Due to the difficulty of drying clothes on a line year-round (due in no small part to typical British weather), drying indoors is the only option, and before you know it you have damp clothes draped all over the house.
With a reliable tumble dryer, you save time and effort ironing because the clothing will dry more quickly and with fewer creases. Even though they are pricey, they are unquestionably a worthwhile investment, particularly for larger families that do a lot of laundry.
The Scrub Hub team have compiled all you need to know to buy the best condenser tumble dryer – drum size, energy efficiency, price ranges, and more – there are many factors to take into account when purchasing a condenser dryer.
Whether you’re a first-time user or replacing an older model, here are our top three condenser tumble dryer picks with large 9-10kg load capacity.
1. Hoover H-Dry 300 HLEC10DCER Free Standing Condenser Tumble Dryer
The H-DRY 300 has a full range of drying cycles to give you the greatest care for your clothing and effortlessly prolong the life of fabrics and colours. Additionally, you can link it to the hOn App to improve drying efficiency. With the help of Wi-Fi + Bluetooth technology, you can control your dryer from a distance and get helpful advice on how to attain better drying outcomes.
With the ground-breaking Scan to Care feature, you can forget about laundry labels and errors. To achieve the best results, simply snap a photo of the labels on your clothing, and the hOn App will instantly identify the drying information and recommend the optimum cycle.
Choose from more than 40 more cycles that are accessible through the hOn App and alter them as necessary to achieve the best results. Additionally, you will have access to a wealth of knowledge and ideas, be able to bookmark your favourite apps, and get end-of-cycle notifications to keep things under control.
You can blend synthetic and cotton materials without worrying about how your dryer will handle them, which will save time and energy. Get a notification when the lighter items are dry so you may take them out without interrupting the drying process for the heavier items.
The appliance’s gentle and precise action and clever temperature management system ensure that even the most delicate textiles, including wool and cashmere, maintain their inherent softness and brightness. By Woolmark’s consent.
With Aquavision’s innovative design, you can always check the water level. Hoover came up with this innovative method, which is simple to take out and put back into the dryer.
Both your clothes and your health are taken care of by Hoover H-Dry. Without harming the fibres of your clothing, it eliminates dust mites, pollutants, pet hair, pollen, and detergent residue from powder while neutralising the primary allergens. This is made possible by a unique method that combines controlled temperatures, time, and movement to optimally hygienize your clothing.
- Capacity: 10kg
- Drum volume: 125L
- Energy Efficiency class: B
- Condensation efficiency class: C
- Average noise level 68dB
- Wi-Fi + Bluetooth connectivity
- Dimensions: 85cm (H) / 59cm (W) / 58cm (D)
- Dryer type: Condenser
2. Bosch WQG24509GB Tumble Dryer
Using SelfCleaning Condenser technology, your dryer’s condenser may be cleaned automatically up to four times in a single drying cycle, guaranteeing peak energy efficiency every time. The heat pump dryers made by Bosch are intended to operate efficiently while perfectly and softly drying textiles.
Bosch tumble dryers with AutoDry gently and precisely dry up to ten kilogrammes of clothing to the degree of dryness you desire, whether that is slightly damp for better ironing, or perfectly dry to put away. Its sensors continuously monitor temperature and moisture levels, shielding your laundry from extreme heat and overdrying.
The ground-breaking AntiVibration side walls were created with careful consideration for increased stability and the best possible vibration reduction.
The improved insulation also controls the dryer’s noise output, making Bosch machines quiet enough for a peaceful night’s sleep.
Instead of laying flat on the drum structure that is kind to fabrics, the laundry is dried using the SensitiveDrying System by mild, warm air arriving from all directions and gently combining with the curved soft carriers. As a result, the clothes are soft, fluffy, and crease-free after being gently dried.
Swift drying in just 40 minutes, compatible with a wide variety of synthetic fibres and lightweight textiles, high-precision temperature control, real-time monitoring of the level of dry and wet garments, and quick usability. Due to the interior drum light’s illuminated drum, you have perfect visibility within your Bosch Series 6 tumble dryer.
- Drying Capacity: 9kg
- Drum volume: 119L
- Energy Efficiency class: A++
- Condensation efficiency class: B
- Average sound level 64dB
- Wi-Fi + Bluetooth connectivity
- Dimensions: 84cm (H) / 59cm (W) / 61cm (D)
- Dryer type: Condenser
3. Hotpoint Freestanding H3D91B Black 9kg Condenser Dryer
With the 9kg capacity Hotpoint H3 D91B UK condenser dryer in an attractive black finish, you get optimised drying in style.
The Hotpoint condenser dryer has an easy-empty lint filter, a straightforward design that makes it simple to remove, empty, and clean, keeping your appliance in tip-top condition. It also has an optimal temperature thermostat, which saves energy when your clothes are dry and guards against exposure to high temperatures.
This, along with the drum’s unique wave pattern and lifters, keeps your clothes suspended in a cloud of air, where they may retain their shape, colour, and softness.
Clothes will remain soft, wrinkle-free, and odour-free with the ten-hour Crease Care option, which gently tumbles for as long as 10 after the drying cycle ends.
Hotpoint’s pre-iron cycle, a quick 20-minute cycle that effortlessly reduces creases in your laundry before ironing, is the perfect companion to the rapid cycle for increased convenience when you’re in a rush.
Hotpoint’s pre-iron cycle, a quick 20-minute cycle that effortlessly decreases wrinkles and folds in your laundry fabrics before ironing, is the perfect companion to the rapid cycle for increased convenience when you’re in a rush.
This Hotpoint dryer is a dependable addition to your home, designed to function regardless of the difficulty, thanks to the hygiene option’s ability to kill off up to 99% of bacteria in your laundry with an increase in temperature.
