![]() While prices on all appliances have been fluctuating since the pandemic, you can expect the least expensive condensing dryers to hover around the $1000 price point, so you're paying a few hundred dollars premium, on average, for the privilege. To top it off, ventless dryers are at least as expensive (if not more so) as conventional ones. Want to dry a bulky blanket or comforter? You could be waiting more than three hours. ![]() Based on our testing, a vented dryer might finish a Normal load in about 45 minutes, but condenser or heat pump drying cycles can top an hour and a half. Ventless dryers also have slow drying times. While the average vented unit can hold more than 7 cubic feet of laundry, compact condenser dryers are usually about half as big. Ventless dryers typically lack the size and speed that most Americans crave. Most only have a drum capacity of about 4 cubic feet. While more efficient, ventless dryers are substantially smaller. Heat pump technology tops the Energy Star electric dryer efficiency ratings. The average heat pump unit uses half as much energy as a vented model. Heat pump dryers are more energy efficient than condensers since they dry at even lower temperatures. These ventless machines replace the condenser with a heat pump, which works like an air conditioner running in reverse: As they recirculate hot air in the drum, they also remove moisture from laundry. Since 2014, three manufacturers have begun selling heat pump dryers in the U.S. ![]() I usually clean mine about once a year." What about heat pumps?Ĭondensers aren't the only option. "It's recommended that you do it once a month, but I've spoken to consumers who do it every three. "Condensers rarely have to be cleaned," Peebles explained. While the dryers themselves may need to have their secondary lint traps emptied out every month or so, it's far less cumbersome than cleaning a long dryer vent. Ventless units also require less maintenance than their vented counterparts. "On the other hand, fabric tends to be cooler coming out of a ventless dryer, so consumers think it's still wet even though the clothes are close to 0% excess moisture." "Vented dryers have a history of over-drying, which is where the majority of fabric damage occurs," Peebles said. Though consumers often complain that clothes coming out of ventless dryers lack the warm, toasty feel they're used to, that's actually good news for your fabrics. In our tests, we found that condenser drying cycles were 30-50☏ cooler than in their vented counterparts. Since condenser tumble dryers don't get as hot as vented models, they are gentler on clothes. Your furnace or air conditioner doesn't have to make up for any air that's vented outside. Simply set it up near a drain, sink, or even a bucket.Īside from not needing a vent or much space, the most direct advantage of this system is its energy efficiency. The evaporated water either goes down a drain pipe or collects in a tray that the user must empty after a cycle. Instead of venting that hot, wet air outside, the air is looped back into the condenser where it's cooled down-that's the second airflow loop.įrom there, the air that’s already inside the condenser is reheated and sent back into the drum to repeat the process until the clothes are dry. The heated air is then pushed into the drum, to heat up the wet laundry and causes water to evaporate. ![]() The air passes through the condenser for initial heating. Peebles knows his stuff: Although Bosch's 24-inch ventless dryers are niche models in the U.S., Bosch is the laundry market leader in the rest of the world.Īs he explained it to us, the first airflow loop draws a small amount of ambient air into the dryer-much less than is needed in a conventional unit. To learn more, we spoke with Mike Peebles, who has served as the technical services manager in laundry for Bosch parent company BSH Home Appliance Corporation in North America and Canada for the past 13 years. Instead, they use a dual loop airflow system that’s much more efficient. The majority of ventless units sold in the U.S., however, are condensers, which don't exhaust air. The waste is even worse in summer, where your dryer has to heat up air that's been artificially cooled by your air conditioner. In winter, that means your furnace has to work harder to make up for that air. Unless you live in a temperate climate, your vented machine is likely taking in climate-controlled air from your home and pumping it outdoors. Losing that hot air is a major waste of energy. They pull room-temperature air in from your laundry room, heat it, tumble your clothes in it to evaporate moisture, then blow it outside. Vented dryers are basically hot air vacuums. ![]()
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