John Lewis JLDV02

...Basics

The John Lewis JLDV02 is a vented tumble dryer. This means that the exhaust gases leave the machine via a tube which should be connected to an outside wall or window. The machine is white and it does not contain a glass door. The door is square/oblong but the hole to the inside is circular. The door contains one of the fluff filters, the other being at the bottom of the opening. The machine has a digital display and a dial is ...
...is available for £279 from John Lewis and has free delivery. The JLDV08 has a maximum load of 7 kg which is 1 kg more than my model. Like my model it is also a Which? best buy. If you are looking for a vented tumble dryer then I can completely recommend this one from John Lewis.


Technical Specifications

Dimension (h x w x d): 85cm x 60 cm x 58 cm
Max Load: Cotton & Linen 6 kg, Synthetics 3 kg
Drum ... more

Two years ago we decide to buy our first tumble dryer. As usual when looking for new electronic or household appliances I looked to Which? to see what was the best machine to buy. Which? said that this model had accurate automatic drying programs and was one of the quickest machines they had tested and it was a best buy. That was good enough for us so we went ahead and bought it. It cost us £249 and was delivered free.

The Basics

The John Lewis JLDV02 is a vented tumble dryer. This means that the exhaust gases leave the machine via a tube which should be connected to an outside wall or window. The machine is white and it does not contain a glass door. The door is square/oblong but the hole to the inside is circular. The door contains one of the fluff filters, the other being at the bottom of the opening. The machine has a digital display and a dial is used to select the desired program. The machine has a sensor to detect how much moisture is left in the laundry and adjusts drying times accordingly.

Positioning

There is no room in our kitchen for a tumble dryer and space in the rest of the house is at a premium. The only place for it to go was in the garage, and as vented models tend to be cheaper than condenser models we decided to get a vented model. Plus there was already a pre cut hole in the wall for the exhaust pipe. This did mean however that we had to tidy and clean an area of the garage. The dryer must be located in a clean place with plenty of space for air to circulate freely around it. The air intake grills are on the rear of the dryer and must not be obstructed. The dryer must also be level on a hard, flat, heat resistant surface. It has adjustable feet, and with the aid of a spirit level is easy to get perfectly level.

The dryer has a choice of 3 positions for the outlet vent, so you can pick the best one for you depending upon the position of the dryer to the outside wall. There is one hole at the rear of the machine in the middle near the ground and two more on the left and right hand sides. Special covers are provided to seal the unused holes. The machine cannot be located more than two meters from the outside wall, which should be plenty of space for most people. It is also possible to stack the machine on top of a washing machine with the stacking kit. The door to the dryer can be reversed so that is opens the other way, but this needs to be done by a specialist. The opening to the machine is rather large and this makes getting laundry in and out a piece of cake.

Control Panel

The control panel is located on the front of the machine above the door. It consists of a dial, six buttons and their corresponding lights, four LED indicators and a digital display.

All the buttons are easy to use and pretty easy to work out what they do from their name, which is useful so you don't need to refer to the instruction manual everytime you want to use them. All the buttons have a light above them to indicate if they have been selected.

The first button from the left is the door release button. This button only works when the machine is on. The normal way of opening the door is to push the door on the opposite side to the hinge, where the sticker is. This releases the catch and the door swings open.

The second button is the alarm off button. By pressing this button it stops the machine from beeping, and the light above the button comes on. The machine beeps when selecting a program, pressing any buttons, at the end of the cycle etc, so if you don't want it to beep for whatever reason simply press this button.

The third button along is the quick dry button. Kind of does what is says really, by pressing this the drying time is reduced. This only works on 3 of the cotton programs: extra dry, cupboard dry and store dry. The quick dry function cannot be used in conjunction with the half power function, unsurprisingly.

The fourth button is the half power button. By pressing this drying is performed at a lower temperature and therefore takes longer. Useful for drying delicate items or those that need a lower temperature. Can't be used with the quick dry function or with the delicate program.

The fifth button along is the delay start button. As you would expect from its name this button allows you to put the tumble dryer on a timer and delay the start of the program for up to 12 hours. Useful is you are going out and don't want the dry clothes sitting in the machine at the end of the cycle for ages. To use this function, having selected the program you want first, press the button until you get to the desired delay shown on the digital display and then press the start button. Each time you press the button the time is increased by 30 minutes until you get to 2 hours, and then each press increases the time by 1 hour. After 2 seconds the display reverts back to the program time. The delayed start can be changed or cancelled only by turning the machine off and starting again. Whilst in countdown you can still add more washing to the dryer by opening the door, but you need to press the start button again when you have finished to resume the countdown.

The final button is the start/pause button. Unlike the 5 other buttons this one is on its own to the right of them. After selecting the program and functions you want press this button to start the machine. The light above this button flashes before you press it to remind to that you need to press it to start the machine.

Above the buttons is the digital display. This was one of the deciding factors in getting this machine above any other dryer. Our washing machine has a similar display and I find it very useful so I wanted the same thing on the tumble dryer. The display shows how long the program has left. So no more guessing when the machine will finish. The duration is calculated automatically using the sensors and is updated every 5 minutes. When you first select a program the duration shown is based upon the maximum load for that degree of drying. The actual duration tends to be less and about 5 minute after the machine has started a more accurate duration is shown. The display is also used for selecting a delayed start.

To the right of the digital display are 4 indicator lights. Three of these indicated what stage of the drying process the machine is in: drying, cooling or end. The fourth light is the filter light and illuminates to remind you to empty the filters at the end of the program.

Programs

On the right side of the control panel is the program selector dial. Simply turn the dial to select the required program.

