To knock a big scary hole or to condense?

[nickuk]

Currently have a vented Bosch dryer.

Utility room in house I'm moving to has no vent, they currently have a condensor.

Thread title says it all - if it were you guys, would you simply sell the current vented Bosch and buy a condensor, or would you take the vented with you and have the hole drilled? Cost wise, by the time I have employed a builder to do this I don't think there would be much difference.

Thanks for advice.

 

[easyspindry]

Vented dryer

I would go for the hole in the wall and vent the dryer. And if there is a window closeby, there is a gadget that can be placed in the slightly opened window that creates a seal but at one end is a place to attach a vent hose from the dryer.

The vented dryer will do a faster job of drying the clothes. And in the summer months, all that heat and moisture is exhausted to the outside instead of steaming up the interior of the house.

Good luck.

Jerry Gay

 

[dyson2drums]

I had the same problem last year, new utility room had no space to vent a tumble dryer so just got a hotpoint ultima ctd80 condenser dryer. It works fab, most loads are dry in hour to 1 hour 20mins which is really good, creasing is minimal and the post care option helps a lot sometimes some clothes don't even need ironing.

It's upto you though, there's pros and cons for each option.

hope it all goes well

 

[newwave1]

tough one that. I have a hotpoint condenser which dried well and fast! It keeps tripping the electric. I bought a white knight unidirectional compact which is quick on small loads but doesn't always dry even! I have to leave my garage door open and cat's keeping peein in my garage. Very annoying. The inlaws have a bosch condenser. It's fantastic. Imagin the cost if like me your not keen on diy might be the perfect excuse for a new toy! Nick. Are you still getting a horizontal axis topload washer? Could you not stack a condenser bosch dryer on your current bosch washer? I'm moving in two weeks. I'm hoping to build a utility. The lg will be next to the back door so at least it will get plenty of light! Darren

 

[washboy2005]

As Darren said, the perfect chance for a new toy, however... I would stick with a vented tumble dryer, drilling the hole isn't that much of a hassle or expensive.. If you have a friend in the plumbing/building/electrician trade, then they may well have a hole cutter that you could borrow, or ask them to do it for you cheaply. My uncle did mine for me as he is a plumber and had the hole cutter in his tools.

Vented dryers dry quicker, are quieter, use less electricity, leave the laundry softer (I've found) and also leave the laundry smelling fresher (also what I found comparing vented to condenser drying).

HTH Dan

 

[lavamat_jon]

Seeming as you already have the Bosch dryer, it would probably be cheaper just to drill the hole in the wall as others said.

I don't personally find too much difference between vented/condenser dryers, though nowadays modern condenser dryers seem to be more efficient than their vented partners, although I imagine it's probably a lot to do with manufacturers probably putting more R&D into condenser designs. A lot of the newer condenser dryers now, especially if you go with mid-range brands upwards, are no more louder than their vented cousins. The only main disadvantage (to me) is how they put out a lot of heat into the room - when you're cooking in a kitchen it can be quite uncomfortable!

Jon

 

[foraloysius]

Heat pump dryer!!

If you have a choice I would go for a heat pump dryer. The only disadvantage is that they use a little more time to dry because they use a low temperature. But it has advantages. No more shrinking because of the lower temperature, a lower energy bill because they use impressive less energy and less heat being put in the room where it is because it's much more efficient and the heat stays in the dryer.

 

[richardc1983]

I can 2nd the heat pump dryers... great technology and savings to be made.

There shouldnt be much difference in drying times because when air is sucked out of the drum back to the heat exchanger it is cooled over a heat exchanger which removes the moisture before it goes back to another heat exchanger which heats it back up before going back into the drum.

 

[maytagbear]

It's not that big a hole, for Mercy's sake----

My Maytag's vent hole is just 4 inches in circumference.

Or, you could sell the dryer, and get a spinner and be done with it.

Don't most houses in the UK have airing cupboards???

