1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host John. 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: That's Chrick LND. I'm an executive producer with iHeart Radio 4 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,959 Speaker 1: and I love all things tech. And it's time for 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: a classic episode, folks. This is an episode that originally 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: published May twenty one, two thousand and fourteen. It is 7 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: called How Clothes Dryers Work, so it goes kind of 8 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: hand in hand with the how washing machines work. If 9 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: you've been listening to these classic episodes, you know, a 10 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: few weeks ago, I did that one, but you know, 11 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: well that one left me all wet. This one blows 12 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 1: me away, puns. Let's listen in. So, what was the 13 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: first clothes dryer? Lauren? The Sun? Yeah, that thing is 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: just pulling so much double duty. I mean triple duty, 15 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: like like Quinn tuple duty. What what above? Quickly? Yeah, 16 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: like infinite duty. Yeah, there's a lot of duty going 17 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,560 Speaker 1: on with the sun, including drying our clothes. So clearly, 18 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: if you've ever had to dry close without having the 19 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: use of a dryer, I've done this. I think a 20 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: lot of people have done this at some point or another, 21 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 1: maybe fewer today than back when I was a kid. 22 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: But it depends on where you live. If you're in 23 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: the middle of a city, perhaps yeah, maybe not so much. 24 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: You might have gone to a laundromat or something. But 25 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: most of if you look at history, most people use 26 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: the sun in some form or another by laying wet 27 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 1: clothes that have just been washed out on on on 28 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: a rock or hanging it on a line or over 29 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: the branch of a tree and just letting the sun 30 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: do its thing evaporate all that water. Usually take you know, 31 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: a couple hours, um, depending upon where you were at, 32 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: how hot it was, how humid it was. Humidity could 33 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: slow things down, obviously, but not only dried up the clothing. 34 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: It would also cause colors to fade over time, sometimes 35 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 1: pretty quickly, depending upon the dye being used. Now, sometimes 36 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: you plan for that, that was what you want it. 37 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: In fact, the Romans used to use various types of 38 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: minerals and rub them in on the cloth. They would 39 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,839 Speaker 1: make during the drying process an arctic to um specifically 40 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: fade or or even bleach it. Yeah, so that way 41 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:13,799 Speaker 1: you get that nice white toga look um, and then 42 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: you can go to all the parties. Because in Roman 43 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: times they were all toga parties. Okay, I was gonna 44 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: see if I can get an eye roll, but instead 45 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: of Lauren just gave me the staring right into my 46 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: soul look, which is terrifying. So we're gonna move on. Okay. So, 47 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,959 Speaker 1: so wash your technology evolved, Um, it really intricately, as 48 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: as you may have heard in our previous episode. But 49 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: since the sun is relatively effective and drying clothes this 50 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: way is not really difficult, backbreaking, time consuming work, dryer 51 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:47,959 Speaker 1: technology didn't really develop along the same lines. Yeah, it 52 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: just it wasn't as big a deal because yet to 53 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: wash something you had to put in a lot of effort, right, 54 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: you had to, especially before the washing machine, you had 55 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 1: to scrub things manually or stomp on them or beat 56 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: them against rocks or throw them away and get new stuff. 57 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: I mean, it just was not easy to do, and 58 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: so there was a need to develop automation there. It 59 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: just it felt like there's this is so much work. 60 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: It's it's the woman's dread, as we said in the 61 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: last podcast. According to one quote, so that made sense. 62 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: But for drying, like you said, it was, it was 63 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: free to dry it by the sun, so you didn't 64 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: have to you know, put in any kind of expense 65 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: there except maybe for a clothesline and maybe some maybe 66 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: some closed pins, but that's about it. And uh yeah, 67 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 1: you just had to lay it out and collect it. 68 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: That's all the labor that was involved. So it wasn't 69 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 1: as important to develop a dryer, but it didn't make 70 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: things convenient, right, You couldn't have dry clothes very quickly 71 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: using that rate. So if it happened to be raining 72 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: or something like that, Yeah, so there certainly were people 73 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:51,839 Speaker 1: who were thinking, there's gotta be a way to dry 74 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: clothes even if the weather is bad, or to do 75 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: it more quickly than just putting them all on the 76 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: sun for a few hours. And I'm sure that a 77 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: lot of people were doing this. But the story of 78 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: this kind of thing is a wee bit contentious, as 79 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: we find out every time we look into the history 80 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: of something. Yeah, as it turns out when you want 81 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: to look at the history of something that's been around 82 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: for at least a couple uh like like a century 83 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: or more, and especially something that was done by the 84 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: lower classes who were not writing about it or or 85 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: certainly not contributing to scientific journals very frequently, or perhaps 86 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: didn't bother to patent something, then it's hard to find 87 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 1: reliable records. So here's a big caveat for all the 88 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 1: historical stuff you're about to listen to, dear listeners. The 89 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,479 Speaker 1: caveat is that we did a lot of background research 90 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: to try and verify as many claims as we could, 91 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: and a lot of them are unverifiable, meaning that there 92 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: are no primary sources that are definitive. There are a 93 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 1: lot of sources that quote each other, but it becomes 94 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,919 Speaker 1: kind of a circular thing. Yeah, which does happen on 95 00:04:55,960 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: the internet, not entirely and frequently, um, but so so, 96 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: most of what we're going to tell you comes directly 97 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: from the U. S. Patent Office. That's what I relied 98 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: upon most heavily. Although our first example is not among 99 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: them because it wasn't a United States invention. It was 100 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: actually a French one. This is when you're going to 101 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: see if you ever do a search for the history 102 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: of dryers, this is going to pop up all the time. 103 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: Usually the year is specifically seventeen, but the best I'm 104 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: going to say is around the year eighteen hundred, a 105 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 1: French inventor known only as post Shaun p O c 106 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: h o N sometimes listen as M. Posh On, but 107 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: I believe the M is for Monsieur Poshan, not necessarily 108 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: a name that begins with him created