Discussion
Random question for the Fediverse: anyone here used/have opinions on HEAT PUMP CLOTHES DRYERS? Would need to be 120V, not 240V (no available wiring).
(seriously considering just biting the bullet and getting one to replace the old gas dryer).
#clothesdryers #heatpump #electrification #appliances #climate
@ai6yr we switched to a LG heat pump dryer about a year ago, it works well and has significantly reduced our power bill.
There are only a few 120v dryers on the US market.
I had an all-in-one washer dryer which was 120V and used a heat pump.
It seemed like a neat idea! Throw clothes in, come out dry!
It was: expensive.
It was: slow.
Worst part: if you did not take the clothes out after the cycle ended? They would stink.
If you did take them out? Essentially, they would be damp, yet kinda still hot, and the remaining moisture would evaporate away and it would be: OKish?
Eventually that washer-dryer ended up with some friends, they purchased: a cheap dryer (I think used?) and simply used the combo washer/heat pump dryer as a front loading washer. That seemed as if it was better than attempting to use the all-in-one's heat pump.
@teajaygrey Interesting... Thanks for the data point!
Admittedly, I purchased that a long time ago, circa 2005?
At the time, it seemed as if the all-in-one was sort of cutting edge? Front loading washing machines were still relatively rare on the market. It was also the first "HE" detergent washer I ever owned. Previously such things (all in one with heat pumps) were perhaps used on boats I guess or places where volumetric space concerns were important?
The washing portion seemed good! It is possible that the heat pump stuff has improved? I was grateful to be able to use it in multiple locations without 220V outlets at least! That was another win for it; yet it mostly seemed as if it was a pretty OK washer and a mostly not really good dryer.
@teajaygrey Ah, well, that's 20 year old technology then... wonder how things are now.
@ai6yr out top-of-the-line samsung has been.....meh. It replaced an old 3KW resistive unit, which frankly dried the clothes better in half the time and could accurately determine when the clothes were dry and switch off. It was hugely inefficient. The Samsung doesn't seem able to accurately decide how long to dry for, typically deciding clothes need 2hrs, revising this to 1hr and leaving then most. If we manually set a 2hr fixed cycle, clothes are*usually* dry.
@ai6yr It is definitely cheaper to run, as it uses less than a third of the energy of the resistive dryer (which in your case wouldn't be an option anyway!) but it can be pretty slow and it definitely is more of a pain to clean (it comes with brush for the cooling coil, which you need to lie on the floor to see properly)
@Turbo_Steve Thanks, good data point!
@ai6yr I'm in Ireland, so its 240VAC. I bought a new pair washer and heat pump dryer. Previously the house only had a washer, and a clothesline out back. Usually I just dried my clothes by hanging them on chair backs and door handles around the house. But I finally got tired of that, and the new units I bought are more energy efficient than the old washer, and the dryer stacks on top of the washer so it all still fits in the tiny laundry space.
@ai6yr How about an old electric dryer. The motor is probably 120v and you could use a heat gun like your coffee roaster.
@stevewfolds Old electric not as efficient, and definitely $ in running costs.
@ai6yr my opinion is why the hell would you use anything else? Either tumble or cabinet (or entire wardrobe with a dehumidifier)
@ai6yr I don’t know about the 120v/220v thing, but I had the Miele washer & dryer — I really overspent on it, but it worked quite well. The only real issue is that it tends to dump a lot of heat back into the room - which you might not care about if it’s in the basement, but in a central location, in the summer… it’s…. Not optimal. Thankfully the furnace heat pump and air exchanger did their jobs, and kept it from getting uncomfortable.
@JustinDerrick Oooh, that's interesting. Second person mentioning this problem. I have a heat pump water heater in the garage, lol, this can be balanced out.
@ai6yr I just replaced my washer and dryer with a combo 120V heat-pump unit about a month ago. I like it; no regrets so far. My clothes don't feel as dry immediately at the end of a default cycle as they did with my previous electric dryer, but 1) they seem noticeably dryer within like a minute after I've opened the door, for reasons I don't understand; 2) I've been trying to hang-dry more things anyway; 3) my housemates have been just running the dryer for longer than the default cycle and they seem happy with how effective that is.
Things I learned from my research before buying this:
I found the information at https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/heat-pump-dryer/ particularly informative about what the heat pump is actually doing in this configuration and what pros and cons they have. I didn't use their list of recommended models, though.
@ai6yr opinion: they’re a super neat idea. but … has nobody yet made one that’s set up as an air handler for a preexisting mini-split compressor?
that seems like such an obvious win-win for home appliance integration …
now if only appliance durability was increasing over time, like technology suggests it should. rather than decreasing year by year like capitalism demands …
@cmdrmoto Yeah, this is why we've been using the same 1990's dryer for a long while. Finally getting to an end of its life (with many replacements of components, mind you, I've rebuilt the thing three times).
@ai6yr I’ve looked into them, and as soon as I can find one that fits in my tiny laundry closet I’m going to get one. (Hasn’t been a priority so it’s lingered for a while, it my gas dryer is dying and the project is moving) This is part of my de-gasification project, and tbh I would say absolutely do it.
@wordshaper Yeah, same here... I think the gas dryer needs to be replaced (1990's dryer, but it's on its last legs despite my replacing everything).
@ai6yr my open question is whether to get just a heat pump dryer or replace the washer too and go with an all in one machine. It’s just me and my husband so we don’t do enough laundry that having two separate machines for parallel use is necessary. YMMV and all that.
@wordshaper Yeah, very good question! And really, it's not so much parallel use if you're bounded by one machine or the other. (except in my case, where I frequently wash my stuff and hang it outdoors on a line, and everyone else's stuff gets put in the dryer).
@ai6yr @djsundog I had a bosch for a long while. and my all-in-one now is heat pump based. the biggest recommendation I have is "check the airflow on the room where the unit will be held" and augment it if needed. We run a circulating fan to swap the exchanged air. But after a few loads, drying takes forever because the room warms up too much. but I adore my all-in-one and am glad we got the heat pump based variant.
@ai6yr "gas dryer" heck no clothesline before that, dude. Dryers have LINT. We used to carry that stuff as kindling. You do not want fire near there.