EN 60335-2-11: Safety of Tumble Dryers

EN 60335-2-11, “Household and similar electrical appliances – Safety – Part 2-11: Particular requirements for tumble dryers”, sets the safety requirements for household electric tumble dryers of the vented, condenser and heat pump type. It is the main standard for showing conformity with the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU for these products and is read together with EN IEC 60335-1.

For EN 60335-2-11 testing and CE marking of your tumble dryer, apply to CE Danışmanı (CE Consultant); we manage the whole process for you.

EN 60335-2-11 at a glance

The edition cited in the Official Journal is the one that gives presumption of conformity with the Low Voltage Directive. Confirm the cited edition with the laboratory before testing starts.

Why tumble dryers have their own standard

The main risk of a tumble dryer is fire. It comes from the way the appliance works: damp fabric, high temperature, a strong air flow and lint. If the filter is blocked or bypassed, lint can reach the heater and ignite. The standard controls this with three design principles:

1. a lint filter, and separation between lint and hot surfaces
2. two independent thermal protective devices against overheating
3. a physical barrier between the motor and the heater

Heat pump models add another risk. If a flammable refrigerant such as propane (R290) leaks from the sealed circuit, it can form an ignitable mixture. Household appliances are limited to a charge of 150 g of R290.

Products covered

• Vented dryers with an exhaust hose to the outside
• Condenser dryers with an internal water container or a drain connection
• Heat pump dryers using R290 or R134a refrigerant
• The drying function of washer-dryers; the washing function is covered by EN 60335-2-7
• Built-in models, small (3–6 kg) and large (7–10 kg) capacities
• Models with a reversible door and models with a self-cleaning condenser

Products not covered

• Commercial laundry dryers: a separate standard for commercial tumble dryers applies
• Gas-fired dryers: gas appliance safety standards
• Spin extractors, which have a rotating drum and no heating: EN 60335-2-4

Whether a dryer counts as household or commercial depends on the capacity, the intensity of use, the place of installation and whether it is coin-operated. The laboratory decides borderline cases.

Particular requirements for tumble dryers

• Clause 22, lint filter cannot be bypassed. Either the dryer cannot run with the filter removed, or lint is still prevented from reaching the heater, for example by a secondary screen and a sensor. The appliance must stay safe with the filter removed or blocked; this is a design requirement against user neglect.
• Clause 19, lint fire test. A controlled quantity of lint is loaded, and the dryer is run on its maximum programme. No ignition may occur around the heater.
• Clause 22, two independent thermal protective devices. One resettable (bimetal) and one single-operation (thermal fuse). If the first fails, the second cuts the heater permanently.
• Cool-down phase. At the end of the programme the drum keeps turning without heat, so that the load and the drum are not left hot. Stopping the programme early must not disable the thermal protection, and the instructions must warn the user.
• Clause 11, door temperature. The temperature rise of the door glass and of the metal door frame is limited.
• Clause 22, door interlock. The dryer does not run with the door open, and the door switch must not be easy to defeat.
• Flammable refrigerant (heat pump models). Charge not more than 150 g of R290; electrical parts that could ignite a leak are separated from the area where refrigerant could collect.
• Drain connection (condenser models). Where the dryer drains to the waste pipe through a hose, backflow must be prevented.

Typical test programme

• Construction: Class I (earthed), metal enclosure with a heater.
• Electrical: electric strength, insulation resistance, leakage current.
• Heating: maximum load on the hottest programme; temperatures of the heater, drum, motor, door glass and enclosure.
• Lint fire test: controlled lint loading, extended running, temperature mapping.
• Thermal protection: the first device is disabled and the second must operate.
• Heat pump models: simulated refrigerant leak, compressor overload.
• Mechanical: door hinge endurance, door interlock, drum bearing wear.
• EMC: EN 55014-1 and EN 55014-2 for the combination of motor, heater and compressor.

Other legislation that applies

• Ecodesign and energy labelling for tumble dryers. These are separate acts with their own documentation. Energy consumption and drying efficiency are measured to EN 61121, and the model must be registered in the EPREL database before it is placed on the EU market.
• Refrigerant rules. R134a is a fluorinated greenhouse gas whose use is being phased down; R290 is the usual choice for new designs, at the cost of the additional flammability tests.
• EMC 2014/30/EU, RoHS 2011/65/EU and WEEE (large household appliances)

Frequently asked questions

From testing to CE marking

1. Scope analysis. Confirm that EN 60335-2-11 is the right Part 2 for the product and list the other legislation that applies.
2. Document review. Circuit diagrams, parts list, certificates of critical components and user instructions are checked before the sample goes to the laboratory.
3. Testing. EN 60335-1 and EN 60335-2-11 together, plus EMC tests to EN 55014-1 and EN 55014-2, and EN 61121 measurements for the energy label.
4. Technical file and declaration. The technical file includes the risk analysis and the test reports; the EU Declaration of Conformity lists every directive and standard applied.
5. CE marking. The mark is at least 5 mm high. The technical file is kept for 10 years.

A report from an accredited laboratory is what market surveillance authorities and distributors usually ask to see. Turkey applies the same rules through its own regulation aligned with 2014/35/EU, and the documents of imported products are checked through TAREKS. Send every variant (voltage, colour, options) to the laboratory together, because models added later need extra testing. For a heat pump dryer the technical file also holds the compressor data and the refrigerant safety data sheet.