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When I saw the subject, the first thing that came to mind was one of these!



It will definitely dry them quickly!

baha wrote:What I did this weekend.

CL small.jpg

Funny, these are still available on the internet. They cost almost as much as the cheapest electric dryer you can buy. But the cost to society of manufacturing and delivery is much smaller. In comparison this will pay for itself in about a year and then pay me for at least 19 more years.

I am lucky that my wife has used a clothes line since before we met. She prefers the clean, fresh smell and the clothes last longer. Our old one was even more efficient...it was strung between the carport and a tree:)

Those who think solar power can't carry the load aren't thinking this thru...solar is all we've ever had...it's just what's the best way to store it.

@ Tanada - Some technology isn't obsolete...it's just old. Like me:)

Australia upgraded to a newer version around the end of the second world war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hills_Hoist

Used in the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony
and
every Australian kid did this

Both kinds were available in Michigan where I grew up.

What I find stunning is that it cost you over $100 for two poles and the lines to string them. Our house growing up had three poles making a very long set of lines in the back yard and air dried clothes always smell so much better than machine dried. Heck we even had a two pole line at the first apartment I rented as an adult, I was one of the few who made use of it, though that was only for outerwear and linens. Undergarments were definitely machine dry in the city. We also had a wooden drying rack that we could use in the winter, it doubled as a humidifier for the house if you were drying just a small load.

Yep, I have one. Those work well.

dolanbaker wrote:When I saw the subject, the first thing that came to mind was one of these!
It will definitely dry them quickly!

Lol, yeah same here. I was thinking about a large solar powered oven I made that would have been good for drying cloths if it had some hangers inside and an internal fan added. I have a drying rack, but I think a solar powered hot house would dry cloths much faster then a conventional drying rack.


They technically sell laundry domes (a good idea but looks like it needs a solar powered vent added)...

Hmm, I suppose I could make one from a greenhouse as I have one that would be the right size. I suppose if I added a solar powered vent, a few plywood/mylar mirrors pointed at the thing and hung some sheets of black garden cloth inside to diffuse and absorb heat. I bet that would be pretty fast at drying cloths.


Another related thing I'm working on are some computerized solar powered solar heaters that would probably also work well as a heat source for a conventional cloths dryer. It wouldn't be that tricky to set up a cheap conventional dryer to turn on when the heat collectors come up to temperature. That might make a good project. Though I wonder if making biogas to power a gas powered dryer might be easier.

Hi Baha,

This is really interesting. I find the power of solar panels astounding. The sun has existed long before we ever were, but it seems like we don't appreciate it very much, but these sorts of inventions really put solar power in the limelight. Though, I have to say that my favorite is the T8881S EcoComfort.

Thanks

Shaved Monkey wrote:Used in the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony
and every Australian kid did this

It's hard to properly explain to anyone from another country just how iconic the Hills Hoist actually is in Australia. A simple but effective device that has ended up becoming a ubiquitous symbol of Australian suburban life generally.

I'll take a rough guess that probably half of Australian households don't even own an electric clothes dryer. And of those who do have one, basically nobody uses them unless it's too wet outside for drying clothes on the line. Only real exception there would be those living in apartments.

.
Beside the hill hoist being an antenna for extraterrestrial to watch "neighbors " it has some solid advantages
it rotate , much to the delight of kids, allowing the missus to string the Landry without having to move
it can be ratcheted up or down for the short arsed missus also it keep it out of reach for the short arsed kids
it is very sturdy so the kids don't break it .
it is a statement of national family values ,
like ...we're gays and have no missus or kids but have a hoist in the backyard because we are proud Aussies

When I saw this thread, I thought that it was about using reflectors to direct sunlight onto clothes that were being dried. Without that, it's very time-consuming and vulnerable to bad weather, like being rained on and frozen.

lpetrich wrote:When I saw this thread, I thought that it was about using reflectors to direct sunlight onto clothes that were being dried. Without that, it's very time-consuming and vulnerable to bad weather, like being rained on and frozen.

Gosh, nothing like wasting a lot of energy to save a little time, eh? It takes me about five minutes to put my heavier clothes on the line, a couple of hours until they are almost dry at which point I finish them in the dryer for a few more minutes. Saves us a LOT of propane. In winter I freeze dry my jeans

Then again, maybe you are a prime example of the type of person who will have trouble adapting to a power-down, energy constrained future.

They also work well to freeze dry clothes in the depth of winter. It does quiet well with sheets, but they are fun to bring it when they have frozen solid.

Some while back I was talking with a neighbour who had solar pv panels before we got ours, and the talk turned to how, to make the most of the electricity, we had to plan the domestic work so that the laundry and vacuuming etc were done when the sun shines. Both he and I are pensioners so there is not a tight schedule for jobs like that.

2 years ago I tore off the old porch (cabin in Newfoundland) and built a new one. I wanted a clean view so I used cloths line as the safety lines. My Wife uses them as clothes lines. She’s cleaver one that she is!