[carahafner]

A question for those of you renting...

Do your rentals have an electrical outlet to plug in a dryer? If not, have you asked to have one put in before moving in?

I am horrified at the thought of line-drying clothes for a family of 4 :wah

Thanks in advance!

[IanW99]

A question for those of you renting...

Do your rentals have an electrical outlet to plug in a dryer? If not, have you asked to have one put in before moving in?

I am horrified at the thought of line-drying clothes for a family of 4 :wah

Thanks in advance!

Clothes dryers sold in NZ are rated at 10A so are safe to be plugged into any normal mains socket.

You would normally find the outlet at the washing machine has two sockets so the second one is used for the dryer.

Not sure why you should be horrified of the clothes line, certainly in Wellington you can get your clothes dryed very quickly outside and it doesn't cost you anything - apart from maybe some strong pegs.

Ian

[carahafner]

Not sure why you should be horrified of the clothes line, certainly in Wellington you can get your clothes dryed very quickly outside and it doesn't cost you anything - apart from maybe some strong pegs.

Ian

Good to know that dryers can be plugged into any normal socket. A special socket is needed here in the US.

As far as line drying clothes....again, laundry for a family of 4 (including two small children who get their clothes dirty very easily), the cold, damp houses in NZ, middle of winter weather conditions...all present challenges to doing laundry and drying said laundry. I have also read numerous posts from folks on the forum who hung items to dry only to find them damp days later. Thank you but I prefer to have a clothes dryer if at possible.

I also hate doing laundry so anything to make it easier is most welcome.

[Flutterby]

My future In Laws hang their clothes to dry in a little sheltered balcony out the back (similar to a conservatory but open at one end and made of plastic not glass) It works surprising well and even in the middle of winter when we visited they managed to get our clothes dry out there while we visited for a couple of days, anything that didn't dry out there dried pretty quickly in the cupboard where the hot water cylinder is kept.

Though i do understand your concern about not having a tumble dryer!

[IanW99]

...
As far as line drying clothes....again, laundry for a family of 4 (including two small children who get their clothes dirty very easily), the cold, damp houses in NZ, middle of winter weather conditions...all present challenges to doing laundry and drying said laundry. I have also read numerous posts from folks on the forum who hung items to dry only to find them damp days later. Thank you but I prefer to have a clothes dryer if at possible.
...


Well as long as you know that not all houses in NZ are cold and damp and even in the middle of winter you can still dry your clothes outside very easily on most days.

The only way that clothes hung out to dry in Wellington would be damp days later is if it rained in between - but it can be very humid in the north of the NI.

I wasn't saying you shouldn't have or use a clothes dryer (certainly we do), just that you should IMO try to hang washing outside as and when possible.

Ian

[carahafner]

No worries.

I love line-dried clothes but it is more of a summer phenomenon for us. The convenience of a clothes dryer holds a lot of appeal for us, a convenience that we are used to here in the US and one of the few that I would like to continue using when in NZ.

I am just glad that it does not require a special outlet or plug in order to use one. This must be due to the higher voltage of outlets in NZ vs the US?

[BkyMonster]

Yeah, we have a dryer that came with our rental but also have a line.
I try to use the line as much as possible though having weather dependent laundry days is interesting :D. Lately I've found it a bit damp and even all day outside doesn't get things all the way dry. Windy days are what you want around here.
If you get an airer and a dehumidifier you can do it inside easily as well. Well, you'll probably need a dehumidifier for the dryer as well as they don't vent the same as the US ones (ie they vent inside!)

[NikT]

This must be due to the higher voltage of outlets in NZ vs the US?

IIRC smaller appliances in the US are rated at 120V (single phase US), but higher current appliances such as A/C and clothes dryers are rated at 240V (2 or 3 phase US).
The 240V US sockets look the same as 120V, but bigger.

That's why certain US appliances (240V) can be used in NZ.
But always consult a Registered licenced sparky first.

Not had much to do with US systems.:nice1

Nick.:cheers

[Kanga]

Honestly it's very rare you'll need a dryer in NZ! You can line dry most of the year- I've never had one and have 2 kids, although I've thought more than once how neat it would be to have one here in OZ for winter because it RAINS so much!

There's wind and sun aplenty in NZ and even in winter the sunshine can be quite bright.

[BkyMonster]

The 240V US sockets look the same as 120V, but bigger.



