Is there a way to provide air to the clothes dryer so it isn’t sucking warm air out of the house?
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I doubt the machines are set up for warming up outside air. You would also need to put a damper on that so you are not bringing in outside air at all times. In a nutshell, keep what you have, any outside air would be more problems then the little savings on heat. Upgrade your windows, insulation, seal recessed lights, etc. Those will give you energy savings.
Welcome to BT, see this is your first post.
First, gas or electric??
If electric, you can cycle the air back into the house (no external vent during the winter).
Nearly all houses need additional internal moisture in the winter. Build youself a screen box with a furnace filter to catch all the lint (and clean each week, etc) and then you save $$. Have done this for 40 years, not problems. Summertime a solar dryer is used.
Obviously, not a good idea with a gas dryer.
It is an electric dryer. I never thought of how much air goes through the dryer before. A guy that is in the dryer vent cleaning business measured it at over 2,000 cfm. He said anyhting above 1,500 was "acceptable". That's a lot of air when the dryer runs for 30 minutes.
Venting through a filter box is an interesting idea.
"A guy that is in the dryer vent cleaning business measured it at over 2,000 cfm. He said anyhting above 1,500 was "acceptable". "
I don't think 1500 cfm is likely. Most driers use 4" duct, and pushing 1500 cfm through that is nearly impossible. Ducts are like soda straws -- no matter how hard you blow, there's a maximum speed you can blow through a given diameter of duct. Wood shops generally use 8" duct to move 1500 cfm. My chip collector is good for 800 cfm or so, and it is moving lots more air than my drier. I'd guess the typical home drier is more in the 200 cfm area.
You're right! I was thinking about it last night, 200 and 150 are correct. Don't seem to remember things as well as I used to...
We have dust collection systems around our plant. They use 4" dia metal smooth wall pipe. The engineer who designed the system said the max. cfm a 4" pipe could ever move was 500cfm using a lot of energy to do that. Jay
I've seen that moisture vapor from the dryer cause lots of mold problems in many homes.
carpenter in transition
"Nearly all houses need additional internal moisture in the winter. "I keep seeing this posted. In some parts of the country, it is absolutely ridiculous. In the northwest (and by that I am including western Montana, where I am), the winter is when humidity is the highest.
Look at a psychrometric chart.
I'm in Seattle, say it is 90% RH outside and 40F.
Bring that air inside to 70F and the inside RH is only 30% RH.
You can calc how often you can run the dryer to keep the house at 50% RH with internal dryer venting. (many times)
You do NOT want to vent inside when it is 80F outside and 80% RH, bring that air in and it condenses, likewise the dryer vent.
Maybe I'm missing something but I wonder why nobody makes a dryer with an outside air intake. Could be in many areas incoming air would be sub-freezing. A heat exchanger could help with that.
As someone else posted, there are condensing dryers that do not vent outside. I know Asko makes one and Miele also makes one. I would guess that Bosch would too. I think the Asko's are $1400 or maybe a little more, The Miele regular dryers are $1600 so the condenser would probably be a few hundred more than that.I absolutely would not build a screen box and vent into the house. If you need moisture in the air, get an humidifier. Even with a screen box very small particles of lint will get through it and be air borne. You will be breathing that lint every day.
I absolutely would not build a screen box and vent into the house. If you need moisture in the air, get an humidifier. Even with a screen box very small particles of lint will get through it and be air borne. You will be breathing that lint every day.
Disagree 100% with that comment. Also, my original post said to use a furnace filter, not just a screen. If really concerned (e.g someone in the family has high allergies) then use one of the micron 2 inch polyesther filters).
