In recent years I have been more and more interested in spin dryers. Since we have an electric dryer that we use for every load, we would like to reduce the amount of time that our clothes spend in the dryer and thus we spend on electric. I had considered spending money for a clothes line and clothes rack, however this will only work for a few months out of the year. A spin dryer seems to be the best alternative for year round usage. I have my Whirlpool Duet that can spin up to 1400 rpm, but only does so for a few seconds. For the most part I use the ~1100 rpm setting. I am worried that a spin dryer will not extract much more water than my Duet and will be a complete waste of money or will not save us money on electric. I have looked at the Panda spin dryer that spins at 3200 rpm since that is one of the higher speeds on the market and also capacity. If anyone has any experience or ideas please let me know! I am very curious at how much water can be removed from a load spun at this speed. Thank you.
ISO Spin Dryer
- Thread starter lakewebsterkid
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speedqueen
Well-known member
Thomas Ortega, a member here, is the designer of The Laundry Alternative's MEGA spin dryer.
Talk to Panthera...he has one from Thomas!
Have a Hoover TT, and used the spin drier more than washer until purchased a separate unit. The older Laundry Alternative unit holds more than the Hoover (a full eleven pound load from the Miele or AEG Lavamat washers), and is a bit more quiet.
In terms of usefulness for thick and thirsty towels, hoodies and or anything else that really holds water, spin dryers can cut down time in tumble dryer considerably.
You are onto something in wishing to get a centrifugal extractor (spin dryer). In commercial laundries it has been a long held view that the best (and cheapest) way to get water out of fabrics is via mechanical means. Less water left after extraction means less energy used by dryers or ironers to "bake" that water out.
This being said if you are taking items spun already in your washing machine, the amount of "extra" water removed will depend upon several factors.
The largest is how fast your washing machine spins. Greatest gains in water removal come from going to 1000 rpms from say 800 rpms. More still between 1000rpms and 1200rpms. After 1300rpms the gains are increasingly small as not worth bothering in terms of energy savings.
Of course as you noted already having a spin dryer means you can have "high speed" extraction for long as you wish. My AEG will go to 1800rpms, but for only the last three or so minutes. In an effort to prolong lifespan however rarely set final spin speed above 1200rpms. If things need to be drier will bung them into the spin dryer for several minutes.
Here is my spin dryer and an older review:
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/green-laundry-purifier,review-1298-2.html
On a full load of towels and other thick items spun in the Miele at 900rpms, the spin dryer will easily remove one half to quart plus of water after four minutes. Same load done in the AEG and spun at 1200rpms will yield about a cup or more. These are all rough guesses going by how much water emptied out of catch basin.
Still has have always said, a full load of towels washed in the Miele, then spun in the spin dryer will try to a crisp in the little Whirlpool compact dyer in 45 minutes to an hour. If I take them to local launderette and use large gas commercial dryer things are done and toasty in about 20 to 30 minutes.
In terms of usefulness for thick and thirsty towels, hoodies and or anything else that really holds water, spin dryers can cut down time in tumble dryer considerably.
You are onto something in wishing to get a centrifugal extractor (spin dryer). In commercial laundries it has been a long held view that the best (and cheapest) way to get water out of fabrics is via mechanical means. Less water left after extraction means less energy used by dryers or ironers to "bake" that water out.
This being said if you are taking items spun already in your washing machine, the amount of "extra" water removed will depend upon several factors.
The largest is how fast your washing machine spins. Greatest gains in water removal come from going to 1000 rpms from say 800 rpms. More still between 1000rpms and 1200rpms. After 1300rpms the gains are increasingly small as not worth bothering in terms of energy savings.
Of course as you noted already having a spin dryer means you can have "high speed" extraction for long as you wish. My AEG will go to 1800rpms, but for only the last three or so minutes. In an effort to prolong lifespan however rarely set final spin speed above 1200rpms. If things need to be drier will bung them into the spin dryer for several minutes.
Here is my spin dryer and an older review:
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/green-laundry-purifier,review-1298-2.html
On a full load of towels and other thick items spun in the Miele at 900rpms, the spin dryer will easily remove one half to quart plus of water after four minutes. Same load done in the AEG and spun at 1200rpms will yield about a cup or more. These are all rough guesses going by how much water emptied out of catch basin.
Still has have always said, a full load of towels washed in the Miele, then spun in the spin dryer will try to a crisp in the little Whirlpool compact dyer in 45 minutes to an hour. If I take them to local launderette and use large gas commercial dryer things are done and toasty in about 20 to 30 minutes.
rolls_rapide
Well-known member
Bear in mind too, that many modern washing machines have 'out of balance' sensors, which reduce the final spin speed, even if fast speeds were selected by you in the first place.
This can lead to poor spin efficiency due to the lower speed. A full load of towels might also be seen as 'too heavy' and automatic speed reduction may activate, or the motor might not be powerful enough to reach the claimed speed.
