There's a Rat in the Kitchen what am I gonna do (Creda Advance Condenser Tumble Dryer)

Member Name: Mick-Gray

Product:	Creda Advance Condenser Tumble Dryer
Date:	31/05/01 (5005 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No holes in the wall, Easy filter cleaning , Good service arrangements

Disadvantages: BNone that I have found.

So what has a song title by UB40 got to do with a tumble dryer? Well the sequence of events that led up to buying the Creda advance condenser tumble dryer will forever remind me of this song.

To begin at the beginning.

We were on our third tumble dryer, these had all been Hoover’s which I suppose is not bad for 30 years we had never had much trouble with the machines and were quite happy until something peculiar started to happen, which at first seemed totally unrelated to the Tumble dryer.

One morning I went into the kitchen to see both the cat and dog sitting staring at the cupboard under the sink, on examination to my horror I could see signs of rodent activity. Rubbish and food scraps had been dragged from the waste bin, which was fitted, to the door under sink so that the lid opened automatically when the cupboard door was opened. I could not understand how (what we were to find out was a Rat) had got into the kitchen. We had solid floors and there was no means of access that I could see anywhere through the walls. At first we thought that maybe the cat had brought it in and it had escaped, as we have a railway embankment at the bottom of our garden we are prone to wildlife of all sorts getting into the garden but we had never had problems in the house. After this had happened a couple of mornings running we had to pull the washing machine and dryer out from under the worktop to try and find out how it was getting in.

That was when we saw the evidence the large plastic vent hose from the tumble dryer which went through the wall to the outside had a couple of large holes chewed in it. But the hose exit outside was covered with a metal grill so we still did not understand how it was getting in. We noticed a vent tile on the outside wall with enough access but this did not come right through the wall and only went into the cavity. Clever Mr Rat had been going through this into the cavity of the wall, it had climbed someho
w inside the cavity to the plastic vent hose chewed though it and got inside the vent hose, it had then proceeded to chew its way back out again once beyond the wall and into the kitchen behind the units. We blocked up the vent tile and the problem stopped.

A couple of weeks ago the tumble dryer packed up completely and a new one was needed. I had been told that I should not have blocked the outside vent as this was there to allow air to circulate and help stop damp. I had seen advertisements for condenser dryers that did not need vent hoses and so off we went to have a look.

We decided we liked the look of the Creda Advance and took it away with us. The machine was very light and easy to handle and because it needed no venting there was not the usual problem of connecting up the rear vent hose whilst laying under the work top. It was a simple matter of plugging it in and away it went. The model we chose has a 13lb (6 Kilo) load capability but there is an 11 lb version, which is a bit cheaper. The time setting is very straightforward and it has a 10-minute cooling cycle at the end of the programme so as to avoid creasing. It has a high heat setting for cottons and a low heat setting for synthetics and acrylics, and an audible buzzer that sounds when the programme is finished (this can be switched off if not required.)
The filter is in an extremely good position for access as it is mounted on the inside of the door, All that needs to be done is lift it out and brush it off into a bin and replace it back into its slot.

The water bottle into which the moisture condenses is situated at the bottom of the machine at the front and simply pulls out. It is a simple matter to empty it into the sink and then slide back into position. The frequency that the bottle needs emptying is of course dependant on the spin speed of your washing machine the less moisture left in the clothes after a wash the less frequent the bottle will need emptying. The
manual that comes with the book recommends that it is done after each wash load but we have done quite a number of loads to date and have not had to empty it yet. There is a warning light that comes on when the bottle is getting full anyway. So you don’t have to worry unduly about it. There is also a warning light that comes on when the filter needs cleaning. The only other check that needs to be done is once a month slide out the condenser unit which is conveniently placed at the front of the machine inside the front door and just wash through the grills under the tap to remove any build up of dust or fluff.

The Creda tumble dryer comes with a standard 12 months full parts and labour guarantee and service and repairs are carried out by there own teams of engineers.

The service Department is manned 7 days a week should you need to call and if called before 10 am will try to attend the same day. If not by the next working day Monday – Friday. They say that they can be flexible with their appointment times and can avoid special times of the day such as school opening and closing times if requested. Should you be short of floor space the manufacturers offer a stacking kit, which enables the dryer to be fitted on top of the washing machine.

We have only been using the machine for a couple of weeks at the moment but so far have found it to be a good machine that has been designed for ease of use. It is much quieter than our previous dryer and has come up to all our expectations. And its british made

What’s more we have now been able to block up the vent hole in the wall so we will no longer be getting any unwanted visitors no matter how clever they are.

Mick Gray

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