Drying Washed Clothes

[maki2]

If you need to be stealthy with your laundry that likely means you are in an area that has lots of people which usually means there are coin operated laundry centers around. Just wash at home and dry at the laundry. I used to do that once upon a time when I rented a house that did not have a 220 power outlet for hooking up a dryer. The 110 dryers take forever to dry a load.

[CosmickGold]

Well guys, it looks like I'm truly in luck.  With B and C's encouraging comment below, I went ahead and just now purchased this HVAC vacumm pump.  I thought one psi would be hard to reach, but this thing goes down to 0.0007 psi.  Incredible!  That means the water will boil out of my clothes at any temperature, including below freezing!  I also purchased this HVAC vacuum gauge, so I can read when to stop the pump (with clothes dry).

The only way to know if my bucket will implode (like you said it will) from external air pressure, is to try it, so I'm moving forward with this bucket and a Gamma Seal lid.  Wish me luck!

And again, thank you so much for your various ideas!  You are much appreciated.

[highdesertranger]

couple of points,

you will need a wet chamber or else you will pull the water right into the pump.

you will need to some how tumble the bucket with the clothes in it. or else the water in the clothes in the bottom of the bucket will have to be drawn though the clothes on top greatly increasing the time.

I think the minimum wall thickness of the bucket will need to be 90mil, 120mil would be much better but those are hard to find.

you mentioned stealth so I am assuming you will run this inside your van. have you ever been around a vacuum pump? they are loud. in fact they are so loud as to be annoying and you will hear it on the outside of the van. so I really don't see stealth being maintained. I would just go to a laundry mat.

my 2 cents. good luck and be sure to report back.

highdesertranger

[CosmickGold]

Thank you, highdesertranger.

I'll google the need for a "wet chamber" right after posting this message, but I don't understand the need for it.  Vacuuming will be done from near the top of the bucket, where water would only exist in the form of vapor, not liquid; so what problem could it cause?  I plan to first spin the clothes for 5 minutes as usual, meaning only a little dampness will remain to be removed by the pump.  And if it's true that the near-total lack of psi will be evenly dispersed throughout the bucket, how could clothing above slow the removal of moisture from the clothing below passing through it? Is there a concept I'm missing?

My bucket is 70mil, not 90mil; but since I already have it, I'll give it a try, but will stand back in case of flying plastic.  I would think the evenly-curved side wall of the bucket would hold up due to the strength of it's own curvature; but I wonder about the unsupported, flat top and bottom. Trying to use it will reveal the facts.

In Starbucks, when they close the heavy plastic lid over the noisy blender, the room grows so much quieter.  I'm confident placing the pump in a similar box (possibly insulated) will quiet it's noise as well.

Again, thanks for great information.

(This post was last modified: 08-31-2019, 12:15 PM by CosmickGold.)

[Cammalu]

The only way to know if my bucket will implode (like you said it will) from external air pressure, is to try it, so I'm moving forward with

Please film the first try. It could be a classic

[CosmickGold]

Gurr! Isn't there a way to delete accidental messages that are repeats, etc?

And YES Cammalu, filming it for you is a great idea.

(This post was last modified: 08-31-2019, 01:18 PM by CosmickGold.)

[highdesertranger]

PM me or another Mod if you want something deleted.

all that water vapor is going to pass through the pump with out a dryer. that's not good for the pump. when you are evacuating an AC system(What the pump is designed for) you Might get 1/4 teaspoon of water and that would be a lot in an AC system.

as soon as the water vapor returns to regular atmospheric pressure the water will return to liquid form. what then?

if you were to use it for a milking machine the liquid milk never passes through the pump.

how much do you think that sound proof box cost Starbucks and what about the vibration?

you are making drying your close way more complicated then it needs to be.

I am not saying this won't work but you are missing several key elements, trying to solve all these issues is going to cost a fortune. by the time you get this up and running like it should you could have dried your clothes at a laundry mat for years and still be ahead. you still haven't mention how you will tumble the clothes.

sorry but I agree with the Rube Goldberg post.

highdesertranger

[ZoNiE]

The amount of vacuum you need is actually measured in Militorr. A vacuum pump large enough to create the vacuum you need is also gonna have a 3 Phase motor or a very large single phase one needing 240VAC. You'll also need a chamber that the pump cannot suck flat.

[CosmickGold]

Well, what can I say?  The only way to learn what my mistakes will be, is for me to make them. Obviously not an easy path to take, but it should get me there.

You guys were freaking me out, even wanting me to film the implosion of my 5-gallon bucket.  I would have been scared every time I used it, so for both safety and peace of mind, I just now ordered the Arksen 5 Gallon Stainless Steel Vacuum Chamber.  (Sorry you'll miss the implosion).   

I plan to spend time in the Olympic Rain Forest, alone, in northwest Washington state.  I've lived there years ago with no electrical hookups, no sun, 100% humidity, and rain every day (13 feet of rain a year).  Finding myself there with a pile of soggy clothes, ready to start to smell and mildew, wasn't pleasant.  And the round trip (about 50 miles) to the nearest commercial drier wasn't great either.  That's why I'm determined to find a way to get my clothes bone dry even while surrounded by pouring rain just outside the window.

Googling about "wet chambers" and "inline driers", I now think I can skip that.  $35 for a tiny little thing that could hardly hold an ounce of water, to be thrown away and replaced every time it got "full"?  No wonder you said I "could spend a fortune"!  Thenl looked at several pump+chamber vacuum kits (3 and 5 gallon), and not a one mentioned or showed a drier, so evidently most people skip that when not for an actual HVAC cooling system.  I think most of what will be sucked out of the chamber will be air with a little water vapor in it, and it shouldn't condence until it reaches normal air pressure like you said, which is after going through the pumping apparatus. But maybe I should blow out the exhaust end of the pump to clear it of water droplets after each use, do you think?

highdesertranger, you are amazingly knowledgeable as well as highly supportive.  I'm so glad I found you (or you me).  Please know you are deeply appreciated.

PS--
1. I don't think there will be a need to "tumble", for the reason I explained above. We'll see.
2. I checked, and the pump I ordered takes 120VAC, not 220. (Whew!)

(This post was last modified: 08-31-2019, 06:02 PM by CosmickGold.)

[RoamerRV428]

cool thread to read

one thing tho, you have no elec.

doesn't this thing need a pump to run, then need elec. to get these clothes dry?
what am I missing in this LOL

just wondering on it all