Figuring Out What All Is In Your Dryer
Welcome back to another one of our Appliance Deep Dives! This week we're taking a look at everything there is to know about your clothes dryer. Some people call it a tumble dryer, some people call it a clothes dryer, but most of us just call it the dryer. This is the appliance in your home that is the second most energy-hungry out of what we call the 'core' appliances, second only to your range. It uses heated air to remove the moisture from your clothes, and a tumbling drum to keep them moving continuously to distribute that heated air.
Table of Contents
Time-Based Features
Delay
Time Left In Cycle
Timed Dry
Features To Make Your Life Easier
Damp Alert
Sensor Dry
Attached Dryer Rack
Steam
Child Lock
Wrinkle Guard
How to Choose Your Next Dryer
Power
Size of the Dryer
Capacity of the Dryer
Power Supply
Electric
Gas
Types of Dryers
Gas Dryer
Vented Dryer
Condenser Dryer
Heat Pump Condenser
Features to Look At
Door Types
Hamper Door
Side Open Door
Reversible Swing Door
Top Open Door
Drum Types
Stainless Steel
Coated
Plastic
There are so many different options for dryers. No doubt that list up top probably looks huge (it does to us too) but we're going to tackle all of it. We'll be starting off by looking at the power sources that are currently available for your dryer, whether you're looking for a new one or want to understand where your current one may not be the right fit.
Electric
An electric dryer is the one that most people have in their homes, and for many excellent reasons. They don't require you to pay for a specialist to set up a natural gas or propane hookup. They're cheaper and more easily available for consumers to get hold of, which means that if something breaks on them, they're also easier to get parts for. The downside is that they do use much more electricity in order to run. Even the most energy-efficient ones will still push up your electric bill a fair bit.
Gas
By contrast, a gas dryer is more expensive to install, though only if you don't already have an existing natural gas or propane hookup in your home. Whereas an electric dryer utilizes metal coils to heat the air, a gas dryer just uses natural gas or propane. (Just to be clear, the gas doesn't come into contact with your clothing.) The dryer itself is also more expensive than an electric dryer, but that it's due to two different factors. The first is that they are not as common as the electric dryers, so as the consumer, you absorb more of the costs. The second is that a gas dryer is going to last much longer than an electric. They do require a vent to the outside, which can either be done with a permanent vent, for which most manufacturers will offer a kit or a temporary hookup. We'll talk more about that in just a moment. A gas dryer isn't great if you only have a small space for your dryer, but, the trade-off is that they are extremely energy efficient.
Vented Dryer
Your standard vented dryer can either be gas or electric, and they are the single most common variety of dryers on the market. They work by heating air and sending it into the drum. That air is then vented back out of the system and replaced with fresh air once it becomes too saturated with moisture. As we mentioned up above, the vent can either be a permanent hookup or temporary. A temporary one might be connected to a block that you put in your window with the frame closed around it, and then you remove it when you're done. These dryers are not perfect at removing all of the air from the system though and so your laundry room can become very muggy when using them. They are cheaper to buy than some of the more complicated models, but they are also more expensive to operate. Additionally, these are also typically of a larger capacity than most other models, meaning you can dry more clothes at once.
Condenser Dryer
When we talked about the electric dryers we talked about how they use a heating element to heat the air. A condenser dryer is different. They pull in air from all sides of the unit and pass it through a condenser where the air is heated up and then passed into the drum. This process leads to a lower temperature than comes with using a vented dryer. The upside to this is that they are gentler on your clothes. The downside is that they do require a longer drying time and more electricity because of that. When a condenser dryer pulls the air out of the drum, it is forced into a condenser chamber where the water is extracted from it, the dry air is heated, and it goes back around. One of the major benefits of a condenser dryer is that it doesn't require a vent to go outside since the air is at a lower temperature and all of the moisture is extracted from it.
