A question about Axial fans

[Papa John]

Axial fans deliver more air flow with less energy usage, but do they dry carpets faster then a snail fan?
I looking for more energy efficient fans for my rug drying room.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Yes.
What they lack is the static resistance. However if you are only trying create evaporation with air flow, it should do what you need.

 

[roro]

do they dry carpets faster then a snail fan?

No unless they are quite small ones.
We have a large axial (about 4') and it would take forever to dry a heavy rug like an Aubusson by itself. We position snails to blast the bottom part and then reduce number of snails (i.e. usually on day 2 if we are not using heated air.)
roro

 

[roro]

Yes.
Sorry to disagree Tony
Freda
"Fever of the Fleet"

 

[Desk Jockey]

But Ross I can run 4 axials with the same juice it takes to run one snail.

 

[Papa John]

then reduce number of snails (i.e. usually on day 2 if we are not using heated air.)
roro

Day 2 to dry a rug!!?
I want to dry them overnight.
Roro, are you using dehumidifiers and heated room to help the fans dry the rugs?
If you don't use dehumidifiers you are just wasting time and energy.
I'm looking to use energy more efficiently for a project I'm working which I'll post about later.

 

[Cleanworks]

I am starting to use axial type fans instead of snail fans. I purchased a large 20 inch axial fan from a local pressure washing supplier to try it. $150. It works so well, I am going to buy several more. It is less pressure but over a much broader area. I usually get overnight drying with just one drieaz evolution dehu.

 

[Cleanworks]

Here is a pic. It's actually 24 inches.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

You need a Studebaker.

 

[Papa John]

I'm looking to dry rugs that are hanging as well as laying flat with the least amount of energy consumption.

I would think both snail n axial fans are needed. Doesn't the snail fan flow the air over the top of the rug speed up evaporation of the rug on the floor? And are Axial fans better at drying out an air space/room?
I wonder if placing an axial fan on top of a dehu would increase airflow through the dehu giving it a better recovery rate?

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Fans don't "dry" things, they simply move air to allow more evaporation.

Once equilibrium is reached, all air equally saturated, fans just make noise

 

[Papa John]

You are correct Lee..
I should clarify, I want to buy fans that help my Dehumidifiers process air better and faster..
It bugs me when my chimp cleans rugs- places them in the drying room-and Only turns on the fans and not the dehumidifier-- what a waste of time.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Heat would help tremendously provided that you have enough dehumidifiers or exhausted the humidity periodically.

 

[Cleanworks]

You need a Studebaker.

Studebakers will work and you can use them for drying on a flat surface as well but pricey. I can buy 3 of these fans for the price of one Studebaker. Nice thing with these fans is that one fan dries 2 poles. Doesn't blow the rugs off the pole either

 

[roro]

Day 2 to dry a rug!!?
I want to dry them overnight.
Roro, are you using dehumidifiers and heated room to help the fans dry the rugs? Only in winter when using lpg space heaters but rugs dry with harsher hand.
If you don't use dehumidifiers you are just wasting time and energy. We have a large drying room. In another plant we used d/u's & snails and achieved overnight drying but it was considerably smaller room.

We operate in quite a similar temp range to San Fran but have much higher rainfall, a lot less sunshine hours and higher humidity

 

[roro]

Hi Tony
Here's something to whet your appetitie big boy


Freda

 

[The Great Oz]

Axial fans deliver more air flow with less energy usage, but do they dry carpets faster then a snail fan?
I looking for more energy efficient fans for my rug drying room.

A given snail fan will do a better job of drying a long, flat, fan-shaped area that tapers off about 12 to 15 feet from the unit. A typical shrouded fan (axial) will dry farther from the unit but in a more direct line from the fan. For drying rugs on the floor, the flat pattern snails typically work better, unless you have access to an Airpath, which will dry an area seven to ten times larger than any linear fan. Even with a higher electrical cost per unit, one Airpath is cheaper to use than multiple snails. Proven in our testing.

Any air movement is better than none, but for your purpose you need some air velocity, not the lazy stir of a bayou bar fan, so a smaller, higher speed fan would be better than a big slow fan.

On using dehus:
Time a load in your clothes dryer, then rewet the same wash and hang it in a closed room with a dehu and see if your dry time and power costs are better.

Heating and then venting humid air is far faster and cheaper than using dehus.This was proven by a dehumidifier maker in testing that required the use of a lot their sensors, laptops and technicians, and wasn't the answer they were looking for. Slower might be preferable in some restoration scenarios, but dehus are only cheaper if they're plugged into an outlet you aren't paying for.

 

[Cleanworks]

A given snail fan will do a better job of drying a long, flat, fan-shaped area that tapers off about 12 to 15 feet from the unit. A typical shrouded fan (axial) will dry farther from the unit but in a more direct line from the fan. For drying rugs on the floor, the flat pattern snails typically work better, unless you have access to an Airpath, which will dry an area seven to ten times larger than any linear fan. Even with a higher electrical cost per unit, one Airpath is cheaper to use than multiple snails. Proven in our testing.

Any air movement is better than none, but for your purpose you need some air velocity, not the lazy stir of a bayou bar fan, so a smaller, higher speed fan would be better than a big slow fan.

On using dehus:
Time a load in your clothes dryer, then rewet the same wash and hang it in a closed room with a dehu and see if your dry time and power costs are better.

