Clothes Dryer Heat Reclaimer - Page 2

cdig · 10-14-11, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox

Paranoid.

Those chemicals are on your clothes which touch your skin all day long. I wouldn't be bothered by the tiny amount you possibly might breathe in. I'd be more concerned with the particles of lint.

Good point... I'll maybe do a bit more research on this, but maybe I CAN actually just pipe my dryer vent into the furnace cold air return? I have the fan running constantly (at the advise of my local furnace repair shop) to circulate the air in the house and regulate temps better... so maybe this would help to reclaim the heat AND increase humidity in the dry winter air. Should be easy enough to rig up a filter pre-heating duct.

Daox · 10-14-11, 12:39 PM

That sounds like a good idea.

Though I don't think having the fan on contantly is really required. Maybe turn it on for a few minutes every half hour or so.

cdig · 10-14-11, 02:49 PM

the idea behind leaving the fan running is that it takes less power to keep the motor running than it does to constantly start it up. It also circulates the air more so that the hot air that rises into my attic 1/2 story gets reclaimed and distributed throughout the house. At least that's what the pros tell me

Daox · 10-14-11, 02:57 PM

Starting and stopping the fan isn't a big deal at all. Keeping it running is going to wear things out and use way more power. Its kinda like the old line 'it takes more energy to heat up a cold house than keep a house warm' which is completely untrue.

It definitely will circulate more air and keep things mixed up better. However, I'd probably do some testing to see how much you can turn it off and still get the same benefit. Just setup a few thermometers around the house (high and low in rooms) and monitor them. I bet you can reduce your power consumption of that blower a ton and still get the desired effect.

cdig · 10-14-11, 03:27 PM

yeesh there's alot of opinions out there! Furnace fan - "ON" or "AUTO"? - Digital Forum

What I gather from this forum is that it depends greatly on how old and drafty your house is, your personal preference, and your furnace setup. I'm going to have to go back to my furnace experts and get some clarification I think.

Higgy · 10-17-11, 11:30 AM

We don't use bounce sheets. That stuff is nothing but garbage. We use the dryer balls that are sold from...good lord what's the company called...Norwex I think. Anyway they work great and we never have an issue with static cling. And they've lasted us for years. We also use Shaklee detergent so it's all very ecofriendly stuff we use. So diverting it shouldn't be an issue. My clothes barely give off any smell...unlike some people who use Tide and what not who's clothes stink. I have a very good sniffer and I hate lots of smells.

gasstingy · 12-02-11, 08:23 AM

If I might chime in, I think that if the air flows out of the dryer vent and then bubbles out of the water, you will have created a humidifier. I doubt the heat value will be much.

OTOH, Edison was ridiculed about his ideas for a light bulb, but he kept notes on what did and didn't work and eventually he succeeded. That's what I love about these forums, we try to prove whether an idea works or not and then move on.

So, give it a try, keep good notes and good luck with your idea! Track your heat output and the humidity levels so you can share the results with the rest of us. {I looked and could not find where you are from, so I don't know if humidity is an issue for your area. It really is an issue in my area.}

AC_Hacker · 12-02-11, 12:22 PM

Seems to me that if the 'change of state' of the water in the dryer air could be exploited, great progress could be made in dryer heat reclamation.

Here is a diagram of a condensing gas water heater...

The gas from the heating flame is circulated through a helical tube that runs through the water in the heater. At some point, the water in the flu gas condenses, imparting the heat of vaporization into the water. Some kind of drain is required to deal with the condensate.

What would be key is to find out what the temperature is when the water vapor turns to liquid water. Also, the condensate will need to be delt with.

Here's another diagram of a condensing demand water heater, with an indication of the temperature of the stack gas...

It may be that, owing to the the temperature of liquification of water-vapor, water pre-heating may be a better objective than air heating, .

-AC_Hacker

6Monty6 · 04-15-12, 12:13 PM

Here is what I created. Go to youtube and look up Clothes Dryer Heat Exchanger HE26.