Heat Pump Condenser Dryer
A heat pump condenser dryer is one of the newest varieties to hit the market. Have you ever felt the outside of your refrigerator and been baffled at how hot it is on the outside and cool on the inside? This dryer takes advantage of a similar principle. Instead of a heating coil, it uses a miniaturized refrigerant system, which we know sounds contradictory. The way it works is that the system starts by compressing a refrigerant, which then expels heat, which heats the air. That air goes into the dryer, drying your clothes and picking up moisture. That moisture-rich air is taken out of the system, it goes through the refrigerant where the water is collected and is then reheated to be used again. This cycle repeats over and over, but it's at a lower temperature than the vented dryer. This may sound like a bad thing, but the heat pump dryers are surprisingly energy efficient. The only issue is that they do take more time to run, and because they do have more parts, there is the potential for more to go wrong.
Now that we've broken down the key types of dryers, let's take a look at the different features you should expect if you're on the market.
Door types. Wow, such an exciting topic, right? Well, not really. That being said, it is important to think about. Depending on how your laundry room is set up, it's going to affect where you need to put your dryer.
Hamper Door
A hamper style door with a window in it!
These are great if you've got a small space. Instead of going left or right, they swing out and down, like a laundry chute in a hotel. This makes it really easy to drop laundry in or pull it out. It also means that if you lose your grip on something, it'll slide right back into the dryer instead of dropping to the floor. Best of all, they won't swing shut when in use!
Side Open Door
These are probably the type we're most familiar with. They're on the front of the dryer and they swing to one side or the other. With these, you'll need to take into account the space you need, so that when you open the door, you aren't smacking yourself, the walls, or the washer. You also want to make sure that the door can open as far as possible so that it isn't a hassle trying to reach in and get your laundry.
Reversible Swing Door
Quick story. Your beloved writer was very foolish as a teenager. When she first heard about this concept, she thought that it meant the door could swing two different ways. Either up and down or side to side. No, it doesn't work that way sadly. What it does mean is that with this type of door you can take the door off and install it so that it swings open to the left or right, based on what you need in your home.
Top Open Door
And finally, we have the type of door that is actually on the top of your dryer. (Would it then be a lid rather than a door? We aren't sure. We don't make up the terms.) These are great if you don't want to worry about which way the door swings and how much clearance you have around it. BUT an important thing is that, if you're shorter, you might have trouble getting your clothes out from the bottom. This is why many have transitioned to the side open door.
Moving on from doors to drums. We’re not talking about the noisy variety here, we mean the one that spins your clothes around inside the dryer. (Although if your dryer is noisy, we should be able to help with that.)
Stainless Steel
The best of the best when it comes to the type of drum inside your dryer. A stainless steel drum is longer lasting and is very hard to damage. They don't rust or chip, which means that they have a very long lifespan in comparison to other varieties. The downside is that it does tend to be more expensive than other varieties of drums.
Coated
Coated drums can either be powder-coated steel (not stainless steel) or porcelain coated. These are the middle-of-the-road option. As such you're going to be paying less for them. The downside is that they are also going to have a shorter lifespan. The coating can be chipped over time, or if you put something heavy in them. Multiple things can then happen after chips are formed in the coating. That chipping exposes the underlying steel which can rust when exposed to wet clothes and linens on a regular basis, and that rust can then stain your clothes. The chipped areas can also catch on any clothing you put in from then on, causing snags or tears over time.
Plastic
Finally, we have the least expensive variety of drums for your dryer: The plastic drum. Now the upshot to these is that they are much lighter and are significantly cheaper to produce, which brings down the price of your dryer. However, they can't handle "hard" objects according to manufacturers, and they are much more likely to chip or wear out than a stainless steel drum or even the coated drums.
Time-Based Features
Delay
Delay is a self-explanatory feature, but one we love nonetheless. It allows you to delay the start of the dryer for a period of time. Some models will let you delay it for several hours.