Heating and then venting humid air is far faster and cheaper than using dehus.This was proven by a dehumidifier maker in testing that required the use of a lot their sensors, laptops and technicians, and wasn't the answer they were looking for. Slower might be preferable in some restoration scenarios, but dehus are only cheaper if they're plugged into an outlet you aren't paying for.

I can't argue with your stats but sometimes for a small shop on a limited budget, we have to work with what we got. My shop is 1100sqft. with 9 foot ceilings. I use a combination of axial fans and snail fans, usually no more than 3 at a time and 1 dehu if I want overnight drying. My dehu takes about 8 amps. and the fans take 2-4 amps each. If I had a separate drying room, I can see the advantage of using Toms heated ventilation system.

 

[Nate The Great]

Here in the tropics it's better to use dehus... I still need to make my drying chamber smaller/isolate it more so I'm not reducing the humidity in my whole shop..

It's bad when it rains, and the dehus do help..

 

[Cleanworks]

Here in the tropics it's better to use dehus... I still need to make my drying chamber smaller/isolate it more so I'm not reducing the humidity in my whole shop..

It's bad when it rains, and the dehus do help..

a Zip Wall would probably help. A single evolution dehu brings my humidity down to 35%.

 

[Nate The Great]

We have a warehouse with 2 separate bays... The big side is probably about 2k sf downstairs with 12' ceilings but my rug poles hang 23' in the air where there isn't a mezzanine.. My smaller side is 20'x40' that's storage and used for dusting rugs..

It's a lot of cubic feet to reduce the humidity in.. I figured I can use those heavy duty PVC curtains on the track to block off the downstairs and either drywall or put a zip wall for the mezzanine that's open..

Soo much to do and not enough time or help..

 

[Cleanworks]

We have a warehouse with 2 separate bays... The big side is probably about 2k sf downstairs with 12' ceilings but my rug poles hang 23' in the air where there isn't a mezzanine.. My smaller side is 20'x40' that's storage and used for dusting rugs..

It's a lot of cubic feet to reduce the humidity in.. I figured I can use those heavy duty PVC curtains on the track to block off the downstairs and either drywall or put a zip wall for the mezzanine that's open..

Soo much to do and not enough time or help..

At least you know what you have to do. Our winter humidity has been averaging 80-90 percent lately.

 

[Papa John]

We have a warehouse with 2 separate bays... The big side is probably about 2k sf downstairs with 12' ceilings but my rug poles hang 23' in the air where there isn't a mezzanine.. My smaller side is 20'x40' that's storage and used for dusting rugs..

It's a lot of cubic feet to reduce the humidity in.. I figured I can use those heavy duty PVC curtains on the track to block off the downstairs and either drywall or put a zip wall for the mezzanine that's open..

Soo much to do and not enough time or help..

I've set up tarps/Zip wall to "shrink" the size of my dry room. It really helps with drying the rugs quicker--Nate, you might achieve more time and cost savings by investing in the improvement you mentioned.?

 

[The Great Oz]

At least you know what you have to do. Our winter humidity has been averaging 80-90 percent lately.

Relative humidity. Cool humid air isn't a problem. Heat the air and that drops fast.

Nate's case is a partial exception at a nominal 80F and high humidity, but a proper 135F heater should still be enough of a temperature rise to do a better job of drying rugs. The dehu has an advantage if the temperature and humidity is Central American jungle swamp, or if natural gas/propane/fuel oil is unavailable or costs more than electricity in your hood.

 

[Nate The Great]

Propane at $4.00 a gallon, and that's on the cheap side... .32 per kw here... I think with way I'm screwed...

 

[Cleanworks]

I need to sell all my junk and start organizing my shop. I do have enough space to build a separate dry room. Want to buy a portable? Maybe 3 or 4?

 

[Nate The Great]

I need to sell all my junk and start organizing my shop. I do have enough space to build a separate dry room. Want to buy a portable? Maybe 3 or 4?

Only if it's your Beastly Aluminum one...

 

[Papa John]

IMO-Since It's all relative- and nature seeks balance-- I don't think Nate needs to get the rugs to be "desert" dry. The humid air in the customer's home will moisten the rug anyways. And the customer is acclimated to this dampness.

Propane at $4.00 a gallon, and that's on the cheap side... .32 per kw here... I think with way I'm screwed...

On the high end I'm at 50kwh-- that's why I'm concerned about energy use.
I'm been making an "off the grid" rug plant--sorta.. I call it the HybridHouse.. I hope to post a sager style video in a day or two.

 

[Cleanworks]

Only if it's your Beastly Aluminum one...

Not for sale, at least until I build another one. I have an aluminum tank that I am looking at converting into my next one. It is already converted into 2 separate sides. 3/16 aluminum. Slightly smaller than my current one. I need to fabricate a frame with wheels and handle for it. I'm thinking I might try a pair of 8.4's in parallel. I am just working out the details for the manifold to see how much I can reduce the amperage enough to accommodate the 500 psi pump without blowing the breakers. The amperage on all vac motors drop as they are being restricted, so I am looking at doing a 4 into 2 1/2 or maybe even a 3 inch manifold and then having the vac hose connected before I start it. It may be enough to let me run on 2 clean 15 amp circuits. I have enough amperage left over on one cord to install an apo.

 

[Cleanworks]

Sold an old ninja today for $600. Problem is I have a guy coming tomorrow with a Mytee speedster only $150. How can I say no? Damn Craigslist.