Who is using a ventless (heat pump or condensing) dryer? - Page 2

WD-40 · 04-01-13, 11:40 AM

I spent around $2000 on an LG WM3988HWA combo washer dryer that runs on 120 volt and Ventless Condensing Drying System , plus I got a similar new LG dishwasher with the same Ventless Condensing Drying System so I'm hoping that will reduce the power bill a lot more. Damn it costs so much to save energy.
I got my unit installed and did an avg load of laundry .. uses a bit over 11 gallons of water per load, used 2.25 kWh of electricity maxed out at 1595 watts avg less then 1000 watts, and no wasting heat to vent from both the dryer and the house.. with my power costing less the $0.06 a kWh this load was $0.133 cents to do start to finish.
I am very happy with both units, the only real drawbacks are that doing a load of laundry takes about 4 hours and the room gets hotter in the summer.

Daox · 04-02-13, 02:40 PM

How dry does the dryer really get the clothes? I've read they're never totally dry, but I don't know how wet that really is.

WD-40 · 04-02-13, 02:48 PM

you have several settings for dry, I have had it so hot and dry that elastics in underwear are shot just like my old regular dryer.
I usually get it to stop while its still a tad moist then hang it to dry.
The other gripe others have is that with a combo unit like mine, you can't just have "a" laundry day its more like do laundry a few times a week, as each load takes upwords or 4 hours. For a family I would even suggest every person in the house has his own laundry day.

Exeric · 04-02-13, 02:57 PM

I'm glad your LG is working so well for you. One never really knows if personal reviews on Amazon are more slanted to the negative just because breakdowns and slight inconveniences will motivate a person to write a review much more than a positive experience will. I'll keep your mostly positive assessment in mind.

berniebenz · 04-03-13, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox

I am just wondering what is even available, and how they work out. I know there has to be someone out there using them.

I have been using the Asko for 20 years with no major problems. It uses an air to air heat exchanger which is easily removable for cleaning, just hose it off once or twice a year. Advantage, all the heat used for drying stays in the house.

mnbv69 · 04-03-13, 10:27 AM

When we can't dry laundry outside, we've taken to hanging clothes around a dehumidifier. It's a 170watt compressor based one. A full load dries in a few hours. The main advantage is that even delicate clothes that I wouldn't put in a drier get dried as well. I plan to build a vapour-proof cupboard around it to concentrate the humidity and hopefully use less energy.

ctgottapee · 10-17-13, 01:54 AM

I've been very happy with my LG combo washer + condensing dryer.

Some of the complaints are from people who complain about anything, and because they treat this like an Xtra large machine when it really is a medium size model, especially the dryer - easy for some to do because the price is in the same ballpark.

-It will cook clothes just fine on dryer mode. It still produces heat just like a regular dryer, only instead of pumping that heated air directly out of the vent along with the humidity, it cycles it and sucks the humidity out. It can seem cooler because it's not cooking the clothes, but a high setting and small loader will shrink or melt your stuff easily.
-YOU WILL LOVE NEVER HAVING TO TAKE CLOTHES OUT OF WASHER TO PUT IN DRYER, OR WATCHING THE MACHINE TO DO IT. IT REALLY IS AMAZING.
-LG quality
-Like regular front loaders, it needs to dry out to prevent mold growth, but because it has a dryer mode, it dries it self taking care of the problem.
-120v outlet

The only real drawbacks I see for this model (and they are not biggees):
-Large families, as you no longer have 'two' machines running at once, and then the drying cycle takes longer. But you could buy two of them I guess, or keep a small dryer on hand.
-There is no traditional lint trap (because there is no traditional exhaust). What little lint collects inside you wipe out with a finger - similar to how you wipe a normal lint trap. It's more of an adjustment. Bonus is you'll never have a clogged lint trap dryer fire.
-Can't use natural gas to dry. It's getting pretty cheap in many areas.
-If you stuff it with 20 wet full size towels, it will take 8 hours to dry as it's just not meant for that, mostly because its a medium size dryer, not a large.
-Dryer mode is slightly louder than a traditional dryer as the water pump occasional runs, but now we are nit picking.
-If you don't want to vent the little excess heat it produces, you have to craft your own alternative as its not set up for a typical dryer vent. The low exhaust air pressure won't open a typical dryer vent either (think tiny bathroom fan with a 2" outlet). If you live in sun baked Arizona and put this in your main living space, it will dump some extra heat you'll have to pay to remove via A/C without a vent. In winter, it's free extra heat.
Finally
-Your limited to basically one model choice, and limited color options. Plus price shopping or looking for a super deal is impossible. If you want local support you can get it ordered but they may try to push you to floor models with higher commissions, and you'll probably pay list price.
For me, this was the biggest drawback. You are going to have to pay near list price and possibly ordered it from afar. No black friday deals, or special coupons. Some of the snazzy features of some models are not included like 'steam', but it is full featured.