- Drying Capacity: 9kg
- Drum volume: 112L
- Energy Efficiency class: B
- Condensation efficiency: B
- Average sound level 66dB
- Wi-Fi + Bluetooth connectivity
- Dimensions: 85cm (H) / 59.5cm (W) / 61.0cm (D)
- Dryer type: Heat pump condenser Hybrid
How Condenser Dryers Work
Condenser tumble dryers use two distinct airflows to eliminate humidity. Inside the machine, ambient air is sucked in and heated and is then fed through damp clothing inside the drum, where the heat evaporates the wetness from the clothes.
This warm moist air is then blown through a metallic water condenser unit. And because the metal surface of the condenser unit is colder than the hot air being fed from the drum, the humidity condenses into water.
If you can imagine taking a cold bottle from the fridge in summer, you’ll notice when the cold bottle hits the hot air, water – or condensation – appears on the outside surface of the bottle.
Condenser tumble dryers work in a similar way, by mixing hot and cold to remove moisture, this is why condenser dryers work slightly better when the room is colder.
This warm humid air condenses into water and is either routed to the onboard water tank or – if the dryer is plumbed in – out through the drain hose.
Condensed water from most condenser dryers is collected in a removable tank and disposed of manually once the plastic tank is full. An alternative is to attach a drain-hose kit to the dryer so that the condensed water can go straight down the sink drain.
The user experience is virtually the same for both vented and condenser dryers – the only difference is how the appliance disposes of the evaporated moisture. The condenser dryer draws moisture from the garments and stores it away as condensed water, instead of blowing hot wet air out through a hose and external vent.
A condenser dryer effectively removes moisture from wet laundry, only releasing warm air and no humidity into the surrounding environment, as opposed to a traditional dryer, which pumps humid air back out.
Because there is no need to run a hose outside to vent a condenser dryer, it can be installed in any room. Flats and apartments don’t always have great ventilation, making condenser and heat pump tumble dryers the ideal choice for such conditions, as they do not require a vent.
Average Price for Condenser Dryer
Prices for condenser tumble dryers start at around £200 but can set you back over £500 at the high end. You typically find AEG, Bosch, Hoover, and Hotpoint to be the most expensive, with Beko, Candy, and Electra offering budget models.
The more premium models will have higher laundry load weight capacity, reliability, more features and better aesthetics.
Condenser Dryer Load Capacity
The amount of dry-weight clothing that can fit inside the drum of a tumble dryer is referred to as its capacity. There is a wide variety of capacities available, which is ideal whether you live alone, with your partner, or with a big family.
The most popular sizes are typically 7 kg to 9 kilogrammes, while smaller and larger variants can sometimes be found.
- 5kg – Individual or Couple
- 6kg – A couple
- 7kg – Small Family of 3
- 8kg – Medium Family of 3-4
- 9-10kg – Large Family of 4-5+
Sometimes, outcomes can be impacted by fully loading a dryer. Always fill the drum to 70% of the dryer’s maximum capacity for the greatest results.
More drying can be done at once if the capacity of the tumble dryer is higher. A complete costume, including pants, a top, underwear, and socks, weighs about one kilogramme.
Having a dryer that matches your washing machine’s capacity is quite convenient. Doing so will allow you to easily move the full load across the two machines.
Larger barrels typically aid in better hot air flow, reducing drying times and enhancing energy efficiency. Your clothing will not wrinkle as many thanks to the extra room in the drum because textiles can move around more easily.
When you need to replace your bedding, some versions can even carry a duvet. Although they are often slower and less energy-efficient, compact tumble dryers are nonetheless rather affordable. These are generally more suitable for a single person or someone on a limited budget.
Condenser Tumble Dryer Energy Ratings
The efficiency rating of a tumble dryer will let you know how energy-efficient the specific model is. Appliances are rated from A to G, and the higher the rating, the more you’ll save on energy costs. The most energy-efficient dryers will have a tumble dryer energy rating between A and C.
Tumble dryers have a notorious reputation as energy guzzlers, mainly because most households were equipped with vented tumble dryers before condensers and heat pumps came along.
Today, condenser dryers are far more energy efficient than vented, with programmes designed to optimise drying and internal systems to minimise power consumption.
Of course, they’re still on the “heavy side” of power usage compared to other home electrical appliances, but when used properly they should not be too much of a drain on the pocket.
- Heat Pump Tumble dryers – (mostly A+, A++, A+++ rated)
- Condenser tumble dryers – (mostly B rated)
- Vented tumble dryers – (mostly C rated)
As you can see, condenser tumble dryers are somewhere in the middle when it comes to energy efficiency. They aren’t as good as heat pumps at managing power consumption, but they’re better than vented types.
Related: 10kg Washing Machines Top List
Dryer Condensation efficiency class
This grade demonstrates how much moisture the dryer can condense without letting excess humid air escape during a dying cycle.
The amount of humidity that is condensed and gathered by the dryer is indicated by the condensation efficiency class. With a 95% condensation efficiency, only 5% of the moisture is released from the dryer.
You will find the condensation efficiency class of your condenser tumble dryer on the energy label. Ideally, you want a dryer that has an A or B class. A means that your dryer retains over 90% humidity, and B is between 80 – 90%.
A condenser dryer with a poor condensation efficiency class – D or higher – will cause a lot of excess humidity to build in your home, partially if not in a well-ventilated room. This excessive moisture can cause a lot of condensation around windows, and on walls, and could lead to mould growth.
Although condenser tumble dryers do not need to vent condensed water vapour from drying, they will still “leak” some humidity, so you should always operate them in a room with a slightly opened window, external door, or vent.
