Whirlpool Corporation Introduces New Hybrid Heat Pump Dryer Technology, HybridCare™

[launderess]

Predict The Only Places You'll See These Heat Pump Dryer

In the United States is pretty much where you find condenser versions already, buildings where persons cannot or will not install ductwork for venting and or cannot locate the dryer near a window.

Next will be the same problem Miele and other European makers of appliances that run on 208v-240v found out; unless a household already has such service installed it the added cost of doing so can spell an end to the deal.

This means these Whirlpool dryers will be direct replacements for other electric dryers and or if the household already has the proper power already wired. And please don't start about how "easy" and or inexpensive it is to add 208v-240v service where it does not exist because that simply is not true. Again just ask Miele USA.

Here in NYC unless one already has 208v-240v service at the panel meaning it already comes into the apartment/home it can cost several thousand to have the work done depending upon how extensive the required work. If it means running a larger cable from Con Edison's main to the building for instance you are talking big money just to open up the street and sidewalk (much less close them up again)just to bring the new power to the building. Then there is the work on panel and perhaps outlets.

 

[joe_in_philly]

Jerrod:

I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that the door on the bottom right was to access filters or coils that would need to be routinely cleaned. Shall we wager?

 

[pulsator]

I find this thread...

... Very interesting!

 

[mrb627]

One For The Team...

When you can get one with Speed Queen badging, we may entertain it further. But probably not under the Whirlpool name.

Malcolm

 

[frigilux]

Malcolm--  Seeing as SQ has yet to adopt electronic moisture sensing (opting to stick with traditional thermostat methods) it may be awhile before they take the plunge into heat pumps, LOL!  Poor recall on my part:  Did you wind up keeping your Miele or SQ pair, and is it your daily driver?

Your SQ set was that sharp-looking stainless steel model, too, wasn't it?

 

Jamie-- Can you provide any more insight into Whirlpool's heat pump dryers?

[this post was last edited: 7/30/2014-00:27]

 

[henene4]

@alex what takes this incredibly long is getting to that temp. I red a Amazon question where Bauknecht answered about reversing. It said that the first reversing cycle started after reaching the target temp of 65°C.
Actually, it is not that bad about times. 2h can be common, but not always. And keep in mind it could have a twice as strong heat pump.

 

[mrb627]

SQ or Miele

After a year of use, I sent the Miele's on to another home and moved the SQ's back in to production. Glad I didn't sell the SQ's after all. Life is so much easier with them than the Miele's.

Malcolm

 

[pulsator]

I will be happy to shed some light on this dryer when I can!

 

[repair-man]

Just my opinion...

but I don't have much confidence in anything that Whirlpool does these days. In the past I thought Whirlpool was the overall best brand that you could buy. Parts to repair where very reasonable too. Not anymore in my experience.

 

[fisherpaykel]

Fabric wear

Frigilux, thank you, exactly my first thought, longer cycle times equal more wear and tear. How long to dry a load of jeans or towels? Next thoughts, when will these become mandated for electric dryers, when will the speed cycle be banned, and is this partly the result of gas industry lobbying? Which will fail first- the control boards or the heat pump system? I noticed the Miele link mentioned a special cooling mode to prevent heat pump overheating. A bit of complication to a formerly simple appliance.

 

[mrb627]

A bit of complication to a formerly simple appliance!

{BINGO}

Malcolm

 

[launderess]

Fabric Wear

Have not noticed things receiving more wear when dried in the Oko-AEG Lavatherm versus a standard dryer. Some say the moist and steamy internal environment coupled with a more gentle drying process of condenser dryers are better for laundry.

 

[brisnat81]

There is a big difference between a Air Cooled condenser dryer and a Heat Pump condenser dryer. The both have the same time drawbacks, but the heat pump unit has the following benefits over air cooled condenser

1) Works in all temperatures, infact the warmer the room the better the outcome.
2) Doesn't return heat to the room, heat pumps just move warmth from place to place
3) Only needs about 1-2Kw vs 4-5kw to operate.

If the machine has a heating element in addition to a heat pump, it should get up to speed quickly and still be able to condense rapidly due to the refrigeration. Someone needs to try one before everyone assumes that they're the same as a euro Heat Pump only model.

I've toyed with the idea of replacing the current Miele condenser with one, but for the 20 loads a year I actually put in the dryer, its definitely not worth it.

 

[launderess]

Someone needs to try one before everyone assumes that they&#

That someone won't be me, that I can promise you. *LOL*

Two thousand plus when you factor in taxes and delivery for a dryer that will take longer to get the job done *and* uses new to the USA technology? Not with a barge pole..... One condenser dryer is more than this household already required. *LOL*

So long as there is a vast and plentiful supply of used electric dryers on the resale market or otherwise it could be decades before any sort of government mandate really took hold. I mean you can find dryers from the 1950's still perfectly chugging along. Modern versions have more bells and whistles but in the end what most persons want is dry laundry done quickly.

