I need a new dryer

[VoyT]

  Since we've already talked about cars and refrigerators ... my 18-yr-old GE dryer isn't doing the job anymore, and I don't want to put $$ into it.  Anyone have a brand they like?

 

[Caroline]

That hooey on my profile about my being a "dryer sheet aficianado" notwithstanding, I don't actually OWN a dryer.  I bought the water-saving washer first, and started hanging laundry in the backyard while I shopped for an efficient dryer.  That was three years ago and I find that I LIKE hanging the wash.  It's really relaxing, and the sun and wind are the most efficient drying methods I've yet to find.

It helps to be in Northern California, where it's sunny much of the time, but in the winter the clothes go underneath the patio or in the garage, and dry every bit as well.

Not for everyone, but you CANNOT beat that line-dried freshness AND the cost savings.  Depending upon your weather, you might try it for a little while to see if you can get used to it.

I just hope they don't throw me off this forum for my failure to support the dryer sheet industry!

Caroline

 

[P.S.]

Have a whirlpool, but have only used it about 3 times in the past two years since bought through the paper classifieds.
Like Caroline, we line dry, but I do it in the living room (cause there is lots of space) on those foldable drying racks that we shipped back from when we lived in Europe. Also acts as a low cost humidifier in the dry months and air fresherizer year round.

 

[LovesLife]

I had my first dryer for about 17 years. I've since replaced it 2 more times. I don't think they make things to last anymore. I would go for one that has just the minimum amount of features that you want and expect it to last 3-5 years.

 

[brewer12345]

Our elderly dryer died the day before our daughter was born. For under $300 all-in, Costco delivered and installed a Kirkland brand dryer. Works just fine, although it is a basic model without lots of useless doodads. Whirlpool makes Costco's house brand dryers, FYI.

 

[unclemick]

Hurricane George took out the last clothesline. Whirlpool dryer, A/C/window units, sattelite tv, DSL lite, laptop computer,etc.

Waiting for the ER police to show up and confiscate my 'frugal license.'

Still recycle dryer sheets though.

 

[wildcat]

my 18-yr-old GE dryer isn't doing the job anymore, and I don't want to put $$ into it.

Didn't know GE had anything that lasted that long.

My vote slightly used Whirlpool. People move and get rid of good crap all the time. Value investor's approach I presume.

 

[HFWR]

Back in the goodle days, I managed to bring a bumble bee in with my line-dried towels. Why is the clothes basket buzzing??

My Hot Point set has been "buzzing" along for about nine years now, averaging probably six loads per week. Orginal cost ~$700.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Since we've already talked about cars and refrigerators ... my 18-yr-old GE dryer isn't doing the job anymore, and I don't want to put $$ into it. Anyone have a brand they like?

Are you sure the dryer vent and dryer innards aren't just clogged with lint? A good cleaning of the air path through the dryer fan and the exhaust duct may fix everything. Or it may not, but it's good to do, anyway. The lint screen lets a lot go by over 18 years. If the heat element is heating and the blower/tumbler motor is turning then about the only other reason it would run but not dry is restricted airflow.

And unlike cooling or water-using appliances I don't think new dryers are any more efficient than the old ones.

 

[Marshac]

I had to buy a washer and dryer last year, and ended up getting the GE Harmony series

Good things:
No agitator
Stainless steel insides
HUGE capacity, and still water/energy friendly (it detects the load, and adjusts the water automatically)
The washer communicates with the dryer telling it how much it washed, and what type of fabric
Fast dry time

Bad things:
Other than price, can't think of much

 

[Nords]

  Since we've already talked about cars and refrigerators ... my 18-yr-old GE dryer isn't doing the job anymore, and I don't want to put $$ into it.  Anyone have a brand they like?

Dryers usually either work or they don't-- nothing in between-- and I've had them last over three decades. If your dryer's performance has gradually fallen off then it probably needs a good cleaning first. I speak from experience with basketball-sized balls of lint (from the dryer!) The fun part comes when you unplug the cord and pull off the front or back panel. No, that's not insulation.

The next step would be to buy whatever's in the classified ads. I'm continually amazed by people who sell their perfectly good appliances because they've redecorated...

If you do replace your dryer, see if you can sell the old one. You might still get $50-$100 for it!

 

[TromboneAl]

I agree that you want to make sure you can't fix the problem yourself, or that you don't just have a lint problem.

Is the problem that the dryer takes too long?

Wash 4 large towels with the washing machine and then put them in the dryer and time how long it takes to dry them.  It should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

If there's some other problem, try troubleshooting it on the Internet. 

We also go with line-drying, but it's not so practical in the winter.  Even on sunny winter days, the air is humid (100 yds from the ocean), the temperature is low, and the sun barely gets above the trees. 

Caroline, where are you and what do you do in the winter?   

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Probably clogged with lint or the duct pipe is bent. Try this...take it outside (they really are NOT that heavy, I pick them up myself and carry them around, two people of any size should be no trouble).

