Recommendations for ventless dryers
October 27, 2021 6:10 PM Subscribe
Should I replace my failing gas dryer with a ventless one? I'm intrigued by ventless dryers because of their supposed efficiency and ability to be run without gas. My current gas dryer is on its last legs and I'd really like to replace it with a stackable unit that matches my newish washer.
Would you recommend your ventless dryer?
Would you recommend it for a family of 4?
And further, would you recommend it if it involved having to get a plumber/electrician to come by and cap off the existing gas line and add a 220V outlet?
The last question about ventless dryers was about 10 years ago and I'm hoping technology has improved since then!
Bonus question: if I don't go with ventless, should I switch to electric anyway? Using gas and a flame to dry clothes makes me nervous.
Would you recommend your ventless dryer?
Would you recommend it for a family of 4?
And further, would you recommend it if it involved having to get a plumber/electrician to come by and cap off the existing gas line and add a 220V outlet?
The last question about ventless dryers was about 10 years ago and I'm hoping technology has improved since then!
Bonus question: if I don't go with ventless, should I switch to electric anyway? Using gas and a flame to dry clothes makes me nervous.
I have a condensing dryer from Miele and have tried many others at friends' houses, mostly in Europe. Other brands have not gotten my clothes all the way dry. The Miele one does, as long as it is not overfull, and I would recommend it.
posted by branca at 8:02 PM on October 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by branca at 8:02 PM on October 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
I’ve lost track of how many times my sister has moved her Miele. Miele washers and dryers don’t have the extreme capacity of other US-market washers and dryers so you’ll have to do smaller loads more frequently. If your family goes through a lot of clothes that may be a factor for you, but my sister made it work with three kids who all played sports.
For my part I have an LG condensing unit I hate, but it’s a combo washer/dryer and I’m not sure how many of its problems are due to the compromises inherent in that concept. If it broke in a way I couldn’t fix I wouldn’t replace it with another LG.
posted by fedward at 8:36 PM on October 27, 2021
For my part I have an LG condensing unit I hate, but it’s a combo washer/dryer and I’m not sure how many of its problems are due to the compromises inherent in that concept. If it broke in a way I couldn’t fix I wouldn’t replace it with another LG.
posted by fedward at 8:36 PM on October 27, 2021
We had an LG ventless dryer in a condo that didn’t have any outside venting and it was just fine! We just moved into a house and have a gas dryer now, and while the gas dryer is larger and can accommodate a larger load we haven’t noticed any significant difference in how dry our clothes get, wrinkles, wear and tear, etc. It seems to take the clothes around the same amount of time to dry although I haven’t measured or anything. We also didn’t notice much heat effect from the ventless dryer (although I always made sure the closet it was in had the door open when it was running) even living in a small space in a hot climate.
We did have to get an electrician to add a 220v outlet to get the ventless dryer initially (previously we had an all in one washer/dryer that was sort of terrible and finally died) but as I recall it wasn’t super expensive.
You do have to make sure you keep up with maintaining the ventless dryer (cleaning the condenser and ensuring the drain line isn’t clogged) but I’m not sure it’s much more of a hassle than maintaining a regular dryer.
posted by MadamM at 8:40 PM on October 27, 2021
We did have to get an electrician to add a 220v outlet to get the ventless dryer initially (previously we had an all in one washer/dryer that was sort of terrible and finally died) but as I recall it wasn’t super expensive.
You do have to make sure you keep up with maintaining the ventless dryer (cleaning the condenser and ensuring the drain line isn’t clogged) but I’m not sure it’s much more of a hassle than maintaining a regular dryer.
posted by MadamM at 8:40 PM on October 27, 2021
The base-level Miele (which I have and am 100% satisfied with) runs on 120 V.
posted by mr_roboto at 9:09 PM on October 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mr_roboto at 9:09 PM on October 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
(Answering based on my experiences with ventless dryers in the UK, assuming the market for US dryers is similar, and for the benefit of any non-US readers of this question)
There are two different types of ventless dryers, heat-pump and non-heat pump. The heat-pump type is far superior to the non-heat pump, both for energy efficiency and effectiveness. Heat-pump dryers have the most expensive initial purchase cost, however.