On the other hand, manually placing the load in a spin-dryer, and carefully placing individual items to balance the drum properly and equally, should allow excellent water extraction.
Be warned though, that laundry has a greater tendency to wrinkle and crease rather dramatically in a spin-dryer, compared to the larger slower drums of washing machines.
This can lead to poor spin efficiency due to the lower speed. A full load of towels might also be seen as 'too heavy' and automatic speed reduction may activate, or the motor might not be powerful enough to reach the claimed speed.
On the other hand, manually placing the load in a spin-dryer, and carefully placing individual items to balance the drum properly and equally, should allow excellent water extraction.
Be warned though, that laundry has a greater tendency to wrinkle and crease rather dramatically in a spin-dryer, compared to the larger slower drums of washing machines.
Panda Spin Dryer
I got a PANDA spin dryer on Amazon for about $169. Stainless steel spin basket and exterior casing, spins at 3200 rpm - works like a charm. I've been using it for several months now and am very happy with it's performance. It is amazing the amount of water extracted from items that were just spun at "high speed" in my 1987 Kenmore top loader! Cuts drying time on the line or in the dryer. LOVE it!
I got a PANDA spin dryer on Amazon for about $169. Stainless steel spin basket and exterior casing, spins at 3200 rpm - works like a charm. I've been using it for several months now and am very happy with it's performance. It is amazing the amount of water extracted from items that were just spun at "high speed" in my 1987 Kenmore top loader! Cuts drying time on the line or in the dryer. LOVE it!
Thomas, Panthera, and Philcobendixduo
Thomas, if you read this I am interested in info. I would prefer a machine that spins at 3200 rpm instead of the Megas 1800 rpm. Let me know about any specifics.
Panthers, I would love to heard your opinion.
Philcobendixduo, thanks for your info! However, I highly doubt my washer leaves as much moisture as yours! I have a Kenmore 80 series and I know about residual moisture! Lol.
A majority of our loads have Cotton items that can benefit from the high speed. Also, the Panda is cheaper than the Laundry alternative mega dryer which doesn't spin nearly as fast. I will see what the future holds! Thanks guys.
Thomas, if you read this I am interested in info. I would prefer a machine that spins at 3200 rpm instead of the Megas 1800 rpm. Let me know about any specifics.
Panthers, I would love to heard your opinion.
Philcobendixduo, thanks for your info! However, I highly doubt my washer leaves as much moisture as yours! I have a Kenmore 80 series and I know about residual moisture! Lol.
A majority of our loads have Cotton items that can benefit from the high speed. Also, the Panda is cheaper than the Laundry alternative mega dryer which doesn't spin nearly as fast. I will see what the future holds! Thanks guys.
Also
If your load has 1 cup removed from the load after the 1200 rpm spin, I can't imagine how much would be removed from loads washed in the Duet which will be much larger and have about the same moisture content per item. Im thinking 3200 rpm is my best bet. I wish The Laundry Alternative still manufactured their 3200 rpm spinner. I'm sure a load of 12 towels will have a significantly shorter dry time. Do you guys notice softer clothes when using the spin dryer? We have somewht hard water.
If your load has 1 cup removed from the load after the 1200 rpm spin, I can't imagine how much would be removed from loads washed in the Duet which will be much larger and have about the same moisture content per item. Im thinking 3200 rpm is my best bet. I wish The Laundry Alternative still manufactured their 3200 rpm spinner. I'm sure a load of 12 towels will have a significantly shorter dry time. Do you guys notice softer clothes when using the spin dryer? We have somewht hard water.
Well, as Somebody mentioned above, yes, I designed the Mega.
The spin speed is reduced for safety, also it has a Kevlar drum, much safer than stainless steel (comrpoved on crash-tests)
The spin speed is reduced but the G-force is similar because of the drum diameter much bigger than our competitor.
Also, our competitor has their spin dryers designed, engineered and built in China, by a third party company. Ours is designed in the USA and built in Brazil.
We offer a 3-year hassle-free warranty in all our products. If something goes wrong, we will never try to "fix" a damaged unit. Instead, we will immediately replace the damaged unit by a brand new unit.
Our competitors offer a silly 90-day full warranty (but you have to pay the shipping to have the unit repaired) and a 1-year parts only warranty (and you also have to pay for the shipping)
SHipping a spin dryer costs an average $50, depending on your address. So you have to think about that too.
The capacity is also other important factor. The Mega is the biggest household spin dryer ever made in the world. It holds 4x the "Panda" capacity.
The spin speed is reduced for safety, also it has a Kevlar drum, much safer than stainless steel (comrpoved on crash-tests)
The spin speed is reduced but the G-force is similar because of the drum diameter much bigger than our competitor.
Also, our competitor has their spin dryers designed, engineered and built in China, by a third party company. Ours is designed in the USA and built in Brazil.
We offer a 3-year hassle-free warranty in all our products. If something goes wrong, we will never try to "fix" a damaged unit. Instead, we will immediately replace the damaged unit by a brand new unit.
