Clothes Dryer using Attic heat?

[CHeath]

I recently saw this both on build it solar and a video on youtube. These guys ran a 20 foot long piece of 6 inch flex into their attics which was filtered on the intake side and hung it high up in the eve where the temps are the highest and sealed off their dryers to air tight so the motor would pull the hot air into the dryers and dry the clothes. The factory dryer temps were about the same (around 120*) as the attic air coming in. They used the "fluff" setting with no heat and the drying time was the same as using the heating element in the dryer. Reason I ask? I have the perfect setup for this.

My dryer is on the back "sunporch" and there is a utility closest 1 foot away that is not being used. It would be perfect and cheap to at least give it a shot. Only thing I worry about is the clothes smelling like my attic? I have new cellulose up there now. I get I could have the first load be towels only lol.

Thoughts?

 

[sportbikerider78]

Sure what the heck. I'd put a wire mesh filter on it to prevent wasps and the occasional rodent from exploring your Banana Republics.

 

[woodgeek]

If you have a HE washer, you can just spin out more of the water and cut your dryer run time in half. With the fast spin cycle, I hang up big stuff like towels and jeans and they air-dry inside in a few hours. Just as easy as throwing it in the dryer...I hung a couple rods in my laundry room.

And I don't have to wait for a sunny day to do it.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The shakers used the attic to dry clothes. But they just had racks up there.

 

[peakbagger]

I have an unfinished room on my second floor with a clothes line, it gets used in the summer. In the winter when the wood boiler is running I have a clothes line in the basement where the wood boiler is located. I have a high speed washer which really dries out the clothes.

 

[woodchiprookie]

I havent used a dryer in over a year. Dry my clothes in the dining room on a rack. Suprisingly I can dry clothes faster in the winter. Dryers are a scam. Idk why anybody has one.

 

[peakbagger]

One thing I do miss with a dryer is that the dryer "fluffs" up stuff. When I line dry everything tends to be stiff. Definitely annoying but not worth getting a dryer for it.

 

[woodchiprookie]

and a dryer removes lint but if you run around in the back yard fast enough the lint comes right off.

 

[woodfreak666]

If you have a HE washer, you can just spin out more of the water and cut your dryer run time in half. With the fast spin cycle, I hang up big stuff like towels and jeans and they air-dry inside in a few hours. Just as easy as throwing it in the dryer...I hung a couple rods in my laundry room.

And I don't have to wait for a sunny day to do it.

I have one of these bad boys in the basement

 

[Sprinter]

I havent used a dryer in over a year. Dry my clothes in the dining room on a rack. Suprisingly I can dry clothes faster in the winter. Dryers are a scam. Idk why anybody has one.

Agree. That's what "green" should be about.

I have one of these bad boys in the basement View attachment 195071Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We use a similar rack. We often put it on one side of the wood stove and blow a small table fan across the stove. Clothes dry amazingly fast that way. It's true that some clothes like jeans are a bit stiff, but 5 minutes in the drier with no heat, just tumble takes care of that.

 

[woodchiprookie]

I have a single story ranch with a full basement. My stoves are in the basement. I have big holes in the floor cut out above the stoves. Hot air up, cold air returns down the basement steps. I roll the clothesracks over the hole where the heat comes up. Dries real quick. I can heat the house, cook food and dry laundry all at the same time with the same stove while burning free wood that was already dead standing.

 

[semipro]

One thing I do miss with a dryer is that the dryer "fluffs" up stuff. When I line dry everything tends to be stiff. Definitely annoying but not worth getting a dryer for it.

Funny - I like the rough feeling of line dried towels, sheets, clothes. Apparently, I am odd though.

 

[Sprinter]

Funny - I like the rough feeling of line dried towels, sheets, clothes. Apparently, I am odd though.

LOL. I don't like rough jeans, but I do like rough towels. Clothes soften up pretty fast with the wearing or a quick tumble in the dryer with the heat off. It's just no problem for me.

 

[CHeath]

It may be hard to get my "city" wife to let me throw them on a line on the back deck in the summer but I'm gonna try it.

 

[Sprinter]

It may be hard to get my "city" wife to let me throw them on a line on the back deck in the summer but I'm gonna try it.

Look into one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002EXYPM/?tag=hearthamazon-20
or similar. This is the one we use. It inserts into a ground sleeve and is easily removable for the seasons. Some models come with a tripod, but I doubt if they are very stable. This one is and it swivels with the wind. It easily folds up when not in use, and you can get a cover for it so you don't even have to remove and store it. My wife loves it. It is really unobtrusive and easy to use and takes up little space. But don't cheap out on them. You get what you pay for on these things.

And it's very "green"

 

[semipro]

We use a pulley and rope system that extends from our deck to a tree about 30 ft. away.
Since we installed the HP water heater in the basement we've found that clothes dry very fast on a line installed in the same area.
Large clothes go on the line, small in the dryer.

