Combo Thread!

[Chetlaham]

Nahhh, I'm thinking 240 volts, 4500 watts. You're correct though, drying will be more intensive. Though not nearly impossible. I've put very wet clothes in a Whirlpool dryer from a DD that couldn't spin. It works well enough if we had to do a low cost combo.

 

[foraloysius]

How long did that take? How much longer in comparison to clothes that did get a spin? The difference in energy use would be quite significant I'm sure.

 

[Chetlaham]

Triggered

Combo, I can tell you're triggered (yet again) by another member expressing his views on this site. When called out about it you behave for a few days to a few weeks, then it happens all over again.

I'd love to build some pro-types, but I'm involved with codes/standards along with power systems which in of itself is another world all on its own.

The green diaphragm Kitchen-Aid dishwasher valve (heck even the not so bad one I linked to) is on orders of magnitude better than a solenoid which runs throughout the whole cycle holding down a flapper which deforms and sometimes gets stuck partially open from seeds or debris. GE widened their drain ports on their post shaded pole pump bodies for this exact reason. Flapper mechanisms just suck. Holding half a gallon of water in the sump and pump body is asinine but guess what it actually happened...

A separate drain valve along with a washable fine filter would have been the way to go on those WH machines. There is nothing simple about what Westinghouse thought of by any stretch of the imagination.

Ovens without T stats. Fun mental exercise in thermal dynamics especially considering its been done in the past and still done in low cost Chinese ovens. Hint, PTC heaters help.

Combos that don't spin- its worth the idea if cost ever came about. US combos didn't have a real spin, and for decades some front loads didn't even spin between wash and rinse.

Heck, I could try a dryer that uses a vacuum pump to boil the water out of garments but its just to complex and expensive to peruse relative to tumble options.

I once built a box with 2 200 watt light bulbs and a shaded pole fan for drying shoes, sneakers and umbrellas. Guess what, it worked!

 

[Chetlaham]

I'd say roughly an extra 15-25 minutes. Roughly. More energy I'm sure not doubt about that. But sometimes capitol cost and dependability can push efficiency back.

 

[foraloysius]

Roughly

That is not a very satisfying answer if you're looking to put something new on the market. I say you have to do an experiment with a load of towels. Dry them once without spin and one with. Speculation is not a good start point for designing appliances.

 

[Chetlaham]

More than speculation, I tried it 8 years ago but never actually wrote down the time it took as I hadn't thought of a spinless combo concept yet. Experimentation is key, I agree. I'd love to do the tests and then some laboratory permitting.

 

[thomasortega]

Well, it wouldn't work, simple as that.

Because you're not adding "15 minutes". You'd be adding "over four hours" to the cycle.

And 4 hours to dry HALF load means 8 hours to dry a full load.

Again, considering it's 120v to be able to connect to a regular power outlet.

Please be aware that I made the Niagara and and an idea very similar to your was considered AND SIMULATED.

regarding ovens without thermostats... You're right. Actually very few ovens sold in Brazil really have thermostats (only super high end models) and they work so great that most people have no idea there isn't a thermostat there.

 

[thomasortega]

I'm working on a countertop Hatl washer combo that doesn't spin. Basically redesigning a Scirocco washer to improve its capacity, efficiency and performance, also reduce the noise level.
It will dry, but you have to spin the load and it will have a manual interlock to never start drying auto.atically after the wash and rinse cycles are done.

 

[Chetlaham]

I know your thinking about 120, but I'm thinking about 240 volts 30 amps. A full size economy model.

Mad respect for making the Niagra, especially using what appears like red and yellow for the motor wiring <3. I see what you did there and I like it!

Regarding those ovens in Brazil, don't hold back on talking about them

 

[maytag85]

Now this is a question I have about the Whirlpool and Kenmore combos of the mid to late 60’s. Did they use some sort of flap/damper to close off the exhaust fan? I imagine so to prevent water from getting into the blower/fan housing. Never seen what the exhaust fan looks like on those combo units but I imagine it’s a lot like the one on my ‘63 Whirlpool Imperial dryer and the lint screen is definitely on the top from what I have seen.

 

[combo52]

Exhaust Blower On WP Built 29" Combinations

Hi Sean, It is a similar set-up to what your 63 WP has except that everything is much better built and designed to handle water. 

 

The original design, no lint filter [ 1961-63 ] the fan ran all the time and when the machine filled some of the water blasted into the center of the fan.

 

The later design the fan only ran when the machine was drying also had two ports that water filled through the blower housing to keep it clean when ever the machine was filling for wash or rinses.

 

John L.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

"I once built a box with 2 200 watt light bulbs and a shaded pole fan for drying shoes, sneakers and umbrellas. Guess what, it worked!"

Awhile back I went looking on eBay and Amazon for those oversized towel warmers redesigned for clothing and i found a dozen permutations of the above. While Ducking "drying closet" I came across a DIY one that was essentially an enclosed rack for clothes and a dehumidifier placed in the bottom.

I suppose the practicality of these things would depend on what your alternatives are. If you're in a cool, damp climate and things hung to dry might sour before drying then any of the above would be a distinct improvement.

As I recall from the energy crisis adverts and DOE PSA's of the 70's the supposed increased energy efficiency of the dryer came from increased spin speeds of washers.

Drying time is the result of the quantity of water to be evaporated and the amount of energy (however used) put into the process. If the water goes up (from not spinning) and you're determined to keep energy down, time has to skyrocket.

Or am I missing some underlying point?