Our competitors offer a silly 90-day full warranty (but you have to pay the shipping to have the unit repaired) and a 1-year parts only warranty (and you also have to pay for the shipping)
SHipping a spin dryer costs an average $50, depending on your address. So you have to think about that too.
The capacity is also other important factor. The Mega is the biggest household spin dryer ever made in the world. It holds 4x the "Panda" capacity.
Thomas
Thank you for your input! My washer has a considerably larger tub diameter and can spin at 1400 rpm. I really am not sure if the Mega spin dryer will have any higher G-force values versus my washer.
Thank you for your input! My washer has a considerably larger tub diameter and can spin at 1400 rpm. I really am not sure if the Mega spin dryer will have any higher G-force values versus my washer.
Spin dryers always extract more water than a washing machine, because washers not always spin at the rated speed.
Of course, the difference won't be several buckets of water per load, but a single 1/4 of a cup of water is A LOT of water to evaporate in the dryer.
Every single drop you can extract before drying makes a noticeable difference, specially on towels, blankets, duvets, comforters, etc.
Of course, the difference won't be several buckets of water per load, but a single 1/4 of a cup of water is A LOT of water to evaporate in the dryer.
Every single drop you can extract before drying makes a noticeable difference, specially on towels, blankets, duvets, comforters, etc.
Usefulness of a spin dryer/extractor will vary upon how it is being used, and or final extraction speed of washer.
As noted upthread benefits of fast spin cycles diminish after 1200rps. From 1400rmps and beyond the amount of water removed and benefits in energy savings (tumble drying) decrease.
https://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/washing-machine-spin-speed-efficiency/
Depending upon who you believe higher spin speeds are the best thing since sliced bread, for others not so much.
http://www.appliancecity.co.uk/news/news/myth-buster-washing-machines-high-spin-speeds
Again for thick and thirsty things like towels or whatever that absorb and hold much water, high spin speeds are great. OTOH for knits, sweaters, dress shirts, things with elastic, etc... Most likely results from any good washer that spins between 1000rpms to 1200 rpms is fine. Extracting things for too long and or at high speeds can stretch things out, and or cause lots of creasing. The latter may or may not be removed by the dryer or even ironing.
As noted upthread benefits of fast spin cycles diminish after 1200rps. From 1400rmps and beyond the amount of water removed and benefits in energy savings (tumble drying) decrease.
https://www.whitegoodshelp.co.uk/washing-machine-spin-speed-efficiency/
Depending upon who you believe higher spin speeds are the best thing since sliced bread, for others not so much.
http://www.appliancecity.co.uk/news/news/myth-buster-washing-machines-high-spin-speeds
Again for thick and thirsty things like towels or whatever that absorb and hold much water, high spin speeds are great. OTOH for knits, sweaters, dress shirts, things with elastic, etc... Most likely results from any good washer that spins between 1000rpms to 1200 rpms is fine. Extracting things for too long and or at high speeds can stretch things out, and or cause lots of creasing. The latter may or may not be removed by the dryer or even ironing.
Launderess is 100% right
THat's why when I upgraded the model I decided to lower the spin speed.
High speeds cause wrinkles and unwanted wear and tear to the clothes.
THat's why when I upgraded the model I decided to lower the spin speed.
High speeds cause wrinkles and unwanted wear and tear to the clothes.
Softer Clothes - YES
I posted in another thread some weeks ago that I noticed clothes (towels, cotton items) that had been spun in the PANDA spin dryer were noticeably softer when line dried. Really NO difference when machine dried.
As far as how MUCH water is extracted, I use a large basin that holds about 20 cups of water and after spinning 4 bath towels, 4 hand towels, 4 fingertip towels and 4 washcloths, I would estimate that the basin contains about 6 cups of water.
Admittedly, the PANDA spin dryer has a small basket and can only fit 2 bath towels at a time but, to me, it's worth the extra time in the spinner for quicker machine drying and softer towels when line drying.
I posted in another thread some weeks ago that I noticed clothes (towels, cotton items) that had been spun in the PANDA spin dryer were noticeably softer when line dried. Really NO difference when machine dried.
As far as how MUCH water is extracted, I use a large basin that holds about 20 cups of water and after spinning 4 bath towels, 4 hand towels, 4 fingertip towels and 4 washcloths, I would estimate that the basin contains about 6 cups of water.
Admittedly, the PANDA spin dryer has a small basket and can only fit 2 bath towels at a time but, to me, it's worth the extra time in the spinner for quicker machine drying and softer towels when line drying.
Spinning this load for four minutes (in three batches) in my spin dryer at 2800 rpm, removed 1.5 cups of water. These are heavy cotton covers along with some other cotton items. My Duet spins at 1200 rpm for about four minutes.
Logixx
Thank you for your reply and information. This is exactly what I was looking for!
Thank you for your reply and information. This is exactly what I was looking for!
