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Step 11Results and Performance
On a hot day I can dry my clothes on the "Air" dry setting. This means the dryer is not consuming electricity to make heat.
On warm days I use the high heat cotton setting or the lower heat permanent press setting. Either way, I know my dryer is getting a boost, because its heating up warm air, not cool air, and its not taking nice cool indoor air and blowing it to the outside.
In winter, I flip a lever on the exhaust valve ( top of the last picture) and it blows the nice warm moist exhaust air inside where it should be.
Remember this is an electric dryer, not a gas model, so I do NOTconcern myself with combustion products, ( CO and CO2)
In winterI also disconnect the new intake duct hose.- No need to use cold attic air!
This project might work with sturdy corregated paper-cardboard, foamboard, or corregated plastic board, instead of aluminized bubblepack plastic.
If you only need a vent hose it might cost only $10. to complete the project
I needed 2 lengths of 6 inch diameter hose, to fit the sheet metal vent I already had, and to reach the attic. A 4 inch diameter hose might have been too narrow considering the long run to my attic. I went with the bigger hose.
I also opted to avoid visibly taping the dryer. This gave it a neat clean look.
I went "High end" and used about $30 worth of materials.
Of course I'm not counting the duct tape. Everyone already has duct tape, right?
On warm days I use the high heat cotton setting or the lower heat permanent press setting. Either way, I know my dryer is getting a boost, because its heating up warm air, not cool air, and its not taking nice cool indoor air and blowing it to the outside.
In winter, I flip a lever on the exhaust valve ( top of the last picture) and it blows the nice warm moist exhaust air inside where it should be.
Remember this is an electric dryer, not a gas model, so I do NOTconcern myself with combustion products, ( CO and CO2)
In winterI also disconnect the new intake duct hose.- No need to use cold attic air!
This project might work with sturdy corregated paper-cardboard, foamboard, or corregated plastic board, instead of aluminized bubblepack plastic.
If you only need a vent hose it might cost only $10. to complete the project
I needed 2 lengths of 6 inch diameter hose, to fit the sheet metal vent I already had, and to reach the attic. A 4 inch diameter hose might have been too narrow considering the long run to my attic. I went with the bigger hose.
I also opted to avoid visibly taping the dryer. This gave it a neat clean look.
I went "High end" and used about $30 worth of materials.
Of course I'm not counting the duct tape. Everyone already has duct tape, right?
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Less energy is used to tumble the clothes.
Even less energy is used to blow air through the tumbler.
Unless the air is quite humid, running the dryer without heat will save energy.
How humid is that? I can't say.
Maybe your dryer has a listing for energy consumption.
Lets say the maximum is 1000 watts, and air only uses 400 watts.
then I'd say if your air only cycle takes twice as long as with heat, then 2*400 watts per cycle is still less than 1000 watts per cycle.
In practice, my hot attic air on hot humid NYC days, drys clothes in approximately the same time as cool air from my basement when I don't use the air dry cycle.
Whatever you do, do not EXHAUST the dryer into the attic or into the house - that's a recipe for disaster. The excess moisture in the air will rot your walls out, and with a gas dryer, the combustion gases could kill you.
It's also a good idea to replace your plastic exhaust hose (illegal in most places) with a smooth metal pipe. Less chance for the dryer to ignite the lint in the plastic and burn your house down. o_O
As the instructable describes, sucking INTAKE air from a hot area seems like a very effective way to reduce your energy consumption.
Cool idea.
You can use a filter 'sock' at the end of the hose to avoid lint dust.
Lint can be a fire hazard if you do not clean your filters regularly.
More so, if your dryer has a GAS flame!
Actually I Certainly DO want to exhaust the warm moist air into my own home in winter.
Lint doesn't seem to be a problem at all. I have no health complaints.
There is no carbon monoxide from electric dryers.
As with all instructables, one must use their own judgment and apply their own concerns and common sense.
I'm assuming the exhaust is going to be hotter than the intake.
A heat exchanger may cause the moisture to condense, and thereby heat the cooler incoming air. But there is a moisture collection and disposal problem.
Laundry is enough of a hassle.
This project has the virtue of being simple, if not optimally efficient.
I think that this project's greatest benifits will occur when the heat is plentiful, and near-by.
But just keeping the air source and exhaust outside an air conditioned home, will save the home owner the cost of cooling outside air, and then heating it.
That is significant savings IMO.
cooking, boiling water and showers probably put more moisture into the house, and these activities might as well be more hazardous/accident prone than putting up a heating recycle system that also moisten the air sometimes.
this is a great idea to save energy with little cost, and better still when put into practice.
Kind of fun thinking out of the box (or dryer in this case).
On topic; Great idea for not only reclaiming energy, but also saving energy! Love it!
Why not take wet laundry to dry in the attic?
I find hanging cloths to be tedious, the attic is dusty, so I don't want fans blowing it around, and its 3 floors above the basement where I wash clothes...
Good stuff.
It is about a new way to supply the dryer with air from another source, like an attic.
Please re-read the insructable.
In my personal experience:
Here in the North East USA, Plastic vents are sold and codes do not prohibit their use.
Venting air to the outdoors can run the risk of pulling furnace exhaust down the chimney, which presents hazards of its own.
I am happy venting the warm moist air indoors with no ill effects.
Additionally most people know to clean lint filters and traps, so its not my
purpose to remind them.