what he called 109 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: a ventilator, which to me sounds like a weapon you 110 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: would pick up in Duke Newcombe. But in this case, 111 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 1: a ventilator was a metal drum that had some small 112 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 1: holes in it. So that might start to sound familiar 113 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: already to anyone who's used a dryer. And you'd put 114 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: your wet clothing into the drum and turn it using 115 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: a hand crank, right, and you think, well, okay, so 116 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 1: now you're just turning a drum full of wet clothes 117 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: with holes in it. What else you have to put 118 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: it near a fire, yeah, as your source of heat. 119 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:10,279 Speaker 1: Now here's the thing. Um. Sometimes this meant that clothes 120 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: would get a little uh you know, burnt, Yeah, a 121 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: little little extra crispy um or or full of smoke 122 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: in any case. Yeah, so you would end up damaging 123 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: clothes this way, And according to most reports, this is 124 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: the first tumble dryer, but didn't catch on mostly because 125 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,359 Speaker 1: of the downsides. Right, the idea that you would end 126 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: up damaging clothes, Well, if you're gonna damage them, then 127 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: that's not helpful at all. So the interesting thing to 128 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 1: me is that this basic approach that he took ends 129 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:43,160 Speaker 1: up being the kind of the central design of dryers 130 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: in the future. It would just take a long time 131 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: to perfect the heating elements. Years. Yeah, so sorry, but yeah, 132 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: but it's interesting that again, we couldn't really find any 133 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:59,720 Speaker 1: primary sources on this, so this story could be apocryphal. 134 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 1: How I her, I'm going to go ahead and say 135 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 1: that it sounds like it's possible, so we'll give it 136 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: a pass. Sure, then in this is the next really 137 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: official dryer technology that we have to report on, and 138 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: it's one that we actually mentioned in our episode about 139 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: washing machines. That's when um Ellen Edgley invented a ringer 140 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: to sit on top of washing machines and help dry 141 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 1: out the laundry before you hang it on a line. 142 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: So so that's that's squeezing mechanism to the two rollers, 143 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: and it rolls the clothing between and squeezes them with 144 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: incredible pressure that could crush your fingers if you get 145 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: them too close. Don't do it right right. The design 146 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: would later be integrated into washing machine models. Until these 147 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: tumble dryers later caught on. Yeah, soo, we have another 148 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: African American inventor, this one by the name George T. Sampson, 149 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: who filed a patent for a clothes dryer. In this case, 150 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: he spelled dryer d R I E R, which some 151 00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: of the patents are in that spelling. Some of them 152 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: are d R Y E R I. Can do what 153 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: they want. Yep. His invention wasn't a tumble dryer, however, 154 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 1: although I saw a lot of notes that said it 155 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: was an improvement or, in the case of some of them, 156 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: a betterment of Poshan's approach. Uh, it wasn't wasn't like, No, 157 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: it wasn't a tumble dryer. The I think the betterment 158 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 1: or improvement would be that he used a stove as 159 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: the heat source as opposed to an open flame, so 160 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: it reduced the kind of damage that could happen. But yes, 161 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: he as he pointed out, it was not a tumble dryer. 162 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: It was not like a drum that you put clothes in. 163 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: It was more of a frame and you would put 164 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: the clothes within the frame, secure it in the frame, 165 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: and then put the suspend the frame near the stove 166 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: and the heat would would end up evaporating the water 167 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: out of the clothing. So, uh, it's in that pattern, 168 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:53,080 Speaker 1: is in the records, so you can actually go and 169 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: look at it. And if you look at it, you'll 170 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: see it is not a tumble dryer. It's not the 171 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: same style as posh on. So that tells me something else. 172 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: It tells me that some of the websites that I 173 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,079 Speaker 1: pulled up while I was doing this just didn't go 174 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: and look at the patents. They just reported it as 175 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: being like this was an improvement on that tumble dryer, 176 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 1: and always go that extra step your research. Guys. I'm 177 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:18,319 Speaker 1: saying that to all of our listeners because I expect 178 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,960 Speaker 1: that they will occasionally have to write things like if 179 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: you're a student, you may have to write a paper. 180 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: This is why taking that extra step, Like if you 181 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 1: just find a web page that says it's about that stuff, 182 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 1: see if you can find a primary source, because it's 183 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: always going to give you a better idea of what 184 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 1: the real story. Yeah. Then we have a patent by 185 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: Seward H. Davis for his clothes drying machine, and it's interesting. 186 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: So now he's decided to incorporate an oven directly into 187 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,559 Speaker 1: the device to generate heat. So we're still creating an oven. 188 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:54,320 Speaker 1: It's pre heating air because obviously an oven's not going 189 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:56,320 Speaker 1: to generate heat at the speed where you could just 190 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: blow air across it and it's going to be hot, 191 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: so you would. But he also incorporated a motor in 192 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 1: his It was a motor that was connected by pulleys 193 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:05,920 Speaker 1: to a rotating drum. So going back to that post 194 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: on approach right, and it would rotate in one direction 195 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: for a few turns and then go back the other way. Yeah, 196 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:14,559 Speaker 1: because according to Davis, you didn't want to continuously rotated 197 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: in one direction or else the clothes would become hopelessly 198 00:10:16,880 --> 00:10:19,679 Speaker 1: entangled with one another, and uh, it would just end 199 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: up being a big mess. So his design had it 200 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: where it would rotate one way then the other, and 201 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: that would prevent the clothes from getting, yeah, from clumping 202 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: and getting all like super friendly inside the dryer. You 203 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: want your clothes to be a little bit antagonistic, Yeah, 204 00:10:33,559 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: you don't. You don't want any fraternization inside the tumbler, 205 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: is what I'm saying. Um, So, yeah, pretty interesting. And 206 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: then he also he also specifically pointed out in the 207 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,600 Speaker 1: patent that the whole idea was to allow the clothes 208 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: to fall, to tumble, like you didn't want to just 209 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: spin and try and force the water out, but to tumble, 210 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:53,319 Speaker 1: because that tumbling motion would have it go through that 211 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: hot air and thus evaporate the water much more quickly, 212 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: pushing the air through it. And therefore sure, yeah, yeah, 213 