Actually most US dryer (220v) sockets I've seen look totally different than the regular plug. Well, maybe the same but larger. Can't plug other things into them on accident, which is good as I'm sure people would :D.

[NikT]

Honestly it's very rare you'll need a dryer in NZ! You can line dry most of the year- I've never had one and have 2 kids, although I've thought more than once how neat it would be to have one here in OZ for winter because it RAINS so much!

There's wind and sun aplenty in NZ and even in winter the sunshine can be quite bright.

True.
We hardly use our dryer.:)

Nick.:cheers

[carahafner]

Well, you'll probably need a dehumidifier for the dryer as well as they don't vent the same as the US ones (ie they vent inside!)
__________________

I was wondering how dryers are vented. Thanks for that info.

Thank you for all of the responses. I will give line drying a try but I think I will have a dryer as a back-up too:)

[newarrival]

We brought our washing machine and dryer from Germany, and both work perfectly alright- we are in the 4th rental now!
I am used to dry underwear and towels in the dryer, as I found a household of six creates lots of small(ish) pieces which I hate to put on the cloth- line.

But even in Dunedin I used the cloth line most of the time, sometimes I had to finish drying inside on the airer, and definitely in Dunedin clothes get damp in the late afternoon during winter.:uhoh

[IanW99]

Well, you'll probably need a dehumidifier for the dryer as well as they don't vent the same as the US ones (ie they vent inside!)
__________________

I was wondering how dryers are vented. Thanks for that info.

Thank you for all of the responses. I will give line drying a try but I think I will have a dryer as a back-up too:)

If you can't vent the dryer outside then you can also get a condensing dryer that effectively dehumidifies the air without requiring the need to vent (or run a separate dehumidifier).

Ian

[benandclare]

Honestly it's very rare you'll need a dryer in NZ! You can line dry most of the year- I've never had one and have 2 kids, although I've thought more than once how neat it would be to have one here in OZ for winter because it RAINS so much!

There's wind and sun aplenty in NZ and even in winter the sunshine can be quite bright.

May well be true for NI but down here you'd struggle at times just relying on a cloths line

[BkyMonster]

May well be true for NI but down here you'd struggle at times just relying on a cloths line

:yes
It's fairly weather dependent here and not just sun, but how damp the air is and if there is enough wind. I have to plan out when I want to do laundry if I want to mainly rely on the line.
Sometimes I can get things dry with just the line, but other days even if I get things out in the morning they aren't dry by dark so I am glad we have access to a dryer.

[James 1077]

The landlords left us a dryer with the rental - I think we have used it once in the 15 months we've been here (for drying some towels)!

But then we have an undercover clothesline that gets the sun so can hang things out whatever the weather!

[Familyofmonkeys]

We line-dry all summer, but the moment the weather gets cooler and damper around early May it is impossible to get stuff properly dry......i've put stuff out at 8am and it's still been very damp at 6pm. Would be stuck without a dryer as we have a family of 5 and generate loads of mucky clothes so we have no choice but to do some washing everyday and use dryer to get it all turned around. I think it all comes down to the microclimate you live in, in terms of sunshine, wind and relative humidity......it could be completely different down the street.

[SarahEDH]

It's funny how you can get used to things. I didn't have a dryer in my first Wellington rental, then by the time I got to the second, I didn't care about using a dryer although there was one. I arrived in late fall / almost winter and found I could easily dry things on the deck. If they were a little damp, that was fine because they were mostly work clothes that needed ironing anyway. Maybe there wasn't much rain that fall ('07), but I didn't find the weather an obstacle. I know it must be more of a challenge when you're dealing with clothes for four people rather than one. Hope you find what works best --

[sweetpea]

We line-dry all summer, but the moment the weather gets cooler and damper around early May it is impossible to get stuff properly dry......i've put stuff out at 8am and it's still been very damp at 6pm. Would be stuck without a dryer as we have a family of 5 and generate loads of mucky clothes so we have no choice but to do some washing everyday and use dryer to get it all turned around. I think it all comes down to the microclimate you live in, in terms of sunshine, wind and relative humidity......it could be completely different down the street.


This has been our experience too (three people in our house). Line-drying is great when you can do it, but its impossible to keep up with dirty clothes in winter.

Many houses have airing cupboards, basically a built-in cabinet with slatted shelves that sits above the hot water heater. These you can use to dry off slightly damp clothes that last little bit.

