An electric Tumble Dryer can use a great amount of power to dry a load of washing , For most of us the only maintenance we do , is to clean the fluff filter every week or so. There are lots of things you can be doing to cut on running costs and squeeze more life out of your Tumble Dryer .
The simplest thing to do, is Clean The Fluff Filter, every single Time You Use Your Dryer.
Why? Tumble Dryers work by forcing hot air through the drum and around the laundry in order to dry them. Every bit of air has to go through the fluff filter. If it’s not clean , then that slows down the air flow. That slows down the drying process, wastes electricity and means the clothes dryer needs to run for longer to dry a load of laundry.
More use, means it will wear out sooner. More use, means it will waste electricity . Clean The Fluff Filter Every Time .
Because I must be lazy, I keep an old detergent box near my Tumble Dryer . So instead of having to go to the Dustbin every time. I just clean the into the old detergent box. I empty it 2 or 3 times 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 damp air out through a flexible hose, or through a vent or tube in the wall. Here is some advice for you .
Vent pipes clog up over time with old wet fluff and laundry fibres . This has the same affect as a blocked filter. It reduces the Dryer’s performance, wastes electricity and because your tumble dryer needs to run for longer. It will wear out or break down sooner. Twice a year , remove the vent pipe and wash it out. A garden hose works fine, or put some water into the bath and swoosh the vent pipe around till it’s clean. I have a customer who uses the shower to do the same job. All that matters , is that the vent hose or pipe is clean and not clogged. Some Dryers are connected 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 from it’s place and disconnect the vent pipe. Aash and replace it .
the Dryers connected to “Through The Wall Vent Kits” use too long a flexible vent pipe to connect to the wall. The result can sometimes 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 blocked filter. A quick way to check. When your Dryer is working. Go outside 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 grille . 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 appalled at how dirty and blocked it is and how much quicker your Dryer will now dry a load of clothes
If you are washing light loads of laundry 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 a couple of small loads into one load. This saves on running costs and run 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 Fluff filter Each time you use your Dryer . Clean the vent pipe at least twice a year . Check the outside vent filter is not blocked up . Don’t dry lots of separate small loads if you can avoid it. 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 more ways to cut down on Tumble Dryer running costs and offer more advice on how to get the best from your Tumble Dryer.