My experience with a non-heat-pump condenser dryer is that it was not very useful. I found it could only handle small loads (smaller than the adjacent washer could handle), and took a long time to dry clothes, all while making the flat humid. Generally, I'd use it for occasional loads, like a load of sheets that were inconvenient to dry on a rack, or during long spells of rainy weather when the outside line couldn't be used. In other words, it was a supplement for a clothesline and drying racks, not a replacement. I suspect I would have been much happier with a heat-pump drier, but not enough to try and convince my landlord to upgrade the unit.
posted by penguinicity at 4:50 AM on October 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
There are two different types of ventless dryers, heat-pump and non-heat pump. The heat-pump type is far superior to the non-heat pump, both for energy efficiency and effectiveness. Heat-pump dryers have the most expensive initial purchase cost, however.
My experience with a non-heat-pump condenser dryer is that it was not very useful. I found it could only handle small loads (smaller than the adjacent washer could handle), and took a long time to dry clothes, all while making the flat humid. Generally, I'd use it for occasional loads, like a load of sheets that were inconvenient to dry on a rack, or during long spells of rainy weather when the outside line couldn't be used. In other words, it was a supplement for a clothesline and drying racks, not a replacement. I suspect I would have been much happier with a heat-pump drier, but not enough to try and convince my landlord to upgrade the unit.
posted by penguinicity at 4:50 AM on October 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
I have a heat pump ventless LG dryer and it's...fine. the electricity savings are nice and it works relatively well, but for sheets and larger items it's definitely slower than a vented dryer would be. The reason we got it is so that we could put it in a place where we couldn't run a vent; we have our tenants a vented electric dryer.
So what I would say is, since you already have the vent, get a vented electric instead of gas because gas is not a future-proof technology.
posted by goingonit at 5:01 AM on October 28, 2021
So what I would say is, since you already have the vent, get a vented electric instead of gas because gas is not a future-proof technology.
posted by goingonit at 5:01 AM on October 28, 2021
What I would say is get a non-vented heat pump dryer because relying on fossil fuels when better alternatives are available is irresponsible and although heat pumps cost more than simpler mechanisms they will easily recoup multiples of that extra cost over their expected service lives by virtue of their lower energy consumption.
They will also dump almost all of the water they extract from your clothes down the drain, not into the air inside your living space.
posted by flabdablet at 5:12 AM on October 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
They will also dump almost all of the water they extract from your clothes down the drain, not into the air inside your living space.
posted by flabdablet at 5:12 AM on October 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Re: Carbon footprint. A natural gas dryer uses roughly 0.1 therm per hour. If you do 10 loads per month, that's 1 therm, releasing about 5kg of CO2, roughly the equivalent of driving your (gasoline powered) car 10 miles.
The average american drives their car about 1000 miles per month.
So, to an order-of-magnitude approximation, the average American's car emits 100x as much CO2 as their natural gas dryer.
It may be more eco friendly to stick with a natural gas dryer, and put that money into saving up for an electric car?
posted by soylent00FF00 at 8:18 AM on October 28, 2021
The average american drives their car about 1000 miles per month.
So, to an order-of-magnitude approximation, the average American's car emits 100x as much CO2 as their natural gas dryer.
It may be more eco friendly to stick with a natural gas dryer, and put that money into saving up for an electric car?
posted by soylent00FF00 at 8:18 AM on October 28, 2021
Reading this question with interest, as I am looking to replace all of our natural gas appliances with electric, and heat pumps seem to be by far the most efficient. Unfortunately, the big box stores all seem to have exactly one model that fits your description with a large (7 cu. ft. / 200L) capacity. It's a $1500 Whirlpool. The others all have a much smaller capacity. I personally like to have an oversized dryer compared to my washer, because you can always take dry clothes out of the washer if they don't fit, but once they are sopping wet you're committed to drying them. I'm also wary of putting a complicated mechanism like a heat pump into a dryer, since it's basically a refrigerator, but the energy savings are attractive. It is true what others are saying that your car and furnace use a lot more carbon than your air conditioner and water heater, which in turn use a lot more than your dryer. So consider whether it makes sense to replace something else first, but every bit helps!
