Whirlpool Gets it Right With This Drying Device

When I purchased my most recent house, I decided to leave behind all of my old appliances at my previous place of residence. They were all in operating condition, but I wanted new items for my new place, and appliances ranked among the things that I needed to purchase first. For the laundry room, I chose Whirlpool and the dryer I selected is the Whirlpool Model WED5500S Dryer, a large drying device.

Basic Facts About This Product:

Whirlpool WED5500S dryer is a large dryer with a 6.5 cubic foot interior capacity. The dimensions of the dryer are 43 inches in height, 29 inches in width, and 27.875 inches in depth.

This dryer has three control knobs on the main panel. To the right are two smaller knobs. The far right knob is an on/off switch for an end of cycle signal. It also serves as the button to push to start the dryer. The knob just to the left of this one is the temperature setting. It offers Low, Medium, and High heat. The main knob is located on the far left side of the main panel and it features three main cycles: Timed Drying, Fluff (air), and Automatic Dry. The timed drying offers a cooling down session near the end, to reduce wrinkles. The Automatic Dry cycle has settings marked for “Very Dry”, “Energy Preference”, and “Less Dry”. There is also a Wrinkle Shield that kicks in near the end of the cycle.

The lint collector for this dryer is located on top of the machine, on the right side, just underneath the Temperature Control and End of Cycle Signal knobs. The door to this dryer is large and opens downward. It features a large opening that makes it easy to fit even the largest laundry loads inside. There is even a drum light on the inside, making it easy to find articles of clothing no matter what the exterior lighting is like.

Customer Service:

If you want to learn more about this dryer, the web site to visit is whirlpool.com. The web site has a good deal of specification/feature facts for each product. If you have a specific question that the web site cannot answer, you will need to call the customer service hotline, 800-253-1301.

Final Thoughts:

Whirlpool WED5500S Dryer is a large capacity dryer that I purchased along with Whirlpool’s WTW5500S Washer. There were other, slightly less expensive models available when I selected this model and each of them would have made a good match with my selected washer. But I chose this because its extra features made it more compatible with the added features of the washing machine.

I don’t usually do the laundry, but even I have minimum dryer standards that must be met and minimum features that must be present. One of the features I now insist on is the lint trap location. I don’t like having the lint trap just inside the dryer door- I prefer to have it on top of the dryer, out of the way of the clothing. I also won’t accept a dryer that doesn’t offer some type of wrinkle guard feature. Whirlpool’s WED5500S offers both of these features and these are two of the main reasons I purchased this dryer.

The matching Whirlpool washing machine has a larger than average capacity and this dryer is easily able to handle the extra- large loads that come its way. Opening up the hamper- style door to this dryer reveals an interior that is pretty spacious for an in- home dryer. It easily exceeds the capacity of my last dryer- a Frigidaire model- by about one- third. The fold- down door may not be to everyone’s liking, but I actually prefer this to the more common sideways door. True, you can’t place your basket directly underneath the opening and pull the clothing into it (like with a side- swinging door). But one useful feature of this style is that it discourages toddlers from “helping” mom and dad with the laundry. The door pulls down, forming a barrier that keeps little ones at bay. Depending on their size, most will not be able to reach into the dryer because the door will block them.

Like I mentioned previously, I now insist that any dryer I own come complete with a wrinkle guard feature to help cut down on wrinkles. This dryer has two, similar features for protecting against wrinkles. In the timed cycles, there is a cool- down period that helps to cut wrinkles. In the auto dry cycle, there is the Wrinkle Shield. The cool- down is similar to that offered by other dryers and I have found that it is only semi- useful. Sometimes, my dress shirts will come out of the dryer free from wrinkles; other times, they will not. However, the Wrinkle Guard feature is different. It delivers on its promises most all of the time; drying clothing with just the right variation in temperature to eliminate wrinkles.

This dryer offers three heat settings (and no heat, if you select the Fluff cycle), but users need to be careful which one they select. If you forget to turn the temperature selector back to high, you could be waiting a very long time to get your clothing dry the next time you use the dryer. I have made this mistake a few times. Not realizing that I had changed the temperature setting to low, I placed a load inside the dryer and set it for 50 minutes of timed drying. When the cycle ended, I fully expected my clothing to be completely dry. Of course, it was only about halfway dry and the reason was because I had forgotten to turn the temperature setting back to high. This is an easy mistake to make and there is no warning. You have to remember to turn it back.

There is an end of cycle signal with this dryer but unless you really need to know when the cycle has ended, I recommend turning it off and leaving it off. The reason I say this is because the buzzer is quite loud; so loud, in fact, that it has awakened our babies from a deep sleep. The dryer offers quiet operation, but unless your house is very noisy (and you need to hear a signal) or you are in a big hurry, it is best not to use this feature.

Overall, Whirlpool WED5500S large capacity dryer is a very good piece of machinery and one I recommend for a small to medium size family. It retails for only about $375 and it has much to offer. Multiple cycles, a drum light, wrinkle protection, and a lint trap located on top of the dryer are among the many reasons I give this Whirlpool dryer an enthusiastic recommendation.