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: kind of cool. Nineteen five Henry Sieben he attempts a 214 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:05,160 Speaker 1: different approach. His patent has a closed dryer that is 215 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 1: more like a heated cabinet with wire shelving inside it. 216 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 1: So imagine that you have like a little like cabinet 217 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 1: or closet and it's got wire shelves, and you put 218 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 1: the clothes on the shelves, and then you have an 219 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 1: electric fan that draws air through the machine, which allowed 220 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: for faster drying. Now, he didn't specifically include an element 221 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: that with heat air, but you would presumably have this 222 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,959 Speaker 1: near some sort of other device that would heat the air, 223 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: like a stove. So this cabinet would just pull the 224 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: air through, which would circulate through the clothes. So kind 225 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: of similar to Seward H. Davis's approach of tumbling, but 226 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: they're stationary, so it's just pulling the air. So again 227 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:46,320 Speaker 1: this this another idea that becomes important in uh in 228 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: modern day dryers. So the important thing to remember here 229 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 1: is the fan that pulls the air through. These are 230 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 1: all various elements, the tumbler pulling the air through. These 231 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: are all things that are going to come into play 232 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: with the modern day dryers. Now out you still had 233 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,040 Speaker 1: to preheat the air though with something like a stove. 234 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: Then we get to nineteen thirty seven. Now here's the 235 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 1: guy that most people credit. Yeah, although again the citations 236 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: different from what I was able to find. Okay, see, 237 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: because he filed for a patent in ninety seven, this 238 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: is James are more. James are right? Thank you. Um, 239 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: it wasn't granted until, which we suspect world War two 240 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: probably had something to do, had other stuff on their minds, right, 241 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: the patent office was probably drafted. Uh So yeah N 242 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: seven is the filing and is the awarding makes perfect sense. 243 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 1: But it was for a closed drying machine. And this 244 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:41,720 Speaker 1: is the basis for closed dryers as we now know them. 245 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,840 Speaker 1: And so he what he did was he added applying 246 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,480 Speaker 1: heated air that didn't need to be preheated in an oven. 247 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: He wanted to have a heating element either gas powered 248 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,680 Speaker 1: or electric, and in fact would eventually create both types. Right. 249 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: He He also created a ventilation system so that air 250 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 1: can can move through the dryer and then exhaust out 251 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 1: of it, carrying that water vapor out. So you see, 252 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,679 Speaker 1: this is the combination of that rotating drum and that 253 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: idea of the cabin exactly. So by combining the two, 254 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: he has the best approach. And in fact, you could 255 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: tell us the best approach because it's the one that 256 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: lasted the test of time. So yeah, he uh has 257 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: often cited in a lot of the websites we saw 258 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 1: as having patented this this approach as early as nineteen thirty. 259 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 1: But I went to the patent office, I mean online 260 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: to the patent office. He didn't like, you didn't go there. 261 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: I didn't actually take a trip to the patent office. 262 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 1: I think they probably would have thrown the out of 263 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: the patent off. They were like, how did you find 264 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:42,880 Speaker 1: your way in here? And it's like, I'd like to 265 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: see your archives from nineteen thirty. Yeah, that probably would 266 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 1: not have gone over well. They said, you've heard of 267 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 1: the internet, right, Well, you can actually do searches online 268 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 1: on the patent office. Google has a Great Patent search function, 269 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 1: but you can also go to the U S Patent 270 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: Office and use their search function. I use both because 271 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 1: I could not find it in one, so I wanted 272 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: to try both versions in case you need to find 273 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: a keywords pretty pretty acutely. Yeah, but it but it's 274 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 1: it's a little more forgiving. But with the US one 275 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,560 Speaker 1: you can find everything listed in chronological order, whereas with 276 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 1: Google you get it by order of relevance to your query. 277 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: So in other words, you might see the first one 278 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 1: pop up and say nineteen forty five, and the next 279 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:24,920 Speaker 1: one says nineteen twenty seven, and the next one says 280 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty three, and you're like, oh man, it's gonna 281 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: take forever to find the oldest one. U S Patent 282 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: does it chronologically, with the oldest being the last on 283 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: the list. I went through both. The earliest I could 284 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,640 Speaker 1: find was nineteen thirty seven as a filing date, let 285 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:40,000 Speaker 1: alone a patent granted date, So I have no idea 286 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: where they pulled this date of nineteen thirty They also 287 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: said that he sold the patent in nineteen thirty six, 288 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: but he didn't even file for a pat until nineteen 289 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: thirty seven. I don't know where you get your information Internet. 290 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: You should check it more carefully. Yeah. So, anyway, he 291 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 1: did file in nineteen thirty seven and he did end 292 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: up working with another company in nineteen thirty eight. That 293 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: company would be the Hamilton's Manufacturing Company located in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, 294 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: Pride and Joy of Wisconsin of Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Anyway, 295 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: they actually have a museum dedicated to this former manufacturing 296 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 1: company and they used James R. Moore's design. They actually 297 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: paid him for this, and they released in the June 298 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: Day clothes dryer based off this design. The early models 299 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: used gas for heat to heat the heating element, so 300 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: you'd have to like light the pilot light every time 301 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: you wanted to dry a load of laundry. And then 302 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: once we were done drying that load of laundry, should 303 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: probably remember to blow it out. Yeah, you had to 304 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: extinguish it or else you would just be wasting lots 305 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: of gas or possibly creating a fire hazard, which, by 306 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 1: the way, dryers big fire hazards in general. Do not 307 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 1: run your dryer and then leave the house just in case. 308 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't want to scare anybody, but it is, 309 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 1: but linked fires can happen. Yeah, so just a little 310 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: word of caution in the middle of the episode. But yeah, 311 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 1: later models were electric and they still created the gas 312 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 1: ones too, but manufacturing was interrupted shortly after they started. 