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What to look out for when buying a dryer

When buying a new clothes dryer, you need to pay attention to a number of aspects, the most important ones being as follows: Always look at the fill weight, noise level, energy consumption and build quality. Choose these items based on your own needs and desires.

What to look out for when buying a dryer

Update

October

Yannick
Yannick

A wash geek since 2017

The type of dryer

There are two different types of clothes dryers to choose between, which is a heat pump dryer or a condenser dryer. Both dryers trap moisture in a condensate pan or can use a water drainage hose to transport the moisture to the sewer.

Heat pump dryer

A heat pump dryer dries the most energy efficiently. The dryer has a low drying temperature, which means that your clothes will last longer. However, the low drying temperature does mean that it takes longer for the clothes to dry.

Condenser dryer

A condenser dryer is less energy-efficient. It has a higher drying temperature which means that it will not keep your clothes as long. However, the higher temperature means that the clothes dry quicker.

Energy consumption

Look closely at the dryer’s energy label. This will tell you what energy class the dryer is. If it has a high energy rating, the dryer consumes little energy, so you have an energy-efficient dryer. Does the dryer have a low energy class? It is important to keep an eye on this, as a dryer with a high energy rating can save you money on annual energy costs. A dryer with a low energy rating will cost you more each year.

Fill weight

It is important to pay attention to the fill weight of the clothes dryer. The fill weight of a clothes dryer depends on the size of your household. The fill weight refers to how many pounds of laundry you can put in the dryer. Do you have a household of 5 people? If so, you will need more fill weight than a household of 3 people.

Sound level

Please consider the sound level when buying a dryer. If you are putting the dryer right next to your bedroom, it might be useful to purchase a quiet dryer. Below, we explain how many decibels (dB) a dryer can be considered quiet or loud.

  • A quiet dryer (61 to 64 d B)
  • A medium volume dryer (65 to 66 dB)
  • A loud dryer (67 to 69 dB)

Building quality

The build quality of the clothes dryer is also important. Do you want to use a dryer for a long time? If so, you should choose one with good build quality.

Vapor Emission

Normally, a clothes dryer must collect the condensation that is released when drying the wet clothes. This condensation is then collected in a condensation pan or discharged through the water drain. However, some dryers release more moisture than others. How much moist air is released during drying is indicated by the condensation efficiency class. Is the tumble dryer in a room with little ventilation? Then choose a dryer with a condensation efficiency class A. If you have a dryer with a low condensation efficiency class, you may have mold in that room.

Different drying programs

Many people skip this step when buying a clothes dryer, but it is helpful to consider the drying programs that the clothes dryer offers. A tumble dryer may have different types of drying programmes for wool, silk and jeans, for example. You may want to consider this information as well.

Ease of use

Some dryers have more specifications than others. For example, a number of features can make it very easy to use. Some of the features you might choose for are explained below.

Water drain

A clothes dryer can have a condensate pan or water drain hose. If the dryer has a condensate pan, you will need to empty the pan regularly. There are also tumble dryers that have a water drainage hose, this is very convenient because you do not have to remember to empty the condensation pan.

Indicator

There are some tumble dryers that have an indicator to show when the lint filter needs to be cleaned. This will notify you that the lint filter needs to be cleaned. It is very important that this happens on a regular basis. Then the dryer could overheat and this could be a fire hazard. The dryer will also dry more poorly and consume more energy.

Anti-Creak

There are also tumble dryers on the market that have an anti-cry option. This keeps the dryer running so that the clothes do not bunch up and wrinkle.

Self-cleaning condenser

You can choose a dryer with a self-cleaning condenser. In this case, the dryer will flush out the heat exchanger itself when it is drying. This keeps the dryer running smoothly and saves you from having to clean it.

Yannick
Yannick

A wash geek since 2017

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