Heat Pump or not Heat Pump (Dryer)

spackbace on 01/05/2025 - 16:07
Last edited 01/05/2025 - 16:50 by 1 other user

So my old dryer needs upgrading coming into Winter coz it's just a basic one with no sensor etc, but I'm torn between buying a decent sensor dryer, or a heat pump, mainly due to some of the negatives I've read on here about the heat pump dryers.

So, looking for advice and feedback from those who have made the switch to heat pump, how do you find them? In particular, I've heard of them taking far longer and not fully drying. Yes, I know they save on electricity, but I don't want something that takes 3+ hours to dry.

Thanks!

Electrical & Electronics Clothes Dryer Heat Pump Dryer

Comments

  • ECE on 01/05/2025 - 16:09
    +74

    Heat pump

  • tenpercent on 01/05/2025 - 16:14
    +13

    I've heard of them taking far longer and not fully drying

    Correct. A clothesline is more effective most days of the year.

    • colin5000 on 02/05/2025 - 18:27
      +2

      Depends on where you live!

      • marshmall0w2 on 03/05/2025 - 07:25
        +5

        In Victoria, I just hang dry my clothes. Dries in 1 day and smells way better air dried

        • Chazzozz on 03/05/2025 - 08:15
          +13

          In my area of Tassie any time after April it takes three days to dry on the clothesline and gets a light wood smoke aroma from all the fireplaces people use. 😕

          We switched to a heat pump from a traditional hot air w/ sensor about 3 years ago. Yes, it took some time to adjust to the length of drying times but as well as the savings in electricity usage we found a few other benefits:

          • It’s gentler on clothes and leads to less shrinkage. The hot air dryer was notorious for always causing socks to drop a size or two.
          • No steam or condensation! All moisture is trapped in the reservoir so we don’t see a buildup of mould anywhere.
          • Fresher aroma. I personally find things don’t come out with a sour smell on them as long as they’re not left sitting for hours when done.

          No dryer will ever get things 100% dry unless you leave clothes till they’re literally crispy and hard, but that’s not good for the fabric. We still have to hang the odd item out (jeans, heavy fleece jumpers, etc) on a clothes horse to air dry the depths of seams, however it’s far less often than when we had the old dryer.

          • tazmaniak on 06/05/2025 - 18:56

            @Chazzozz: Yep, getting a heat pump dryer for us in Tassie was an absolute game changer after previously relying on a clothes airer and a dehumidier.
            Cheap to run, fast and pretty gentle on clothes

            • here for deals on 14/05/2025 - 16:26

              @tazmaniak: Gentle on clothes is what I noticed too.
              But I don't think they are quick.

        • Pidapipo on 03/05/2025 - 09:42
          -1

          I have tried both in VIC. If your laundry smells bad from the dryer it’s time to clean the filter (mine also did until I cleaned it). I have also found that air dried laundry dry hard and they feel stiff after drying. Can only achieve the warm fluffy, soft feeling by the dryer.

          • marshmall0w2 on 03/05/2025 - 09:58
            +4

            @Pidapipo: Sure, but even general research agrees air-drying is a tried and tested way to dry and neutralise odour. It is also extremely energy efficient and good for the environment… and my wallet.

    • caitsith01 on 05/05/2025 - 17:25

      They do take a while but mine certainly fully dries (Bosch Serie something). You have to keep the moisture sensor clean, clean the filter and use an appropriate mode.

  • WoodYouLikeSomeCash on 01/05/2025 - 16:18
    +20

    Got a heat pump dryer, it is way better than the old non-heat pump.

    • iDroid on 04/05/2025 - 19:42
      +1

      Can you detail how it's better (honest question).

      • ThadtheChad on 05/05/2025 - 17:04
        +3
        • Gentler on the clothes as temps are lower, even on the "bone dry" setting. It has a huge impact on fabric pilling, wear and shrinkage.
        • Substantially lower running costs in terms of electricity - I believe it was almost 50% less.
        • You don't need "venting" to be installed or have to clean up a fkload of lint from the vents as is typical of normal dryers (apparently clogged vents and high heat from * dryers are a deadly combination as they cause house fires).
        • Generally due to lower heat production, they tend to have lesser wear and tear.

        We've been using a Bosch Series 8 heat pump dryer for a few years now, absolutely love it to bits.

