I have a 4 year old Samsung Heat pump dryer. I do two loads a week. It works as expected and very energy efficient. It now has a very musty smell, which the clothes absorb. If I can’t address the smell I will have to get rid of the dryer and go back to a standard vented one. I am assuming that the musty smell is coming from the wet lint caught in the cold side of the heat exchanger. I have tried everything I can think to get rid of the smell. I clean the heat exchanger as recommended by the manufacturer, but it doesn’t make any difference. Lately I have been trying to dry out the heat exchanger after using the dryer by running the dryer unloaded to get it hot and then leaving the heat exchanger cover open to help it dry. The smell is only reduced a little bit. Any ideas welcome to get rid of the smell. Yes I can use a clothes line in the summer, not so much in the winter.
A quick look around the internet reveals this is a known problem with heat pump dryers.
Do you have a drain connected or do you use an included water collector. In our one, I have a drain hose connected that goes into the sink, often I collect the water and use it on the garden. If using the water collector container this could also be contributing to the smell particularly if mould has grown in that area which could remain moist for longer than we might suspect. Cleaning that area might help the issue, if the container is being used.
Vacuuming can remove some of the fluff/lint from the vanes if that hasn’t been tried, using the crevice tool can concentrate the suction a bit more to try to help remove more.
Thanks for responding. I will try draining the water to an external container instead of the internal one. But every thing is clean no mold that is visible with the internal water tank at the top of the dryer. Might end up with less water in the bottom of the dryer after use. I thought that maybe it is not pumping out enough water from the bottom tray to the top tank leaving water sitting in the bottom to start to smell. But it seems to be pumping out ok. I will be a but more aggressive with cleaning the vanes with a vacuum cleaner, but avoid bending the vanes. I suspect the issue is not fixable without a disassemble and thorough clean. I note that you have to do the same thing with room air conditioners eventually too.
The smell comes from dampness in the dryer. Leave the dryer and heat exchanger door open for a few hours after each session and the smell will go away.
I have not tried to disassemble the dryer to remove any lint from behind the vanes, we have had our dryer for close to 3 1/2 years now and it does not smell musty in the least. I do use the crevice tool to clean the vanes on a regular basis regardless of whether they look linted or not (my cousin is a refrigerator and AC mechanic who advised doing this). I also brush the vanes with a long soft bristle and about 3 cm wide paintbrush (something like a trim paintbrush without the angled bristles) to loosen up any lint that may be a little further in before using the crevice tool. Bending the vanes is not something that usually happens if not aggressively pushing the tool onto them. If you end up causing a little (or a lot ) of bent fins, you can purchase a fin straightening tool that re-aligns the fins and can be used to help clean them.
I have used clove oil (mixed with water in a spray bottle) in my freezer evaporator area when mould became apparent in the drain tube (again a recommendation from my cousin), it certainly gave the fridge a clove smell (mostly the freezer cabinet) but did not taint any product that we noticed. The smell over time became unnoticeable. You could try perhaps putting a little in the bottom water collection tray if you have easy access to it, but it may also give your clothes a distinct clove smell which you may not like. The clove oil is used to deter the development of mould.
It is most likely to be mould growing in the heat exchange. The heat exchange is a moist place that mould loves to grow. Samsung has information on how to clean the heat exchange on their website:
If mould is well and truly established, it may be difficult to remove the smell as the mould will be attached to the heat exchange and will be very difficult to completely remove. If you open the heat exchange cover, you might be able to see whether mould has decided that the heat exchange is a great place to live.
If it is on the heat exchange, it is also likely to be on places which will be very difficult to clean, such as internal ducting which is used to circulate the air within the dryer.
If mould is well established, it might be worth contacting Samsung to seek advise to whether a service technician can thoroughly clean (sterilise) every cervice of the dryer or if the mould establishment can’t be removed. If Samsung indicate that a service technician can treat the mould, find out whether they guarantee it’s removal. If they can’t, it is likely that the smell will return again in the future.
The above might give you some options to pursue or assist you in making decisions moving forward.
) of bent fins, you can purchase a fin straightening tool that re-aligns the fins and can be used to help clean them.