There are two sorts of programs available: electronically controlled drying (automatic) and time controlled drying. The automatic drying uses the machines sensor to detect how much moisture is left in the laundry and stops the dryer when the required level of dryness is achieved. With time controlled drying the sensor is not used and the machine runs for the selected time.

There are two time controlled drying programs. The 30 minutes program is suggested for use with synthetics up to a maximum load of 3 kg, and lasts for 30 minutes. The Cooling 10 minutes program can be used to freshen the washing, or if you have interrupted the machine and need to cool the laundry.

Automatic drying programs

The main bulk of the programs are under either cotton or synthetics. This makes choosing the program you want easier. Decide if the load is either cotton or synthetic and then decide how dry you want them and select the corresponding program.

There are 6 cotton programs, each can take a maximum load of up to 6 kg. The options are: extra damp; iron damp; damp dry; cupboard dry; store dry; and extra dry. I don't use the first 3 options but they would be useful if you wished to iron the laundry once it has finished in the machine, and slightly damp clothes are easier to iron. I tend to use cupboard dry the most often for towels and the like. The machine says it should take 1hr50 but it takes much less in reality. I use extra dry for bedding due to the multiple layers of fabric.

There are 3 synthetic programs: iron dry; cupboard dry; and extra dry. The synthetic programs can only take a maximum load of 3 kg. I don't use these as often.

There are 4 other automatic drying programs, which I must admit I never use. The Extra delicate program is for synthetics or mixed fabrics that don't require ironing and has a maximum load of 2.5 kg. The Delicates program is for jumpers with a maximum load of 2 kg and dries them store dry. The Heavy Cotton program is for jeans with a maximum load of 6 kg. And finally the Refresh program is for synthetics up to a maximum load of 2.5 kg. I tend to forget about these programs and stick mainly to the cotton ones, but useful to have if they are ever needed or if you will be using the dryer to dry lots of clothes.

How I Use the Dryer

I use the machine all year round to dry towels, tea towels and bathmats. I don't use fabric conditioner with these items (as it would stop them from drying things are well) and the tumble dryer is needed to fluff them up and make them nice and soft. For these I use the cotton store dry program. When it is too cold or wet to hang washing up outside I use the machine to dry bedding and blankets too, and very occasionally clothes. The bedding goes on cotton extra dry and the blankets go on synthetic cupboard dry. If I do use it to dry clothes they tend to go on cotton cupboard dry when they should probably go on one of the other programs, but they come out alright and nothing has shrunk (yet).

I have been known to put things in the dryer that shouldn't be tumble dried, and if so I put them on half power so they have a lower heat. This tends to happen if I want something in a hurry or if I have left the washing outside for too long and it has gone slightly damp.

Using the Dryer

Place the items in the dryer one item at a time, shaking each one as you put it in and close the door. Select the program you want by turning the dial. Press the half power or quick button if required. Use the delay start button if you want to put the dryer on a timer. Press the start button. Simple really, the machine is very easy to use.

At the end of the drying cycle there is a 10 minute cooling phase. At the end of this the buzzer sounds and the end and filter lights illuminate. If the laundry is not removed the machine then enters a 30 minute anti-creasing phase. This is great for me because as the machine is in the garage I cannot hear it beep when it has finished, and this stops the clothes from getting creased before I have chance to remove them.

The Filter

After every use you need to empty the filters of all the fluff they have acquired during the cycle. There are two filters, one is located in the door and lifts out very easily and the other is located at the bottom of the opening. I empty the filters before removing the dry washing from the machine by running my hand across them. I keep a fluff bin next to the dryer to put the fluff in. You are meant to clean the filters by using a damp cloth but I don't bother. Every so often I clean the inside of the door to remove any fluff that has accumulated there.

The Sensor

The advantage of the automatic drying sensor is that it doesn't matter is you don't put a full load in, the machine will not waste energy overdrying the clothes. Thus it will save energy and hence money and you wont be left with crispy washing.

To get the best out of the dryer the sensor must be set to the correct level of conductivity. This varies with the hardness of the water. The dryer allows you to set the level of conductivity for the sensor.

Summary

The sensor is really good. Very rarely do things come out slightly damp, and then it is only the corners of king size duvet covers where I have probably scrunched it into the machine. The machine has a reverse tumble action to reduce creasing in the laundry. This is great as things come out not needing as much ironing, which can't be a bad thing.

Tumble dryers use a lot of energy and this one has a C energy rating (A is the best). This is normal for tumble dryers. The automatic drying programs mean that it will not use more energy than is needed to dry the laundry.

As the dryer is in the garage how noisy it is does not bother me, but I think it is fairly quiet and I don't think the noise would bother me even if it was in the house.

I have had the dryer for two years now and I have never had a problem with it. I find it very easy to use, and even my husband manages to work out what program to put things on without too much of a problem! The large opening means getting things in and out of the dryer is very easy.

The JLDV02 has been replaced by the JLDV08. This is available for £279 from John Lewis and has free delivery. The JLDV08 has a maximum load of 7 kg which is 1 kg more than my model. Like my model it is also a Which? best buy. If you are looking for a vented tumble dryer then I can completely recommend this one from John Lewis.

Technical Specifications

Dimension (h x w x d): 85cm x 60 cm x 58 cm
Max Load: Cotton & Linen 6 kg, Synthetics 3 kg
Drum volume: 108 litres
Consumptions: cotton cupboard dry 6 kg - 3.30 kWh
cotton iron dry 6 kg - 2.60 kWh
synthetics cupboard dry 3 kg - 1.10 kWh
Energy rating: C
Warranty: 3 year parts and labour guarantee 

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