White Knight gas dryers.....

[kenmoreguy89]

Hi all, since I'm not sure I can fix my Speed Queen gas dryer I'm starting looking around, I looked for used gas dryers around here but nothing, many gas dryer dealers over here carry now White Knight gas dryer which cost is about 1000euros!!! For American ones is no less than 1500 including transport, so since I'm not a millionaire.......
So since I do not want and have not the funds to pay that much I was thinking to get one from UK, I've seen costs in UK are really cheap and even paying transport I should save really alot.
Only problem many seller will not ship to me.....
What I'm asking now is the reliability of these dryers...someone has one?
Thanks

 

[fido]

I suppose used ones are very rare as the vast majority of people prefer electric dryers. I didn't repair gas dryers as I was not allowed to work on the gas burners etc. but I did the White Knight electric dryers which were a good product. For some years the Bosch badged dryers sold in UK were also made by Crosslee who make the White Knight.
In UK it is probably very difficult to find anyone willing to repair these dryers because it would not be worth a gas engineer doing specialist training on tumble dryers.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

I used once a White Knight electric dryer (it was an exquist branded one) and it looked a good one and performed quite well, a bit noisy though, but since I do not know about their gas ones I ask....
I was looking even for a new one if cost allows it (on ebay are 334£), only problem I could meet is a defective item if new (having paid it as new)....
But the dealers that sell them over here also do repairs ans sell parts....
I do not care of any warranty, all I need is a gas dryer at an affordable cost that here in Italy of course I cannot get, I need a dryer quickly and I have no intention to get an electric one, electricity cost over here really reached crazy limits, I cannot run anymore an electric dryer if I do not want to see 1/3 of my paycheck gone for electric bill.
Of course an used one would be a better choiche for price and all considerations...
Let's see, reading reviews looks like people are happy with them....
I hope anyway I can fix my Speed Queen....
Thanks[this post was last edited: 12/26/2012-17:57]

 

[robliverpool]

I dont know about the gas version but white knight over here are a pretty reliable machine.

 

[ultramatic52]

Gas Dryers

Here in Mexico, it´s really rare to find an electric dryer, most people have L.P or Natural gas dryers. They are really quick in drying clothes rather than the electric ones. I was really surprised 6 years ago when I was in England, that people at stores didn´t knew that gas dryers existed. They take 25-35 min to dry a load of 10-15 bath towels. Electric ones take about 3 hrs. Quite a lot difference. Hope that brand remains reliable.

 

[robliverpool]

Gas is very expensive this side of the pond plus the issue with venting it properly. Also I know a lot of people who have their tumble dryers in a bedroom or a shed as

 

[hoover1100]

Gas is very expensive this side of the pond

Still much cheaper than electricity though, about 4p per unit cheaper infact! A European electric dryer normally takes around an hour for a ful load so certainly not 3 hours per load!

I think the main reason they are almost unheard of here is that a dryer is still considered a ''luxury" item, and not strictly a necessary appliance that the homeowner could not live without. As a result of this, the idea of having a gas outlet installed for a tumble dryer would be considered a waste of time, hence the popularity of electric dryers which can just be plugged in anywhere. As Rob says tumble dryers are often shoved in cupboards, spare rooms, sheds and the like as houses are not generally designed with space to install one. Having a gas line installed in such a place would not be desireable.

In much the same way that unless the dryer is against an outside wall or near a window a condenser dryer is necessary, as having an elaborate vent setup running through walls as is common in the US would be considered unnecessary for an appliance that 'just dries clothes'

Matt

 

[robliverpool]

Hi Matt.
I think I'm on the wrong tariff lol.
My electric is cheaper after midnight I have a delay timer on my dryer dishwasher an washing machine so if I can spare the time or I'm doing a 90 wash everything springs to life during the night.

I do know one person a few years back who had a white knight has dryer and I asked him why the timer only went to sixty minutes. I think. And he said it was gas he wouldnt go back to electric but he had a huge house and the space.

 

[retromania]

Freddy,

What's wrong with an electric dryer. Is it like here in the US where gas dryer are cheaper to operate? Although not as cheap comparitively as it once was.

 

[hoover1100]

Economy 7

It sounds like you're on an economy 7 meter, if you have a day rate and a night rate. The night rate is very cheap but they day rate is higher than a standard electric rate.

Unless you have night storage heaters, economy 7 works out more expensive. Unless you are renting and the tenancy agreement stipulates that you cannot have the meters changed then it isn't that hard to get it swapped out for a single rate meter, which should work out cheaper!

Gas is normally around 9p per unit (at the lower rate if your tariff has 2 rates rather than a standing charge) and electric around 13p on the lower rate. You can find this info on your bill, as well as your annual consumption (which gives you a more accurate estimate on a comparison site than going by how much you pay), if you are paying considerably more than this, then yes I'd say you're on the wrong tariff. Prices vary across the country (oddly the north east is one of the more expensive regions) and if you live in a new build house (built roughly in the last 10 years) you have to pay a premium for gas as often your gas is piped in by an independent distributor, not transco you can find out if your distributor is transco or an independent on your bill also, as your meter point reference number will start with 74, 75 or 76 if your distributor is an independent, anything else and it's transco (so you pay less).

Matt

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Andy, and guys:
Gas is ALOT cheaper than electricity here!!!
In Italy historically electric energy is crazily expensive (now even more), this is because of many factors;  unlike Germany, France, UK etc... Italy does not produce electric energy but have to purchase it out, mostly from France and Germany.
It's hard to give just an idea to an american or an european like a French or German of how exepensive is electricity here, there is not only the cost of electric nergy itself but alot of taxes and implicit costs charged on your bill.

In Italy until recent years there were only electric dryers around, gas dryers did not exist....... dryers in households  here never catched up because of electricity costs, so running a dryer was a luxury that ,most of the people could not afford, here the 90% of people just used exclusively clotheslines and clothespins till early 2000ish when gas dryers started  to be introduced and known. 

I have nothing against electric dryers, they're even cheaper to purchase! (As I've said the cost for a new gas dryer here is about 1500 euros!)
I used  electric dryers  until 1 year ago and I still have one in my garage, but now that electric costs increased further I cannot manage to run a dryer anymore, it would mean seing about  200  euros a month gone just  to run a 2500 watt dryer.
So here is why since now I only want gas dryers.

Thank you for yours considerations, if I can't fix my Speed Queen I will take in consideration the White Knight, probably I'd need the help of a british member to ship one to me, I tried asking on ebay and online shops  and sellers said they cannpt ship and sell outside UK.

But if I will have it shipped to a UK member home and he just makes me the favor to ship it via Fedex still in the box to me in Italy that would be a good option.

Fedex costs are really reasonable, also still in the box should not end like my Servis mk2 (hopefully), I should pay in toto  for a new one about 700 euros saving more than 300 euros.

 

 

[retromania]

Makes sense!