I'll tell you something else, this Whirlpool "Hybrid" probably is going to have to be teamed up with a "HE"/fast final spin speed washing machine. Otherwise performance will suffer. Even with 900rpms final spins in a front loader condenser dryers suffer. Standard advice is to spin the load at greatest speed that won't harm the machine and or clothing, then chuck it into condenser dryer. You need to get residual moisture levels down.

 

[tolivac]

Time to dust off those clotheslines!!!

 

[tolivac]

Time to dust off those clotheslines!!!

 

[pierreandreply4]

or to go on the hunt for a vintage dryer like these

or time to go on the hunt for a vintage dryer like the picture i am setting up like older whirlpool dryers ge fridgedaire maytag inglis kenmore ect of the vintage caliber

 

[tolivac]

I have an old vintage GE dryer-at this stage keep using it until it dies-then go dryer shopping at the appliance swap shop near me-Don't think I want a heat pump dryer.At 2 loads a week-the HP model will NEVER pay for itself-esp priced at 2K.

 

[electronicontrl]

Dust off the clothes line......

I did just that today! I love line-dried bed sheets!!

 

[logixx]

Just found this review:

 

http://laundry.reviewed.com/content/whirlpool-duet-wed99hedw-heat-pump-dryer-review

 

[logixx]

 

[iej]

@laundress:

One thing to note is that heat pump dryers don't throw out any heat to the room. The traditional condenser dryers are using the room as a heat sink with an air-to-air heat exchanger. They have to dump some of the heat into the air to drop the temperature of the recirculating air cool enough to cause the moisture to condense out of it.

With a heat pump that's all done in a closed refrigeration cycle.

The result is that they do not heat the room and they do not depend on the room temperature being cool enough to condense the water either.

A traditional condenser actually works best somewhere like in a cold garage as it can rapidly lose heat. In a warm centrally heated home, they're actually very annoying or at best will heat the room they're in.

 

[tomturbomatic]

A properly designed and built heat pump dryer SHOULD be faster at condensing the moisture out of the air since it POTENTIALLY can have a colder condensation chamber than an air-cooled condenser. How well the actual iteration of the idea works out remains to be seen. The big advantage for the power companies would be the reduction in current used to dry the load of laundry. They are not concerned about how fast the load is dried, just if it can be dried without adding too much to the demand on the generating and transmission equipment. Reducing demand is the reason that electric water heaters are slower than gas water heaters; they only operate one heating element at a time. If an electric water heater could run full out and heat with 9KW of energy, it would be very fast, but if every house with an electric water heater had them operating at that load every morning when people were showering, we would need twice the generating capacity that we have now, but for about an hour each day and heavier transmission and service entrance equipment and then it would not be needed again until the next day.

Sometime back, an owner of a heat pump dryer said that no-iron garments had to be spun at slower speeds because the dryer did not get hot enough to remove wrinkles as well as a standard dryer. The hybrid dryer design should overcome that. [this post was last edited: 10/21/2014-18:13]

 

[iej]

I've found our Bosch heat pump dryer pretty fast. The only major annoyance is that it doesn't reverse and tangles large items like fitted sheets, but that's nothing to do with the heat pump system.

 

[a440]

Yea! Have fun!

Give me new or vintage Gas Dryer any day!  Or heck...I will deal with an electric over this new find any day.

It will be interesting to hear the reviews at others expense.  I am sure most will not tell the truth about the wonders of it all at first.  

B

 

[henene4]

I just dried 5 T-Shirts spun at 1200rpm yesterday on the Super Delicate cycle with low temp in our WP heat pump dryer. Took 1:15, never passend beyond 110° and all creases were removed. And the load absorbed the dryer sheet smell perfectly.

 

[mrb627]

The Fun Part...

Will be hearing the sales BS with regards to how great hybrid dryers are... Like we did when FL washers became the rage..

Malcolm

 

[logixx]

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

https://access.whirlpool.com/wdl/ws/file/09001a508028164f/dl/pdf

 

[peteski50]

Heat pump dryer!

From viewing these instructions this dryer seems to be far simplar and more user friendly than the LG model.
Peter

 

[warmsecondrinse]

I agree with Launderess...

The cost of bringing in 240v service would be prohibitive in most big cities, at least those in the northeast. Here in NYC, most buildings do not allow washers or dryers, at least officially. Therefore, even when they are tacitly allowed one is limited to 120v ventless units. Upscale/newer co-ops and condos that have washers and dryers nearly always have no venting available. The building I hope to move into will (so I've been told) revisit their "no washer" policy. However, NONE of the units have 240v service in them and none of the kitchen or bathrooms have exterior walls. So again, in practice one will be limited to a 120v washer/dryer combo or a stand-alone 120v condenser dryer (Equator makes the only one I know of).

LG has introduced a new 4.3 cu. ft. 120v washer/dryer combo. The brief blurb I read (on AJMadison?) stated that the drying times are reduced because of new technology (or some such non-information). To me, the fact that the supposed new tech was not described suggests that there isn't any.

I can't see people flocking to these new heat-pump dryers unless there are huge rebates. I don't see any advantage for the typical consumer.

Jim