313 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 1: They produced about six thousand of them and then stopped suddenly, 314 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: all because of the event we have already referenced in 315 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:17,040 Speaker 1: this podcast, afore mentioned World War two. So world War 316 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: two causes a manufacturer to stop. This was the case 317 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 1: across multiple industries because, yeah, the war effort needed all 318 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: that material and and labor and a lot of the 319 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 1: factory space. Yes, so all of that meant that dryers 320 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 1: were not seen as being important to the war effort. 321 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:37,240 Speaker 1: It was put on hold. World War two was was 322 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 1: over and the Hamilton's Manufacturing company got back into this, 323 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:43,080 Speaker 1: but they were no longer the only game in town. 324 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:47,440 Speaker 1: By this time. Another big company, much bigger than Hamilton 325 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 1: Manufacturing actually got into the closed dryer game, and that 326 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:53,160 Speaker 1: would be General Electric. And so then it was off 327 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: to the races. But but not not fast races, and 328 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: not cheap races. No incredible expensive races, very very slow, 329 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: expensive races. While we're tumbling around inside the clothes dryer, 330 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: I thought maybe we should take a quick break, we'll 331 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 1: be right back. Around the same time, the first electric 332 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 1: dryer to include a glass window in the front was introduced. 333 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,360 Speaker 1: And this is a design element, you know, it's it's 334 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,639 Speaker 1: it's just kind of nice to look at. But I 335 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: wanted to mention it because it was designed by Brooks Stevens, 336 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 1: who's another Wisconsinite. He was a Wisconsin designer who also 337 00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: worked in an architecture, furniture, and auto design, including that 338 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:44,600 Speaker 1: greatest car of all, the Oscar meyer Weenomobile. Man. Truly 339 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:47,720 Speaker 1: a visionary. We could do a full episode just on that. 340 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: Actually I should mention all the inventors we've talked about 341 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 1: have done some pretty phenomenal things besides inventing dryers. So 342 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 1: but this, I mean, no one approached creating the Oscar 343 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,800 Speaker 1: Meyer Wiener be Also, you know we won't go back 344 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 1: and fill those out nineteen fifties. Well, according to the 345 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: Bureau of Labor Statistics, a dryer in the mid nineteen 346 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: fifties cost about two d thirty dollars, which if you 347 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 1: adjust for inflation, would be closer to two thousand dollars 348 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 1: for a dryer. Yes, so not a whole lot of 349 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: people could afford it on um. I shall also point 350 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: out that this same paper cited some of the erroneous 351 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: sources that I mentioned earlier, um, the ones that could 352 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:30,680 Speaker 1: not be supported by saying the patent office, I guess 353 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 1: the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the patent offices don't 354 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:39,640 Speaker 1: don't talk to each other frequently. Yeah, this inner departmental 355 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 1: stress type thing. This was I had to include it. 356 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:46,400 Speaker 1: I mean, there are some crazy patents out there, y'all. 357 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: If you if you ever have a really slow day 358 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:51,800 Speaker 1: and you just want to amuse yourself, just start typing 359 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: random words into a Google patent search and then enjoy. 360 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: But one of the crazy ones I found was wild 361 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:03,479 Speaker 1: by William C. Shoulin, and the title of the patent 362 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 1: is hair drying Attachment for clothes dryer. This this cannot 363 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: be what I think it is. I mean, well, if 364 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 1: you think it's you're putting your hair in a clothes dryer, 365 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: it's not. But if you think it's a tube connected 366 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,000 Speaker 1: to your clothes dryer that's used as a hair dryer, 367 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: it totally is. It's a tube using the heat from 368 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: the the dryer. I guess I guess you know it's 369 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 1: good to conserve energy, and so if you're already creating 370 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: that heat, you might as well, yeah, dryer your hair, 371 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,640 Speaker 1: even though even though you're mostly using steam at that point. Yeah. 372 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 1: So the hair dryer, it's one of those where it's 373 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,440 Speaker 1: got like the whole thing that comes of the head, 374 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 1: the helmet. Yeah. I have no idea what those are called, 375 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: and my hair days are long over. But anyway, it 376 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:51,440 Speaker 1: would fit over the person's head and uh and presumably 377 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: dry it using the heat from the hair dryer. UM. 378 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:58,000 Speaker 1: I don't know how popular this invention was if it 379 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 1: were ever actually uh, you know built, because just because 380 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 1: something's patented doesn't mean that you're going to have real 381 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,000 Speaker 1: examples of it. But if you want to look this up, 382 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 1: I got a treat for you. Here's the patent number. 383 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 1: You can put into a search, three million, sixty four thousand, 384 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: three D sixty and you can look at the illustrations. 385 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: Depending upon the patent search you put in, you may 386 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: or may not need to use the commas in that number. 387 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:23,399 Speaker 1: You just could put in the digits three zero six 388 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: four zero. It's entertaining, but obviously I can't really show 389 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: it on an audio podcast at any rate. In um 390 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:36,400 Speaker 1: a vacuum chamber related dryer was proposed. Yeah, William Lambert 391 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 1: Chanley filed a patent for a dryer that would use 392 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: a vacuum chamber. And this makes sense when you think 393 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,119 Speaker 1: about it in the sense that in a vacuum, it 394 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: takes less heat to evaporate water. Yeah, so if you're 395 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 1: able to create a partial vacuum. We're not talking like 396 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:56,400 Speaker 1: a complete vacuum, but if you were able to create 397 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,800 Speaker 1: a partial vacuum within a dryer, then you could induce 398 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: wearing the pressure and yeah, you don't have to heat 399 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 1: up the air as much, so you don't have to 400 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,320 Speaker 1: pour as much energy in it. As we'll talk about 401 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:08,639 Speaker 1: a little bit later, it takes a lot of energy 402 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: to power a dryer. In fact, it's one of the 403 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:15,879 Speaker 1: most energy hungry appliances that typical house has, so this 404 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:18,600 Speaker 1: will be a way of reducing that. Also, Channeling maintained 405 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:22,399 Speaker 1: that the high quote unquote roasting temperatures of clothes dryers 406 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:25,479 Speaker 1: and the fast rotation of the drum meant that clothing 407 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 1: was being damaged and turned into lent, and that his 408 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,159 Speaker 1: invention would appeal to people who wanted to get a 409 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:33,199 Speaker 1: more gentle drying of their clothing, it wouldn't require as 410 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: much rigor. Now this particular approach has been experimented with 411 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 1: a few times, but it's tough to make a chamber 412 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 1: that is a partial vacuum, particularly if you need to 413 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:47,119 Speaker 1: have an exhaust to the outside to get rid of steam. 