Solar Dryer

The solar dyer concept emerged from a dream I once had.

In the dream I was showing ruth a glass box and getting to guess what it was. The box was about the size of a washing machine. It was glass with curved vertical edges*.

The top was a glass lid which would lift up. The back and bottom of the box where mat black plates. One part of the front was a small solar cell.

In the glass box was a large wire drum on the inside.

Ruth still could not guess what it was for. The glass box had a thick padlock and cable attached. There where some small holes in the top and bottom for ventilation.

Ruth could not guess so I put some damp cloths in, then she guessed.

The idea was that the glass box sits outside in the garden near the house in some front facing location. The solar cell turns a small motor like a slow second hand of a clock ( one rotation every few minuets ). If the sun shines then the glass box is heated. This helps to dry the cloths quickly. If the box gets too hot then perhaps a solar cell also powers a fan to extract out the heat.

why not use a cloths line ?

I asked Ruth about it? Firstly convenience a tumble dryer is fire and forget. You don't have to go out if it looks like rain. Nothing ends sticking on it. You just load the dryer up and pick it up when dry. Secondly and far more importantly Ruth feels that cloths come from the cloths line like stiff cardboard. This is most important for washable nappies ( of which we have a lot).

What troubles me about a tumble dryer is the electricity needed to run it ( plus the noise a bit).

I belive a solar cloths dryer would be convenient enough ( ok you have to go outside ) to make a general eco back up to a normal tumble dryer. Perhaps this would fall between markets. Most green people like the hair shirt ( and cloths line )approach. Most convenience people hate anything green. Best way to check would be to make one and sell it. I'm on the look out for garden cloches.


*not totally relevant to a working version.