Everyone understands the frustration that comes with drying their clothes in cold weather, as we can’t always rely on the weather on laundry day.
If you’re fed up with having to dry clothes indoors, risking damp and even mould to grow in your home, then you’ll likely have considered investing in a tumble dryer.
With three different types of tumble dryers to choose from, including heat pump, vented and condensers, it can be difficult to know which one is best suited for your needs.
We explain everything you need to know specifically about a condenser tumble dryer, including how a condenser works, its benefits and what makes it different from other tumble dryers. For a more in-depth comparison, visit our condenser vs vented vs heat pump guide where we compare the three types of tumble dryers.
Although we haven’t reviewed any condenser dryers (there’s a good reason for that) we have put together the best tumble dryers that came top of our tests should you be in the market for one.
What is a condenser tumble dryer?
A condenser tumble dryer uses hot air to evaporate moisture from wet washing inside its drum. It will then collect the water vapour into a pull-out tank at the front of the machine, which will need emptying after the cycle finishes. However, it’s worth noting that many condenser dryers can be fitted with a hose so any extracted water can go straight down your drain.
How does a condenser dryer work?
A condenser dryer uses hot air at around 70-75°C to heat and evaporate the moisture from your wet clothes. When the evaporated vapour cools and returns to water within the condensing chamber, it is then collected into the machine’s pull-out tank.
This process shouldn’t be confused with a heat pump dryer, which also collects water into a pull-out tank at the front of the machine. The main difference between the two is that a heat pump dryer uses more efficient technology and is therefore cheaper to run, whereas a condenser dryer requires a lot of energy to reach those high temperatures and, as the heat is sent out of the tumble dryer, new heat constantly has to be generated.
Is a condenser dryer better?
As we mentioned before, although we haven’t reviewed any condenser tumble dryers, we have reviewed washer dryer machines which work in a similar way. In our experience, we found machines like the Indesit BDE 107436 WV UK washer dryer wasn’t quite as energy efficient as we’d like, as it used a whopping 2.387kWh of energy on its hanging dry cycle, which is equivalent to around 70p.
In comparison, for the exact same setting the Haier HD90-A3Q397U1 heat pump tumble dryer used just 0.813kWh of power, which works out at around 20p.
With this in mind, as condenser dryers have such high running costs, we can only really recommend heat pump tumble dryers as they have the water collection benefit of a condenser dryer but are usually much cheaper to run. Plus, there’s less chance of damaging your clothes, as a heat pump dryer runs at a lower temperature (although remember to check your garment’s laundry symbols first, as not all materials should be tumble dried).
The only minor benefit of a condenser dryer is that the hotter air can dry clothes faster than in a heat pump dryer; however, the massive increase in cost means that it’s worth putting up with slightly longer drying times for the more efficient technology.
Where should I put a condenser dryer?
The beauty of a condenser dryer is that it doesn’t necessarily rely on plumbing or need to be placed near pipes to work, as it has a tank which collects water. This means you can theoretically place a condenser dryer wherever you have space in your home, although there are a few caveats to this.
You need to ensure that your condenser is placed in a well ventilated room that allows the warm air to escape, as this can cause condensation and dampen walls and windows.
