Last updated on August 18th, 2024
When it comes to selecting a new dryer, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of technical specifications and marketing jargon. Most buyers are well-versed in the basic criteria like budget constraints, available space, and noise levels. However, if you’re aiming to make an informed decision that goes beyond the surface, you’ll need to dive deeper. In this guide, we’ll debunk the common misconception that bigger dryers work faster and provide essential insights to help you choose between vented, condenser, and heat pump dryers. Get ready to uncover the key details that can dictate the best choice for your laundry needs, empowering you to pick a dryer that truly fits your lifestyle.
The 3 types of dryers (plus some bonus types)
Vented Clothes Dryer
Cheap, cheerful, the cornerstone of the traditional Aussie laundry. With few parts and a tried and true design that hasn’t really changed in 50 years they are pretty bulletproof in terms of reliability. If something does go wrong it’s usually cheap and easy to fix as long as you’ve bought from a well known brand that stocks parts. They work by taking in air from the room, heating it, and then blowing it through the clothes. The moist air is then meant to be vented outside which is where they derive their name. Vented dryer. In Australia we all seem to have universally decided yeah, nah, and cracked a window or turned on an exhaust fan. While this is generally passable, this approach can make a room very hot and humid, especially if its winter and you’ve decided not to crack that window. Properly venting a vented dryer means the room shouldn’t get hot or humid at all. But apparently, that’s just not how we roll!
Condenser Dryer
Roughly double the price of a vented dryer. These dryers use a closed-loop system that continually recycles the same air. Moisture is condensed into water when the humid dryer air passes through a heat exchanger cooled by air from the room. This method is more flexible in terms of placement since external venting is not needed, though it will still generate significant heat in the room. Their closed loop designs also minimises the amount of lint that escapes into the air and settles around your laundry room.
Heat Pump Clothes Dryers
Double to triple the price of a vented dryer. Heat pump dryers work by extracting moisture from the air at a relatively lower temperature compared to traditional dryers, resulting in better fabric care and much less energy use, but take around twice the time to dry the same amount of clothes. They are the most energy efficient to operate by far, using about half to a third the power of vented or condenser dryers. They operate within a completely closed system, minimising heat escape. Like with condenser dryers their closed loop designs also minimises the amount of lint that escapes, but are slightly better because there is no interaction with the external air at all. They will heat their surroundings the least out of all dryers. They come with the same warning as condenser dryers but with an additional layer of complexity. They are more likely to have a fault than a condenser dryer, and much more likely than a vented dryer, and if they do, it’ll be expensive. When buying a condenser or heat pump dryer it is worth considering purchasing an extended warranty.
My hot tip – There is a heat pump dryer you can often get for around $600 on special. Purchasing a heat pump dryer at the price of some vented models is unbeatable value. It will be branded Akai, Solt, Kogan, Esatto, Stirling, Teka, or even something else. It can be hard to tell exactly who has manufactured these cheap Chinese dryers but my research has led me to Smad and Midea. It seems like there might be a few manufacturers though who are going to a big centralised parts bin and mixing and matching controllers and doors and drums. I’ve had one and it worked just as well as a Fisher and Paykel heatpump dryer, and even had some completely unadvertised albeit limited wifi smart functionality. The only noticeable difference that I noticed was that it sounded like a truck was idling in my laundry. Not while I was in the laundry, but when outside the laundry. Imagine you’re standing beside a brick wall, and on the other side is an idling truck. That’s what it sounded like, when outside the laundry. This shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most, especially in larger spaces where noise is less of an issue, but it’s something to consider if you live in a small apartment as I do.
The main downside to my mind is that these dryers are not designed to be easily taken apart for repairs – and good luck sourcing spare parts – fuelling our throwaway culture. But – the energy savings over the life of the dryer could outweigh the environmental impact of its production and the environmental damage when the high global warming potential r134a refrigerant in these machines is illegally, but inevitably released to atmosphere during scrapping. On the whole, it’s got my vote, but its a conflicted vote – It will probably save you money but the throwaway nature of the product coupled with the poor choice of refrigerant makes its environmental credentials questionable.
Combined Washer Dryers
A combined washer dryer will essentially be a washing machine first, with a compromised condenser dryer added as an afterthought. In my experience they are incredibly slow at drying clothes, but they are unbeatable for quiet operation, minimising lint escape, and with minimal heat escape the room stays nice and cool too. They flush the lint away with water meaning no lint traps, and they operate a completely closed system as with a heatpump dryer. I found they struggle with sheets and towels, and you shouldn’t expect to get through two small loads per day. They are the ultimate in convenience if you aren’t in any hurry.
Natural Gas Clothes Dryer
Gas clothes dryers are becoming increasingly rare in Australian homes but remain prevalent in laundromats and industrial settings. Using natural gas as a fuel, they can produce significantly more heat than electric dryers because they are not constrained by the maximum capacity of wall outlets. This allows them to dry clothes quicker than any other dryer type. Their use is tempered by several factors: they cost about four times as much as vented electric dryers, require complex installations carried out by a plumber, including proper venting and gas lines, and face decreasing popularity due to a broader shift towards electric appliances.
