What’s the Science Behind Dryers?

Washing machines are fabulous at their job; they rinse away all the dirt, grime, and sweat that gets on our clothes throughout the day, so we once again have clean clothes. The drawback, though, is that they give back those clothes soaking wet! So, of course, before you can wear that pair of jeans and that top again, you have to get rid of the massive amount of water in your clothing, which is where your dryer comes into play.
But how exactly does your dryer get items dry? In a word, via evaporation—the water in your clothing is turned into a vapor (gas) and then gotten rid of. And, if you know, the science behind getting clothes dry, you’ll be able to do your laundry more quickly and economically.
The best conditions to dry clothes under involve low humidity, heat, and air movement, and dryers combine those three to efficiently dry clothes. The basic process is to blow hot dry air into one side of the large, rotating metal drum as clothing is tumbled around, while also extracting the moist steam from the drum at the same time. Here’s a step-by-step look at how it works.
The heart of any dryer is the large metal drum inside with paddles along the inside rim. In large dryers, like you’d find in a laundromat, this drum always moves in the same direction. In your dryer, this drum goes one way for about half a minute before stopping and going the other way. This is designed to keep your clothes from bunching up.
The front of the dryer (at least, most often it's located at the front, so it doesn’t get dusty or dirty) is an air intake. Cold air is drawn into your dryer through here.
A fan, which is powered by an electric motor, sucks air in and brings it to a heating element.
That cool air passes over the heating element where it is warmed and transforms into hot, dry air. How does that not overheat your dryer constantly or cook your clothes? There’s also a thermostat that turns this element on and off occasionally so things don’t get too hot. And you are the one that sets that thermostat! It’s dependent upon which temperature setting you choose to dry clothes on.
After air has been heated by the heating element, it enters the dryer’s drum, normally via large holes in the back.
We’ve already mentioned that the drum moves, but how does it do that? Via a rubber belt connected to an electric motor.
Now remember those paddles along the rim of the drum? As the drum is turning, those paddles tumble and lift your wet clothes up until they get to the top of the drum. Then, gravity works to make the clothing fall back down to the bottom through all that hot, dry air. So, if you overload your dryer clothing can’t tumble about like this, which is why all your clothes get bunched up into a big ball and take more time to dry.
Air leaving the dryer passes through the lint filter, so fluff and dust are caught. And some dryers have a secondary exhaust fan that helps get rid of the moist air. All that lint builds up in the filter, which raises the risk of a dryer fire if it isn’t cleaned out regularly (ideally every time you use the dryer).
Finally, all the air that’s been passed through the exhaust goes up through a vent hose, which is most often mounted permanently in the ceiling. Though, in some dryers (and the majority of washer-dryer combos) humid air going out is passed through a heat exchanger and condenser, which cool off the air and drain water away. Then the leftover heat is captured and reused, making the dryer process more efficient.
That’s A LOT going on in your dryer! That’s why it’s so vital to keep your lint filters and dryer vents well cleaned out; this enables your machine to run more smoothly. Cleaning your lint tray after every use is proactive but only 40-50% of the lint gets caught in the lint tray. The remainder makes its way to the dryer vent which is why it is so important to have it professionally cleaned annually.
So, when it’s time for your dryer vent to be cleaned out, give us a call! We're the experts for professional Massapequa dryer vent cleaning and repair, after all! Give us a call at 516-780-0150 so Dryer Vent Wizard of Massapequa can help you save energy, time, and money. Some of the towns we service include Syosset NY, Woodbury NY, Jericho NY, Manhasset NY, Roslyn NY, Port Washington NY, and many others!