What types of dryers are there

As we negotiate, products will likely to have been sold below ticketed price in some stores prior to the discount offer. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount offer. See product for details. Additional charges apply after 30km. Excludes eBay and commercial orders. The maximum number of products that can be compared is 4. Please refine your selection. Your session is about to timeout due to inactivity.

Click OK to extend your time for an additional 30 minutes. Please enter a valid postcode or suburb. Find your nearest store Enter a postcode or suburb then select your preferred local store.

TYPE 2. SPEED 5. Heat pump dryer vs condenser vs sensor vs vented. Heat Pump Dryer The most energy efficient type of dryer and no venting is needed. Condenser Dryers No outside venting is needed for a condenser dryer, so they're more expensive than vented dryers and great for rental homes. Sensor Dryers Smart sensors save energy by detecting when clothes are dry then switching off, which also prevents over-drying damage to clothes.

Vented Dryers With the lowest prices they are the most affordable to buy but they generate a lot of warm, moist air so need a ducting vent installed to pump the hot air outside the house, or need to be in a well-ventilated room to prevent mould forming on walls and ceilings.

Size and capacity. Physical Size The second thing you need to consider is what size dryer will actually fit in your laundry. Drying Capacity You also need to consider size from a clothing capacity perspective — how much you want to fit in each load will determine how many kilos your dryer needs to be size-wise. Energy Efficiency. How long does it take to dry? Other Features to consider.

Knobs or a digital display. Cycle programs. Type of Installation How you choose to install your dryer depends on how much space and the type of washer you have:. Learn more about dryer installation. If you are looking for something energy-efficient, you can never go wrong with a heat pump dryer. At the same time, it operates at lower temperatures than a standard condenser dryer, helping preserve the lifespan of your clothes. Plus, it is ventless, making it well-suited for tight spaces.

One major caveat, however, is that this type of clothes dryer is the most expensive of the bunch. Now that you know the different types of dryers, you are probably wondering, how do you even choose between them? There are several things to keep in mind to facilitate the decision-making process.

Here are some of the most important ones. There are so many factors to consider when buying a dryer, but choosing between gas or electric is perhaps the most important one.

Each has different costs and power requirements. Essentially, standard clothes dryers work by spinning the central chamber, ensuring that the clothes are in motion throughout the drying cycle. This helps to wick out moisture. As mentioned earlier, dryers also use heat to accelerate the drying process. Gas models rely on natural gas or propane to fuel the heating system and the fan blowing hot air through the unit.

Electric dryers, on the other hand, use metal heating coils which are powered by electricity to generate heat. While a gas dryer tends to be pricier upfront, it is more energy-efficient and cheaper to run, making it more cost-effective in the long run. But since it usually requires a vent to the outside, it can be more complicated to set up.

Some may also need a separate gas hookup. In contrast, electric models are more affordable to purchase and far easier to install. However, they can cause your electric bills to climb up quite fast. Another important consideration is selecting between a vented or ventless model. Standard vented dryers can either be gas- or electric-powered.

They work by using a heating element or system to increase the temperature of the air inside the dryer, which warms the wet clothes and, ultimately, creates steam. The clothes dryers will need to vent this generated steam outdoors via aluminum ducts. With that said, you will have to factor in the installation of a venting duct, which may not always be possible for your home. In this case, a ventless clothes dryer which is either a condenser or a heat pump condenser model may be more suitable for you.

It allows you to install dryers in places where ducts are out of the question, including closets and apartments. Just remember that ventless dryers generally have longer drying times, and some models run the risk of making the laundry room hot and mouldy. Energy efficiency is always a vital consideration when buying household appliances.

This rings especially true for clothes dryers, which are undoubtedly some of the most energy-hungry devices in the home. Unfortunately, they also tend to be quite inefficient in general. With that being said, the energy ratings on the label will give you an idea of how energy-efficient the product is. In Canada, clothes dryers can have one of two labels:. Find out more about the Energy Efficiency Regulations indicated by the Canadian government.

When it comes to the size of clothes dryers, you have two options — full-size or compact. Meanwhile, compact ones are about 24 inches wide. They are usually electric-powered. A couple of notable factors to consider when choosing between full-size or compact dryers include:.

If you are short on space, compact clothes dryers, for obvious reasons, are your best bet. They are also a great choice for those with minimal laundry needs. This will let you choose a specific amount of time that your clothes dryer will be in operation and generally only goes as high as 80 minutes.

If you want to make sure you know when your clothes dryer will be going off or need to limit the amount of time you are using your dryer, then this is a great feature to consider. This is a significantly shorter drying cycle that will alert you by sounding a tone when your items are still slightly damp. While many people think that this tone is to let them know that their clothing needs more time in the dryer, it actually has a different use.

This alert is a great way to know when your clothes are the perfect dampness for ironing. You can easily get crisp lines without any hassle when you iron clothing that is still a little damp, so opting for this feature is important if you do a lot of ironing.

Instead of dealing with clothing that has wrinkles dried into them, ones that are still a little damp are much easier to iron. Move your clothes dryer around easily whenever you need to dry your clothes when you opt for a portable clothes dryer. These are much smaller than the models you leave in one location in your home, but give you a lot of freedom of where you are going to be drying your clothes.

This is especially ideal if you have a smaller home without a dedicated laundry area, as you can store the portable clothes dryer in a closet if necessary, only pulling it out when you are ready to dry a load of laundry. Clothes dryers that have this feature will have sensors in the drum that are able to tell how much moisture is still in the items in the dryer.

When they sense that the laundry is dry enough to be removed, the dryer will stop on its own. This is great if you are worried about using too much energy to dry your clothes, as your dryer will know to stop itself when necessary.

To be able to easily dry items other than your typical clothing or towels, you can opt for a clothes dryer that comes with a separate rack for accessory drying. This rack is easy to snap into the drum of the clothes dryer and will let you place items on top of it for drying. This makes it really easy to dry stuffed animals, shoes, hats, and even delicate sweaters without worrying about the clanging noise that is so typical with drying shoes or damaging your more delicate items.

Save room in your home but still have two separate appliances for washing and drying your laundry when you buy a clothes dryer that is stackable. This means you will be able to stack it with a washing machine to save on floor space, but still ensure that you have the right appliances for the job. Not all clothes dryers can be stacked, so if you are interested in this feature, you will need to make sure you find one that can so you do not accidentally damage your appliances.

While you may think that adding steam to your drying clothes is counterintuitive and will only make them take longer to dry, when you add steam at the right times during the drying cycle, you will experience a number of benefits. Steam is able to deeply penetrate your clothing and this will reduce the amount of wrinkles your clothes will have when they come out of the dryer.

It will also help your clothes reach very high temperatures so that they are sanitized and lose any bad smells. You can also use the steam function on dry clothes to help get rid of stale odors so your clothing is ready to wear again. Most clothes dryers are not able to become Energy Star rated because the restrictions are so tight, and the ones that do are generally going to be much more expensive than other dryers.

However, if you want to buy a clothes dryer that uses less energy than other models and will save you money each month, you will want to look for one with this rating. Not only will you use less energy drying your clothes, but your clothing will experience less wear and tear and will last for a longer period of time.

Knowing how much longer you have on your drying cycle will help you plan for how much longer you have until the clothes can come out of the dryer. Not all clothes dryers have this feature, but it makes it really easy to stay on top of your laundry. If you are short on room, you will want to opt for a dryer that has a hamper style door. This door will drop down to open up and let you reach in for your laundry as opposed to swinging out to the side.