If you suspect that the heating element in your tumble dryer is broken, the question of whether to repair it or replace the whole machine may have come to mind.
This is especially true if your tumble dryer is a number of years old.
After all, tumble dryer technology has moved on very quickly. There have been improvements to energy consumption, features that detect how wet your clothes are, and a great deal more in the latest tumble dryers.
So, should you replace the heating element in your tumble dryer if it is faulty rather than splash out on a brand-new swanky tumble dryer with all the features?
Well, as a new tumble dryer will probably cost at least £200, it can be a lot more cost effective to repair your old one.
Cost of Replacing the Heating Element in a Tumble Dryer Yourself
If you were to buy the heating element for your tumble dryer yourself and fit it yourself, you will likely be spending under £100.
Heating elements usually range from about £20 to £100, with some being a bit more expensive than this.
You’ll need to buy one that is compatible with your particular model of tumble dryer. With some models of dryer you can pick up a compatible heating element for as little as £20, but with others you’ll need to spend over £50.
Even if you need to buy a couple of tools (and the tools you need for the job are very basic, just a few screwdrivers and a set of spanners will get the job done), you can usually replace a heating element in a tumble dryer for under £100.
Cost of Getting a Professional to Replace the Heating Element
Even hiring a professional to change the heating element in your tumble dryer can make a lot of sense. Check A Trade states that the cost of an engineer replacing a tumble dryer heating element is around £92-£114 at the time of writing. That’s with the engineer supplying the heating element as well.
Is It Worth Replacing a Heating Element in a Tumble Dryer?
Unless you are extremely concerned with taking advantage of brand-new tumble dryer technology and the energy and money it could save you (for example by upgrading to a heat pump dryer), we’d say that it is certainly worth repairing your old tumble dryer.
After all, doing it yourself could cost less than £50, and even having a professional do it may cost less than £100.
Both of these options are much cheaper than buying a new tumble dryer with all the bells and whistles and modern energy-saving technology.
Unless your tumble dryer is getting on a bit (most tumble dryers last between 10-13 years), we’d recommend replacing the heating element.
Yes, newer tumble dryers have plenty of fancy features and energy saving tech, but you’ll need deep pockets to enjoy all of this tech.
Why not wait for a few years, save your money and wait for the tech to decrease in price?
Just remember to come back to In The Wash and check out our lists of the best tumble dryers in the UK when you do want to buy a new dryer!
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