        • caitsith01 on 05/05/2025 - 17:26
          +3

          Agree with all of this, I have the same dryer I think and it's awesome. Uses so little power that looking at my solar system app I can't even tell if it's running.

  • SBOB on 01/05/2025 - 16:31
    +4

    Went from a broken old normal dryer to an Esatto one a few months ago. No complaints, takes a little longer but no issues with not drying properly. We only use it as a backup to clothesline drying, so it's not an everyday used item

    For ~$500 shipped and old broken one away wasn't much more than a non heat pump version anyway.

    • knasty on 02/05/2025 - 13:50
      +1

      I have the same esatto but still have old working tumble dryer. We use esatto heat pump for everything, takes longer but lower power and gentler on the clothes. Only thing the old dryer gets used for is a quick fluff of towels etc if they are slightly damp.

      • Jackson on 04/05/2025 - 14:50

        Didn't know towels needed fluffing

    • TH4K on 02/05/2025 - 22:15

      I got Esatto about 2 years ago, works good but my only complain is it accumulates water at the base where the heatsink is and I'm not sure why. I'm suspecting we didn't do the pipe drainage correctly but not fully sure.

    • Kegsta on 03/05/2025 - 07:58

      Also using the ozbargain favourite 8kg Esetto.

      Since getting it and solar we haven't bothered to hang out any washing at all. So cheap to run and does a fantastic job and towels are super soft.

      Much better lint filter also than my old dryer.
      No stream is also much more convenient as I don't need to open the laundry door.
      It struggles when overloaded with bedding but that's pretty normal I think.

      I guess the only thing that could be a concern is system life. With each cycle taking double the time, that's more wear and tear on the bearings and more points of failure with the heart pump I wouldn't expect a 20 year lifetime out of one of these like you get some old vented ones.

      For this reason if stay away from the $2000 branded ones.

      • Jackson on 04/05/2025 - 14:51

        I prefer scratchy towels

  • skid on 01/05/2025 - 16:35
    +1

    Have you got a link to a sensor dryer? I thought heat pump dryers were better than a sensor dryer in every way except upfront cost.

    • sareth on 02/05/2025 - 10:55

      …and reliability, and weight, and wall mountability

  • JimB on 01/05/2025 - 16:35

    I have a condensor dryer, however, today, if I was going to buy a new dryer, I'd get a cheap heat pump dryer. I wouldn't use it everyday.

  • StonedWizard on 01/05/2025 - 16:35
    +14

    Bought the Esatto heat pump dryer 5 years ago and I’d happily buy another one. There is no way I could go back to a vented dryer.

    Not having to worry about excess moisture during winter or high energy bills makes them a worthwhile purchase.

    Down side is that it does take longer to dry clothing, since it doesn’t nuke your clothing.

    • SlickMick on 02/05/2025 - 11:59
      +3

      Down side is that it does take longer to dry clothing, since it doesn’t nuke your clothing

      Even the downside is actually an upside (not nuking clothes).

      Actually, taking longer isn't a downside anyway. No one complains that the clothesline takes all day to dry clothes. Do people stand in the laundry waiting for a dryer to finish?

      • StonedWizard on 02/05/2025 - 12:15

        @SlickMick - Completely agree, important to correctly size your machine, or you're going to struggle.

      • Bren20 on 02/05/2025 - 13:11

        I have a heat pump and wouldn't go back, but the length of time is annoying when you're trying to do 2-3 loads and use the solar power.

        • SlickMick on 02/05/2025 - 14:14
          +1

          Yeah fair enough, that's a big workload

        • jwh on 02/05/2025 - 18:12

          I suppose you could buy two, get it done in double time.

  • barge-in hunter on 01/05/2025 - 16:38
    +13

    We bought a Bosch heat pump drier and couldn't go back.

    Simply put - we barely used our old one because it used so much electricity. We now use the new one all the time as it's so efficient and seems to be much more gentle on the clothes.

    Edit: also no problems so far. We read reviews that said "it never quite dries the clothes" so just put it on the 'extra dry' setting and it's fine everytime.

