Our little semi-scientific towel test... part deux!

[revvinkevin]

Yes ladies & gentlemen, you've waited patiently for 5 months and I'm here to tell you now, your wait is OVER!

It's finally time to revisit our little towel test and change things around a little.

So I again present to you the "1955 Frigidaire vs. 2006 Frigidaire towel challenge.... part deux"!

Here is the link to the original thread so you can reacquaint yourselves with "part une".

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?44750

 

[revvinkevin]

This time Rich (Golittlesport) and I decided to take the "washer" out of the equation by washing all 8 towels in the 2006 FL, as there is NO way the Unimatic could swallow all 8 of these towels at one time.

Here it is loaded and ready to start.

Regular cycle, hot water, normal soil, extra rinse and extended 1000 RPM spin (54 minutes). We then went to dinner.

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

Back from dinner and the 8 large bath towels are ready to go in the dryers.

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

The 8 towels get divided, 4 into each dryer.

 

This dryer was set to the "towels cycle" (high heat) which initially showed 1 hour (estimated) until dry.

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

The other 4 towels go into the '55 Filtrator and it too is set for the same 60 minutes.

[this post was last edited: 7/3/2013-01:05]

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

As there is no "safety switch" on the Filtrator, it will obviously keep running when you open the door.  (Make sure to keep the little kiddies away!)   

 

 

 

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

The towels are now dry and Rich is folding all, again for consistency.

 

FYI... the 2006 gas Frigidaire dryer finished it's 4 towels in about 40 minutes.  

 

The 220V Filtrator took about 10 minutes longer at 50 minutes.

 

[revvinkevin]

And the results are.......

 

 

Drum roll please...........

 

Filtrator dried towels on the left and 2006 vented dryer stack on the right.

 

Again the results speak volumes. 

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

Approx 9.5 inches for the stack on the left and 8 inches for the stack on the right.

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

So there you have it folks, we removed the variable of washing in different washers by washing all 8 towels in one load in one machine.

 

Condensing dryers are the way to go for fluffier towels.   Oh, BTW I also did the "touch test" rubbing my hand on each stack of towels.... and the stack dried in the 1955 Frigidaire Filtrator dryer did feel softer!

 

Rich also wanted to demonstrate just how much water was removed from the towels, even after a 1000 rpm spin.   He poured the water from the Filtrators drain pan (after this load of course) into the measuring cup.   Just over 1 cup!   Very cool!

 

I hope you enjoyed both part une and part deux of our little towel test!

 

Kevin

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Really cool!

Expect a call from Consumer's Reports really soon! LOL!

Actually, it's really neat to see the difference in the fluffiness between the two dryers. I'd still like to learn more about why the difference. I'd always been taught that gas dryers produce softer clothes due to the moist heat vs. a dry electric heat. Interesting.

RCD

 

[alr2903]

Thank You!!!

Kevin and Rich,  I really enjoy the "in  home" testing you share with us. Now I will be wishing for  "Filtrator towels" again.

Arthur

 

[bigalsf]

Dryer differences

Great test! I am curious to know if there is a big difference in the size of the dryer drums? And number of baffles? Could these differences (if they are significant) contribute to the difference in "fluffiness"? Or do you think it's mostly due to the evaporation process unique to the Filtrator?

 

[revvinkevin]

Personally I think it's due to the evaporation process in the filtrator, being that it's a condenser dryer.

Andy, as this dryer is not vented, everything is dried in the steam as the moisture evaporates from the clothing, I'm pretty sure this is why towels are more fluffy when dried in this dryer.

If you open the door and remove a towel midway through the drying process, it will be extremely hot and literally steaming.

If anyone else would like to explain further, please do.

Kevin

 

[jetcone]

Xlent Job

Boys!! really enjoyed this. Science comes to Laundry--- finally!! Holla!

 

But where did you go to dinner????????

 

 

 

 

[gorenje]

Interesting test and nice pair of laundry equipment you got

I think Kevin's theory is right.
When, in the midle of the cycle, you open a condenser dryer in which the internal circuit is closed a stream of steam comes out of the machine but also from every single garment.
The steam makes everything much more soft and fluffy than just hot air blown through the laundy.

