Heat pump clothes dryer

[SpaceBus]

The more I read this thread the less I want a HP clothes dryer. Especially because we plan on putting our washer and dryer in an unheated mud room long term.

 

[EbS-P]

The more I read this thread the less I want a HP clothes dryer. Especially because we plan on putting our washer and dryer in an unheated mud room long term.

Make a nice convenient cloth line, use it when you can and call it a win. If you can hang out 1/3 to half your laundry your dryer will last much longer

 

[NorMi]

Having the clothes line and a separate insulated laundry room you can leaved unheated/uncooled or also optionally link it to the conditioned space is maybe the best of all worlds. You can take the "ventless" HHPD and make it "vented" via a window/door in the summer, and it will use a fraction of the purchased energy a standard electric dryer would, and also not add to your cooling bill like it normally might. Then, let it use the heat from your house in the winter if you want and add its little bit of heat to your house as well! So since it's a hybrid dryer, it could be a heat pump dryer, electric resistance dryer when the room is too cool for the heat pump, vented or ventless, you get to pick the best of all conditions.

 

[SpaceBus]

Having the clothes line and a separate insulated laundry room you can leaved unheated/uncooled or also optionally link it to the conditioned space is maybe the best of all worlds. You can take the "ventless" HHPD and make it "vented" via a window/door in the summer, and it will use a fraction of the purchased energy a standard electric dryer would, and also not add to your cooling bill like it normally might. Then, let it use the heat from your house in the winter if you want and add its little bit of heat to your house as well! So since it's a hybrid dryer, it could be a heat pump dryer, electric resistance dryer when the room is too cool for the heat pump, vented or ventless, you get to pick the best of all conditions.

The hybrid does sound appealing, especially in the summer since that room won't be part of the conditioned space. Leaving the unit room vented in the winter would increase efficiency even if running in conventional electric mode.

We do have indoor clothes drying racks and an outdoor line that we do use. Mostly the dryer is a way to remove lint/dog hair/saw chips

 

[thecoalman]

Probably the most ideal case for electric drying appliance would be a vented *hybrid heat pump dryer that decides when to vent based on outdoor air temp, and either operates in a vented mode (where it could also have a outdoor air intake making it even better) or to operate ventless when it's cold outside and the heat is a bonus to the home.

LOL, you and I think alike. Why aren't refrigerators made so you can cool from the outside in winter months? Is this really an unreasonable question? I think you need be careful about creating a Rube Goldberg machine but I love tech and cool ideas that work. On the other hand I also love simple things that always just work. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at that dryer vent wondering how I could recover the heat without creating a fire hazard.

 

[stoveliker]

Mostly the dryer is a way to remove lint/dog hair/saw chips

Indeed, those d*mn saw chips!

 

[SpaceBus]

Indeed, those d*mn saw chips!

I try to wear the same few pairs of pants for sawing so I don't "contaminate" the rest of my clothes!

 

[Highbeam]

I try to wear the same few pairs of pants for sawing so I don't "contaminate" the rest of my clothes!

I own a pair of carhart "bibbs" that I pull on over my jeans. Those bibbs don't get washed and are tough. Have a nice pitch sawdust soak going on and smell slightly of 2 stroke exhaust.

 

[EbS-P]

I own a pair of carhart "bibbs" that I pull on over my jeans. Those bibbs don't get washed and are tough. Have a nice pitch sawdust soak going on and smell slightly of 2 stroke exhaust.

85% of the time I’m in shorts with chainsaw chaps. But I use my dryer to shake sand out of everything. Hi efficiency washers are terrible at getting sand out.

 

[SpaceBus]

I own a pair of carhart "bibbs" that I pull on over my jeans. Those bibbs don't get washed and are tough. Have a nice pitch sawdust soak going on and smell slightly of 2 stroke exhaust.

I have a couple pairs of chaps, but somehow those chips, especially when milling, get everywhere. I've considered a pair of overalls since I don't wear the chaps when I'm milling logs. All of my work pants are covered in pitch, balsam fir is like Doug fir and has blisters all over the bark.

 

[laynes69]

We installed a 80 gallon HPWH this summer to replace a 2 year old 50 gallon electric. We have a family of 5 and use alot of hot water. We also put in a 3.5 ton Ac unit which we never had before. Even with the pool operating in the summer, and the additional ac load, we actually dropped 500 kwh from our electric bill from the year prior. For us a massive savings with the HPWH. Having the unit close to the woodfurnace helps to drop the HPWH another 60 kwh a month when the woodfurnace is being used. Last month we used 225 kwh to heat our water.