You must be a dealer for those grossly overpriced megabuck dryers??<G>
"You must be a dealer for those grossly overpriced megabuck dryers??"Thanks for the cheap shot. No I'm not, I just think your a hack for your mickey mouse idea. Your doing something the the machines are not designed for. What you are suggesting, with an interior filter trap, could still lead to a fire with an electric dryer. Also, your asking the furnace filter to do something it is not designed to do, i.e. filter moist air filled with lint. You are really being very irresponsible to make suggests that could really injury people, but with a fire or the extra moisture in the air.The "grossly overpriced megabuck dryers" (your a wordsmith) are energystar and work in combination with the matching washing machines. Over time they will pay for themselves in electricity savings and water savings for the washing machines. The washers use 11 gallons per load vs. 44 gallons for a regular top load. Do two load per week, in a year thats 3300 gallons of water you save. They also wash and dry the clothes in a better way to keep them from wearing out as quickly. There are other brands, LG, Bosch, Thromm, etc that will be a little less and work similarly. FYI, a Lexus costs more than a Chevy for a reason.
What junkhound is suggesting is commonly done, there are products on the market that do exactly that.
http://www.heat-helper.com/ Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
You are right. It is commonly done. That is why I have had to fix rot and mold problems and deal with false leaks from condensation at roof/attic levels in a dozen houses. Dryers are intended to vent OUT for a reason
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I have no doubt that a person as intelligent and aware of things as you are can do something like this without damaging your house, but for most people, they will set it up, and that is the end of it.
Never change the lint screen
Never change back to exterior in humid weather
Never notice the mold growing until it reaches toxic levels...Just not good advice for the average joe
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Why not contact and HRV or ERV company and buy a little heat exchanger from them, sans the rest of the unit. Hook up your dryer and leave an access panel to clean out the exchanger from time to time so you don't have a fire or plug the line.http://www.etherhuffer.typepad.com
My brother inlaw was that "average Joe" and dispite my advice, did exactly what you said would happen.
Over to his place the other day and could not believe what I saw.
The box he used was growing mold inside and all the furnace filters were clogged. The flex ducting was not attached to the box anymore. Back pressure finally blew it off. With the duct free in the basement it turned it into a set from a horror movie. Solid COBWEBS hanging from everything.
He doesn't go in the basement very often.
My brother inlaw was that "average Joe" and dispite my advice, did exactly what you said would happen.
Over to his place the other day and could not believe what I saw.
The box he used was growing mold inside and all the furnace filters were clogged. The flex ducting was not attached to the box anymore. Back pressure finally blew it off. With the duct free in the basement it turned it into a set from a horror movie. Solid COBWEBS hanging from everything.
He doesn't go in the basement very often.
LOL...
OK, I take it all back and will restate.
Warning: "dont do this if you are a dweeb or DW is a dweeb"
"dont do this if your shoelaces are always tied in granny knots"
"dont do this if you dont know what a granny knot is"
"an even better idea is a clothes line in the basement for winter, and one outdoors for summer, and you must use a green rope"
"a clothes line at 40F and 10% RH outside DOES NOT dry as fast as 70F 10% RH, it dries about 8X SLOWER"
"take you clothes to a laundromat if you dont know what a clothes line is or cannot tell if it is summer or winter"
and finally, "those who defend purchase of megabuck priced appliances usually are needing to assuage their spendthrift ways"
I've only used gas dryers so it has never been an option to me. I don't see why it could not be an option especially in a situation where moisture is needed also. I can see where neglect could cause many problems. Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
Interesting point you make. Intuition suggests that the clothes would dry faster regardless of the temperature of the incoming air as long as the incoming air is "drier" than the inside of the drum. The transfer of moisture from the wet clothes to the exhaust is a function of moisture gradient between the two. In otherwords, the drier would still work in the absence of heat assuming the incoming air is drier than the outgoing air, just as clothes hung on a clothesline will dry just as well on a 40 degree day as they would on an 80 degree day (if the RH was the same).
That idea is great. A coaxial intake/outflow line would prewarm the air to the dryer
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I don't know if they're available in the US, but in Germany, I encountered dryers that didn't have to be vented. They condensed the water from the exhaust into a cup that had to be emptied every cycle.
ne sutor ultra crepidam