Tumble Driers

Simon & Nicky

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Feb 3, 2004
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www.simon-hall.co.uk
Seeing as all my wife's clothes have gone mouldy again I have to find a way of keeping them dry. We have a dehumidifier that works well and A/C in the bedroom but I think I will need to kill the spores that probably (I'm guessing) remain dormant on her clothes and in the air.

I recall a great way of helping people with allergies is to tumble dry their pillows and kill all the bugs that fester inside. Consequently, I'm pretty sure that a tumble drier is going to be the answer to my prayers, but - and here's the snag, they use a massive amount of electricity and as most readers to this board know, I don't need any more power blasting through my meter.

In the UK you can buy a gas fired tumble drier. - A perfect answer to our problems because the gas is sooooo cheap so does anyone know if they are available here? If not, does anyone know a company that is prepared to import them? Am I about to become a wealthy man for having such a great idea?

Thanks
 

faer

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Jan 6, 2005
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Simon & Nicky said:
Seeing as all my wife's clothes have gone mouldy again I have to find a way of keeping them dry. We have a dehumidifier that works well and A/C in the bedroom but I think I will need to kill the spores that probably (I'm guessing) remain dormant on her clothes and in the air.

I recall a great way of helping people with allergies is to tumble dry their pillows and kill all the bugs that fester inside. Consequently, I'm pretty sure that a tumble drier is going to be the answer to my prayers, but - and here's the snag, they use a massive amount of electricity and as most readers to this board know, I don't need any more power blasting through my meter.

In the UK you can buy a gas fired tumble drier. - A perfect answer to our problems because the gas is sooooo cheap so does anyone know if they are available here? If not, does anyone know a company that is prepared to import them? Am I about to become a wealthy man for having such a great idea?

Thanks
can't answer your question, but just gave me an idea... if I'm to be moving in with my all my stuff on a container, then I should try to sell all my current 220 volt appliances and then buy gas ones here in Chile and ship them to DR....any customs issue? As far as I know we have fridges, washers, dryers...unfortunately no TV, PC, MW available yet... ;)
 

La Profe_1

Moderator: Daily Headline News, Travel & Tourism
Oct 15, 2003
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Hi Simon,

Coincidentally, I recently researched the price of dryers for a grant application we are in the process of submitting.

Distribudora Gonz?lez quoted us around 47,000 pesos for a gas dryer. They are in Puerto Plata, but I would guess that you might find a cheaper one in Santiago.

LP
 

Snuffy

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May 3, 2002
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In Santiago...

you can get a tumble drier that is gas for about 15,000 pesos. I recently priced them....unless tumble drier means something different than what I know it to be. I suppose you are using the term tumble to distinguish between it and a spin drier which does not completely dry your clothes. If I am correct then the bonus for you is that the drier is actually cheaper than 15,000 pesos when you ask for the discount price. Of course, you always ask them to discount everything.
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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Haven't got a gas drier

but don't have mould either ever since we lined the built in wardrobes (closets to the non Brits.) with cedar wood. It also cuts down on creepy crawlies. I think the cedar produces something which breaks down the spores.

There are also the packets of DampRid for your drawers (of your cabinets which hold clothes! ;) ) & boxes of DampRid for larger areas like wardrobes.
You can get DampRid at Tropical............but you have to change packets when they go pink, or when container is holding liquid & not powder.
 

Simon & Nicky

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Feb 3, 2004
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www.simon-hall.co.uk
Where in Santiago?

Snuffy said:
you can get a tumble drier that is gas for about 15,000 pesos. I recently priced them....unless tumble drier means something different than what I know it to be. I suppose you are using the term tumble to distinguish between it and a spin drier which does not completely dry your clothes. If I am correct then the bonus for you is that the drier is actually cheaper than 15,000 pesos when you ask for the discount price. Of course, you always ask them to discount everything.