That's my opinion

Ingemar

 

[philr]

Interesting results Kevin! I need to do similar tests with my vented and Filtrator dryers!

I'd be curious to compare my 1968 Frigidaire vented dryer against my 1965 Filtrator. But first, I'll need to get 8 new matching towels!

 

[sel8207]

don't understand;

I don't understand exactly; there is a dehumidifier inside the filtrator that removes the water?; if so why would they be steaming. Want to learn more about this method and there 's no mechanical esplanation of how it works; curious les.

 

[Unimatic1140]

is there is a dehumidifier inside the filtrator that removes the water

Yes Les, it's a similar process without using a compressor...

Great tests guys, I love our Filtrator because how wonderfully soft the clothes come out. At some point once the towels are dirty again you guys might want to redo the test now using the Unimatic as the washer (do two loads if necessary) to see if there is any difference in height.

 

[gorenje]

I think the dehumidifier does not condens instantaneously all the steam, but part of the moisty air goes back in the drum. So in the beginning of the cycle when the laundy is still very wet more steam is produced than condensed. That's why the laundry is steaming.
Than gradually less and less moist comes out of the laundry and more easily is for the dehumidifier to condens it into water.

 

[gorenje]

Here is shown how a European condenser dryer works

... but it can be that the Frigidaire Filtrator works a bit differenty

 

[yogitunes]

thanks for the clarity.....interesting concept

I always thought a condenser dryer recirculated its own air over and over....

but wouldn't this make any given room really warm from the exhaust?

 

[philr]

Ingemar,

Your illustration shows how the newer 27" (1961-67) Frigidaire Filtrator dryers work. The pre-1961 30" models like the 1955 Kevin used in his test are similar in concept but they have perforated drums, no fan-forced airflow through the clothes and no lint filter (lint collects at the top of the condenser).

Martin,

Early Filtrator dryers have tiny vent holes at the top of their insulated cabinets as shown in the 1958 illustration in Robert's post.

Newer ones recirculate air with a fan through the condenser.

 

[gorenje]

@ Yogitunes

"I always thought a condenser dryer recirculated its own air over and over.... "

If you have in mind a European condenser dryer than the response is "yes".

But as I had the chance to see it now, that's not the case for the Filtrator, where the air is not always the same over and over again.

Thanks Unimatic for the picture.

 

[sel8207]

I see now.

I couldn't understand how there's not a compressor involved. I live in a damp area (naples), and have a dehumidifier that I use sometimes (in addition to the a/c)to get the moisture out of the air. Was thinking why couldn't someone, unplug the 220v heater element of a dryer, maybe have a 110 motor fan spinning it and have it hooked up to a sealed recirculating dehumidifier. It seems like it would use a lot less electricity. I just know it would work. Doesn't anybody agree with that logic. curious les. (thanks to everyone for the displays and explanations. )[this post was last edited: 7/3/2013-10:20]

 

[gorenje]

@ PhilR

Now I see. Thank you Phil for the explanation.

This version of the Filtrator is indeed a very interesting machine

 

[philr]

Here's an illustration showing the newer (1961) model.

OMG!
It says these dryers used an Asbestos seal! I hope I won't get Cancer from constantly using my '65 dryer!

 

[philr]

Les,

Some newer European dryers do use a refrigeration system to condensate moisture. Air-cooled condenser dryers work better in a cool basement or in an air-conditioned environment than in a hot environment!

 

[frigilux]

Wow, has five months already passed since the initial towel test? I love tests like these; thanks for taking the time to do them.

I'm a believer: The steamy conditions in a condenser dryer help produce fluffier towels.

 

[philr]

When I got my '65 Filtrator dryer from John, I was curious about the germicidal ozone lamp that worked with the drum light off and that didn't work with the drum light on.

Ozone lamps usually need to have the drum light to be on at the same time as the drum light acts as a ballast for the germ lamp. In the newer Filtrator dryers, there's a door heater and they used this heater as a ballast instead of the drum light. So the ozone light doesn't come on when you open the door and the drum light doesn't stay on when the dryer is operating.