414 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: Then you can't really make a vacuum without crazy valves 415 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:54,680 Speaker 1: and then having a venting time as well as a 416 00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,680 Speaker 1: vacuum time, and and and and more energy being put 417 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: in even than a regular dryer. Yeah, you can't. You beviously, 418 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: can't keep introducing hot air into such a thing because 419 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,359 Speaker 1: then you wouldn't have a vacuum. So it's it's one 420 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 1: of those that was an interesting idea, but no one 421 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,359 Speaker 1: i think, has really found a way of implementing it 422 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,440 Speaker 1: where it really made sense. Plus it it makes it 423 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 1: you know, it's hard to make a partial vacuum. It 424 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: means they would make it more expensive. Yeah, they are working. 425 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: NASA is funding someone to work on something related to that. 426 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:21,680 Speaker 1: But I'll talk about that way at the end of 427 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: the podcast. Excellent, there's a little teaser for you. So 428 00:22:24,359 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: in the nineteen seventies, again going back to our friends 429 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 1: at the Bureau of Labor, statistics while they're not talking 430 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 1: to the patent office. The price of a dryer was 431 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 1: closer to a hundred ninety dollars, which in today's money 432 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:36,879 Speaker 1: is closer to a grand, so half the expense of 433 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: what it was in the nineties. Yeah, and about forty 434 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,119 Speaker 1: pc of all households had one. Okay, So when we 435 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:46,000 Speaker 1: get up to nineteen seven, the unit price is about 436 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: three hundred forty dollars. So remember it was a hundred 437 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 1: ninety dollars in nineteen seventies, three forty ninety seven, and 438 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: you think, oh, what the heck the price went up. 439 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 1: It didn't go down, well, except that when you adjust 440 00:22:57,080 --> 00:23:01,760 Speaker 1: for inflation from seven, it's still pretty close to three dollars. 441 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 1: So the value has of that money has increased, the 442 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,800 Speaker 1: buying power has increased um for that amount for three 443 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 1: so you don't so it's actually cheaper in the long run. 444 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:16,000 Speaker 1: UM and of households owned a dryer by this time. 445 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,640 Speaker 1: That same year, over in Europe, a manufacturer called Electrolux 446 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:23,400 Speaker 1: would develop an energy efficient type of machine, the heat 447 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 1: pump or hydraulic dryer. Over the next couple of years 448 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,439 Speaker 1: UM they gain market share kind of slowly but surely 449 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 1: over in Europe and also in Australia, although they have 450 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: not caught on yet in the United States. UM. More 451 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 1: on how those work later on, but but they're pretty cool. 452 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,960 Speaker 1: They use some like forty of the amount of energy 453 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 1: that traditional dryers do, so that's that's pretty awesome. Yeah, 454 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:50,080 Speaker 1: and now we're getting up to just about today, right yeah. Okay, 455 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:52,680 Speaker 1: So so every year Energy Star, which is a program 456 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: within the e p A, the the US Environmental Protection 457 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,120 Speaker 1: Agency UM, they announced an area of technology that's deserving 458 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: of what they call an Emerging Technology Award, and in 459 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 1: it was advanced clothes dryers UM, which makes sense. According 460 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 1: to Consumer reports, dryer's account for some six percent of 461 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,960 Speaker 1: US home energy use, which accounts for for three or 462 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:17,800 Speaker 1: more per year, which is think about this. You aren't 463 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 1: running your dryer constantly. You run your dryer occasionally when 464 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:23,800 Speaker 1: you have to do laundry, and you don't necessarily have 465 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: to do laundry every single day. So if you're talking 466 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: about an appliance that you only use occasionally and it 467 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: makes up six percent of your energy, that's that's incredible. Yeah. Yeah, 468 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: it means that you know, really small innovations could make 469 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: for pretty huge savings and in terms of both money 470 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 1: and you know, overall carbon footprints. Um. So. So the 471 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: e P A specifically or energy Star I guess I 472 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:50,359 Speaker 1: should say specifically called out a Samsung model uh named 473 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:56,360 Speaker 1: Cleverly DV for rolls off the tongue it does um 474 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 1: uh that it estimates could save enough energy to run 475 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:03,320 Speaker 1: and AF clothing washer for eleven months um and also 476 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:06,600 Speaker 1: has an integrated smart system for monitoring your clothes remotely 477 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:12,480 Speaker 1: via app Yo dog, your shirt is dry? Uh? Well, 478 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,200 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean you're you're you're joking. But there 479 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 1: are sensors in these new kinds of dryers that will 480 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 1: test moisture in your clothing. They can shut off automatically 481 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 1: when your clothes are dry. That that was one of 482 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 1: the one of the specific considerations for this award. It 483 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 1: had to the dryers they were looking at had to 484 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,199 Speaker 1: contain at least two types of sensors for determining when 485 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: your clothes are dry. And just that that way you 486 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: cut off the cycle. Yeah, you don't have it continuing 487 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 1: for some predetermined amount of time when the clothes are 488 00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,880 Speaker 1: already dry. There's no need to keep it going. I mean, 489 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 1: you're just wasting energy. And shrinking clothes unless you're strapped 490 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: for entertainment, and that's just you know, you're just sitting 491 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: there watching the clothes tumble, in which case, HI, dr horrible. 492 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 1: You know, I thought I had said it on delicates. 493 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 1: Turns out I said on bulky. But let's be fair, 494 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,679 Speaker 1: the pandemic means I really put on a lot of pounds, 495 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: So it's probably more appropriate for me to be on 496 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:07,119 Speaker 1: the bulky setting while I process this. Let's take a 497 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:17,960 Speaker 1: quick break. We'll be right back. Okay, So now we're back. 498 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: Radiss specifically dig into how dryers work, and we've kind 499 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:24,879 Speaker 1: of mentioned a lot of the elements already. You've got 500 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:27,480 Speaker 1: a typical clothes dryer, so we're talking about just your 501 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: basic model that, yeah, most of mostly in the United States, 502 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: is the type you're going to run into. UM has 503 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:37,639 Speaker 1: a rotating tumbler. So that's your drum that rotates around 504 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: and around and the clothes tumble within it. You've got 505 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 1: some kind of heating element to heat air, which is 506 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: then somehow drawn through that tumbler, right, So you probably 507 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,360 Speaker 1: have holes in the tumbler to allow air to pass through, 508 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,120 Speaker 1: and then you've got an exhaust pipe of some sort, 509 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 1: so you can vent out that the warm humid air. Yeah, 510 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:58,679 Speaker 1: because no, you don't want to keep the steam in there. 