    • beltdrive on 01/05/2025 - 16:49
      +1

      "it never quite dries the clothes" so just put it on the 'extra dry'

      i've always been worried about extra dry shrinking our clothes, but I'll have to try it next time

      • spaceflight on 02/05/2025 - 15:59
        +3

        Extra dry will just keep going until there's less humidity coming off the clothes. It won't be harsher

    • sponson on 02/05/2025 - 20:56
      +1

      I have a Bosch, it's one of the Gen1 "self-cleaning condensor" ones, which turns out to be not-so-self-cleaning. The performance kept going down and down so I googled the issue and it seems that their self-cleaning system isn't as good as they thought. Fortunately I found a great youtube video which showed how to cut an access panel, deep clean the condensor, and fit a new replaceable service panel. I believe the Gen2 ones have a removable panel from the factory, and Gen3 ones now have an easily removable cleanable pre-filter.

      Still, good machine, dries just fine, uses (profanity)-all energy.

    • gentlekoala5906 on 03/05/2025 - 09:50
      +1

      Agreed bro, I have it on +3 cupboard dry and everything comes out dried.

    • ThadtheChad on 05/05/2025 - 17:08
      +1

      We preference using the dryer (also Bosch) vs using the clothesline. The energy consumption is sweet -FA (we mostly run loads during the day on solar) and its been really gentle on clothes.

      The only things we line-dry now are silks, natural woolen fabrics, raw selvedge (when it gets washed) and sportswear.

  • Munkeyalan on 01/05/2025 - 16:42

    We're in a similar situation - old vented dryer dying and considering a heat pump. We only use it as a backup in bad weather but that's pretty frequently this time of year.

    In addition to the cost, a drawback for me is that they can't be wall mounted, which means room for one less item in our small laundry.

    We tend to dry things on low heat because I'm paranoid about shrinkage, so I doubt a heat pump would be any slower.

    • StonedWizard on 02/05/2025 - 12:20

      @Munkeyalan - Assuming you have the space, mines mounted directly on top of my washing machine and I haven’t found any clothing shrinkage. But that is more a fabric issue than a dryer problem.

      There is a warm air setting my partner uses, as they’re also worried about shrinkage.

      You can buy the Esatto version between $500 - $700, when they’re on sale.

    • spaceflight on 02/05/2025 - 16:00
      +1

      a drawback for me is that they can't be wall mounted

      They can be, you just need to make it work

  • coxjon on 01/05/2025 - 17:06
    +1

    We love ours: no more fluff gathering in the laundry and the door doesn’t swell up in winter with moisture and jam on the frame

  • payless69 on 01/05/2025 - 17:12
    +2

    Depends where it is located: Inside: Heat pump!
    Else your place will suffer from moisture.

  • Aureus on 01/05/2025 - 17:19
    +5

    I have a LG heatpump that I won using the competition section of ozbargain.

    It dries cloths cheaply. No reason to buy anything but a heat-pump these days.

  • heineken016 on 01/05/2025 - 17:33
    +1

    Heat pump 100% for the reasons above. Love mine and it's a cheapie

  • GordonD on 01/05/2025 - 17:38
    +4

    I dry my clothes using free solar energy.

    • Dreamcast on 02/05/2025 - 18:25
      +4

      I just buy new clothes

      • WhyAmICommenting on 03/05/2025 - 06:28
        +1

        I buy and sell whole countries so I can around with no clothes on.

    • WhyThingsCostMoney on 03/05/2025 - 19:55

      I’m glad you felt compelled to add such an insightful comment this thread. Why doesn’t everyone on the planet simply dry their clothes with free solar energy? Shouldn’t matter where you live. They must be dumb, unlike you.

    • 2025 on 04/05/2025 - 00:16
      +1

      Heat pump + PV?

  • kawinuyo on 01/05/2025 - 18:15
    +1

    When we were in a rental, there was poor ventilation in the laundry room and the moisture caused mould on thr ceiling which we noticed late because we didnt look up… And are short. Hence we went with the heat pump for our own place because again its in a location where there isnt great ventilation. Would not go back to vented ever. In terms of feeling like they arent completely dry it happens sometimes but you can put it on the timer instead of sensor and just give it a little more time.

  • JIMB0 on 01/05/2025 - 18:53
    +2

    I put mine on a clothes horse out in the sun. I have a conventional dryer from hard rubbish as a backup.

