A small correction and explanation
Hi rohnic,
Actually the drying times varied between 1.5 and two hours on average. Since the Hoover dryer didn't match my washer's capacity, I'd split washed loads in half. Thus, to dry one full wash load used to take between three and four hours.
At first, I machine dried towels and jeans also, always making sure that laundry had enough room to move around and it just took rediculously long. They'd also come out wrinkled.
Our home-grown dryers are not designed for constant, full-on use. They are really just good enough to help out on a rainy day or with light loads.
Comparing Euro and US style dryers, it is all about the size of the drum and how much hot air moves through the clothes; plus venting to the outside versus venting into the room.
My business partner purchased a Euro style F&P 7kg dryer last week. It is meant to be vented to the outside. It's vent comes out at the back and is identical in size and look to the one on my SQ dryer. Even though she has a massive laundry room, the laundry tub is right underneath the window. She has no choice, but to place the dryer against an inside wall. Her house is a rental and there is another floor above the laundry, limiting her options. Even if she owned the house, to place her laundry equipment in such a way that it would enable her to vent the dryer to the outside, would cost a lot of money, making it a very unattractive proposition still. She uses a LG top load washer with higher spin rpm than mine. Because of this set up it takes her longer to dry her clothes.
Toggles,
My dryer is electric. We considered gas, but the cost and inconvenience of having a gas line installed in the laundry room made us reconsider that option. My dryer stands underneath the laundry window and vents through there. A 20 Amp power point had to be installed at significant cost, but still cheaper than laying a gas line. Maytag (before its demise) and (the now defunct) Kleenmaid (Speed Queen) brand used to offer full size gas dryers to match their top loading washers. Currently Speed Queen is the only company that offers a full size electric companion dryer to match its US style top loaders. As I mentioned before, they are a niche product, very expensive, and considered to be industrial rather than domestic.
Unlike in the US, where residential developers include laundry appliance packages to purchasers as part of their deal, in Australia that doesn't happen.
On your side of the pond that has been the practice for suburban developments for many decades and set a different standard. Over here a Hill's hoyst in the back yard is still the standard inclusion with the off-the plan purchase of a new home instead. Laundry rooms were always small, came with the standard hot/cold water connections and a laundry tub. As a result dryers were designed to hang above the washer. They have to be compact, light and not require outside venting.
With the current trend to build bigger homes, laundry rooms have increased in size, but architects are filling in the extra space with cupboards, rather than allowing for the inclusion and optimal placement of what is considered to be an industrial sized appliance over here. It's a cultural and cost issue I guess.
More consumers are opting for front loader laundry stacks now anyway. The dryers match the washers, are cheaper and generally operate from a standard 10 Amp powerpoint.
Olav
