diy solar

diy solar

Laundry and off-grid... Hmmm?

Rednecktek

Solar Wizard
Joined
Sep 8, 2021
Messages
5,444
Location
On a boat usually.
So every other thread seems to be about powering microwaves and aircon and water heaters as your "MegaPowerLoad", but being able to do a load of laundry is one of those things that I rarely see touched on (outside the Solar Clothes Dryer) and I'd had the occasional noodle in my head to do something about it.

Well, people here know my love affair of Diesel Parking Heaters, and one of my YT channels had a similar thought. I'll be interested to see how the motor swap goes, but it's a really simple idea that I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking about.


Am I the only one? Probably. :confused:
 
So every other thread seems to be about powering microwaves and aircon and water heaters as your "MegaPowerLoad", but being able to do a load of laundry is one of those things that I rarely see touched on (outside the Solar Clothes Dryer) and I'd had the occasional noodle in my head to do something about it.

Well, people here know my love affair of Diesel Parking Heaters, and one of my YT channels had a similar thought. I'll be interested to see how the motor swap goes, but it's a really simple idea that I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking about.


Am I the only one? Probably. :confused:
The big user in my house is the dishwasher. Currently it is wired with the fridge and microwave on same circuit, not a good combo when the wife has the DW running and uses the microwave.
 
Brilliant!

I have been looking to build a wood fired dryer with a large heat exchanger from a gas furnace. Your idea could be economical. I look forward to seeing consumption rates/gallons of diesel per load of laundry.

Its all about cost.
 
Our clothes are hung up on inside retractable clothes lines in the winter with a wood burner drying them. They are hung outside in the spring summer and fall. We rarely use ours. Even when we do it’s only a 22.5A resistive load at 240V or 2.5-4kWh.
 
Same with us. We have a propane gas drier that we never use. Dry outside in most seasons, dry on pegs behind woodstove when it's raining. Our LG Inverter Washing machine is an awesome off grid appliance in that it has no starting surge, draws only about 200 to 300 watts when running and has a great spin cycle that gets things really wrung out so that they dry fast. Our LG Propane drier (they come with both propane and natural gas jets, easy to swap on installation) draws about 800 watts, probably due to propane ignition heat bar or whatever it uses to keep the flame going.
 
Same with us. We have a propane gas drier that we never use. Dry outside in most seasons, dry on pegs behind woodstove when it's raining. Our LG Inverter Washing machine is an awesome off grid appliance in that it has no starting surge, draws only about 200 to 300 watts when running and has a great spin cycle that gets things really wrung out so that they dry fast. Our LG Propane drier (they come with both propane and natural gas jets, easy to swap on installation) draws about 800 watts, probably due to propane ignition heat bar or whatever it uses to keep the flame going.

I googled 'LG Inverter Washing Machine' and while I got hits none of them seemed be models for sale in the US. It sounds very interesting. Is it the same thing as the direct drive models?
 
Try searching for "heat pump dryer" and you'll have better luck. Be prepared for sticker shock.

If that's the same thing as a ventless dryer, I already have one. Prices do seem to have gone up a bit since I bought mine a couple of years ago although it wasn't cheap back then.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Applian...lectric-Dryers/Heat-Pump/N-5yc1vZc3q1Z1z1dtqi

I would like to find a more efficient option for my washer. I found this link searching for 'Inverter Washing Machine':

https://www.lg.com/levant_en/top-loader-washing-machines

But when I click on a model and then click "Where to Buy" the only options are Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon. <shrug>

I found this on Amazon but I'm not familiar with the brand.

https://www.amazon.com/KoolMore-FLW-5CWH-Inverter-Functions-20-Minute/dp/B09QXZJWRN
 
I got the Bosch air-cooled condensing dryer. ~$1000, but scratch-n-dent was discounted.
It has been in use about 4 years in a rental property (that had no vent.)

Heat pump of course is a few $hundred more than an aluminum heat exchanger.

Some of my washers have temperature option "cold". Also, "no heat"
Some were designed to take in cold water only, then heat with electricity. Featured as not causing some types of stain to set, for those who failed Home Economics and don't know what settings to use.
 
The moisture condenses and goes into a tank out pull out and drain yourself, and the lint trap is in the front like normal.
I was reading the Q and A and it must draw the already heated air back thru the evaporator, in effect recycling some of the heat energy.
 
My Bosch air-cooled condenses water into a pan and pumps it out to drain.
Heat exchanger appears to dump heat into room air rather than recovering after condensing.
Think it has a lint clean-out, haven't heard anything from tenants.

Washer/dryer combos use cold water for condenser, and pump to drain.
The used one I had until it failed had a cleanout same as front load washers (which it also was.)

I have a dehumidifier which uses refrigeration coils to condense, then puts the cold dry air back into other set of coils. Would imagine heat-pump dryers do the same.
 
My heat pump can either collect the water in a removable tank, or as I have it, direct into a drain.

It's effectively just a dehumidifier in an enclosed rotating drum. It generates very little heat.

Time for a load depends on how damp, how much etc. It's continually measuring the dryness and will stop once its dry.

I hang my cloths for 24 hours before putting them into the drier to finish them off.
 
I googled 'LG Inverter Washing Machine' and while I got hits none of them seemed be models for sale in the US. It sounds very interesting. Is it the same thing as the direct drive models?
Yes, I think same thing. The term inverter in the case of LG washing machines refers to the direct drive brushless motors with many poles to deliver high starting torque with little surge (very popular for conversion to wind turbines if you don't like it as a washing machine ...). The washer jitters the drum back and forth to measure current needed to rotate drum and estimate weight of load to decide how much water to add to it. Quite neat idea, works well, uses very little water and gets good and clean.
 
I actually had a very similar thought as soon as i started running the little diesel heater i bought about a month ago. In the end since i have no need to 'make' heat for my living space 90% of the year, the idea migrated mostly over to feeding the drier hot air that i'm already making from other more consistent sources. But you're certainly not the only one thinking along these lines!
 
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