The Importance of Sensor Drying
Opting for a dryer with sensor drying technology is far more important than its labelled capacity. Models with simple timers require users to estimate how long their clothes need to dry, which is inefficient and will always lead to either under dried or over dried clothes. Dryers equipped with sensor technology automatically measure the moisture level in the clothes and adjust the drying time accordingly. This not only saves time but also enhances efficiency, allowing you to process more laundry in less time with less effort. A smaller dryer with sensor drying will outperform a larger model without it, offering quicker and more energy-efficient operation.
Bigger Is Usually not Faster
Understanding Vented and Condenser Dryers
When it comes to choosing a clothes dryer, size doesn’t always equate to speed. Despite common beliefs, the capacity of a dryer doesn’t directly influence how quickly it can dry clothes. Electric heating elements, the primary component in vented and condenser dryers, are power-intensive yet straightforward and inexpensive for manufacturers to produce. They have remained largely unchanged for a century. Whether you opt for a 4 kg, 8 kg, or even a 20 kg dryer, the cost saving to a manufacturer to use a lower power heater in place of a higher power component would be as close to nothing as makes no difference.
All vented and condenser dryers use heaters that tap out at the maximum power that Australian outlets can provide before no longer being guaranteed not to catch ablaze – 10A at 240V. Most of this power is consumed by the heating element, with only a minimal amount reserved for the motor and even less for controls and lighting. In practice, an 8 kg dryer does not usually have a more powerful heater than a 4 kg model. Counterintuitively, it might have a slightly less powerful heater to accommodate a more powerful motor needed to turn the larger, heavier drum while remaining within the 10A power outlet limit. Therefore, if both an 8 kg dryer and a 4 kg dryer have similar heating elements, the drying time per kilogram of clothing remains the same – everything else remaining the same. This means if you’re drying an 8 kg load, a 4 kg dryer could potentially finish in the same amount of time if you’re attentive and ready to quickly reload a second cycle after the first.
There are some advantages to consider with larger models. More powerful fans and larger drums in bigger dryers improve airflow and allow more clothes to be heated at once, which can result in more efficient heat use and less loss to the surrounding environment. Everything considered, doubling your dryer’s capacity only yields a marginal speed increase when compared to running two consecutive loads in a dryer half the size, and only uses slightly more power.
The Real Advantage of High Capacity: Convenience
The true benefit of a larger dryer isn’t speed—it’s convenience. The capacity to dry larger loads at once reduces the frequency of loads, which can be a significant advantage. The drawback with smaller capacity machines surfaces when you miss the end of a cycle or are away, delaying the process of reloading and starting a new cycle.
Another important consideration is the size of the biggest item you will want to dry. A 4 kg dryer may struggle with large items like super king doona covers, as stuffing such bulky items will hinder air circulation, significantly prolonging drying times. Moreover, it may be practical to match the capacity of your dryer with that of your washer, particularly if you tend to use your machine to capacity. If your washer is an 8 kg model, a similarly sized dryer ensures that you can transfer the entire load directly for drying, enhancing convenience.
Double Trouble: When Two Dryers Are Better Than One
If you’re consistently running a 4 kg dryer back to back without catching up on your drying needs, upgrading to an 8kg dryer probably won’t help much – you need a second dryer, not a bigger replacement. In such cases, you probably need a second dryer rather than simply a larger one. Remember an 8 kg dryer has the same heater as a 4kg, capacity is just about convenience.
Heat Pump Dryers: Twice as Slow Triple the Efficiency
Heat pump dryers stand out from vented and condenser dryers due to their ability to recapture heat, which significantly enhances their energy efficiency. Typically, these dryers draw about 3A or less, meaning the wall socket isn’t a limiting factor for their power usage. One might consider doubling the compressor’s power to speed up the drying process, aiming to match the speed of traditional dryers. However, this approach would not be effective since heat pump dryers operate at relatively lower temperatures to extract moisture, which is gentler on fabrics and uses less energy. Doubling the compressor’s power would only raise the internal temperature, risking damage to delicate fabrics and diminishing the dryer’s efficiency in moisture extraction. This would undermine the careful balance of energy efficiency and fabric care that heat pump dryers are known for.
This approach though, while 2-3 times as efficient – per kilogram of clothes dried – as a conventional dryer, takes double the time. For example, if you’re using a 4 kg dryer nonstop and are considering switching to an 8 kg heat pump dryer to manage the workload, it’s going to make your problem much, much, worse. A heatpump dryer will take the same amount of time to dry 1kg of clothes as the 4kg vented dryer could dry 2kg in. I’m sure you can see the issue. However for most people this isn’t an issue – If your dryer use is limited to just once or twice a day, a heat pump dryer is an economic and environmentally friendly upgrade.
End of Cycle - Concluding Thoughts
Choosing the right dryer involves more than just considering the labelled capacity and bells and whistles; it’s about understanding the nuances of different dryer types and how they align with your lifestyle and laundry needs. Vented, condenser, and heat pump dryers each offer distinct advantages and drawbacks, from energy efficiency to repair costs and placement flexibility. By recognizing the real benefits of each type and considering aspects like capacity and drying time relative to your specific needs, you can make a well-informed decision that goes beyond the conventional sales pitch. Ultimately, the best dryer for you is one that balances performance, convenience, and energy consumption, ensuring that your laundry routine is as efficient and effective as possible.