Dryer-related questions...

Farcear

Hey all,

By way of background, from 1 February 2013, tenants in private rented accommodation are entitled to "a dryer (vented or recirculation type)" where that house does not contain a garden or yard for the exclusive use of that house (i.e. where you could just use a clothesline) .

I'm currently a tenant in rented accommodation; it's an apartment with no dryer. I'm going to approach my landlord this week with a view to getting this issue dealt with in a constructive way and just had a few questions that I hope some of you can help with.

1. Power - Can a dryer be run of mains electricity in the same way as any other appliance, i.e. can you just plug it in anywhere or does it need special treatment like a an oven cooker?

2. Health - The apartment has a combined kitchen / living room area. Is it "safe" to have a dryer in here, e.g. dampness? (Noise not an issue as we can run it during the day when everyone is out.)

3. Vent - I understand there are "compressed" and "vent" dryers. Assuming we come up with some way to make a vent (no obvious external walls) which one is preferable? Quality of drying being the most important consideration.

4. Other - Are there any other questions I should be asking?


Thanks for your time,
Farcear

Joey the lips

Farcear wrote: »

Hey all,

By way of background, from 1 February 2013, tenants in private rented accommodation are entitled to "a dryer (vented or recirculation type)" where that house does not contain a garden or yard for the exclusive use of that house (i.e. where you could just use a clothesline) .

I'm currently a tenant in rented accommodation; it's an apartment with no dryer. I'm going to approach my landlord this week with a view to getting this issue dealt with in a constructive way and just had a few questions that I hope some of you can help with.

1. Power - Can a dryer be run of mains electricity in the same way as any other appliance, i.e. can you just plug it in anywhere or does it need special treatment like a an oven cooker?

2. Health - The apartment has a combined kitchen / living room area. Is it "safe" to have a dryer in here, e.g. dampness? (Noise not an issue as we can run it during the day when everyone is out.)

3. Vent - I understand there are "compressed" and "vent" dryers. Assuming we come up with some way to make a vent (no obvious external walls) which one is preferable? Quality of drying being the most important consideration.

4. Other - Are there any other questions I should be asking?


Thanks for your time,
Farcear

This is a strange one.
1. Unless its a gas powered dryer its run of mains with a plug. Usually 13 amp but hay i am open to correction
2. If a dryer requires venting it must be vented, if its a condenser it must be emptyed unless plumbed although emptying is the normal choice. You can techanically put a dryer anywhere these days because it should not expel moisture into the room.. Again i am open to correction
3. Answered in no 2. If you dont want a hole in the wall you go with a condensing dryer. i am told vented dryers dry quicker but hay i cant keep up with my demons anyway so i shop in pennys.
4. Yes. personally i would just point out that if i dont get a dryer i will have to use the rads to dry clothes in the winter. This will fill the room with moisture. If my child gets sick i will be giving the landlord the bill.

To be honest... If you ask for a dryer you might get a combined washer dryer. These are ****e but the landlord will be doing whats required of him.

When we were students we stretched a clothes line from wall to wall in an unused room and dryed the clothes there by leaving the window open. It saved us on electricity.

Solair

A vented dryer is cheaper (to purchase) and you have to drill a hole in the wall to exhaust the steam.

A condenser dryer turns condenses the steam out of the air in the dryer and you empty a large drawer at the top or bottom of the machine at the end of the cycle and pour it down the drain.

One big advantage of a condenser in Ireland is that the waste heat from the dryer will heat your apartment. Where as with a vented dryer it just blows outside.

Also, if it's an apartment it means there's no drilling / construction work required - just plug it in.

All normal dryers in Ireland just plug into a normal socket with a standard 13amp plug.

There's also a third type that uses a heatpump. These are very cheap to run, but VERY expensive relative to other dryers to buy (€800+)
They are great if you need to use the dryer a lot though. Saves a lot on the electricity bill!