Clothes Dryer

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karandjon
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Clothes Dryer

Postby karandjon » Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:05 pm

I have seen a cheap clothes dryer in Carrefour for only €199 on offer!

We havent had a dryer before and really have no need for one, other than would have been handy for odd occasions for towels and soon to be baby clothes!

We dont need the quality in the dryer like we want in our washing machine, but just wondered what basics we should be looking for in a dryer worth having.

any info much appreciated,

thanks,

Karen
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El Cid
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby El Cid » Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:12 pm

I assume you mean a tumble drier.

There is not a lot to choose between them - they just roll wet clothes around in hot air! I think most of them are now "condenser" types, ie they do not need a pipe out of the window, but they will need to be plumbed in for the condensed water to run away.

Driers are less common in Spain for obvious reasons and the same applies to combined washer/driers but they are available if you look around.

We have a combined unit and it has worked very well although the drying option is not used as much as it would have been in the UK.

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pigs-might-fly
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby pigs-might-fly » Thu Jan 15, 2009 12:29 am

Condenser type driers may be the only solution if you cannot vent the hot, damp air produced by the older type of machine.
A word of caution, however - condensers are much less efficient in drying, taking ages to dry properly and also cost a lot more to run, in our experience. Admittedly this was a few years ago and ours was a combined washer/drier (and an expensive Bosch at that), but it was utter rubbish at drying.
We were, perversely, quite glad when it broke finally, (repair costs were horrendous - the nearest Bosch agent was nearly 90 miles away, with a massive call-out charge) and we were able to buy a basic Hotpoint washer & a second hand drier we used in our garage!
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pilgrim2
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby pilgrim2 » Thu Jan 15, 2009 9:02 am

Karen, I think you will find a tumble dryer indispensable when your little one arrives,(you wont believe how much washing a little one can generate - unless I had really mucky babies :D ) particularly in the winter, where we are most people I know (Spanish) have tumble dryers and not the condensed type, as you see the vent tube hanging out of the washroom window. In winter unless you are really quick its almost impossible to get the clothes dried and aired in one day. 199 euros seems cheap as I recall ours cost more than the washing mashine, a very basic model with a timer. Good luck

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sheilap
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby sheilap » Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:10 pm

I have just moved over and left my dryer behind in the UK.I am on the hunt for a dryer as I cannot stand having washing hanging around for 2 or 3 day,s trying to dry :( . The towels never get soft when you hang them on the line unlike when you tumble them they are nice and fluffy :D .I was not aware that you head to plumb in a dryer if it was a condenser. My daughter in law had one and all she did was emptied the bottom tray after each use.As for the washer driers don't buy one you can was say 6lbs (sorry don't do metric) clothes but only be able to dry have of the washing at a time. Once the baby comes along Karen you will need the tumble and wonder how you managed before

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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby Bongtrees » Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:42 pm

For anyone with the old fashioned type of dryer with flexible tube to hang out of window you can buy a contraption in most large electrical outlets to connect the hose to and collect the water for emptying later. Cost 12 euros (more or less)

In our laundry room we have a condensing type which is fine for some things plus the old fashioned rails and pulley suspended from the ceiling to take clothes unsuitable for tumble drying. The room has central heating radiator so clothes dry quickly.
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby oliveview01 » Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:05 pm

My dryer cost me all of around 45€ brand new!! I was in Carrefour one day and they had a sale on and then another 50% off, it might even have been less then 45€, it was about 5 years ago!! It took ages to deliver, they were out of stock for a few months, they asked if I wanted to cancel the order......... at that price.......... no way! Anyway I got the dryer after about 4 months, luckily it was summer so it wasn´t urgent. When we moved house I was asked if I would leave the dryer..... at that price???? no way!! At the moment the towels are drying in it, I´ve given up waiting for a windy drying day.
We had a washer/dryer back in the UK, biggest waste of money ever, I was glad to be rid of it. I can´t remember the make, I know I paid a lot for it though.

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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby gerryh » Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:13 pm

We have an Aspes SA113 tumble drier. Didn't buy it, it came with the house.
The warm, damp air comes out via a grill arragement around the door.
Doesn't need any water emptying or a hose through the window.
Seems to work OK without making the room feel damp, just warm.
Always spin the clothes before putting them in the dryer.
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Paula
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby Paula » Thu Jan 15, 2009 5:02 pm

Am I the only person that shrinks everything except towels and sheets? I obviously don't use them correctly.
OH tshirts come out size 8.

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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby El Cid » Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:31 pm

One of the problems with combined washer/driers in the past is has been that they tend to have low spin speeds, as a result the washing going into the drier cycle is comparatively wet. That will obviously take much longer to dry.

The latest washers have very high spin speeds and the washer/driers also. As an example the Balay range have a combined unit that runs at 1400rpm.

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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby oliveview01 » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:10 am

The tumble dryer we had back in the UK (after the washer dryer) had a plastic container that collected the water, so we emptied that. Would that have been a condensing dryer? I know it used to hold a lot of water, it was handy for watering the tub that sat by the garage door :D It did break down a lot though :(

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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby Kamila » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:02 pm

I have brought my tumble dryer with me to Spain and I am glad I did. The removal people thought that I am mad when I told them that the dryer is going with me. I mainly dry towels in it as I don't like heard towels. The dryer is 33 years old and it's still working well. It is a basic one.

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karandjon
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby karandjon » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:07 pm

Thanks for all the replies (and for those who have confirmed i´ll definitely need one once babs comes along) :D

We will keep it in the garage, so have no problems re venting it etc. I think i´ll go with the basic model. I can´t compete with your €45 dryer olivevire, but i thought €199 wasnt bad. More money to spnd on a decent washer then! :lol: On the washer front, is a 1000spin good enough? i have seen an LG washer that i like.

Many thanks,

Karen x
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby costapacket » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:31 pm

I am in the UK and the tumble dryer I have has a sensor in it. When the washing is dry the tumble dryer turns itself off. Might be something to look out for when you buy.

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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby Jool » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:59 pm

We have had an LG washing machine for 8 years now and it is the best one we´ve ever had....even better than our last Bosch one.........(which was frankly disappointing). I would recommend LG....

Kamila
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby Kamila » Sat Jan 17, 2009 12:13 pm

My washing machine is 1000 spin and it is enough for me. My old machine had only 400 spin so 1000 is a luxury. Full load of towels will take just about over 1hr to dry.

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Troglodyfae
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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby Troglodyfae » Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:26 am

I have an Ignis tumble dryer which to be honest I rarely use, but it is there for those occasions where it is imperative to get washing dry in a hurry.

I have always had a tumble dryer and although they can be expensive not only to buy but to run they are little godsends.

Being the mother of 4 kids I had 3 of them (twins and a toddler) within 22 months of each other and it was back in the days of terry nappies so my tumble dryer was my best mate.

The one I have at the moment is not a condenser but a back vented dryer which I have in my kitchen and it vents outside through a grille I had put in the kitchen wall. I think I have used it once this year and that was to finish all the bath towels so they were soft and fluffy.

With a new baby I would suspect a dryer is going to be a very useful extra addition to the family :mrgreen:

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Re: Clothes Dryer

Postby alisonb » Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:14 pm

I gave my drier away in the UK before we moved, then after a year here bought another. The one I had before had both a sensor (so it knew when the clothes were dry enough) and it also had an intermittent tumble after that. The one big problem with tumble driers is that if you don't take the clothes out as soon as they are dry, they come out so creased it's easier to throw them away rather than iron them. So the intermittent tumble was great, since it stopped any creasing. I haven't looked for one like that here, but assume you would be able to get one.
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