This is a Dry Topic

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Samsung European dryer
A dryer is a dryer. Or is it? That is the question. I thought there was an obvious answer to that question until we moved into our flat here in Riga. The first time I attempted to dry clothes the machine ran for hours and the clothes were warm, but far from dry.


I was fortunate enough to discover that the direction book on top of the dryer had an English section which I poured over trying to figure out the problem. After reading the problem solving page, I figured out the answer to the question above. All dryers are not created equal.


Location of the tank
I haven't had too much experience with dryers in Europe (drying racks are the norm) -- in fact this is only the second time I've used one, but this dryer was definitely not my typical experience with these machines. This is a ventless dryer. Instead of blowing the moist air out of the vent to the outside, this dryer somehow collects all the moisture from the clothes into a tank. I picture it to be something like an de-humidifier that takes the moisture out of the air, but I'm not sure how they work.


Removing the tank

 The problem with this is that the tank must be emptied after each load, or the clothes won't dry at all. That's what happened the first time I used it. The person who previously used the dryer forgot to empty out the tank. It's not hard at all to do, but the problem is that I have to remember to do it after every dryer load.
Hole where tank is emptied



This type of machine is popular in Europe because so many of the apartments are small and don't have access to an outside wall for the dryer vent. That means these ventless dryers can be installed and used anywhere, but the tank has to be emptied.


Thankfully, the owner of the building installed a small sink in the basement laundry area so I can empty the tank easily. I was surprised by the amount of water that the tank collects from only one load. The tank is always half full after the load is dry.

Emptying the tank


So, now I make sure to check the tank before I start my load of drying. I don't want to waste the entire time and still have wet clothes after the three hours that it takes to dry.


Yes, my dryer programs the clothes to dry for that long whenever I turn it on. Maybe that's because every 30 seconds, the machine stops completely and reverses the direction that it it spinning. I still don't understand the reasoning behind that part of the machine.

It's a mystery...

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