Grumpily yours,

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[tolivac]

I remember when a freind of mine asked me how to and could I drill the hole in his concrete block wall for his dryer exhaust-said I could do it and it would involve a trip to Rental Tools for a Hammer Drill and hole cutter bit.did it-and we both actually had FUN drilling the hole in the wall with the hammer drill.It didn't take but a few minutes!And then after dropping the drill back to Rental Tools-went to Lowes and got the parts-put them in-dryer vented.Afternoon job.The Bosch Hammer drill to the rescue in that case.To buy the hammer machine it would cost about $600.The bit would be another $100.Carbide core cut bit.-Like a hole saw for concrete.The rental of both tools was very low cost-rented them for four hours-min rent time.Offhand can't remember how much it was-but sure was cheaper then buying the machine.Used to service and sell those tools.

 

[vacbear58]

Grumpily yours .....

Lawrence,

I refer to it (from Scots usage) as a Hotpress - press = cupboard, hot, see below.

For American friends: An airing cupboard is literally cupboard with the hot water tank in it - the tank is heated by an electric immersion heater (or two) or by central heating boiler or by a "back boiler" - literally a water boiler built into the back of an open fire, not very common now.

Even though the tanks are usually reasonably well insulated, there is still a fair bit of heat radiated, so with slatted shelves such a cupboard is ideal for keeping towels, bed clothes, T shirts, underwear & socks.

Actually not so common these days. For many years, those with a gas supply used an instantaneous water heater (for the whole house) known as an "Ascot". However from around the end of the 1980s combination instant water heaters (working like the Ascot) combined with a central heating unit have become more and more common. As these are usually not much larger than a single wall cabinet they are very popular in our homes. Instant water heating means no hot water tank.

My home is all electric and I LOVE my airing cupboard, for not only is underwear dry, in the winter it is warm too.

Back on topic - Nick, its is a reasonably easy DIY job as others have indicated and Homebase/B&Q etc. generally carry kits of the bits required. It really all comes down to how "handy" you are.
Al

 

[nickuk]

Thanks for all your responses.

Darren unfortunately I can't get the H Axis as having been round again and measured it won't fit where I wanted it. The set up will be FL washer and dryer under a work surface along side each other. So I'll prob just take the Bosch pair or..as per current debate...leave vented dryer here and buy condensor.

Looking at the Heat Exchange dryers, they seem really good but very expensive.

I'm not worried about drilling the hole, I've drilled lots of holes through external walls for cables etc.

Have been looking into this and have found an 11cm `masonry hole cutter' on ebay for not much money at all (about £10) which looks fun. I don't know if it needs to be fitted to a special drill or just a regular drill. I have a fairly powerful Bosch corded Hammer drill, if the hole cutter just fits on to that it's a no brainer.

Other issue is how much space the `vent' fitment will make the machine protrude - it's only a 60 cm depth worktop and the dryer is about that. I don't like machines protruding lol. Do you have to use the elephant trunk thing or can you just push the machine on to the hole, if that makes sense??

Thanks again.

Nick

 

[vacbear58]

Oh, I forgot

I have seen condensing units for vented dryers in ebay - this might be worth a look as a first port of call especially if you only use your dryer occasionally. However they are not ideal if you have your units built in as you have the bulky hose to manage
Al

 

[newwave1]

Hi nick! Did you just want a horizontal tl or was it a question of space? You will need the vent hose otherwise the moisture will escape into the room and defeat the purpose. I have the same issue with protruding machines. When i move in two weeks the lg will be right next to the backdoor. I don't want the door bashing it. At the same time i need enough clearance for when i buy the 11kg steam lg when they finally release it in black! I would be inclined to go with a condenser. You can get a pipe fed to the drain so you don't need to empty it if you go for a bosch or hotpoint dryer. Darren

 

[dogboy44]

All valuable considerations

We have had two houses with no dryer vent hole. One place had a room in the basement with clothes lines! Getting the hole cut was on the list of things to do before we moved in. If it is a short run for the hose and it creates no spacial issues, vent to the outside without question. For me it is an issue with indoor air quality plus the vented dryer is a much less complicated machine