511 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: It's just gonna make the clothes take even longer to dry. 512 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 1: So by venting it out and constantly replacing it with dry, 513 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:07,960 Speaker 1: warm air, you're gonna end up, you know, drying a 514 00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:10,440 Speaker 1: much faster. You just vent out all the steam. So 515 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:14,399 Speaker 1: let's start talking about all these various elements and how 516 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 1: they work together. Let's start with the fan. Yeah, yeah, 517 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,479 Speaker 1: let's start. Let's start at the end. Yeah, the end, 518 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:22,879 Speaker 1: because the end is the beginning. The beginning is the end. 519 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 1: It is the alpha and the omega of it's a 520 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,719 Speaker 1: flat circle, yeah it is. We didn't mean to get 521 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:32,119 Speaker 1: all philosophical, but it is pretty late on a Thursday afternoon, guys, 522 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:35,239 Speaker 1: and things get weird. So the fan is located at 523 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: the exhaust end of the dryer. It's not at the 524 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:39,119 Speaker 1: very front of the dryer. It's at the very end 525 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 1: of it. But it ends up when it turns pulling 526 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: air in from the dryer and exhausting it out the 527 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 1: exhaust vent. That's the direction of air flow, so it's 528 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:52,919 Speaker 1: not blowing air in, it's essentially pulling air out of it. 529 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: So that means you kind of have some place where 530 00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: air to come into the dryer or else it is 531 00:27:57,520 --> 00:27:59,840 Speaker 1: trying to create a vacuum, right, which is less of 532 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:02,640 Speaker 1: that's less effective. Yeah, if you just have a heating 533 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:04,320 Speaker 1: element and you create a vacuum, then you've got a 534 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:07,400 Speaker 1: hot spot in your in your dryer and no air 535 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,200 Speaker 1: inside the tumbler, and that's not going to help. So 536 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:14,320 Speaker 1: these dryers have vents or holes that are in them 537 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,879 Speaker 1: that allow air to pass into the actual dryer and 538 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:20,960 Speaker 1: and be pulled in, Yeah, pulled in and then passed 539 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,879 Speaker 1: over a heating element, which, as we mentioned before, is 540 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: either powered by gas or electric power. So this heating element, um, 541 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: we'll talk about that in just a second, but that's 542 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: what's creating the increase in temperature in the air, which 543 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: will then, once it is warm, continue into the tumbler 544 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:40,959 Speaker 1: where the clothes are. Yeah. I mean, if you've loaded 545 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,239 Speaker 1: your dryer correctly where the clothes should be exactly. If 546 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,480 Speaker 1: the clothes are not in there, you've done something very wrong. 547 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: And we've made some assumptions and we apologize, but no, 548 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 1: you put the clothes in the tumbler, that's where the 549 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,560 Speaker 1: warm air goes into next, it passes into the door area. 550 00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:58,840 Speaker 1: That's where the length screen is. The air, not the clothes. Yes, 551 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:01,240 Speaker 1: the air, Yes, flows are passing through the door area. 552 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 1: You have not replaced the lent screen, and you should 553 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:06,040 Speaker 1: do that so they The lent screen is there obviously 554 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:08,760 Speaker 1: to capture lent from clothing so it doesn't end up 555 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: clogging up the rest of the system. But that's where 556 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 1: the airflow goes to next. So it's coming in through 557 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,640 Speaker 1: these venting areas, into the tumbler, out through the door 558 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: venting area. Pulled passes through the fan because that the 559 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: next stop is where the fan is, and then the 560 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 1: fan blows it out the exhaust area, which usually you 561 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,720 Speaker 1: have some sort of weird that that tubing stuff, you know, 562 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: the tubing stuff that you can cut in half and 563 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 1: then you can have robot arms. My cosplay is different 564 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,960 Speaker 1: from your cosplay that is accurate. I have a video 565 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:42,000 Speaker 1: that proves that. So that's your basic airflow, and that 566 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 1: is the secret to drying the clothes is that introducing 567 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:48,800 Speaker 1: this dry warm air, possibly dry hot air. It all 568 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:50,959 Speaker 1: depends upon the mode you've set it on. We'll talk 569 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: about that in a second. Certainly Okay, so let's talk 570 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,240 Speaker 1: about how it gets warm or hot? What is this 571 00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:58,240 Speaker 1: heating element? Like? Okay, have you ever seen a toaster 572 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:01,200 Speaker 1: like just regular toast a toast and you know when 573 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:04,160 Speaker 1: you when you mean, we're not talking about cylons, right, No? No, 574 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: I mean no, because I've seen those two. We don't 575 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 1: want to talk about the cylons because they might show up. No, 576 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:12,880 Speaker 1: we're talking about toaster toaster. So we're talking about you know, 577 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: you put a put a piece of bread in a 578 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:16,600 Speaker 1: toaster and you set it down, then you see those 579 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:20,120 Speaker 1: little wires turn red hot. That's essentially what we're talking about. 580 00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 1: Same sort of heating element. It's about of nichrome wire. Okay, 581 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: so what you're doing is you're passing a current through 582 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:29,560 Speaker 1: this wire. The wire has a resistance to current. Resistance 583 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: means that quite a lot of resistance. Actually yeah. Um, 584 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:34,080 Speaker 1: it's sort of the opposite of what you want to 585 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 1: do in any kind of electronic wire technology, where you're 586 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:39,480 Speaker 1: trying to insulate it so much that that it has 587 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 1: as low of a resistance as possible. Right. Yeah, when 588 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:44,800 Speaker 1: with low resistance you make it really really efficient, right, 589 00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 1: you're not losing energy to heat. But in this case, 590 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: what you want to do is generate heat, is lose 591 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:51,440 Speaker 1: as much energy to heat as possible, because that's the 592 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:53,600 Speaker 1: kind of energy one is the heat energy. You're not 593 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: interested in passing electricity on to some other points. So 594 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: in this case, this electricity gets converted into heat due 595 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:03,840 Speaker 1: to that electrical resistance. And this is the element of 596 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:06,160 Speaker 1: the dryer that consumes the most power that the rotating 597 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 1: drum not even close, the fan not even close. It's 598 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 1: this heating element. So a typical dryer is pulling in 599 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,520 Speaker 1: like four thousand to six thousand watts. That's a lot. Yeah. 600 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:18,760 Speaker 1: Now we've got the tumbler. Uh, it's it's a really 601 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:21,480 Speaker 1: simple pulley system. Actually, yeah, you know, you got a motor, 602 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 1: the motor, electric motor or gas powered motor. A belt 603 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 1: attaches from the motor to the tumbler yep, and the 604 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:32,560 Speaker 1: motor turns. That ends up turning the belt, which ends 605 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:34,760 Speaker 1: up turning the tumbler. It's pretty it's one of the 606 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,480 Speaker 1: simplest machines ever. Actually, the pulley system. So yeah, usually 607 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 1: you have to have maybe you know, two pulleys that 608 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:43,360 Speaker 1: are involved. One is creating tension on the other so 609 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 1: that it stays in place, because obviously, like if it 610 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:47,920 Speaker 1: slips a belt, that's when you're starting to get this 611 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,280 Speaker 1: weird noise and your dryer is not gonna be turning properly, 612 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:52,360 Speaker 1: and then you need to shut things down before your 613 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,800 Speaker 1: motor burns out. But assuming everything's working fine, it's just 614 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:59,280 Speaker 1: gonna turn the tumbler. Next. We have the controls. So 615 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:02,400 Speaker 1: we have two different types of controls. Right, the modern 616 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:05,960 Speaker 1: dryers you would buy in an appliance store today, most 617 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:09,520 Speaker 1: of them have digital controls, which involves having a micro controller. 