Drying Washed Clothes

[CosmickGold]

It's easy to wash a lot of clothes in my van, with my electric washer/spinner.  But how do I dry the big pile of damp clothes that results?

I remember that water quickly boils away at room temperature when placed in a vacuum. Eurika! That's the answer!  Put the damp clothes in 5 gallon sealed bucket and pump the air out, quickly boiling the clothes dry.

But finding the right pump for the job is a problem. I read that water needs to be up about 80F to boil at 1 psi. What?  One PSI is so low! ...with normal air pressure being 14 psi. 

Searching Google, I find pump specs are very hard for me to understand.  What pump do I need?  Available in 12V?  Can I make a vacuum pump?

 

[highdesertranger]

I use a wringer and then air dry. works good.

I don't know what you are reading but vacuum is not measured in PSI but it is measured in inches of mercury.

a shop vac can be a cheap and easy way to create a vacuum. I have a gas powered vacuum you can buy them or make one out of a weed blower. the blower vacs work the best. there are plans all over the internet. they are used for prospecting. there are even kits were you just add the blower.

it seems to me that some type of tumbler would be needed too.

be sure to keep us up to date on how this works.

highdesertranger

 

[future_vandweller]

It's easy to wash a lot of clothes in my van, with my electric washer/spinner.  But how do I dry the big pile of damp clothes that results?

I remember that water quickly boils away at room temperature when placed in a vacuum. Eurika! That's the answer!  Put the damp clothes in 5 gallon sealed bucket and pump the air out, quickly boiling the clothes dry.

But finding the right pump for the job is a problem. I read that water needs to be up about 80F to boil at 1 psi. What?  One PSI is so low! ...with normal air pressure being 14 psi. 

Searching Google, I find pump specs are very hard for me to understand.  What pump do I need?  Available in 12V?  Can I make a vacuum pump?

It's not possible to achieve a pressure of 1 psi inside a container with commonly available vacuum pumps.  You'll need an industrial type high vacuum pump.  Besides a capable pump, you'll need a very high strength container and not a 5 gallon plastic bucket since the pressure difference will cause a very large force on the container walls.  For a pressure difference of about 14 psi (14.8 - .8), the total force on a 5 gallon bucket is more than 12000 lbs

 

[future_vandweller]

I don't know what you are reading but vacuum is not measured in PSI but it is measured in  inches of mercury.

Vacuum can be expressed in psi or inches of Hg or in any of other countless units.  Standard atmospheric pressure is about 14.8 PSI, or 29.9 in of Hg or 407 in of water.  So, 1 Psi would be about 2 in of Hg

 

[tx2sturgis]

About 20 feet of rope or cord works pretty well. Unless, you know, rain.

 

[highdesertranger]

"About 20 feet of rope or cord works pretty well."

that's what I do, Solar close dryer.

highdesertranger

 

[maki2]

I do have a big vacuum pump, the real deal, and sure it could suck the air out of a 5 gallon bucket as it is a large one but it likely would collapse it as bucket walls are not ridged.

I also have a dust seperating cyclone fitting (think woodworking) that fits onto a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Even with the small size of shop vacuum that too tends to collapse the sides of a 5 gallon bucket.

So instead of a 5 gallon plastic bucket for my dust collector separator I use one of the big aluminum pots they have for the backyard propane turkey fryers. They don't weight a lot and the sides are strong enough that they won't collapse. But what will happen is you need to have a vacuum pump that won't suck the clothes up against the tube and will only suck the water out. You vacuum port outlet will need to be at the bottom and you will need to keep the clothes up on top of a rack suspended above the bottom of the pot to prevent them from clogging the port. You need a good, tight fitting flat lid with a gasket that goes against the pot. The pull of the vacuum will suck the lid against the container, that gasket is essential to prevent air leaks.

While I have not pulled water out of clothes this way it could conceivably be done with the right vacuum pump or wet vacuum cleaner. But I am not sure how effective a shop vacuum would be, maybe it would work or maybe not. But shop vacuums are power hungry beasties so you will need to have an adequate supply of electricity to feed it.

You can find those big aluminum turkey fryer pots at thrift stores now and again and of course also on craigslist. Aluminum is a good choice versus stainless as you can cut a hole with a hole saw in the aluminum using a bimetal hole saw.

Get a wet dry vacuum, some plumbing fittings, a hole saw an appropriate container for the vacuum chamber and a suspended rack and play mad scientist. It can be very amusing and educational and will do you no harm other than spending a few bucks. The rack will have to be something you experiment with to get the right balance and size of perforations that let the water go through but does not allow the cloth to be pulled through and does not get clogged by the cloth.

 

[B and C]

An air conditioning evacuation pump (vacuum pump) should work for this. Reasonably priced at harbor freight. That is what they are for is getting the moisture out of the system. This sure seems like a Rube Goldberg way of drying clothes though. Rope is the tried and true time tested method.

 

[CosmickGold]

I use a wringer and then air dry.  works good.

I don't know what you are reading but vacuum is not measured in PSI but it is measured in  inches of mercury.

a shop vac can be a cheap and easy way to create a vacuum.  I have a gas powered vacuum you can buy them or make one out of a weed blower.  the blower vacs work the best.  there are plans all over the internet.  they are used for prospecting.  there are even kits were you just add the blower.

it seems to me that some type of tumbler would be needed too.

be sure to keep us up to date on how this works.

highdesertranger

 

[CosmickGold]

Wow. You all are full of good ideas and interesting experiences. I didn't expect that. Thank you.

Well, neither the sight of colorful clothes on a long string stretched across to the nearest tree, nor the loud noise of the leaf blower, are stealthy enough for me.  (I just might get noticed.)   :s  The most helpful suggestion was by B and C who said:   "An air conditioning evacuation pump (vacuum pump) should work for this. Reasonably priced at harbor freight. That is what they are for is getting the moisture out of the system."

I had looked at that pump on Amazon and wondered if that wasn't the best answer. Thanks for verifying that it is. Most other pumps only reduce the atmospheric pressure by 1/2 or so, then there isn't enough pressure to continue opening the valves, etc.

But another problem I've thought of is that evaporating water cools.  So the clothes would fall well below 80 degrees as they dried. And at that point, there wouldn't be significant air around them to heat them back up to room temperature.  So my vacuum idea still might be a "lost cause".  However, I might go ahead and spend $80 bucks to give it a try. If it works, it sure will make life easier.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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!)

 

[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