Tumble Dryer

The Fiance has just purchased a dryer for me but I want to know what to expect. It is a Zanussi condensing dryer model ZDC 47100 W. It's 7 kg. As I am not over in the UK yet, I want to know what to expect from a dryer there as opposed to here in the US. How long will it take my clothes to dry in this type of dryer......am I going to hate it (well worse than hanging out clothes)?

Condenser dryers are typically much less efficient at drying clothes than the tumble dryers in the US.  Unfortunately they are much smaller and take much longer to dry things than what you are probably used to.  A condenser dryer is much more energy efficient than a tumble dryer.  Is it better than hanging out clothes? I guess so, although I found I had to hang them out after they were in the dryer, so it seemed to me it was just easier to hang them in the first place.

Hmmmm......I guess it will be a test it and see what happens kind of thing.

We have an AEG Lavatherm Protex condenser (unilaterally purchased by DH).  The advantages of the condensers are that you don't need to run a hose out of the window and they are very good at warming up your kitchen (useful in the winter!)  But this one at least never gets the laundry really dry.  You still have to drape things over railings and radiators but at least they're not dripping.  I find that when something comes out still damp and I put it back in for another go (as you would with a tumble dryer) it still comes out just as damp.     Also it seems to me that its doing a job on my socks -- they come out pretty dry but very pilled. 

As for hanging things outside -- I really enjoyed doing that (at least in the summer) back in the US.  But the weather is so dodgy here.  Also I've had things stolen off the line here in times past.  The first flat I had in the UK had only a gas fire in the main room and when I washed a sweater and laid it flat in the bath room to dry it slowly turned moldy!  So drying is definitely a problem, sorry to say.

Unlike a tumble dryer, condensing dryers will never get clothes completely dry, but I suppose it's better than nothing if you don't have the space for an outside vent. Just don't expect it to do what you're accustomed to.

Our first house had a 'washer-dryer' but I never used the 'dryer' function (condensing type). We opted for no dryer when we moved to this house, and after 3 years, I rarely miss one. I hang stuff out as much as possible, and on a rack in the spare bedroom when the weather is bad. We're retired OAPs, so that's fine for us. Way back when we were first married and DH was working in a dirty, grimy environment, I had a tumble dryer.

The only real downside for me is clothes are not as soft, despite use of fabric softener. The upside is less shrinkage, less fading and elastic has a longer life.

Not a fan of condenser dryers. I use radiators and racks now. Gives you something to fidget with - flipping and moving and adjusting. I end up often ironing cottons dry, which can be a pain - but you can really get them flat and stiff.

I like ironing though.

Since my tumble dryer broke..I tried a condenser dryer and hated it. I use radiators and this http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8501147.htm

I have to say I avoid using a dryer as much as possible.  I wash most things on the 'cold' setting and then with most clothing I hang them on racks.  Towels, sheets, underwear and socks I put in the dryer (and then put them on racks!!)  DH would throw everything in the dryer and quite a few of my things shrunk.  When you fish all the lint out of the dryer it makes you think about what it's doing to your clothes anyway.

I always had a condenser dryer, and found that I could get things dry if I dried in small batches for hours on end:)  So I only dried sheets and towels.

I don't dry clothes more than a few minutes anyway, to avoid shrinking, and liked the ability to dry a while,, shake, hang, and not have to iron.  The steam was great for that!

I have had a condenser dryer since I moved here, almost 11 years ago. For several years, I also thought they were a poor cousin to my US vented dryers. Then we replaced the old washer with a new one that had a faster spin cycle, thus getting rid of excess water.  The difference was amazing. Drying time then came in line with US dryers...and I didn't have to have the annual repair visits.  So my advice, regardless of whether or not you have a dryer is to get a washer with a good spin cycle. Clothes dry faster any way you dry them, which is a blessing in winter if you don't have a dryer.

get a washer with a good spin cycle.

This is true. 

I have been here over 7 years and haven't owned a single dryer. I was a bit worried at first but we get on fine. We are now a family of 6 and I still hang outside or inside to dry. You just have to stay on top of it in the winter.

Also, the higher your spin on your washer, the better. Mine is 1600 on its highest and clothes come out just wet whereas if I do a 1200 wash, they are soaked!

  I find that when something comes out still damp and I put it back in for another go (as you would with a tumble dryer) it still comes out just as damp.    

Sounds like you might need to clean out the filter. Not the lint trap, but there will be another bit that it recommends being cleaned out about once a month (depending on use). You have to rinse water through it - a job I hate as then I get a bathtub clogged with lint!

We get this occasionally where things just stay damp, I clean that out and it's fine.

I had a condenser dryer prior to when DW moved over, worked great and lasted about 10 years. The replacement one is better, the only thing DW doesn't like is the time for that and the washer but she got used to it.

Our landlord bought us a replacement dryer when the one in our washer/dryer combo didn't work, and it's a spin dryer. At first I was irritated and then I realized that nobody uses dryers here anyway, and I felt like I was acting spoiled! It does make line-drying much quicker but I do miss being able to do laundry whenever I feel like it vs. when it's not raining. And I also haven't been able to figure out how to get all the loose lint out of my new towels!

I agree totally with the high-speed spin washer. I got a 1600 when my old washer packed in a couple of years ago - even when I overfill it (bad me) it does SO much better w/r/t water extraction. When I'm mindful of the load, sort properly etc, some things come out barely damp.