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Focus on laundry equipment since 1991's

Washing Machine - Engineers' Trade Tips - How

by:GOWORLD     2020-10-01
An electric Tumble Dryer can use a considerable amount of electricity to dry a load of clothes, For most people the only maintenance we do on it, is to clean the fluff filter once a week or so. There are a few things you can be doing to cut on running costs and squeeze more life out of your Dryer.
The simplest thing to do, is Clean The Fluff Filter, Each And Every Time You Use Your Dryer.
Why? Tumble Dryers work by blowing hot air through the drum and around the clothes in order to dry them. Every bit of air has to go through the fluff filter. If it's not clean, then that slows down the air flow. That slows down the drying process, uses more electricity and means the dryer needs to run for longer to dry a load of clothes.
More use, means it will wear out sooner. More use, means it will use more electricity. Clean The Fluff Filter Every Time.
Because I must be lazy, I keep an empty detergent box near my Dryer. So instead of having to go to the Dustbin every time. I just clean the fluff into the old detergent box. I empty the box once or twice a month. That's only 2 trips to the Dustbin a month, instead of 40 or 50. If your Tumble Dryer is the 'Vented' type. That's the kind that blows the warm wet air out through a flexible hose, or through a vent or pipe in the wall. Here is some advice.
Vent pipes clog up over time with old wet fluff and lint. This has the same affect as a blocked filter. It cuts down the Dryer's performance, wastes electricity and because your Dryer needs to run for longer. It will wear out or break down sooner. Twice a year, remove the vent pipe and wash it out. A garden hose works fine, or put some water into the bath and swish the vent pipe around till it's clean. I have a customer who uses the shower to do the same job. All that matters, is that the vent hose or pipe is clean and not clogged. Some Dryers are connected to 'Through The Wall Vent Pipes' Same thing applies, these get clogged as well. A Tumble Dryer is not very heavy, so it's not too hard to pull it out from it's place and disconnect the vent pipe. Wash it and replace it.
Many of the Dryers connected to 'Through The Wall Vent Kits' use way too much flexible hose to connect to the wall. The result can very often be that the flexible vent pipe kinks when the Dryer is pushed back into place. You might never know, as often you won't be able to see it. A kinked hose is much worse than a blocked filter. Quick way to check. When your Dryer is working. Go outside and hold your hand in front of the vent grille. If you can feel a good amount of hot air blowing out, it should be ok. On the outside of 'Through The Wall Vent Systems' There is often a wire mesh filter behind the grille. They are known to become blocked in a matter of months. This external filter just clicks off. Clean and refit it. If you have never cleaned it, you will be shocked at how dirty and blocked it is and how much quicker your Dryer will now dry a load of laundry.
If you are washing small 'Quick' washes in your Washing Machine, these are around 2.5 kg. Turning the Dryer on for a small load is wasteful. Most full sized Dryers will be rated at or above 5Kg. So why not wait and combine 2 small loads into one load. This saves on running costs and running time. Saving you more electricity and cuts down on the total Dryer running time over 2 separate loads. This is fine as long as you remember a golden rule. Don't cram your Dryer with too much Laundry or over load it. Which brings me to the next point. Over Loading your Tumble Dryer is false economy.
Tumble Dryers blow hot air through the laundry as it tumbles around. If it is over loaded, the hot air can't get at all the clothes. You will end up with some damp clothes and some over dried clothes. It is also very hard on the drum drive belt and front and rear bearings. Don't do it. It's not smart and it's costing you money. So to Recap.
Clean the Lint filter every time you use your Dryer. Clean the vent pipe at least twice a year. Check the outside vent filter is not clogged. Don't dry lots of separate small loads if you can avoid it. A large load (as long as it's not an overload) is much cheaper. Don't overload your Tumble Dryer. It's false economy.
In the next article. I will cover more ways to cut down on Tumble Dryer running costs and offer more advice on how to get the best from your Tumble Dryer.
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