  • bmxr on 01/05/2025 - 19:02
    +3

    Heat pump. Ours is installed in the hallway closet (manhattan laundry) with no ventilation. No problems with moisture at all, it's cheap to run. It was cheap to buy (Seiki). It takes maybe 30% longer than a conventional dryer to run and clothes come out feeling damp, but they are actually dry, it's just the humidity within the machine making it feel damp.

  • blooue on 01/05/2025 - 19:20
    +1

    We replaced our broken Bosch heat pump dryer with an Esatto few weeks ago. While we absolutely love the Esatto for drying our clothes quicker and not feeling damp, the noise is somewhat unbearable. It puts out a constant high pitch sound which gradually gets louder in the first few minutes of starting a load and remains fairly loud throughout, to the point it gets annoying.

    Not sure if we got a lemon but we had the technician out to check yesterday and he said it's normal and the sound comes from the compressor. Wonder if anyone with the Esatto have the same experience?

  • reflexline on 01/05/2025 - 21:17
    +2

    What about a dehumidifier? While you have to hang clothes on an airer, they driy fast, it uses 2-300W of power and doesn't shrink clothes like a dryer.

    • onetwothreefour on 02/05/2025 - 07:06

      I do this but wouldn't say it was fast, takes most of the day to dry

      • reflexline on 02/05/2025 - 07:27
        +1

        I guess it depends on the size of the room. I use mine in a small (4sqm) laundry room and it takes half a day to dry.

    • sareth on 02/05/2025 - 10:57
      +3

      This is just a less efficient condenser clothes dryer.

      • reflexline on 02/05/2025 - 18:26

        Yes, but it doesn't shrink clothes like a dryer.

  • outlander on 01/05/2025 - 21:32
    -4

    I just picked up a heat pump dryer off the side of the road. It had a broken belt which was easy enough to fix, and I've been playing around with it a bit.

    In essence I think if you put your clothes straight from the washer to the dryer, then a heatpump makes a lot of sense, especially if you have it inside so the waste heat heats the building. But if you partially dry clothes outside, and just need a dryer to finish them off, then it's probably more trouble than its worth.

    All that constant tumbling is likely to wear out the clothes faster. Then again, the heat produced is a lower grade, so that should be gentler. Maybe as far as wear is concerned it cancels out

  • onetwothreefour on 02/05/2025 - 07:40

    I thought it never rains in Perth? Just hang it up outside :)

  • ukulele on 02/05/2025 - 07:41

    are heatpumps wall mountable?

    • Whatisthatvelvet on 04/05/2025 - 16:50

      I was looking at the same thing. A quick Google says the Esatto 8kg heat pump weighs 41kgs. That's lot of weight to hang from a wall without adding extra support.

  • dust on 02/05/2025 - 09:27

    Heat pump is good. If it's not fully dry yet just take out the stuff that is dry and run it again.

  • dan2k on 02/05/2025 - 09:54
    +1

    https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleani…
    https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleani…

    These articles answer a lot of OPs questions..

    I think like most efficient appliances they are expensive to buy and cheap to run. The financial tradeoff is dependent how many times a week you use it over its life.
    Secondary Issues are the time it takes to complete a load, and the amount of moisture released into the room compared to traditional tumble dryers. (and perhaps its weight preventing wall-mounting so it takes up more space)

  • LFO on 02/05/2025 - 10:13

    We got a Bosh one and was a bad experience.

    Yes it did take longer to dry and never felt dry-dry as with the monster, power-hungry, heat-producing, vented tumble-dryer.

    But the worst part was a repugnant stench of stagnated water after a few months of use.
    Got replaced by another one that developed the same stench after some months.

    Maintenance was done as per the book but there was a design issue.
    When the repair men took it away and tilted it quite some water, stenchy stagnated water, poured out of the dryer. A design fault on a factory sealed section where the condenser is.
    Got a full refund after the second one, the replacement one.

    Ended up with a Fisher and Paykel.

    • sponson on 02/05/2025 - 21:00
      +1

      I have one of these - I commented elsewhere but I think Bosch failed on that design. It is possible to service them and get all the gunk out. Although it's 'factory sealed' it's possible to cut an access panel, clean the gubbins, and fit a removable panel back over the top. Then they revised it to have an access panel. Then further revised it to have an easily removable pre-filter cartridge.

