2. Types and Uses of
Washing Machines
Different types of washing machines include front-load
washing machines and top-load washing machines.
Although there are variations and hybrid versions of these
washers, front-load and top-load washers are the standard types.
Front-load washers typically have more cost-saving ability, benefits
and additional features than traditional top-load washers.
4. Front-load washing machines are ideal for small
laundry rooms or areas that are tight on space.
This type of washing machine has the ability to be
stacked with an accompanying dryer to increase
space. Front-load washers have a large capacity that
allows users to wash bulky items easily or more items
simultaneously, without limiting cleaning
performance.
These washers are considered the most energy-
efficient option as a result of using less water per load
during each wash cycle. Front load washers do not
use an agitator, which improves clothing life. The lack
of an agitator eliminates the twisting and pulling that
causes trauma to clothes
6. The wash cycles on top-load washers are
shorter than front-load washers and produce
minimal vibration. These washers are cheaper
than other washers and are easier to repair. Top-
load washers also incorporate a simple and
straightforward control panel, which is more intuitive
for operation. This type of washing machine does
not require squatting or bending to put clothes in or
to take them out, which is an added convenience for
some users.
7. Types and Uses of
Dryers
Many dryers consist of a rotating drum called a "tumbler" and a
simpler non-rotating machine called a "drying cabinet"
9. Many dryers consist of a rotating drum called a
"tumbler" through which heated air is circulated to
evaporate the moisture, while the tumbler is rotated to
maintain air space between the articles. Using these
machines may cause clothes to shrink or become less
soft (due to loss of short soft fibers/lint)
a clothes dryer that spins wet clothes inside a
cylinder with heated air
11. A drying cabinet is an electrical machine
designed to expedite the drying of items -
usually clothing - that are unsuitable for a
traditional clothes dryer. Such items may
include delicate clothing designated as "hang
dry", "dry flat" or "do not tumble dry" on their
wash instructions, as well as items such as
comforters, boots and coats.
13. These centrifuge machines simply spin their drums
much faster than a typical washer could, in order to
extract additional water from the load. They may remove
more water in two minutes than a heated tumbler dryer can
in twenty, thus saving significant amounts of time and
energy. Although spinning alone will not completely dry
clothing, this additional step saves a worthwhile amount of
time and energy for large laundry operations such as those
of hospitals.
In some cases, dryers may use spin alone. Larger gyms
and swimming pools may have small spin dryers for the
convenience of exiting patrons.
15. Just as in a normal dryer, condenser or
condensation dryers pass heated air
through the load. However, instead of
exhausting this air, the dryer uses a
heat exchanger to cool the air and
condense the water vapor into either
a drain pipe or a collection tank.
16. Heat Pump Dryer
A closed-cycle heat pump clothes dryer uses a
heat pump to dehumidify the processing air.
Such dryers typically use less than half the
energy per load of a condenser dryer. Whereas
condensation dryers use a passive heat
exchanger cooled by ambient air, these dryers
use a heat pump.
17. Mechanical steam
compression dryers
A new type of dryer in development, these
machines are a more advanced version of
heat pump dryers. Instead of using hot air
to dry the clothing, mechanical steam
compression dryers use water recovered
from the clothing in the form of steam.
18. Convectant drying
Marketed by some manufacturers as a "static
clothes drying technique", convectant dryers
simply consist of a heating unit at the bottom, a
vertical chamber, and a vent at top. The unit heats
air at the bottom, reducing its relative humidity,
and the natural tendency of hot air to rise brings
this low-humidity air into contact with the clothes.
This design is slow, but relatively energy-efficient.
It is only marginally faster than line-drying.
19. Solar clothes dryer
The solar dryer is a box-shaped stationary
construction which encloses a second
compartment where the clothes are held. It uses
the sun's heat without direct sunlight reaching
the clothes. Alternatively, a solar heating box
may be used to heat air that is driven through a
conventional tumbler dryer.
20. Microwave dryers
Japanese manufacturershave developed highly
efficient clothes dryers that use microwave radiation
to dry the clothes (though a vast majority of
Japanese air dry their laundry). Most of the drying is
done using microwaves to evaporate the water, but
the final drying is done by convection heating, to
avoid problems of arcing with metal pieces in the
laundry.