Our utility room came with one plug, so we alternate using the washer and dryer. I don't think our landlord would be amenable to adding more capacity to the electrical system. Dryers are not a standard item among the low-budget rental crowd.

[Kanga]

May well be true for NI but down here you'd struggle at times just relying on a cloths line

But it's not cooler, damper and less sunny than Somerset or Herefordshire is it? I kind of thought the climate down there was sunnier than either and with considerably less rain. I could be wrong though, but always thought it was a misconception about SI weather being cold and damp.

That's not to say the desire to get one isn't there for me- it sure is!

[Sam B]

Family of 4 here who have never used a dryer. There are enough sunny, windy days here, and if there is a prolongued windy spell, I put the airer up in the living room where the wood burner is. I hate dryers, they take all the fibres off clothes and make them go all soft.Nz is a great place to dry clothes!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/brydons_2007/DSC_9083-1.jpg

(This really isn't what you wanted to know though, is it?)

[KatieBen]

When we went to look at our rental house, the owner had a load of laundry on the line. The steam rising off it as it dried in the winter sunshine was very easily visible (to the point that I had to ask my husband to check and make sure the plastic clothes pegs weren't catching fire!) and everything was almost dry by the time we'd looked around and signed on the line.

(In answer to your question, dryers here all run off normal electric sockets. We're bringing our dryer with us, putting a NZ socket on the end of the cable and hanging the vent hose out of a nearby window!)

[IanW99]

...
(In answer to your question, dryers here all run off normal electric sockets. We're bringing our dryer with us, putting a NZ socket on the end of the cable and hanging the vent hose out of a nearby window!)

For clothes dryers from the UK, you need to ensure that they don't take too much power. UK mains allows 13A but NZ only takes 10A Max (unless you have a socket wired to take the additional load).

Some allow this to be configured, so worth checking the manual.

Ian

[chocolate cake]

May well be true for NI but down here you'd struggle at times just relying on a cloths line


Agree it's barely practical through the 4 winter months to line dry clothes unless you don't work and have the time to hang 'em out and bring them in when it rains (often!).

Certainly when I've left them out even on a dry day by the time I get home when the sun's set they've gone and cold damp, and if it rains they're much wetter than when they came out of the washing machine and nver dry without another spin. Never had such problems in the UK, I just used to hang 'em up inside or over the radiators - and never any probs with condensation either.

[ljrobin]

In Christchurch it seems we have a wind on most days which helps with drying. Summer is the time when I have used the outside line. On occasion so far this autumn(we haven't been through a winter here yet) I have hung the clothes out on a sunny day, with some wind and they have dried. We are a family of 4, also with 2 children. With the girls in school uniforms that does cut down on the amount of laundry somewhat, but then they have their soccer gear to wash, so guess it's about equal. Anyhow, I find that using drying racks (have 3) inside works well. Usually, if I wash a load in the evening by morning things are dry. You may also find that using the dryer may increase your power bill. Our last 2 power bills have been nearly $400.

[Kanga]

Anyhow, I find that using drying racks (have 3) inside works well. Usually, if I wash a load in the evening by morning things are dry. You may also find that using the dryer may increase your power bill. Our last 2 power bills have been nearly $400.

That's what we've always done. Was better in NZ as we had a fire to put it against over night but even now with no heating (and no real need) we just use racks and a dehumidifier when the weather's poor and then when it looks good I hang out on the line in the morning and bring it in when the sun goes down or at night to finish off on the racks overnight. If it's rained by day I just re-spin and hang on racks. Either way washing gets dry fine but does back up when we've had days and days of rain as I can only do a load every 1-2 days this way. It's the power bill (and useage) that really puts me off a dryer.

I think this has nothing to do with whether I work outside the home or not- I still don't have the time (or inclination) to be dodging in and out, picking in and hanging out washing all day; I'm too busy making coffee for housework :D

[dilanium]

You can find driers to vent outside- the question is more whether your rental has a place for the dryer hose to go.

Not that I have a dryer, but it's only the three of us (and two animals, but they don't wear a lot of clothing). We have two airers and a dehumidifier for the winter (only time we use the dehumidifier really). We just put the airer and dehumidifier in which ever room we are in so that it dries faster because of the heat we're using.

I dream of having a drier at times, but really it just takes a little planning ahead for us (and owning a few extra pairs of pants so you have some to wear while the others are drying :) )