An electric Tumble Dryer can use a large amount of electricity to dry a load of laundry , For most people the only maintenance we do , is to clean the lint filter every week or so. There are many things you can be doing to save on running costs and squeeze more life out of your Dryer .
The easiest thing to do, is Clean The Fluff Filter, Each And Every Time You Use Your Dryer.
Why? Tumble Dryers work by blowing hot air through the drum and around the clothes in order to dry them. Every bit of air has to go through the lint filter. If it’s blocked , then that slows down the air flow. That slows down the drying process, wastes electricity and means the dryer needs to run for longer to dry a load of clothes.
More use, means it will wear out sooner. More use, means it will waste electricity . Clean The lint Filter Every Time .
Because I must be lazy, I keep an old detergent box near my Drier . So instead of having to go to the Dustbin every time. I just clean the lint into the empty detergent box. I empty it once or twice a month. That’s only 2 trips to the Dustbin a month, instead of every day . If your Tumble Dryer is the “Vented” type. That’s the one that blows the warm wet air out through a flexible hose, or through a vent or pipe in the wall. Here is some advice for you .
Vent pipes clog up over time with old wet fluff and lint . This has the same affect as a bunged up filter. It cuts down the Dryer’s performance, uses more electricity and because your Dryer needs to stay on for longer. It will wear out or break down sooner. Once or twice a year , remove the vent pipe and wash it out. A garden hose works fine, or put some water into the bath and swosh the vent pipe around till it’s clean. I have one customer who uses the shower to do the same job. Most important , is that the vent hose or pipe is clean and not clogged. Some Dryers are hooked up to “Through The Wall Vent Pipes” Same thing applies, these get clogged as well. A Tumble Dryer is not very heavy , so it’s not too hard to pull it out and disconnect the vent pipe. Clean it and refit it .
Lots of the Dryers attached to “Through The Wall Vent Kits” use too long a flexible vent pipe to connect to the wall. The result can very often be that the flexible vent pipe kinks when the Dryer is pushed back into place. You may never know, as often you won’t be able to see it. A kinked hose is much worse than a clogged filter. A quick way to check. When your Dryer is working. Go outdoors and hold your hand in front of the vent cover . If you can feel a good flow of hot air blowing out, it should be ok. On the outside of “Through The Wall Vent Systems” There is often a wire mesh filter behind the exhaust . They are known to become blocked in a matter of months. This external filter just clicks off. Clean and refit it. If you have never cleaned it, you will be shocked at how dirty and blocked it is and how much quicker your Dryer will now dry a load of laundry.
If you are washing small “Quick” washes in your Washing Machine, these are around 2.5 kg. Turning the Tumble Dryer on for a small load is wasteful. Most family size Dryers will be rated at or above 5Kg. So why not wait and mix 2 small loads into one load. This saves on running costs and running time. Saving you more electricity and cuts down on the total machine running time over 2 separate loads. This is fine as long as you remember a golden rule. Don’t cram your Tumble dryer with too much Laundry or over load it. Which brings me to the next point. Over Loading your Tumble Dryer is false economy.
Tumble Dryers blow hot air through the laundry as it tumbles around. If it is over loaded, the hot air can’t get at all the clothes. You will end up with some damp clothes and some over dried clothes. It is also very hard on the drum drive belt and front and rear bearings. Don’t do it. It’s not smart and it’s costing you money. So to Recap.
Clean the Lint filter Each time you use your tumble dryer . Clean the vent pipe at least twice annualy . Check the outside vent filter is not blocked . Don’t dry lots of separate small loads if you don’t need to. A large load (as long as it’s not an overload) is much cheaper. Don’t overload your Tumble Dryer.You will only end up spending more on Tumble Dryer repairs and it’s false economy.
In my next article. I will share more ways to cut down on Dryer running costs and offer more advice on how to get the best from your Tumble Dryer.