04-02-13, 02:40 PM	#12
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	How dry does the dryer really get the clothes? I've read they're never totally dry, but I don't know how wet that really is. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-01-13, 11:40 AM	#11
WD-40 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 24 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	I spent around $2000 on an LG WM3988HWA combo washer dryer that runs on 120 volt and Ventless Condensing Drying System , plus I got a similar new LG dishwasher with the same Ventless Condensing Drying System so I'm hoping that will reduce the power bill a lot more. Damn it costs so much to save energy. I got my unit installed and did an avg load of laundry .. uses a bit over 11 gallons of water per load, used 2.25 kWh of electricity maxed out at 1595 watts avg less then 1000 watts, and no wasting heat to vent from both the dryer and the house.. with my power costing less the $0.06 a kWh this load was $0.133 cents to do start to finish. I am very happy with both units, the only real drawbacks are that doing a load of laundry takes about 4 hours and the room gets hotter in the summer.

04-02-13, 02:48 PM	#13
WD-40 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 24 Thanks: 3 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	you have several settings for dry, I have had it so hot and dry that elastics in underwear are shot just like my old regular dryer. I usually get it to stop while its still a tad moist then hang it to dry. The other gripe others have is that with a combo unit like mine, you can't just have "a" laundry day its more like do laundry a few times a week, as each load takes upwords or 4 hours. For a family I would even suggest every person in the house has his own laundry day.

04-02-13, 02:57 PM	#14
Exeric Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: California Posts: 274 Thanks: 19 Thanked 37 Times in 28 Posts	I'm glad your LG is working so well for you. One never really knows if personal reviews on Amazon are more slanted to the negative just because breakdowns and slight inconveniences will motivate a person to write a review much more than a positive experience will. I'll keep your mostly positive assessment in mind.

04-03-13, 10:27 AM	#16
mnbv69 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: UK Posts: 8 Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	When we can't dry laundry outside, we've taken to hanging clothes around a dehumidifier. It's a 170watt compressor based one. A full load dries in a few hours. The main advantage is that even delicate clothes that I wouldn't put in a drier get dried as well. I plan to build a vapour-proof cupboard around it to concentrate the humidity and hopefully use less energy.

10-17-13, 01:54 AM	#17
ctgottapee Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2013 Location: Central IL Posts: 97 Thanks: 34 Thanked 9 Times in 8 Posts	I've been very happy with my LG combo washer + condensing dryer. Some of the complaints are from people who complain about anything, and because they treat this like an Xtra large machine when it really is a medium size model, especially the dryer - easy for some to do because the price is in the same ballpark. -It will cook clothes just fine on dryer mode. It still produces heat just like a regular dryer, only instead of pumping that heated air directly out of the vent along with the humidity, it cycles it and sucks the humidity out. It can seem cooler because it's not cooking the clothes, but a high setting and small loader will shrink or melt your stuff easily. -YOU WILL LOVE NEVER HAVING TO TAKE CLOTHES OUT OF WASHER TO PUT IN DRYER, OR WATCHING THE MACHINE TO DO IT. IT REALLY IS AMAZING. -LG quality -Like regular front loaders, it needs to dry out to prevent mold growth, but because it has a dryer mode, it dries it self taking care of the problem. -120v outlet The only real drawbacks I see for this model (and they are not biggees): -Large families, as you no longer have 'two' machines running at once, and then the drying cycle takes longer. But you could buy two of them I guess, or keep a small dryer on hand. -There is no traditional lint trap (because there is no traditional exhaust). What little lint collects inside you wipe out with a finger - similar to how you wipe a normal lint trap. It's more of an adjustment. Bonus is you'll never have a clogged lint trap dryer fire. -Can't use natural gas to dry. It's getting pretty cheap in many areas. -If you stuff it with 20 wet full size towels, it will take 8 hours to dry as it's just not meant for that, mostly because its a medium size dryer, not a large. -Dryer mode is slightly louder than a traditional dryer as the water pump occasional runs, but now we are nit picking. -If you don't want to vent the little excess heat it produces, you have to craft your own alternative as its not set up for a typical dryer vent. The low exhaust air pressure won't open a typical dryer vent either (think tiny bathroom fan with a 2" outlet). If you live in sun baked Arizona and put this in your main living space, it will dump some extra heat you'll have to pay to remove via A/C without a vent. In winter, it's free extra heat. Finally -Your limited to basically one model choice, and limited color options. Plus price shopping or looking for a super deal is impossible. If you want local support you can get it ordered but they may try to push you to floor models with higher commissions, and you'll probably pay list price. For me, this was the biggest drawback. You are going to have to pay near list price and possibly ordered it from afar. No black friday deals, or special coupons. Some of the snazzy features of some models are not included like 'steam', but it is full featured.