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nalc t1_iqqxigb wrote

Reply to comment by DOE_ZELF_NORMAAL in My mother's ~33 year old Whirlpool dryer. Still works amazing! by vocke

The main thing that a newer vented dryer does is have a moisture sensor to turn it off at exactly the right time.

The actual mechanism isn't drastically different in efficiency - it's wire heating element coils that warm up air then it gets blown over the clothes and exhausted outside.

To get a meaningful change in efficiency, you need to go to a ventless. Ventless is like an enclosed dehumidifier, it pulls the moisture out of the air as it recirculates over the clothes. It doesn't get as hot but it uses a lot less energy. Plus since you're not blowing air outdoors, you're not also increasing the load on your HVAC system as fresh outdoor air gets sucked in.

Interestingly, a modern high efficiency washer does more for reducing dryer energy use than a modern high efficiency dryer. Those washing machines have more powerful spin cycles and the clothes come out with less moisture for the dryer to deal with.

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DOE_ZELF_NORMAAL t1_iqr0kwc wrote

No, not really.. wire hearing element dryers (or condenser dryers as they are actually called) have greatly improved energy usage (as in a 3 fold from a decade ago). And besides that heat pump dryers are VERY much affordable now which have even less power consumption.

I do agree that a good washing machine with a good centrifugal function saves a lot of energy on your dryer. But that doesn't mean getting a new dryer doesn't greatly reduce energy consumption.

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biggsteve81 t1_iqsay6d wrote

A condenser dryer is a vastly different thing from a standard clothes dryer. Generating heat from electricity is already 100% efficient, so unless you are adding a heat pump feature or a more accurate moisture sensor to end the cycle early the old ones are just as efficient as new.

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DOE_ZELF_NORMAAL t1_iqsjzca wrote

It must be a translation thing then. Here in the Netherlands you can buy 2 types of dryers, a condenser dryer or a heat pump dryer. I have no idea what you mean with a 'standard clothes dryer' because in the Netherlands it's those 2. Even after googling I couldnt find a different type of dryer from those 2. Maybe the one you mean is so old it hasen't been sold for decades here.

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biggsteve81 t1_iqski75 wrote

In the US most clothes dryers (old and new) use an electric heating element and vent to outdoors. Just like the one pictured in this post.

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javaavril t1_iqtilnt wrote

In the US there are ventless condenser, ventless heat pump, and the, unfortunately, more popular vented super inefficient gas or electric dryers.

They are so inefficient they're not even legal to use in some European countries.

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ohhellperhaps t1_iqtuut7 wrote

The third type (‘afvoerdroger’ as it’s called here) does exist in the NL. Googling for types of dryer (in Dutch) would have resulted in that answer…

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iwearlederhosen t1_iqri6wp wrote

So does the moisture go into some sort of drain next to the washer drain?

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nalc t1_iqrj49h wrote

Depends. More basic models have a little slide out drawer to catch it, like a dehumidifier. You just empty it into a sink. The nicer ones have a pump and can be plumbed into a drain.

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