Tumble drier is a warm air clothes drier. I've seen electric ones in Puerto Plata for around 28000 so if you can get gas ones for 15000 please tell me where.

Thanks
 

Snuffy

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May 3, 2002
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Simon & Nicky said:
Tumble drier is a warm air clothes drier. I've seen electric ones in Puerto Plata for around 28000 so if you can get gas ones for 15000 please tell me where.

Thanks

Serious I am...next time I am in the area I will go in an recheck...but yes...that was the price quoted to me and I did not buy it. I looked at both electric and gas and they were similar price....general electric brand, white with the light blue control panel. I can't remember name of store and can't find it in telephone book...but is one of the main electrodomestic stores here...they specialize and sale only electrodomestics. When I find the name I will post for you. Unless they suddenly increased prices...within last three months...that could happen. But at 15,000 pesos that is about 500USD for a $250 dryer.
 

Danny W

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Mar 1, 2003
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I am planning on buying a drier as well, but I think I will buy an electric. Since the drier uses electricity for the motor, how much would you actually be saving? - D
 

Snuffy

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Name of that store is DC. I did not go in today. But was in Encanto and saw one for 17,000 pesos.
 

DES

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Aug 9, 2004
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Simon & Nicky said:
Seeing as all my wife's clothes have gone mouldy again I have to find a way of keeping them dry. We have a dehumidifier that works well and A/C in the bedroom but I think I will need to kill the spores that probably (I'm guessing) remain dormant on her clothes and in the air.

A few facts about mold ( I work in mold remediation in the US). You are correct that the spores will remain and likely cause the return of active mold colonies, especially in areas with little ventilation such as closets. Some molds require as little as 60% relative humidity to begin active growth, and only 2-3 days time; interrupting the growth (such as by lowering the humidity) will only cause the mold to go dormant, it will resume growth as soon as conditions are right.At present, removal or cleaning of all affected materials is the only way to solve the mold problem, but the cleaning requires hepa vacs, air scrubbers and a lot of hard work. Biocides are not usually recommended by people in my industry, but everyone uses them anyway. It gives a psychological effect if nothing else to spray everything with a "magic" elixir. Surfaces that can not be adequately cleaned or easily removed such as structural wood, unfinished cement etc. are often sealed (again not usually a recommended procedure, but one that gives some protection). Various sealents such as Foster's or Envirocoat are available for this purpose.

Tests are currently underway on a biocide that is designed to not only kill mold and its spores, but actually break them down so far as to not even be allergenic. Trials have been successful, government approval is there (I think), and it is expected to be available in the states to firms like mine in a matter of months. We actually were one of the companies that participated in field testing; normally we expect to return a building to levels of mold consistent with the background environment, but this product left a spore count of 0, as compared to a few hundred per cubic foot. It is a derivative of a chemical the military uses for bio-warfare decontamination.

As to a tumble dryer, while it can't hurt, and probably will kill dust mites and other insect eggs/larva/etc., other than ensuring the clothes are thoroughly dry following cleaning, it will do little to kill spores. Cedar closets will greatly reduce any mold activity, especially if you can regulate the humidity.

Good luck.
 

Danny W

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Mar 1, 2003
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I recently bought a Whirlpool stove at Distributadora Corripio on Calle Deller in POP and got a very good deal and good service. I'm in NY now, but perhaps you could check their prices. I thinks my stove was only about $75 more than it would have been in the US when you add in the delivery and installation costs. - D
 

mobrouser

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Jan 1, 2002
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Danny W said:
Since the drier uses electricity for the motor, how much would you actually be saving? - D

significantly. for example the energuide on a top rated bosch electric dryer is 900+ kwh/year on a 240v circuit. the same model in gas only requires 110v circuit. then you would have to compare the energy costs of gas vs electric.

be warned though, a gas dryer does cost more than the same model electric version. so you need to really check out the features of that gas dryer that is 1/2 the price of an electric one.

mob