It's called a vent pot...and it's a bad thing. In instances where dryer vent ducting is an impossibility(or just too big a project), vent pots are used to capture lint and moisture that would otherwise be expelled out a vent line (at least that's the theory). Essentially, it's venting a dryer into a bucket.
In truth, vent pots expel most of the heat and moisture back into the surrounding room. Further than the nice muggy tropical feel your home will have, vent pots can cause dangerous black mold growth and be a fire hazard due to excessive lint build up.
Even if vent duct installation is inconvenient, spend the extra effort to run a dryer vent or find a quality ventless dry system for your home. Just be sure to say no to pot!
At Thor Appliances, we're big fans of ventless drying. In fact, we even have a Facebook fan page dedicated to the subject. But before you laugh us off as being a little too obsessed with non-venting products, take a closer look at what this new technology has to offer.
Drying Old School - In the Beginning
The progression of dryer technology prior to the invention of the condensing dryer can be summed up in just a few words; first came the clothes line, then came the vented tumble dryer. Sure, modern dryers have LCD displays and humidity-sensing shut-off, but clothing is still dried by blowing warm air across wet laundry and then expelling the moisture out a vent.
Fortunately, a better more efficient technology exists that eliminates the cumbersome and outdated dryer vent. Condensing (ventless) dryers use a dehumidifying chamber to remove moisture from warm damp air that is circulated through the dryer drum. Once the moisture is removed, the resulting dry air is recirculated back into the dryer drum and the process starts over again.
Dry times for condensing dryers are now comparable to standard vented dryers and the process is far more efficient. Unlike vented dryers, condensing machines use a closed-loop system that does not expelled heated air out a vent. Since the warm air remains in the machine, the heating element within a condensing dryer does not have to work as hard to warm the air during the drying process. The result is a dry system that is 50% - 70% more efficient and much easier to install.
Another efficiency advantage to condensing dryers pertains to room air heating a cooling. In most areas of the world, room air is heated by a furnace in the winter and cooled by an air conditioner in the summer. Standard vented dryers remove and expel air from the surrounding room, requiring HVAC systems to work harder to keep a room at a comfortable temperature. Closed-loop condensing do not remove air from a room and therefore do not impact HVAC systems.
With all its advantages, ventless drying is already having an impact on the building industry...but I'll cover that in my next post.
Washer dryer combos are not for everyone. For one thing, they’re designed for small residences such as apartments and condominiums and not for large homes. If you’re washing for a family of five, a washer dryer combo is not for you. However, for small families of three of less, particularly those who live in apartments and condos, a washer dryer is the perfect fit – just ask a combo any combo owner.
Following are 5 reasons to own a washer dryer combo:
1. Space – Visit any Home Depot or Lowe’s and you’ll find rows of massive laundry machines that can wash and dry 18 bath towels or 16 pair of jeans. But if you live in the tight quarters of a townhome or loft apartment, chances are you don’t need or want an 18 bath towel washer.
Washer dryer combos are designed to fit where full size (or even medium size) washers and dryers can’t. Combos may be installed under-counter in a kitchen, in an extra closet or anywhere you find a water connection, electrical outlet and a drain. And since most combo washer dryers are ventless, you don’t need to worry about installing cumbersome vent ducting.
2. Time – It’s true that washer dryer combos can take a bit longer to dry. But consider how long your average load of laundry sits in the washing machine before it’s transferred to the dryer. With a washer dryer combo, you can set the machine to both wash and dry, and when you return from work, shopping, running or whatever it is you do, a full load of laundry is washed and dried.
3. Efficiency – Most washer dryers on the market (including those offered by Thor and Bendix), meet strict Energy Star efficiency standards for water and electrical use. And while Energy Star has yet to map out a dryer standard, independent tests have shown that ventless dryers, such as the dry systems used in most washer dryer combos, are 1/3 more efficient than comparable vented dryers.
4. Style – Until recently, washers and dryers were known primarily for their functionality and not for their style. Leaving the era of cellar-dwelling bisque-colored laundry machines behind, today washer/dryer combos come in many colors and designs.
Thor Appliances Company offers a number of attractive combos that can be proudly displayed under counter in a kitchen or adjacent to a sink in a bathroom. And while you’d never consider installing that 1978 green top loader in your kitchen, you wouldn’t dream of hiding a hip new combo washer dryer in the basement.
5. Ventless Installation: - If you’ve ever tried to clean out a plugged dryer vent, you already know why ventless drying is the way to go. But you might not realize that the advantages of ventless drying go beyond convenience.
External dryer vents can actually be a determent to your heating and air conditioning system. That’s because conventional dry systems remove and expel air from a surrounding room during operation. That’s air that typically has been cooled in the summer and heated in the winter. And while you may not have noticed, your vented dryer is causing your HVAC system to work overtime to keep the room cool or warm – at a heavy cost to you.
Condensing dryers use a closed loop system that removes moisture from dryer air without expelling it from the residence. It all adds up to lower energy bills and less work for your HVAC.