Time Left In Cycle
Just what it says on the tin, this is a visual display to show you how long is left on the cycle. It might be a ticking timer that rotates, it might be lights that count up or down, or it might be a digital display telling you what stage the dryer is in currently.
Timed Dry
Time dry lets you set the dryer for a specific amount of time. This can be useful for all sorts of reasons, from needing to just freshen up a shirt to needing to finish drying it after you selected the wrong settings by accident (or learning curve.)
Features To Make Your Life Easier
Damp Alert
While most of us would think this is meant to tell you "hey the load is almost done" that's not actually the case. Instead, this is for when you need (or want) to iron your clothing. When this alarm goes off it means that your clothes are at the perfect stage in between dry and wet to best take to ironing and staying without wrinkles.
Sensor Dry
Some dryers now have sensors in the drum itself. These are there to tell when the clothes are fully dry and to cut off the process, saving you time, energy and money. They also save your clothes from extra wear from being tumbled around more than what they need to.
Attachable Dryer Rack
An additional item that some dryers come with is a wire rack that you can attach to stand in the middle of the drum. This doesn't move even as the drum does. This would be something you could use for drying hats, shoes, special fabrics (such as lingerie), or even stuffed animals. Anything delicate that you want dried, but don't want tossed around by the dryer.
Steam
This one sounds counterproductive, we know. "But blogger," we hear you cry "why do I want to get my clothes wet if I'm trying to dry them?" That our friends is the trick. First off, the steam isn't present during the entire cycle. It's only added to the drum during specific parts of it. The steaming process has several benefits that are especially beneficial given our concern with all things germs. Steam makes your clothes even hotter, meaning that germs and bad odors are significantly reduced. They also reduce wrinkles when the clothes are fully dried.
Child Lock
Did you ever mess with the buttons on a dryer as a kid because you were bored? Or because you wanted to know what it did, or maybe just because it was a button? With this feature, your kids can't do the same to you. You can set the settings you need for a load and walk away knowing your kids can turn as many dials as they want and it won't turn your laundry into a pile of ash.
Wrinkle Guard
This last feature is one we simultaneously love and hate. On one hand, this keeps the dryer running until you're able to finish what you're doing. It keeps the clothes tumbling at a lower temperature so that they don't settle and develop wrinkles. On the other hand, many dryers will have a very loud, annoying buzz to alert you that the cycle is done. That sound then gets played every so often until you come and collect the clothes.
How to Choose Your Next Dryer
So, at the end of the day, if you're looking to replace your dryer, or just starting to consider what you'll want a few years from now after your current one is in a state beyond repair, how do you do it?
Power
Start by looking at the power source your current dryer has. Does your home already have a gas hookup? Or is your current dryer electric? Do you want to make a change?
Size of the Dryer
How large is your laundry room? Your dryer needs to be able to fit comfortably within the space, have breathing room and be able to open easily? Careful measurements need to be accounted for before you purchase a new dryer.
Capacity of the Dryer
How much laundry do you do on a weekly basis? Your dryer needs to be able to handle that not only in terms of as a whole but also in comparison to your washer, which brings us to an important rule of thumb. Ideally, your dryer should be twice the capacity of your washing machine. The reason for this is that while your clothes will compress and stick together once they're wet, they need space to dry. As the dryer tumbles the clothes they need space to expand and move more freely to allow the air to circulate.
Thanks for checking out our dryer deep dive! Did you get the answers you needed? Or do you have more questions still? If that's the case let us know in the questions below or over on our Facebook page. As always, we'd love to hear from you.
If on the other hand, you ended up on our page because you're trying to figure out why your dryer is busted, we can help. You can call at ((214) 599-0055) or go to our contact page to set up an appointment and we can either diagnose or fix the problem for you.
Additional Reading
9 Electric Dryers At 3 Different Price Points
9 Different Gas Dryers, At 3 Different Price Points
6 Things You Should Never Put In The Dryer