How does a washing machine and dryer work?

Once upon a time, washing machines with a built-in drying function were a real luxury due to their high cost and limited production. However, gradually manufacturers offered more and more such units, and gradually many began to replace conventional washing machines with washer-drying units. What is the structure of a washing machine and dryer and how reliable is such equipment in operation?

How does machine drying work?

There is both vertical and horizontal loading of washing machines, but in both cases the drying process is carried out according to the same algorithm, which consists of condensing water vapor on a cold surface.

A special element is built into the dryer - a condenser, the inner walls of which are cooled by water entering through the corresponding valve. The drying system also contains a chamber equipped with powerful heating elements, which increases the temperature of the water vapor.

The capacitor itself is a plastic or rubber part with a huge power fan, which is mounted either on the side or at the back wall of the washing machine. The heating chamber is screwed closer to the upper edge of the SM tank.

Thus, the condenser is connected through the upper part to the drying chamber, and through the lower part to the tank through a gasket.

How is laundry dried?

When the drying program starts, the machine supplies voltage to the heating elements, the fan, and the inlet valve through which water enters the condenser and the drain pump. At this time, the drum with laundry rotates in one direction or the other. A fan attached to the condenser begins to work, pumping moist air from the tank into the heating chamber, where the moist air turns into hot steam and is directed into the condenser cavity.

At the same time, the water cools the walls of the device, so that when it gets there, all the moisture from the hot steam condenses and flows into the lower part of the tank, where it is connected to the drain pump by a rubber pipe. The pump pumps out cold water and condensation, and the hot air dries itself and dries the laundry.

Important! The drying chamber contains special temperature regulators that do not allow the air to heat up too much. The highest drying temperature is available for cotton fabrics (100-120 degrees).

Top-loading machines are designed a little differently:

• The drying chamber is attached to the tank.
• The fan is located closer to the rear wall of the SM.
• There are only two thermostats, they are connected to each other and to heating elements in series. One is responsible for temperature regulation, the second is for overheating protection. In general, this function is performed by the fan, but if it fails, the protective thermostat will break the power supply circuit of the heating elements.

Dryers are designed in such a way that they periodically require technical inspection, otherwise they will not last long. During the drying process, laundry is subjected to strong mechanical stress, which causes fibers and small pieces of fabric to clog the condenser and heating chamber. Why is this dangerous? The fact is that gradually all this debris sticks together and turns into a solid plug, blocking the openings for the supply of water and air. Sometimes threads can damage a fan by restricting the movement of the blades.

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