      It's particularly bad if you have pets, the pet hair gums it up real bad. But looking at the revised versions with pre filter I think those shouldn't have any more issues.

  • Rosered on 02/05/2025 - 10:22

    We purchased an Electrolux heat pump dryer EDH903R9WB and are very happy with it. It does take longer than our old tumble dryer, but is cheaper to run. Sheets don’t get rolled into a ball like with some dryers. Heat pump dryers cannot be wall mounted because they are too heavy. They can be stacked onto a front loader washer with a stacking kit. We put ours in the garage.
    In SA we were able to get a rebate of $479 from YESS.net.au for purchasing an energy efficient heat pump dryer.

  • tangy on 02/05/2025 - 11:45

    i went from a vented to heat pump dryer and would recommend it. It does take 2.5- 3 hours to fully dry heavy cottons but I mostly set and walk away so no big deal. The big benefit is that it doesnt produce any moisture when in use unlike the vented ones which is a game changer for me.

  • SanguinarySeraph on 02/05/2025 - 12:19

    Heat pump is the way to go.

    Will take longer than a vented dryer, but typically 2hrs or less is probably reasonable. They are massively cheaper to run by comparison, and they're also much less harsh on clothes. Typically the default drying settings (on any type of sensor dryer) will leave the clothes just shy of fully dry/or just barely dry, which is much better for the fabric and minimises shrinkage, however you can force them to dry for longer if that's your preference.

    Avoid condenser dryers.

  • browser on 02/05/2025 - 12:25

    The primary benefit of a heat pump dryer is energy efficiency, but it is some what offset by initial cost, though there are cheap ones on the market. Efficiency decreases in low temperatures, i.e. winter in the garage.

    The secondary benefit is gentler on clothes, due to lower heat used to dry, but takes longer time.

    If you want to put it in an enclosed area, i.e. cupboard, then go for a heat pump dryer, it doesn't require ventilation. But you need a drain for water or manually empty the container.

    Heat pump driers are very heavy, require special stacking kit, when stacked the buttons are on top, they can't flip like vented dryers. They are not wall mountable, mostly not but may have exceptions. All these are non-issue if you are going to put it side by side with the washer.

    For occasional use, would just go with a vented dryer, such as Electrolux 6kg for around $400.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 02/05/2025 - 13:28
    +1

    I had a standard heater dryer for years and recently changed to a heat pump dryer, initially because of having no external venting in a new house. However wow, it is Fantastic. 1/4 of the power consumption, no venting needed (although the utility room does warm up due to some heat escape). Drying is possibly a bit slower, best not to over fill. Uses about 500w.

  • Powershopz on 02/05/2025 - 14:10

    Bought a cheap Haier Heat Pump Dryer off here about 18 months ago.

    Uses bugger all electricity. Takes longer to heat up initially or get going if stuff is soaking wet but this is also a pro as I find it works better on delicate clothes. I'm at the stage where I chuck almost any clothes in it and use it on the delicate/baby clothes cycle and it hasn't ruined anything. Very handy in cold/rainy Melbourne winters.

    Best use is to batch wash stuff and run back to back cycles. It retains the heat and dry's faster. Do like 3-4 loads of bedding/towels all on the same day and have the dryer running constantly for 6 hours.

  • Dominus on 02/05/2025 - 14:15

    My Esatto heat pump will be 7 years old in July and has been one of the best appliance upgrades I've ever bought personally. Granted only 2-3 loads a week (depending on the weather) for my household but it's been worth every cent. Much cheaper to run, no moisture or heat release, and while it can be slower if you overload it's not a huge deal unless you need to smash through multiple loads of washing in short order.

  • TightAl on 02/05/2025 - 14:49

    For all the Heatpump owners, does Heat Pump dryers ruin clothes?

    • dankru on 02/05/2025 - 18:47
      +1

      I have not noticed anything except for prints that I shouldn’t have put in there in the first place

    • grr1701 on 03/05/2025 - 13:39
      +2

      No!

    • OzzyOzbourne on 04/05/2025 - 00:49
      +1

      No

    • caitsith01 on 05/05/2025 - 17:28

      It's vastly better than a regular dryer. It will affect elastic over time (boxer shorts etc) but nothing like a normal dryer will. Clothes come out warm, not hot like a normal dryer. Also much gentler on prints etc.

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