Open the front door, stick a leaf blower (gas or electric) into the ducting hole in the back and let it fly a while. If you get about 3lbs of lint out of it, thats probably your problem. Now if where the hose hooks up to the wall goes through a long pipe and you cant see where it goes, do the same leaf blower trick to that.

However I have seen heating elements fail, and i've seen them overload and blow breakers. Havent seen one sort-of work though, like Nords says.

GE probably used to make decent stuff. Their current crop sucks. So does maytag from what I hear. Whirlpool is good and that Sears (kenmore) and costco (kirkland) both resell their stuff under their own name is a good sign. If you have a costco near you, get one there and you'll get a good price...like I said, they're light so if you have an SUV, pickup or station wagon you can save a delivery charge, otherwise buy from costco.com and have it delivered. Barring that, go to sears, pick out a kenmore you like and wait for it to go on sale. Sears is having an 'extra 10% off' sale right now, although they also periodically run a 'buy now, no payments or interest for 1 year when you use your sears card'. My refrigerator is sitting on that deal.

Then have sears deliver it. My last 5 deliveries, 4 have had a scratch or a dent in it where I honestly didnt care, but I got them to take $75-100 off each appliance if I accepted it with the ding. Delivery on appliances is frequently free after a rebate. Why you buy it from sears, have sears deliver it, and have to apply for a rebate from sears to get the money back vs just not charging you for delivery in the first place does mystify me a bit, but I got the $45 check from them just a couple of weeks later.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh yeah, only one other suggestion, get a dryer with a moisture sensor that shuts it off when the clothes are dry. Cheap ones dont have it. You'll save the cost of the dryer in electricity over the course of its lifetime if you get one.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Some CR ratings. Note this is for features, not reliability.

I'm looking at #10 and #7 for sweet spots in price/features. Both have a moisture sensor. Costco appears to have the larger whirlpool for $339 with a $20 rebate, plus delivery fees and tax.

 

[laurence]

Moisture sensor, BIG plus! We definitely made back the difference in cost.

 

[Caroline]

From TromboneAl: 

Caroline, where are you and what do you do in the winter?

Hi!  We live in northern california, near the coast, so we get plenty of sunshine and wind.  In the winter, the clothes hang on the line under the patio, or in the garage.  Really only takes a little longer to dry, even if it's raining.  If need be we "finish 'em off" on one of those clothes racks.  We put the rack over the heater register and the clothes are dry in about 20 minutes.

Only one problem -- Dear Partner thinks the racks should be left out 24 x 7 to save him the effort of opening his closet door and putting the stuff away.

NOT!  ;-)

Caroline

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Dont feel bad Caroline. My wife was appalled when she moved in with me and discovered that I 'folded and put away' the sheets by taking the wad out of the dryer and shoving them into the linen cabinet. I figure they're going to straighten out when I put them on the bed anyhow, and after 10 minutes of sleeping on them, they're gonna get mussed.

So anyhow, I fold the sheets now...

 

[TromboneAl]

Well, we're just north of Trinidad, CA (35 minutes north of Eureka), and the weather has to be just right to get the clothes all the way dry.

I'll have to try the garage trick -- I've been worried about them increasing the humidity in there and rusting the tools.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Here in sacramento, i'm lucky to get the clothes out of the washer and into the dryer before they're dry. Heck, by the time I'm done toweling off after getting out of the shower its a race to see if I can get my hair combed before it dries.

22% humidity today and a nice stiff wind.

 

[VoyT]

Not for everyone, but you CANNOT beat that line-dried freshness AND the cost savings.  Depending upon your weather, you might try it for a little while to see if you can get used to it.

   If it t'wer up to me, I'd have a clothesline (though Indiana winters are not conducive to outdoor drying.) Unfortunately, I live in one of those subdivisions that has a "no clothesline" covenant.  I'll occasionally haul the drying racks out on a sunny day, but it's a PITA to do on a regular basis....

 

[VoyT]

Are you sure the dryer vent and dryer innards aren't just clogged with lint?

  Yep, we've cleaned out the dryer and just had someone do the vent. Damn near fell over when I saw how much lint came out of that dryer ... now I know how fires happen.....

 

[VoyT]

Is the problem that the dryer takes too long?
 

Sort of ... anything heavy (jeans, towels) pretty much needs 1 1/2 to 2 full cycles to dry .... lots of condensation ... the basement floor gets pretty damp in front of the thing.

 

[VoyT]

  Wow!  TH, you're a prince, thank you for the info.   And thanks for mentioning the moisture sensor -- honestly hadn't thought about that ...  I shall check out the whirlpool on cosco.com.... 

    Nords, good idea about selling the old one .... certainly wouldn't hurt to get some return.

 

[omni550]

VoyT,

Have you rinsed off the lint filter screen lately?

I recently read something on snopes.com that said that the softeners in dryer sheets cause a build-up over time (not one you can see). If you take out your lint filter and rinse it well with warm water (scrub it a bit with a brush or your fingers, too) to get rid of any build-up. This will allow the air to flow unimpeded and will cause your dryer loads to dry more quickly.

omni