Daox · 04-15-12, 10:48 PM

Looks pretty cool! I wonder how lint build up will be to clean out of the barrel? I assume you've got some idea there since you've been playing around with this for a while now.

Here are the videos 6monty6 has posted on youtube:

Clothes Dryer Heat Exchanger HE 26 Part I - YouTube

Clothes Dryer Heat Exchanger HE 26 Part II - YouTube

10-14-11, 12:39 PM	#12
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	That sounds like a good idea. Though I don't think having the fan on contantly is really required. Maybe turn it on for a few minutes every half hour or so. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

10-14-11, 02:57 PM	#14
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Starting and stopping the fan isn't a big deal at all. Keeping it running is going to wear things out and use way more power. Its kinda like the old line 'it takes more energy to heat up a cold house than keep a house warm' which is completely untrue. It definitely will circulate more air and keep things mixed up better. However, I'd probably do some testing to see how much you can turn it off and still get the same benefit. Just setup a few thermometers around the house (high and low in rooms) and monitor them. I bet you can reduce your power consumption of that blower a ton and still get the desired effect. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-02-11, 12:22 PM	#18
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	Seems to me that if the 'change of state' of the water in the dryer air could be exploited, great progress could be made in dryer heat reclamation. Here is a diagram of a condensing gas water heater... The gas from the heating flame is circulated through a helical tube that runs through the water in the heater. At some point, the water in the flu gas condenses, imparting the heat of vaporization into the water. Some kind of drain is required to deal with the condensate. What would be key is to find out what the temperature is when the water vapor turns to liquid water. Also, the condensate will need to be delt with. Here's another diagram of a condensing demand water heater, with an indication of the temperature of the stack gas... It may be that, owing to the the temperature of liquification of water-vapor, water pre-heating may be a better objective than air heating, . -AC_Hacker Attached Thumbnails __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker... Last edited by AC_Hacker; 12-02-11 at 12:32 PM..

04-15-12, 12:13 PM	#19
6Monty6 Lurking Renovator Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Atlanta Posts: 7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Clothers Dryer Heat Exchanger HE26 Here is what I created. Go to youtube and look up Clothes Dryer Heat Exchanger HE26.

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10-14-11, 02:49 PM	#13
cdig Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 61 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	the idea behind leaving the fan running is that it takes less power to keep the motor running than it does to constantly start it up. It also circulates the air more so that the hot air that rises into my attic 1/2 story gets reclaimed and distributed throughout the house. At least that's what the pros tell me

10-14-11, 03:27 PM	#15
cdig Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 61 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	yeesh there's alot of opinions out there! Furnace fan - "ON" or "AUTO"? - Digital Forum What I gather from this forum is that it depends greatly on how old and drafty your house is, your personal preference, and your furnace setup. I'm going to have to go back to my furnace experts and get some clarification I think.

10-17-11, 11:30 AM	#16
Higgy The Gardener Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Manitoba - Canada Posts: 492 Thanks: 17 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	We don't use bounce sheets. That stuff is nothing but garbage. We use the dryer balls that are sold from...good lord what's the company called...Norwex I think. Anyway they work great and we never have an issue with static cling. And they've lasted us for years. We also use Shaklee detergent so it's all very ecofriendly stuff we use. So diverting it shouldn't be an issue. My clothes barely give off any smell...unlike some people who use Tide and what not who's clothes stink. I have a very good sniffer and I hate lots of smells.

12-02-11, 08:23 AM	#17
gasstingy Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Arab, AL Posts: 491 Thanks: 109 Thanked 49 Times in 43 Posts	If I might chime in, I think that if the air flows out of the dryer vent and then bubbles out of the water, you will have created a humidifier. I doubt the heat value will be much. OTOH, Edison was ridiculed about his ideas for a light bulb, but he kept notes on what did and didn't work and eventually he succeeded. That's what I love about these forums, we try to prove whether an idea works or not and then move on. So, give it a try, keep good notes and good luck with your idea! Track your heat output and the humidity levels so you can share the results with the rest of us. {I looked and could not find where you are from, so I don't know if humidity is an issue for your area. It really is an issue in my area.}