Valuable Heat going out the Clothes Dryer Vent

[Hansson]

It does not help in your desire to convert what you already have but....

There are dryers designed to exhaust indoors, called condensing ventless dryers. I have been doing some research , and this is the type I will be buying to replace my 16-year old electric dryer. In the condensing dryer, the hot air in the clothes drum cycles though a closed loop. Moist hot air passes through a condenser which removes the water. Hot dry air then returns to pass through the clothes again. The moisture is collected in a bin or pumped out to the same drain the washer uses. Some devices use a loop of cool room air to chill the condenser. In some models, particularly the wash/dry combo machines, cold water is used to chill the condenser. In either case, there is no vent and no lint blown into the room. The waste heat end up in the laundry room. This would not be good for areas where cooling is the greatest utility cost, but up here in Maine, I'd rather have the heat stay in my house. The two months a year I would get a hot laundry room aren't a big deal.

These are mainly European designs. I haven't seen them in the appliance store, but they can be ordered. They are made by such companies as Bosch, LG, Eurotech, Equator and Miele.

Costs appear to be in the range of the expensive dryers that match the new front load washers.

Here is one by Bosch...
http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/aj...=Google+Products-_-00271-_-Bosch-_-WTE86300US

I am seriously considering a combo unit since my washer is old too. An LG example...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16896140060

Thor Appliances makes and sells such machines.
http://www.thorappliances.com/

I know that electrolux newest condensing ventless dryer have a heatpump inside.
It needs 50% less energy that a ordinary condensing ventless dryer like those you link to.
http://www.electrolux.se/node38.aspx?productId=28262
No info in English unfortunately

I have a condensing ventless dryer and I dont use it much.They need much energy.

 

[egghead2004]

If you can devise a way to extract heat through the use of a heat exchanger, it might be worth a try. If you simply divert the dryer exhaust itself into the house, or anywhere except the outside atmosphere, you're gonna be in violation of NFPA 211 standard, and likely local code. Rick

I live to be in violation of code NFPA 211! Muuhhhhaaahaaa.

I have one of those cheapo plastic diverters. Works great. Does blow some lint into the house, despite the screen. I've thought about putting a big pair of nylons around the opening to catch the finer stuff. But it's a lot of expensive energy going outside w/o it.

Same here. The humidity is not a problem since my wood stove is in the same area as the Dryer. The lint is not much of a problem, we keep it clean so as to avoid any fire danger. We also use a non phosphate laundry detergent which produces far less lint to begin with. The clothing also lasts longer. In the spring, that dryer vent goes right back outside, too much humidity for my basement when the stove is not running.

 

[MANIAC]

Huh! I just vent my electric dryer through a nylon knee high stocking. Seems to work really well!