 

[NickDL]

Dryers have their place. My wife does use it for certain items or for time constraints. However, the bulk of the clothes are hung on racks either in front of the fireplace or scattered around the basement. In the summer, everything is hung outside as long as it's not raining.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[rreidnauer]

CHeath, since you didn't get any answers to your original question, I'll offer a few points of insight.
I'm assuming that the sunporch roof is enclosed? (finished ceiling separating it from the roof rafters and sheathing) It will be a question of whether the roof is large enough (and lack of shaded areas on the roof) to keep up the BTU rate of the dryer that is stripping away that hot air. Using the home's main roof eliminates this worry. (not to mention, having your washer & dryer upstairs means having less clothing being carried up and down stairs) As for the potential odor issue, yes, I believe it would be very likely that is exactly what will occur. Question is, does the new cellulose have an odor?

So, this got me thinking of how one could gather that heat, without actually drawing in the potentially stinky air. Perhaps taking the supply air from outside, but running back and forth a few times in the peak of the attic with dryer pipe before going to the dryer. Though, I'm not sold that it would pick up enough heat considering the air volume the dryer will be pulling. A possible alternative is, similar plumbing, but instead of a bunch of back and forth pipe runs, install a large truck or tractor radiator up in the rafters. This will have the surface area to transfer large amounts of heat. A person could parallel/series together multiples to increase efficiency further.

On a final note, the 'that's what "green" should be about' comment, I don't know what Sprinter is expecting "green" to be. Eliminating 85% of the energy that goes into a dryer, while still maintaining the benefits of using a dryer isn't "green"? Does "green" mean one has to utilize 100% renewable energy? Would running the dryer's motors off a solar panel fed battery bank and inverter meet the requirements? Or is it simply considered taboo to use machinery when one can utilize a rack or a line?

I simply never viewed green as having to be simple/primitive. Nor, have I viewed green as having to be absolutely efficient as physically possible. To me, green is accomplishing an energy efficient lifestyle while maintaining a quality of life. That said, I hang clothes out, but I don't fault anyone using a dryer, and commend them for looking for ways to use it more efficiently.

Rod Reidnauer
Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania
100% off-grid since 2013

 

[Z33]

Funny - I like the rough feeling of line dried towels, sheets, clothes. Apparently, I am odd though.

Not just you. One of the best things in the world is a line dried towel after a hot shower.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

I recently saw this both on build it solar and a video on youtube. These guys ran a 20 foot long piece of 6 inch flex into their attics which was filtered on the intake side and hung it high up in the eve where the temps are the highest and sealed off their dryers to air tight so the motor would pull the hot air into the dryers and dry the clothes. The factory dryer temps were about the same (around 120*) as the attic air coming in. They used the "fluff" setting with no heat and the drying time was the same as using the heating element in the dryer. Reason I ask? I have the perfect setup for this.

My dryer is on the back "sunporch" and there is a utility closest 1 foot away that is not being used. It would be perfect and cheap to at least give it a shot. Only thing I worry about is the clothes smelling like my attic? I have new cellulose up there now. I get I could have the first load be towels only lol.

Thoughts?

As an added benefit, you will see reduced attic temperatures which will help the inside of your house stay cooler. But there are lots of potential pitfalls. If your attic has a bad smell, I wouldn't do it. If your attic is humid it might not dry as fast as you're accustomed to.

Indoor marijuana growers use commercially available carbon air filters to control odors. I think that might be a good idea here. And I agree with the High Efficiency washer comments. 1200 rpm spin speed is like magic!

Keep us updated!

 

[questarthews]

I recently saw this both on build it solar and a video on youtube. These guys ran a 20 foot long piece of 6 inch flex into their attics which was filtered on the intake side and hung it high up in the eve where the temps are the highest and sealed off their dryers to air tight so the motor would pull the hot air into the dryers and dry the clothes. The factory dryer temps were about the same (around 120*) as the attic air coming in.

Thoughts?

I don't have much more to add than has already been said regarding the potential smells, and possible filtering solutions, however this reminded me of an article I read in the past 10 years or so.

It was about a low energy home/neighborhood design, and the idea was to do what you suggested, but pull that heat to the ground underneath your home. Over the summer, the heat from the attic was supposed to heat the ground below your home, which would be returned slowly throughout the year, to help lower the heating requirements of the home overall.

When put into new builds, they talked about putting an "umbrella" under the soil below the home, to just slightly larger than the houses footprint, so the soil below would stay dry and hold that heat.

The neighborhood option was similar, but would pull the heat from all the homes and store it in another area as some sort of heat bank.

No idea how effective it is, or if it was actually ever done, but it sounded like a pretty cool idea as just one of many smaller steps to help reduce energy needs in the design process.

 

[georgepds]

Myself, I like the smell of line dried sheet and pillow cases...

 

[Sprinter]

Myself, I like the smell of line dried sheet and pillow cases...

Yup. In fact, that was the main reason my wife wanted to do it that way at first. I went along because of the energy saving aspect, but now I'd never do it any other way because I think the results are just nicer...

 

[begreen]

Sheets are on the line right now.

 

[blades]

That 4 sided outside rack is nothing new. Been around as long as I can remember. Either had to pull it out to mow or go back with the shears after wards ( no string trimmers back in the day). Even had to dig up the sleeve and replace it a couple times.