Coal Fired Clothes Dryer?

 
User avatar
Freddy
Member
Posts: 7292
Joined: Fri. Apr. 11, 2008 2:54 pm
Location: Orrington, Maine
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 130 (pea)
Coal Size/Type: Pea size, Superior, deep mined

Post by Freddy » Sun. May. 04, 2008 5:45 am

I had this idea pop into my head & am curious to know if it would work. (Just what I need is one more project)

We have a propane clothes dryer. My idea is to convert it to hot water. Take a radiator out of an old Subaru or something and plumb it with a zone valve to the coal boiler. Build a sheet metal houseing in the cellar under the dryer & duct it through the floor into the dryer. Turn on the dryer, zone valve sends hot water through the radiator, heat dries the clothes.
I used my laser thermometer to see how hot the clothes get while drying. I whipped open the dryer door a few times and took readings. It was 120 to 145 degrees. Seems to me it might work!

My idea is patent free and open to anyone to use. Try it and let me know how it works out!


 
User avatar
Devil505
Member
Posts: 7102
Joined: Tue. Jul. 03, 2007 10:44 pm
Location: SE Massachusetts

Post by Devil505 » Sun. May. 04, 2008 8:51 am

I've had a coal fired clothes dryer for 25 years! (a retractible clothes line running across the room in front of the Harman! :D )
Gives you the benefit of the Jeans standing all by themselves too!
Last edited by Devil505 on Sun. May. 04, 2008 9:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

 
User avatar
coalkirk
Member
Posts: 5185
Joined: Wed. May. 17, 2006 8:12 pm
Location: Forest Hill MD
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1981 EFM DF520 retired
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Jotul 507 on standby
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite/rice coal

Post by coalkirk » Sun. May. 04, 2008 8:56 am

I've got a solar powered clothes dryer. Doesn't use any coal.
solar clothes dryer.jpg
.JPG | 164.2KB | solar clothes dryer.jpg

 
User avatar
Devil505
Member
Posts: 7102
Joined: Tue. Jul. 03, 2007 10:44 pm
Location: SE Massachusetts

Post by Devil505 » Sun. May. 04, 2008 9:11 am

coalkirk wrote:I've got a solar powered clothes dryer. Doesn't use any coal.
solar clothes dryer.jpg
Hey....I have one of those too! (My rich daughters don't know anything but to always run their electric clothes dryers!)

 
User avatar
coal-cooker
Member
Posts: 128
Joined: Sat. Feb. 23, 2008 12:18 pm
Location: Coopers Mills, ME

Post by coal-cooker » Sun. May. 04, 2008 9:12 am

Ah yes, the sight of cloths hanging above the coal stove all winter. The smell of clean laundry waffing through the house. Now if I can just put a solar panel in front of the glass door on the stove and generate electricity from the glow.

 
User avatar
Devil505
Member
Posts: 7102
Joined: Tue. Jul. 03, 2007 10:44 pm
Location: SE Massachusetts

Post by Devil505 » Sun. May. 04, 2008 9:15 am

coal-cooker wrote:Ah yes, the sight of cloths hanging above the coal stove all winter. The smell of clean laundry waffing through the house. Now if I can just put a solar panel in front of the glass door on the stove and generate electricity from the glow.
My 3 daughters grew up with me making them hang their wash in front of the coal stove. When I would leave for work there would be a mad dash (led by their mother) to the electric clothes dryer!

 
User avatar
coalkirk
Member
Posts: 5185
Joined: Wed. May. 17, 2006 8:12 pm
Location: Forest Hill MD
Stoker Coal Boiler: 1981 EFM DF520 retired
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Jotul 507 on standby
Coal Size/Type: Lehigh anthracite/rice coal

Post by coalkirk » Sun. May. 04, 2008 9:20 am

Our electricity rates have gone up over 80% here in the last 2 years. I pulled the plug on the clothes dryer. Luckily, my wife actually likes hanging the clothes out on the line. I made it easy for her by installing it on the deck to a tree about 100' away.


