New kinds of dryers in the US?
December 14, 2007 10:08 AM   Subscribe

Are there any companies in the US which sell either heat pump or mechanical steam compression dryers?

I'm remodeling my kitchen and wanted to replace the tiny Asko washer and condenser dryer installed by the owner of the building. One bag of clothes meant three cycles of laundry, which each took 2 1/2 hours to wash (the washer was an older model which did not have the lesser time option) and three hours to dry. I don't like spending this much time and energy, so I decided to replace them with the GE Profile Harmony set. It turns out that condensation dryers do not need to be vented (I thought the hole punched into the wall behind the dryer--which adjoins the apartment next door-- was for this) but the new dryer does,which means I can't put it in that spot. None of the other brands of condensation dryers are as large as the GE. Also, my apartment is not the same layout as the other units in the building--the original is back hallway, maid's room and bath--which was adjoined by the laundry area, kitchen; in my unit two walls were removed in order to create a larger kitchen and reconfigure the maid's room and bath.

My choices are:
A.Install a lint trap in the original area, but that does not solve the humidity problem.

B. Replace the GE dryer with a heat pump or mechanical compression dryer equivalent in size.

C. Remodel the maids bath (which has a window I can use as a vent) into a laundry room.

If B does not exist, I will have to go with the last.
posted by brujita to Home & Garden (2 answers total)
 
It's not the dryer capacity that's causing you the issue with dry times for your heat pump dryer. The mechanism that dries the clothes simply takes longer to work. In standard North American dryers, hot air is vented through the dryer cavity, pulling moisture out of the environment and venting it away. More capacity in that style means more surface area for the clothes to come in contact with the hot air, and therefor to dry faster.

Also, lint traps are rather large fire hazards. AFAIK, if the cause of a fire is deemed to be started by a lint trap, insure companies will severely curtain payouts.

The U.S. Department of Energy ("http://www.appliancedesign.com/CDA/Archives/f561a3405ca38010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____)commissioned a study to try and make faster heat pump units for the States, but the extra cost turned people off.

Sounds like venting and remodeling is the way to go mate.
posted by ZaneJ. at 3:00 PM on December 14, 2007


Response by poster: It was a CONDENSATION dryer which was installed before, not a heat pump one. I already knew that its mechanism was the reason for the longer dry times.
posted by brujita at 7:59 PM on December 14, 2007


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