.

F&P's frontload US-market dryers are sourced from GE.  The redesigned TOL model after SmartLoad discontinued had reverse tumble and was surely based on the "tear drop" model that jkbff mentions above.  That feature also has been dropped since the initial model redesign.

As an aside, upon checking F&P's web site a few mins ago, they are now offering a condensing dryer Model DE4024P1 on the US market.  (ETA: The user guide indicates the F&P condensing dryer has reverse tumble on the designated Sheets cycle but doesn't say what's the reversing pattern.)[this post was last edited: 10/5/2017-12:42]

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

I have 3 dryers that reverse tumble, a 1997 Frigidaire Gallery (stacked w/ f-load washer), a Fisher Paykel top-load dryer and the little Miele vented dryer I picked up in April.

 

The Frigidaire was my only dryer for about 15 years and it runs about 5 minutes one direction, reverses about 30 seconds, then back.  The blower isn't optimized for both directions, as both the noise and airflow out the exhaust is noticeably less when reversed.   I feel the "reverse - tumbling" was more of a marketing thing as it has little effect on preventing things like sheets from balling up. (photo is a GE badged dryer, but it's exactly the same)

 

It's been a while since I used the F&P dryer, but as I recall it ran an equal amount time in each direction, but I could be wrong.  I haven't run enough variety of loads in it to know if things ball up or not.  I need hook back up and use it again.

 

I don't use the Miele much as it's electric and I prefer gas dryers due to their speed and lower operating cost.  While I haven't timed it, the Miele seems to run one direction about 5 minutes, then reverses for 1 or 2 minutes?  Airflow and noise out the exhaust is the same either direction.  An interesting note, it only has 2 baffles or paddles in the drum rather than the usual 3.

 

Kevin 

 

[nmassman44]

Its nice to see a pic of my GE dryer being used here...that dryer does not reverse but I have had a Frigidaire version that reverse for 20 seconds or so ...with the heater on mind you...and very little airflow...so you can imagine when it reverse back to clockwise tumble, the air being pulled into the drum was super hot after the reverse. That size dryer drum did benefit from reversing especially with sheets and jeans.
My Miele 9800 dryer did reverse and it did so randomly. That dryer did ok but the weak spot is the drive system which uses 2 belts. Anything over 20 lbs of wet wash and you were asking for a broken belt. And having said belt replaced was not cheap or simple to replace either.

 

[henene4]

Mieles random reversing

AFAIK they have a pretty sofisticatd sensing algorythm tha is supposed to reverse when ever needed.

Works 90% of the time in my experience.

 

[yogitunes]

the only thing that seems to have issues tumbling were sheets/blankets....

especially fitted sheets with elastic all the way around....and has no difference with one direction, or reversing drums, those type ball up no matter what...

as a regular load, either dryer works fine.....

 

[henene4]

Fitted sheets

Having slept on fitted sheets with elastic all my life, I can say that at least on a compact dryer (standard here in the EU), reversing can help. It just has to happen often enough.

 

[DADoES]

 
I don't have fitted sheets ball-up in the F&P dryer, and not often is even a pillow case found in a pocket of one.

 

[maytag85]

Reverse direction dryers aren't that common in the US. Reverse direction dryers are better for things like towels and sheets, but they have a couple more moving parts than a conventional dryer that has a drum that turns in only one direction. Reverse direction dryers are common in Europe, but I am not sure how well they would sell in the US market.

 

[jerrod6]

My large Miele gas dryer has reverse Tumbling. Don't think it is now available.

 

[launderess]

My Oko-Lavamat Condenser Has Reverse Tumbling

Works well enough one supposes for clothing or other loads; bed linens little less so. That is things like fitted sheets still tend to ball up regardless often enough. Maddening thing is opening the dryer to sort the mess out (if machine does not on its own), releases all that hot steamy air, so dryer has to work interior conditions back up again.

Ironically if one choses "quick dry", the machine does not reverse tumble at all until the "damp dry" portion of cycle. That is when cycle is pretty much already over.

Since one rarely machine dries bed linen this is a minor quibble.

Still have always said things rarely ball up in large commercial or laundromat dryers, and they rarely reverse. Must have something to do with the large drum volume.

 

[spinspeed]

I have a Maytag Atlantis dryer and it does not reverse tumble. I have found if a load of sheets and duvet covers is big, no balling at all. If the load is small then sheets etc ball up really quickly and much time spent interrupting the cycle to de-ball, which is very frustrating. So I always make sure the sheets and duvets, or dunas, as they are called here in Australia, loads are big and full to the dryer capacity and they dry a treat without reverse tumble.

I also have F&P front load dryer that takes 5kg load and it fully reverse tumbles and is a great little machine. My preferred dryer has always been the Maytag Atlantis purely for its huge capacity.

 

[brucelucenta]

The Frigidaire reverse dryer is a joke and the F & P one pretty much is too. They also are both small capacity. I was talking about a real dryer that will hold something and dry it.

 

[jkbff]

Speaking of more moving parts and increased complexity...

What makes me mad with appliances is that American dryers really haven't changed much over the years yet they are the same exact price as the washing machine.

From a retail stand point: A washer costs us the same amount as a dryer. We are charged the same amount to ship a washer as we are to ship a dryer. A washer does not weigh the same as a dryer.

Talk about not getting a good value for the money spent....

 

[DADoES]

 
Bruce, unfortunate that you've had such bad luck with F&P SmartLoad dryers.  I recently successfully dried in mine a queen-size *very* heavy cotton, thickly-quilted bedspread.  It fits for washing only in my Neptune TL and that requires a small bit of "stuffing-it-in."  The care tag advises to wash in a commercial frontloader.

 

[brucelucenta]

Which is why I have a nice big front load washer that will wash a king size feather comforter with ease, just wish the matching dryer reverse tumbled. Neither F & P or Frigidaire would come close.

 

[DADoES]

 
I don't have any king-size beds or bedding, so my equipment fits my needs quite nicely.  The dryer can take a full-size load from any of my available washers.  Wonderful that there are machines on the market that fit your needs as well.  ;-)