GE Dryer - any good? Help me please

[gorenje]

Hi guys,
I'm very tempted to buy this never used GE dryer from our biggest second hand online site for just 100 EURO.
Don't ask me how an American dryer ended up in Slovenia. Have no clue !!??!

How good / reliable is this model?
I'm single. I don't do a ton of laundry but I would like to know whether this dryer is reliable enough.
I'm now using my 8 years BOSCH condenser.

Thanks for the help.

Ingemar

http://www.bolha.com/dom/gospodinjski-aparati/pralni-susilni-stroji/susilni-stroji/susilni-stroj-general-electric-xd3a-heavy-duty-ameriski--1278568325.html?aclct=1395813953

 

[appnut]

This is not a condensr dryer. It has to be vented to the outside. Generally I've read here these are pretty much a piece of junk dryer.

 

[gorenje]

Thank you appnut. Yes I know this is a vented dryer, but this wouldn't be a big problem.

Hmmm ... I see, so it's not that good

 

[nmassman44]

Well I have a GE dryer that is similar and I can tell ya it's not junk. I have had mine now for a few years and have had no issues at all with it. The dryer in the pic doesn't look like it's been used at all. It will dry much faster than your condenser dryer. Like in less than 45 mins and the capacity is is much bigger than anything you might have used.

 

[retro-man]

Actually I have this dryer in a hair salon and it runs multiple times daily with load after load of towels. Mine is a gas unit. No problems what so ever with this dryer after 7 years. Also when we built a new high school we put this matching set into the cosmo dept and they also run multiple loads of towels daily and no problems with either of them. The school dryer is electric. Not all results are the same but I think you would be impressed with it.
Jon

 

[yogitunes]

for the ones I have come across, these are somewhat a tinny feel to the metal, a very light dryer compared to most....

that being said, they do dry well, handle a large load, and if taken care of, will run for years...oddly enough I know of two running still, and this after 10 years of heavy use...yeah, it's a suprise to me....

as with anything, get it home, clean out all the lint from underneath and inside, grease the rollers, and inspect the belt.....and you should be good to go for a long while...

 

[mrb627]

True That!

Preventive maintenance is the key to longer appliance life, most of the time. If taken care of, most clothes dryers should long outlive their washing counterparts.

Malcolm

 

[logixx]

Is it gas or electric? If it's electric, do you have a suitable power supply?

 

[passatdoc]

US electric dryers are 220 V, but the plug will likely <span style="text-decoration: underline;">not </span>have the right configuration to fit an European socket. US 220 V plugs have a much different appearance. 

If it is a gas model, it needs 110V power supply as well, to turn the drum and run the control panel.  

 

[logixx]

The ad says 220V. Not sure about the electrical situation in Slovenia, but if I wanted to have such a dryer, I'd have to add special wiring (or at least fuses) to accommonate the power draw of such a beast without risking an electrical fire.

 

[gorenje]

Hi guys, thank you very much to all of you.

Well, since I will be using it not that much I think it will be good enough for my needs.

As I said I'm very tempted and for that price I cannot even dream to get an imported overseas machine like this.

As Nmassman44 said it will dry much faster than my current dryer.
This GE dryer has a capacity of 12 KG !! OMG, that's huge! I can dry even my duvet in it.

@ logixx : It's electric. And the ad says it's 220 V. I have no problem with multiple machines running at the same time at all. We have 6 Kilowatts of output.
But tell me please what do I have to be careful about? Why could it be risky using it?

Maybe I shoul run it always on half heat to reduce the consumption?

 

[gorenje]

... the plug would be the minimal "problem". I will just cut the cord and connect it to a Schuko plug.

 

[logixx]

It all depends on your set up, really.

The laundry room I am using right now is 230V and has a 20 amps fuse, which is enough to run three washers at once. The laundry at my old place had 16 amps and running three washers would blow the fuse.

Looking on eBay, most of these "commercial" dryers call for 20-something to 32 amp fuses, might need to be hard-wired and some dryers, like Miele's Little Giants, want 400V.

 

[gorenje]

Oh I see ...

I don't know... I hope it could be possible 'cos now I'm more and more interested to buy it.

 

[henene4]

Just ask...

... how it is wired right now. Or what plug is on there. But if it is a real standard unmodified US dryer, a simple Schuko plug wouldn't work I guess. US 240V dryers are conected via a 3-phase system (am I right? I don't know exactly..) like EU 400V systems. But the standar 220V sytem is 1-phase. Not an expert about that, but I think I got this right.
Anyway, even if you conect it at 220V single phase, you would have an approx. draw of 28 amps or more at 6kW which would mean a standard fuse should not be enough.
Anyway, just phone the seller and ask him how the situation looks like wiring wise/ what the data plate (there should be one) says.

 

[cfz2882]

US 230v dryer

if the dryer is meant for use in north America,the timer and motor operate on 115v,the heater on 230v-basicly 115v-neutral-115v connection-heater circuit connected across the two 115v feeds for 230v.

 

[foraloysius]

GE made a 220V version for other countries. I remember seeing it on a dedicated 220 appliances site. So, you'll have to investigate what kind of dryer this exactly is.

 

[whirlcool]

And be careful not to chip that gasket that goes around the entrance to the dryers basket. If it's chipped you can't buy a new gasket, you have to buy a new front to the dryer! A friend of ours had that happen to them. They solved the problem by using high heat duct tape to cover the chip. Before that buttons would hang up on the chip and get torn off.

 

[gorenje]

@ henene4 : I've called the seller and he said to me that the dryer arrived here from Canada. So I guess all my hopes are gone. That means it is a non modified dryer (for the American market) And that means I cannot use it because I don't have a 3 phase system at home. :-((( Sad