 
User avatar
Devil505
Member
Posts: 7102
Joined: Tue. Jul. 03, 2007 10:44 pm
Location: SE Massachusetts

Post by Devil505 » Sun. May. 04, 2008 9:25 am

coalkirk wrote:Our electricity rates have gone up over 80% here in the last 2 years. I pulled the plug on the clothes dryer. Luckily, my wife actually likes hanging the clothes out on the line. I made it easy for her by installing it on the deck to a tree about 100' away.
I have the same setup off our deck & my wife doesn't mind using it. She draws the line with hanging towels & jeans in front of the Harman though. (She will hang sweaters, etc downstairs in the winter though)

 
User avatar
coaledsweat
Site Moderator
Posts: 13761
Joined: Fri. Oct. 27, 2006 2:05 pm
Location: Guilford, Connecticut
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 260M
Coal Size/Type: Pea

Post by coaledsweat » Sun. May. 04, 2008 10:10 am

You don't really need heat in a dryer. The purpose of heating the air is to expand it so that it will hold more water by volume. I used to have steam dryers at my plant and the steam temperature was around 375* on average. The unit had two coils, one just after the other. The first coil would raise ambient by about 150* and the second would raise it about another 70*. That gives you a temp around 280* and would take about 20 minutes to dry 400# of shirts. The new gas dryers can run temps at 500*+ and will dry them in 5 minutes. Using a hot water single coil @ 185* would take almost as long as using no heat as you may only pick up about 50-60 degrees. Why not try timing a load on fluff and compare it to what it normally takes? Heating the air is the largest cost of operating a dryer, spinning the drum and fan is cheap.

 
User avatar
Bulldogr6
Member
Posts: 82
Joined: Sat. Mar. 15, 2008 3:15 pm
Location: Western Mass
Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harmon Magnum
Baseburners & Antiques: Station Agent 24
Coal Size/Type: Rice & Nut

Post by Bulldogr6 » Sun. May. 04, 2008 10:39 am

Thats an interesting idea.

 
User avatar
Freddy
Member
Posts: 7292
Joined: Fri. Apr. 11, 2008 2:54 pm
Location: Orrington, Maine
Stoker Coal Boiler: Axeman Anderson 130 (pea)
Coal Size/Type: Pea size, Superior, deep mined

Post by Freddy » Sun. May. 04, 2008 12:07 pm

Got people talking! Good fun. Coalkirk, how much is your electricity now? Last I knew Maine had about the highest rates in the nation. We are 17.9 cents a kwh. The propane dryer is cheaper than electric, but propane's price goes by how much you use. Last fill up was $4.39 a gallon. Three or four years ago the propane was $15 a month, now it's $45. Dryer & cookstove is all we use it for.

 
CapeCoaler
Member
Posts: 6515
Joined: Sun. Feb. 10, 2008 3:48 pm
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Stoker Coal Boiler: want AA130
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine BS#4, Harman MKII, Hitzer 503,...
Coal Size/Type: Pea/Nut/Stove

Post by CapeCoaler » Sun. May. 04, 2008 1:55 pm

On Cape Cod, MA .217/kwh for my April bill but I pay for "green" energy.
The extra bit is tax deductable and helps promote alternate energy sources.

 
User avatar
gambler
Member
Posts: 1611
Joined: Mon. Jan. 29, 2007 12:02 pm
Location: western Pa

Post by gambler » Sun. May. 04, 2008 4:50 pm

WOW! You guys are getting bent over with no lube on your electric rates. I am paying .09 a Kwh here and I thought that was too much.

 
CapeCoaler
Member
Posts: 6515
Joined: Sun. Feb. 10, 2008 3:48 pm
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Stoker Coal Boiler: want AA130
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine BS#4, Harman MKII, Hitzer 503,...
Coal Size/Type: Pea/Nut/Stove

Post by CapeCoaler » Sun. May. 04, 2008 4:59 pm

Coal is cheaper down that way too!
But we have fresh ocean breezes and the best seafood!

 
User avatar
Duengeon master
Member
Posts: 1958
Joined: Sun. May. 06, 2007 7:32 am
Location: Penndel, Pa.
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Harmon Mark III
Coal Size/Type: Anthracite pea and nut mix. Bituminous lump

Post by Duengeon master » Sun. May. 04, 2008 5:49 pm

I also have a coal fired clothes dryer it's the clothes line in my basement in between my stove and a lasko fan. :lol: but be sure to take down the clothes before bedtime or else the clothes block the flow of air to the upstairs causing the oil burner to kick on. :(


Post Reply

Return to “Coal News & General Coal Discussions”