The DRS News
January 2003 (Happy New Year!)
In this issue:
1) Clothes dryers in cold laundry rooms
2) Do any woodworking? Got any old sneakers?
1) I was reminded again recently that dryers don't like
working in cold rooms, and thought you might be interested in knowing
about it. Saw another dryer in a cold cellar 'taking too long' to dry a
load of laundry. The concrete wall behind the dryer was reading 47F on
the IR thermometer, and the air temperature 3 feet off the floor was
only 50F.
This Whirlpool dryer was running fine, drawing about 22 amps empty,
with good airflow out the vent, an average exhaust temp of 140F, and
running very smoothly. Tore it down, and it did need a new belt,
cleaning, and oiling, but all else was OK. I had suspected as much, and,
after verifying that the washer was coming fully up to speed in spin,
diagnosed it as another 'cold ambient' installation. This was 3 weeks
ago, and we were in the middle of a nasty cold snap, with the temps
spending alot of their time in the single digits.
This isn't something you'll hear about very often - we get some
pretty brisk winter temperatures, and I've probably dealt with it only a
dozen times in the last 30 years. But you might want to 'file' it in
your mind's 'hmmmm' section. Especially if your dryer is installed in a
porch, garage, shed, etc, where the temperature can dip below 60F. The
cooler the room, the harder the dryer has to work to raise its incoming
air temperature enough to do its job efficiently. In extreme conditions
like the one above, most dryers will never shut off on the 'auto' cycle
because of this cold air. (timer only advances during tstat 'off'
cycles)
2) Here's one I wish I'd thought of myself. Even more, I wish
I could remember who told me about it so I could thank them!
Anyway, if you use any kind of power sander - belt, disk, etc, and
have any old, worn out sneakers lying around, save the rubber soles!
They're a cool (and cheap) tool for cleaning the gum and grit from
sanding belts/disks instead of buying those rubber blocks sold for the
purpose. (NOTE: It's probably best to be sure you're using your own for
this.)
This tip could have other benefits, too. We have 3 teens, and I've
thought about sanding about 40 pairs to powder more than once! (Usually
while I'm rubbing some part of my bruised anatomy after stumbling over
yet another pair <grin>. My kids and my wife all wear about the
same size right now, too, so I'm never sure just who to yell at!)
***
Wishing You and Yours a wonderful 2003,
Dave Harnish
drs@sosbbs.com
"Always tell the Truth. It will amaze your friends
and confound your enemies." - Mark Twain
John 8:32
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