618 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 1: But if you're going with an old dryer, let's say 619 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: like the kind of dryer I grew up with, where 620 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: it had like a dial and buttons and a little button. Yeah, 621 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,400 Speaker 1: you punch the button saying okay, I'm going to do 622 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: permanent press, and you push the permanent press button and 623 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:23,920 Speaker 1: it and it clicks in, and then you would turn 624 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,360 Speaker 1: the dial to the right setting, and then uh, it 625 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 1: would be possessed and start rumbling. And that's because there 626 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 1: would be a series of of gears and cams. So 627 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:37,760 Speaker 1: and it worked a little bit like a like an 628 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 1: egg timer. Yeah, yeah, kind of. Yeah, you have like 629 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 1: a you have a physical capacity that that when it 630 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:46,480 Speaker 1: ran out, it would it would cause a shot off valve, 631 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,120 Speaker 1: a shot off circuit disconnect. Because with a CAM you 632 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:51,360 Speaker 1: can think of it as like think of it like 633 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,800 Speaker 1: a metal key, and when the metal key makes contact 634 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:58,080 Speaker 1: with a contact point, it completes a circuit. Right, So 635 00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:01,240 Speaker 1: when the circuits complete, electricity can flow. And then as 636 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: long as that that key is making contact with the 637 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 1: contact point, it'll stay in place. The electricity will continue 638 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: to flow. But at the timer, when the timer comes out, 639 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,360 Speaker 1: a mechanical piece will push the key out the way, 640 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: breaking the circuit and thus the dryer. Yeah, so we're 641 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:24,040 Speaker 1: talking about programming something through actual physical moving pieces, mechanical pieces. 642 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: But it's it's doing the same sort of stuff that 643 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:29,160 Speaker 1: digital controller is doing digitally, it's just doing it all 644 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: mechanically and with electronic pieces. So yeah, it's kind of 645 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: exciting stuff. Like if you ever were to take one 646 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:38,200 Speaker 1: of these apart, first of all, I hope you don't 647 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: need it afterward, because if you do anything, you know, 648 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: if you're anything like us, you're not going to get 649 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 1: that back together. No. No, we might be able to 650 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,880 Speaker 1: put something back together, but it ain't gonna work. Let's 651 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,080 Speaker 1: just put it that way. Really interesting though. Yeah, so 652 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 1: you can actually see that they are all these little 653 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 1: moving parts that need to come into play so that 654 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:00,479 Speaker 1: they touch these contact points and create these circuits. They 655 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:03,360 Speaker 1: also usually have In fact, as far as I know, 656 00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:06,280 Speaker 1: dryers are required to have temperature shut off switches. And 657 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,880 Speaker 1: these aren't to measure the temperature of your clothing, but 658 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:11,120 Speaker 1: the the temperature of the overall unit, so that if 659 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:14,359 Speaker 1: it gets too warm, um, and is in danger of 660 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:16,760 Speaker 1: melting down the motor or any of the other operative 661 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:19,040 Speaker 1: parts or causing a fire. Causing a fire, you can 662 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: shut down. Yeah, It'll just break that contact and you 663 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:26,719 Speaker 1: will lose the circuit and thus the dryer will shut down. Um. 664 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:28,759 Speaker 1: So you know, it's kind of a fail safe there. 665 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: And uh, some of them, like we said, have the 666 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:34,920 Speaker 1: humidity sensors, so they can actually measure how much humidity 667 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,799 Speaker 1: is within the dryer and if it reaches below a 668 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:40,839 Speaker 1: certain threshold, then the dryer will shut off because your 669 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:43,279 Speaker 1: clothes are dry, so that doesn't have to continue to 670 00:34:43,680 --> 00:34:47,279 Speaker 1: operate and thus consume more energy. Now, there are other 671 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,960 Speaker 1: types of clothes dryers out there. That's the basic type, 672 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:52,440 Speaker 1: that's the one that's the most common in the United States, 673 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:54,600 Speaker 1: But like you were saying, Lauren, it's not the only 674 00:34:54,680 --> 00:34:57,759 Speaker 1: kind out there. One of them is called a condensing 675 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:02,040 Speaker 1: clothes dryer. So these don't have a vent to exhaust steam. 676 00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 1: They don't have that fan pulling the air through inventing 677 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:08,880 Speaker 1: it out. Instead, these dryers allow water to condense and 678 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,800 Speaker 1: then collect, either draining into a collection pan or tank, 679 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:16,760 Speaker 1: or more likely draining into the house water waste system. 680 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:19,600 Speaker 1: So if you have a washer dryer combo, something that 681 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:22,040 Speaker 1: can act as both a washer and a dryer, it's 682 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: usually this type of dryer. It's a condenser dryer more 683 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 1: often than not. Uh, And so putting an exhaust on 684 00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:30,640 Speaker 1: a washer that would be really not good. Yeah, I 685 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:33,080 Speaker 1: mean you've got like the wastewater exhaust. But if you 686 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,520 Speaker 1: had just a pipe that was supposed to allow air 687 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:37,520 Speaker 1: to go through, water would go through that too, Yeah yeah, 688 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:42,839 Speaker 1: which would make it an inefficient washer. So yeah, then 689 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,439 Speaker 1: you have the heat pump dryers, like you were saying, yeah, yeah, 690 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:48,000 Speaker 1: these these have a These have just just a normal 691 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:49,759 Speaker 1: old heat pump. I mean, I mean the kind of 692 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:51,759 Speaker 1: thing that we were talking about in in in our 693 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:54,839 Speaker 1: refrigerator episode. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a heat exchanger, you've 694 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:56,920 Speaker 1: got a hot side and a cold side. So the 695 00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:59,000 Speaker 1: cold side is really important because you've got that hot, 696 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:01,480 Speaker 1: steamy air. And when you have hot steamy air meat 697 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:04,239 Speaker 1: a cold service, that's when you have water condensing, and 698 00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:07,000 Speaker 1: then that condensed water can then flow into a pan 699 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:09,920 Speaker 1: or a drain, just like in the condenser style. The 700 00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:12,040 Speaker 1: warm side of the heat pomp can reheat the air 701 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:15,400 Speaker 1: inside the dryer. So as the dryer air is losing 702 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:18,319 Speaker 1: energy because it's encountering that wet water and causing it 703 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:20,680 Speaker 1: to evaporate, that means that the air temperature starts to 704 00:36:20,719 --> 00:36:23,680 Speaker 1: go down, but this heat pomp continues that cycle, so 705 00:36:23,719 --> 00:36:25,959 Speaker 1: the cold side is removing the water, the hot side 706 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,600 Speaker 1: is increasing the temperature, so you can have a more 707 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:33,000 Speaker 1: efficient means of drying out the clothes inside. So again, 708 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:36,359 Speaker 1: no need to exhaust unless which is great because if 709 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:39,200 Speaker 1: you don't have to exhaust this thing, like by exhaust, 710 00:36:39,239 --> 00:36:40,919 Speaker 1: I mean you don't have to have a pipe where 711 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:44,080 Speaker 1: the exhaust air flows through. There's no need for that 712 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:46,920 Speaker 1: in this model, and that's great because when you have 713 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:50,040 Speaker 1: an exhaust pipe that's open to the environment, that means 714 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: that you're losing some of the heat that you want 715 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:55,839 Speaker 1: to put inside the clothes just going out the exhaust pipe. Sure. Sure, 716 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:59,080 Speaker 1: and you're you're losing through that exhaust pipe that heat 717 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:01,160 Speaker 1: out into your house. A switch, for example, during the 718 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:05,880 Speaker 1: summer months can make you run your A cmore more intensely. Yeah. So, uh, 719 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:08,239 Speaker 1: it's kind of a domino effect, right, So then we 720 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:10,520 Speaker 1: can talk a little bit about these future dryers. One 721 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,400 Speaker 1: of the which one of the ones that you mentioned. So, 722 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:14,480 Speaker 1: first of all, there was an idea back in the 723 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:18,080 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties to try and use microwaves as a as 724 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:20,080 Speaker 1: a means of drying clothes. So you would make a 725 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 1: special dryer that be a microwave dryer. Supposedly there are 726 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:25,680 Speaker 1: some of these in Japan, but I've never seen like 727 00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:29,680 Speaker 1: an actual source source about it. But the real problem 728 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:33,399 Speaker 1: with this is arking. So arking is when you get 729 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:36,520 Speaker 1: these little plasma forms. If you've ever accidentally put something 730 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:38,400 Speaker 1: metal in a microwave, and here's where I tell you, 731 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:41,239 Speaker 1: do not put metal in a mica on purpose. Now 732 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:43,920 Speaker 1: that's very bad. But if you've ever accidentally done it, 733 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:46,239 Speaker 1: then you might have seen arching where you see these 734 00:37:46,239 --> 00:37:50,520 Speaker 1: little plasmat lightning bolts. Yeah, or if you've ever had 735 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:52,640 Speaker 1: one of those plasma balls where you put your fingers 736 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:54,520 Speaker 1: on it, it's kind of like that too. In fact, 737 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,959 Speaker 1: it is like that exactly. What's what's happening. Um, it's 738 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:01,200 Speaker 1: not good for your microwave in general. I used to 739 00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:05,040 Speaker 1: have a microwave that had a special stand that came 740 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:08,880 Speaker 1: with the microwave. Okay, that was meant for popcorn. Like 741 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:10,960 Speaker 1: you put a bag of microwave popcorn on it, and 742 00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:13,160 Speaker 1: it would elevate the popcorn so that it would have 743 00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:17,560 Speaker 1: more uniform heating. Despite the fact that this came with 744 00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:20,560 Speaker 1: the microwave, which I would assume means it's safe to 745 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:24,279 Speaker 1: put in the microwave, it would occasionally mark. Not all 746 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,000 Speaker 1: the time, but sometimes you would get a mark, and 747 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,800 Speaker 1: I would think, I do not want micro microwave popcorn 748 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:32,239 Speaker 1: that badly. Yeah, that's vaguely terrified. Yeah. So anyway, if 749 00:38:32,239 --> 00:38:34,239 Speaker 1: you were to put stuff that's like if you had 750 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:38,640 Speaker 1: metal stuff in your clothes, either like change or or yeah, 751 00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:41,400 Speaker 1: or buttons or other clasps things that are metal, then 752 00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:45,080 Speaker 1: that could possibly cause this arcing problem which could damage clothing. 753 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:48,239 Speaker 1: And in fact, that's the main reason we haven't really 754 00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:50,120 Speaker 1: seen it implemented. There have been other people who have 755 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:52,000 Speaker 1: tested it, and there's still people who are thinking that 756 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:53,960 Speaker 1: there might be a way of doing this in a 757 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:56,359 Speaker 1: in a in a manner that's not going to make 758 00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:59,719 Speaker 1: your clothes burn up right right, which is really the 759 00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:01,600 Speaker 1: per us of me drying my clothes. I don't know 760 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:05,080 Speaker 1: about everybody else. There are occasionally shirts where I'm like, no, 761 00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:07,640 Speaker 1: never mind, we'll see step one for me, as I 762 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:09,680 Speaker 1: want to get my clothes dry, but step two is 763 00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:11,759 Speaker 1: I do not want to burn holes in them. Yes, 764 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:14,799 Speaker 1: but okay, So as unlikely as it sounds that this 765 00:39:14,920 --> 00:39:17,840 Speaker 1: could be a really viable plan. This, this is the 766 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:21,080 Speaker 1: kind of system that that NASA has granted some some 767 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:25,040 Speaker 1: money too. They granted one company specifically called Umqua all 768 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:28,200 Speaker 1: in capital letters because why not, it's spelled exactly the 769 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:34,560 Speaker 1: way it sounds. They granted them some funding through their 770 00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:38,960 Speaker 1: Small Business Innovative Research Program back in twleven, and um 771 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:41,279 Speaker 1: that the system that MUA is working on the last 772 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:44,440 Speaker 1: time I checked, involves ceiling clothes in in a vacuum 773 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:48,040 Speaker 1: bag and um cleaning them by jetting water and soap 774 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:51,480 Speaker 1: through the bag and then drying them via microwave radiation. 775 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,000 Speaker 1: And then furthermore making them all soft and cuddly with 776 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:57,719 Speaker 1: jets of air. Interesting, so you've got a whole bunch 777 00:39:57,719 --> 00:39:59,680 Speaker 1: of things in there that are are similar to a 778 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:04,359 Speaker 1: pro ches that were considered. Yeah, so maybe this could 779 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:10,200 Speaker 1: be a terrific failure in space space. In space, nobody 780 00:40:10,239 --> 00:40:14,680 Speaker 1: can clean your underwear. It's a problem. I mean yeah, 781 00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:16,960 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean you're in microgravity. I mean you 782 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:20,239 Speaker 1: either you either have to bring infinite changes of underpants 783 00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:23,680 Speaker 1: with you, right, which, try and get that through customs, 784 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:26,239 Speaker 1: right right, I mean, and it's really expensive to bring 785 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,160 Speaker 1: stuff into space. You don't want to do that. I 786 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:29,520 Speaker 1: mean you you want to be able to wash him. 787 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:33,480 Speaker 1: Everyone wants clean underwear. Yeah, no, that is very and 788 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:36,879 Speaker 1: if you don't, you should. Okay, we're not judging, We're 789 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:40,040 Speaker 1: just I'm judging. Okay, we're judging a little. That wraps 790 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:43,080 Speaker 1: up this classic episode of tech Stuff how closed dryers work. 791 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:46,440 Speaker 1: I hope you found it interesting. If you have suggestions 792 00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:49,360 Speaker 1: for topics I should cover in future episodes of tech stuff, 793 00:40:49,840 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 1: let me know. Reach out to me on Twitter the 794 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:55,880 Speaker 1: handle we use as tech stuff h s W and 795 00:40:55,920 --> 00:41:04,400 Speaker 1: I'll talk to you again really soon. Text stuff is 796 00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 1: an i heart Radio production. For more podcasts from I 797 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:11,279 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 798 00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:13,400 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.