But I would switch to electric in any case.
posted by wnissen at 10:03 AM on October 28, 2021
But I would switch to electric in any case.
posted by wnissen at 10:03 AM on October 28, 2021
Not to sidetrack too far, but to soylent00FF00's point, I believe the concern with natural gas isn't so much CO2 from the direct use as it is the climate impacts of natural gas vented directly into the atmosphere during the extraction and transport phases.
posted by straw at 10:17 AM on October 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by straw at 10:17 AM on October 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yep. Rejecting fossil fuel based appliances is all about making the supply infrastructure redundant, not so much about the quantities that each individual appliance consumes.
posted by flabdablet at 1:38 PM on October 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 1:38 PM on October 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
I can't answer the technical questions, but I have a Bosch washer and condensing dryer and I absolutely love them. I first got an Asko all in one unit that washes and then starts the condensation-dry process in the same drum; it was one of the worst purchases I ever made and I hated it. I'd used units like that in Europe and I thought it would be a perfect solution to my very small house problem but they had the worst customer service I've ever experienced. When it started to literally burn my clothes a few years later, I finally had the excuse I needed to get a new one.
The problem was that I had done a remodel and they'd built the utility closet to the size of the Asko, and didn't put in a dryer vent. So I found the Bosch and was a little worried it would be awful too because it was a condensation dryer, but at least it wasn't a one-piece unit. I find it's perfect for me, but I live solo now. I don't have capacity issues and often wash large loads because I forget to do laundry a lot. I can't, like, do my duvet or anything, but I dry lots of towels, etc. at a time. Mine uses a regular plug, not one of those big round dryer plugs. I usually air dry my clothes for longer life, but I really do still use it a lot and I would happily buy another one again if this breaks down.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:49 PM on October 28, 2021
The problem was that I had done a remodel and they'd built the utility closet to the size of the Asko, and didn't put in a dryer vent. So I found the Bosch and was a little worried it would be awful too because it was a condensation dryer, but at least it wasn't a one-piece unit. I find it's perfect for me, but I live solo now. I don't have capacity issues and often wash large loads because I forget to do laundry a lot. I can't, like, do my duvet or anything, but I dry lots of towels, etc. at a time. Mine uses a regular plug, not one of those big round dryer plugs. I usually air dry my clothes for longer life, but I really do still use it a lot and I would happily buy another one again if this breaks down.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:49 PM on October 28, 2021
We have a combined washer and heat pump dryer. We do a lot of line drying, so this is the perfect complement. I do the sheets and duvet covers in there, as those are awkward to line dry on our racks.
The only thing I miss about a standard dryer is that sometimes it’s useful to do one of those air dry tumble loads, like to fluff up some towels, which is not an option. But overall not a big concern.
posted by ec2y at 2:13 PM on October 30, 2021
The only thing I miss about a standard dryer is that sometimes it’s useful to do one of those air dry tumble loads, like to fluff up some towels, which is not an option. But overall not a big concern.
posted by ec2y at 2:13 PM on October 30, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
I have had a lot of different dryers in my life and I think the quality of the dry was always best with gas dryers and this type will seem quite different to you, but I have become a big fan. For one thing, it seems like it will be harder on your clothes because they seem to get really hot while still wet in a way that doesn't happen with normal dryers and I was afraid they'd shrink like crazy--but actually my clothes have been fine. In the winter, it's awesome to have that hot air captured instead of pointlessly heating the neighborhood. In the summer, it's not awesome to have hot air in your house, but for me it's fine because I like using a clothesline and it is obviously the way to go environmentally, so I feel like the whole system of using the dryer in winter and the clothesline in summer is very efficient and sensible.
My big caveat is if you live in wildfire country and are forced to choose between 1) hanging your clothes out in the stinking smoke, 2) simultaneously heating your home with dryer exhaust and blasting your A/C to offset it, or 3) having your entire house festooned with drying laundry. My house is so tiny that #3 really sucks but maybe not such a big deal for others.
posted by HotToddy at 6:41 PM on October 27, 2021 [3 favorites]