Alternative tumbledryer

[Bob]

Here in glorious sunny Kerry my good lady and I were discussing other peoples power bills whilst consuming our late breakfast.

We don't have a power bill and a lot of it was admittedly speculation.  One of the principal difference was our total lack of a tumble dryer.  For those of you not familiar with the climate in south west Ireland it rains, then it rain's some more and just in case you missed it yet more rain falls form the sky.  It is one of the few places I have been where it can rain from a cloudless sky.  Sorry, I digress.

We do our drying in a open sided shed.  It's not big, it's not clever but it covers the washing line well enough to keep the water off and allow the breeze to dry the washing sufficiently to bring it in and finish off the airing indoors.

[camillitech]

Hi Bob,

living on the west coast of Scotland we have the same problem and was thinking of doing something similar, we do have a tumble drier but as we have a wind turbine we only use it when it's windy or we're desperate.

cheers, Paul

[David]

A traditional airer like http://www.castinstyle.co.uk/product.php/416/1/clothes_airer___deluxe_kitchen_maid_ dries clothes perfectly well, no matter what the weather is doing outside.

One does need a high enough ceiling.

[martin]

we've had one for years, suspended from our 7'6" ceiling  - with the Rayburn going, you can put shirts on hangers on it, and they're dry and ready to wear in the morning!
Wouldn't be without it!
(The crumpled shall inherit the earth)

[camillitech]

A traditional airer like http://www.castinstyle.co.uk/product.php/416/1/clothes_airer___deluxe_kitchen_maid_ dries clothes perfectly well, no matter what the weather is doing outside.

One does need a high enough ceiling.

  Oh for a high enough ceiling

[Bob]

I'm not keen on the water vapor you release into the house by trying to dry inside.  If it's just a bit or airing ok, but not straight from the washing machine.

[camillitech]

I'm not keen on the water vapor you release into the house by trying to dry inside.  If it's just a bit or airing ok, but not straight from the washing machine.

Aye Bob that's always been one of my concerns we do hang a limited amount of stuff over the stove in the kitchen and apart from having to move it from side to side when your cooking, whatever you wear smells of last nights dinner  If we hang it over the stove in the living room mrs C can't see the telly and that would never do 

cheers, Paul

[David]

Water vapour released by drying is nothing compared to that which enters through the cracks, when doors are opened and so on. It is easy enough to control it by a range of measures.

[renewablejohn]

One advantage of having a large polytunnel you can always find space to dry logs, washing etc as well as growing veg.

[Loir]

We dry all our clothes in the airing cupboard. It is mostly warm with the hot water cylinder as well as central heating pump and assorted uninsulated central heating pipes.
In the top of the cupboard is a vent outlet that goes to our heat-recovery ventilation system, see Balanced Ventilation System thread.

So clothes get dry for no cost and not too much water vapour ends up in the house.

Loir

[Ivan]

Ours are mostly dried on el cheapo drying frame in front of woodstove, on the fireguard itself - perfect, apart from the fact that it obscures the view of the fire which is better than watching the telly. Then we have a few radiators we use for drying if we are too lazy to light the woodstove.....oh and the tumble drier (dual purpose tumble drier/washing machine) gets used occasionally when I'm not looking

Anyone used a gas tumble drier? These seem like a good idea for anyone who has to use one. I wondered about getting one to keep wife happy.

We dry 95% of our clothes by airing in the house in the winter (in the summer we use an outdoor line), and don't have any damp or condensation problems.

[PEMTEK]

A friend of mine, actually pogster off this list had the manic idea of modifying his wifes new clothes dryer by piping hot air from a homemade woodstove into the side of the drier. So he chain drilled a hole in the side and gimbled (in his words) a pipe onto the side of said 2 day old clothes dryer which apparently worked great!! 

Unitil the wonderful pipework fell off, restricting the air inlet and rapidly melting the electric heater inside the new dryer. When he had to explain why he could take back the new machine and claim on the warranty I guess some explaining and grovelling was done. 

Sorry Pete... 

[O MidKnight]

We have no tumbledrier. A few lines are strung under a garden shelter in wet weather and seems to work well as long as we pick the days.

[David]

I knew someone who had a gas fired tumble drier. More involved to install as there are gas and electric connections. Far lower running cost than an electric one, lower greenhouse gas emissions (too assuming a brown electricity supply), but emissions from an airer are zero.

[billi]

Hi the new  but expensive ones work with a small heat pump  (= 50% less consumtion)

A small shed with a sollaraircollector  could work ( i know when its sunny you could use the line)( but when sunny and showery?

cheers Billi