We have a LP dryer that's at least 25 years old. Since we use 100% wood to heat the home, we fill our LP tank (500 gallon) once every 4 to 5 years. Having a household with 3 energy monsters, we do at least 2 or 3 loads of laundry a day and cook a bit on the LP stove. The last time we purchased LP it was maybe 1.40 a gallon and prior to that around a 1.00. I want to get a new washer and dryer for the additional efficiency but not sure if we would save alot.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

It sounds like your payback period would be really fast with a heat pump dryer. They figure 2-3 loads a week, and you're looking at that each day! The extra time drying might not make it worth it though. Maybe keep the other dryer going for overflow!

 

[brenndatomu]

I want to get a new washer and dryer for the additional efficiency but not sure if we would save alot.

I bet it would take a long time to see a payback on that if you are replacing working units.

 

[DBoon]

I just did a bunch of research on heat pump dryers versus ventless electric dryers. I did not consider an electric vented dryer because I built a tight, energy-efficient home and did not want to compromise the air sealing. I did not consider anything LP or natural gas because we don't have natural gas available and I also don't want to burn fossil fuels at all.

Roughly speaking, the estimated electric consumption was as follows:

• electric, vented dryer - 600 kWh/year
• electric, ventless dryer - 300 kWh/year
• electric heat pump ventless dryer - 150 kWh/year (about $300-400 more than a ventless dryer)

We have 15 kW of solar panels - more than enough to generate all we need (for now) for heating, electric cars and household use. Also, we mostly line dry our clothes - outside in the summer, inside in the winter when it is dry in the house and we appreciate some extra humidity. We need the dryer for those rare, consistently wet weeks in the spring or fall when we really can't dry inside.

Conclusion - even if I bought electricity at $0.15/kWh and used it as much as the EPA estimates I would (I wouldn't), it is hard to justify the premium for a heat pump dryer (150 kWh saved per year at $0.15/kWh = $23/year. The payback is roughly 15 years. I am pretty sure the heat pump dryer would just break and need replacement within that time window.

And given that we'll mostly use the dryer in the spring and fall when it is still pretty cool, it's not big deal to get it to dump a bunch of heat into the house when we use it.

Hopefully, the filter on the exhaust works as well as it is supposed to.

 

[laynes69]

I bet it would take a long time to see a payback on that if you are replacing working units.

That's what I was thinking. With the newer dryers, there's sensors that stop the drying when they're dry. That alone would save on LP and clothes would dry faster. Still intrigued by the technology.

 

[John Galt]

We have 15 kW of solar panels - more than enough to generate all we need (for now) for heating, electric cars and household use.

My issue was the inverter capacity. My max is 8800W. With a dryer pulling 5200W, if the well pump kicks on I'm over the max. The HP only uses around 3K, I don't remember an exact number. That gives me much more cushion.

 

[SpaceBus]

How do all of you handle the moisture from ventless dryers? We tried to run our electric apartment dryer ventless and water started condensing on things in the room. I have it vented out of the house, but know I'm losing energy doing this.

 

[brenndatomu]

How do all of you handle the moisture from ventless dryers? We tried to run our electric apartment dryer ventless and water started condensing on things in the room. I have it vented out of the house, but know I'm losing energy doing this.

Whats the normal RH in your house?

 

[SpaceBus]

Whats the normal RH in your house?

I try to keep it around 50%, but it can get lower in the winter. I also keep a lot of plants in the same room as the dryer.

 

[brenndatomu]

I wouldn't think you'd get much condensation at or below 50%...we don't.

 

[SpaceBus]

I wouldn't think you'd get much condensation at or below 50%...we don't.

When you have a machine dumping moisture into the room, it quickly gets above 50% humidity. With the cold air on the outside of the glass condensation happens quick.

 

[ManitobaSky]

Ventless dryers add very little extra moisture to the air, condensed water is either pumped down a drain or stored in an onboard tank that is dumped when full.

 

[SpaceBus]

Ventless dryers add very little extra moisture to the air, condensed water is either pumped down a drain or stored in an onboard tank that is dumped when full.

Maybe the new HP dryers are like that, but not my small conventional dryer.

 

[Highbeam]

Maybe the new HP dryers are like that, but not my small conventional dryer.

Ventless dryers are different than vented dryers who’s operators dump the vent indoors.

 

[SpaceBus]

Ventless dryers are different than vented dryers who’s operators dump the vent indoors.

It's advertised as ventless, but maybe the HP dryers are better in that regard.