Homemade Heat Pump Clothes Dryer
 

I have another dehumidifier I scored from my scrape metal run. I've been thinking of another use for it. So this idea jumped to my mind when seeing my power meter going nuts when the dryer was spinning. This could be a really simple unit that is basically a box with the clothes in it and a inlet and outlet that go thru the dehumidifier where it extracts the moisture. With such a low velocity air flowing I don't think lint would be to big of a problem? Maybe I could use some sort of vortex filter like off a dyson (tm) vacuume? What does everyone think? Do the clothes need to be tumbling like in a normal dryer to keep the wrinkles out?

Hv23t
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...B9A25DFE08.jpg

What interests me more is building a SUPER INSULATED box with rods to hang clothes and a dehumidifier inside. The dehumidifier will create heat and remove moisture. It might taken aeon to dry clothes though. How do condensing dryers work?

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...clothes-dryers

Interesting link, your idea is the same basic principle as mine. Yours could look better than my mad scientist looking contraption would.

Hv23t

Yeah but you might have more fun making it. ;)

Oh snap!

Clothes dryer - DIYWiki

This site is fantastic!

We have had several threads here about clothes drying. As I recall the dryer heat reclamation thread has recently gotten some attention. I haven't paid any attention to it in a while since it seems to be... well, people can see my posts in that thread. I do agree that venting the heat to the outdoors is a bummer. I also am saddened by the lint in my lint trap. That used to be my clothing! Fortunately I work such a job and live such a lifestyle that I can avoid washing work clothes too frequently and due to limited use, civies need infrequent laundering. I think a well insulated box with a dehumidifier and an intelligently placed fan with racks for hanging clothes would not only be more energy efficient it would also be more aesthetically pleasing, provide less wear on my duds, be fun to build and would certainly make less noise. I personally find dryers to be distasteful. I like hanging clothes to dry them, but I don't like the associated moisture in the house in the winter. I have serious moisture issues in the winter. I need a HRV but don't have the extra $1,500 for one burning a hole in my pocket ATM. In the summer the clothes line is all I need. I'd rather buy a couple extra sets of clothes and be able to wait for a sunny day than use the dryer. In the winter I'm forced to use that thing.

I do know that when I lived in the Middle East and we spent 99% of our time in serious air conditioning, I used to dry my clothes by hanging them on a large rack and turning the thermostat right down before I left for work(The chilled water for the A/C was included in our rent package). By the time I got home from work they were nicely dried. The room was generally about 16C.

The theory is certainly sound. The more you remove water from the air, the more it will suck out of whatever it can get into to try and compensate.

Any updates here? Its a very interesting project.

I was VERY close to purchasing a heat pump clothes washer/dryer combo when I got my last set of machines. The only thing that stopped me was the only manufacturer in the US was LG and I have a general dislike for them (bad previous experiences).

Sorry no real updates. I'm still trying to finish up the heatpump water heaters controls. Its still doing a excellent job, after I get it buttoned up I'll jump onto this one. Happy New Year

Hv23t

When we lived in Jakarta, we couldn't do all our drying on a line, 95% humidity air pollution and daily thunderstorms meant we only had a small covered area line. We used very small window-mounted AC in bedrooms only, to reduce humidity, only getting a small amount of cooling. Clothes racks in the rather large bedrooms were our main drying method and worked just fine.

In winter in NZ, we sometimes can't use the outside line, or if we do, the drying is incomplete. Then we use a small dehumidifier and a clothes rack and warm the room with free wood, economical and effective. I'd love to have the space to dedicate to a properly insulated drying room, we wouldn't need much or any auxillary heat then. However, my basement/garage space is earmarked for the Model A and other toys.

I'm very interesting how you talk about the project.