Need a new device

In our little business we are using the clothes drier a lot and propane or electricity are killing us. Please don't tell me about a clothes line - not practical for us just too much stuff. So how do I dry the clothes with coal? Or at least take the energy load off of the drier.

I have often pondered this,
http://www.outdoorwoodfurnaceparts.biz/new_page_8.htm
I read somwhere an electric clothes dryer heated to about 150 F, I think that would be hard to get to with 180 F hydronic boiler but I'm sure clothes would dry cooler than 150 F but it would take longer.
Speed Queen built at one time comercial dryers that used steam for a heat source, 120 PSI and 15 PSI the 120 PSI unit had one heat exchanger, the 15 PSI unit had two. I understand some were brought to the villages on the North Slope of Alaska and tried with hot water in the 15 PSI heat exchanger, with poor results.
This is a heat exchanger sold with the idea that you could retrofit your current dryer.
http://store.ezburn.com/product/50-000- ... f4ff7bedcf
I seam to remember somone on this site recomending a certain brand of dryer because the shape of the electric heating element space was an easier fit for a radiatior.
anyone heating their clothes dryer with water? dryer
And LsFarm mentions 120 F in this post
Water to Water heat exchanger ? dryer
Coal fired clothed dryer? dryer

The Speed Queen appliance uses Superheated steam not the same as the cool steam of your shower or your home heating system

Superheated steam isn't possible ( practical ) to produce from a residential heating system

You maybe don't want to read it -- but its a clothes line or just use the air setting on the dryer because any hot water exchanger will do no better. The 200 dollar "kit" above only makes money for the vendor -- Think about it really - by the time you buy it and all the related piping you need to supply - then convert the appliance and the hassle of having it tied to the system.

Do a search -- I posted some data on this about a year ago -- its still cheaper to use the gas train and heat the air to dry the clothes than it is to just fluff -- running the electric motor spinning the drum far longer

Dryer manufactures with large R and D departments have spent far more time figuring this out that its cheaper yet to hang the wash - smells better too and you can buy a lot of traditional dryer energy for the money you will waste on building this mad scientist project.

Sting, I know I'm getting older & mostly blind even w/ my glasses & mag. glass--BUT--is that avatar from "Love Me Tender" ??---oh yea, cloths line even if you don't wanna hear it

Drying laundry with a coal stove is easy. I simply hang them up in my basement where the little heat that radiates off the front of my stove keeps the basement at a comfortable 70-ish. A box fan blowing across the front of the stove moves that heat to dry my clothes that are hung on a water pipe about 15' away.

I suspect that if I put 100% of the heat from the stove into the basement, it would easily be 90+ in there, even with an open window and exhaust fan. That should be quite enough to dry clothing. The only downside is that everything comes out a bit on the 'stiff' side.

NOW THAT'S TENDER LOVE!

Or was it Love me Tender?

OH -- Just lay down - I think I love you

Thx a million guys gives me something to ponder.In the end the savings may not be worth the install cost. However one post set me off on another idea. The posts so far on this board on rusting of a hycoil in a stove have bothered me. Also the amount of hot water produced in the dead of winter is another problem. How about:

http://store.ezburn.com/product/50-000- ... f4ff7bedcf

One either side of my Pocono then I could play with how close this was to the stove. NO good for a clothes drier but as a DHW source.

If you want to waste a lot of money

http://crosslinkconversions.com/

This guy claims you can heat a 4000 square foot house with a 30K input stove

It has been done before w/ outdoor wood boilers...look to bottom of page linked below:

► Clothes Dryer Kit Call for prices

Another link:

Introducing our new line of Hydronic Clothes Dryer

Back at ya Dude

Sting wrote:NOW THAT'S TENDER LOVE!

Or was it Love me Tender?

OH -- Just lay down - I think I love you

If you want to waste a lot of money

I guess you can't get something for nothing unless you work in DC.

I also don't like electrical dryer, since the high temperature make the clothes fiber aging so fast.

Cut drying cost by 50%.... wear your clothes two days instead of one.

Freddy wrote:Cut drying cost by 50%.... wear your clothes two days instead of one.

Is that possible because you turn your underwear inside out on the second day?

Freddy wrote:Cut drying cost by 50%.... wear your clothes two days instead of one.

I love it! The whole country needs to "wear their clothes two days instead of one" metophorically.