# Why won't my "invention" work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 7, 2015, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452 "2015-07-07T05:22:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/1 "2015-07-07T05:22:13Z")
I want a single unit washer/dryer. One contraption that I can load my laundry into, spin some dials, push some buttons, (it has to have a lot of dials and buttons…maybe some bells and whistles… :rolleyes: … ) and have it wash, then dry my laundry. It would be easier to program my contraption to wash/dry, then do something else, (work, sleep, mow the lawn, cook dinner, whatever…) and come back to laundry ready to be folded. You wouldn’t have to stop any other chore you were doing because it was time to put the clothes in the dryer. It would be a time-saver. More importantly (to me at least,) it would save a lot of space. Even if it was bigger than a standard washer or dryer, I think it would have to be smaller than the two of them. I’ve asked my mechanically inclined friends why this wouldn’t work, and the answers I’ve received were that, “electricity doesn’t mix with water,” (…my washer is electric 😕 ) and that “one runs on 110 and the other runs on 220.” (Don’t they make adapters for that? :dubious: ) So why hasn’t this been invented yet? I can’t imagine I’m the first person to think of it. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/2 "2015-07-07T05:26:16Z")
There’s gonna be some ducting issues, where you fill the basket with water, then blow air through it. But…that shouldn’t be a killer. One system of ducts for water, another for air. Each is closed when the other is open. Valves, right? It’s a great idea, and I’d love to see it! Cuts down the overall number of trips to the washroom, and, as you say, you can “fire and forget,” rather than having to watch the clock all the while. Build and sell it, and let us all know in advance so we can buy shares in your company! ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/3 "2015-07-07T05:48:34Z")
They’re out there. They just don’t work very well. > **[LG WM3431HS.ALSEEUS: Support, Manuals, Warranty & More | LG USA Support](https://www.lg.com/us/support/product/lg-WM3431HS.ALSEEUS)** > > Get product support, user manuals and software drivers for the LG WM3431HS.ALSEEUS. View WM3431HS.ALSEEUS warranty information & schedule repair service. And really, switching a few armfuls of wet washing from one box to another isn’t a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/4 "2015-07-07T05:49:41Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > \ > > Build and sell it, and let us all know in advance so we can buy shares in your company! I can’t build it. I went to the School for the Mechanically Declined. :o ☹ If someone else can build it, I’d settle for 2% of the profits, or a lifetime supply of them. 😃 I’m 47, so… what… maybe two? Three, to iron the kinks out? Hee, hee, hee…“iron”…“laundry” ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/5 "2015-07-07T05:50:23Z")
I think it can be done. I wouldn’t call it an “invention” - it’s a straightforward engineering problem. Start with one machine or the other, and look at the similarities. Drier - there’s a rotating drum with small holes. Washer - there’s also a rotating drum with small holes. Ok… Washer - there’s a pipe that injects water into the rotating drum. For front loading washers, the water may first flow through the soap dish. So far, no showstoppers… For the washer to work, the drum has to spin left, right, fast, slow, and so on. You need a drain to suck the dirty water out, and the previously mentioned tube to inject water in. So far sounds like a drier can do all this. Ok, a drier has heater somewhere, and it heats air sucked from inside the house and blows it into the drier drum. There’s an exit vent somewhere else on the drum, and that vent connects to the drier exhaust vent. And, here’s our problem. You need to somehow funnel large quantities of air - hot air, exhaust air - through 2 large vents that connect to the wash drum, and that wash drum has to be sealed so it doesn’t let water out. It does sound doable. You just need a large servo operated vent with a rubber seal, such that when it closes, a servo driver pushes the vent closed, and another servo locks the vent. You need a sensor switch on the actual latch so that the computer controlling this appliance can be certain the vent is locked before starting the wash cycle. You need 2 of these vents somewhere in the wash drum. A second, bigger problem, is I think most commercial washers have a 2 part drum. There’s an inner drum, the thing that has holes in it. Then, there’s an outer drum, which is sealed. Yet, for this dryer design to work, you probably need the outer drum to not move and only the inner drum to spin. This means you need a more complex bearing from the washer’s drive motor to the drum. This is a pure mechanical engineering problem. I’m not a mechanical engineer. However, if you had access to some reasonably skilled craftsmen, you could bodge one together. You obviously need a front loading washer, and a dryer, and somehow who knows how to weld to cut the holes needed and build the various ducts and so forth. The combination units I have read about don’t do it this way. They have an air conditioner?! inside them that dehumidifies the exit air. I have no idea why they do it this way instead of heating up the air fed into the dryer like every other commercial dryer ever created. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/6 "2015-07-07T05:55:29Z")
Now, I had another idea. How about we use conventional dryers and washers, since there may in fact be solid mechanical reasons to separate the 2 functions. Can’t have a dump truck-formula 1 car, either. What would happen is, they would be mounted above each other, on pivots. The front loading washer would be pivoted so that the door faces straight down. The door of the front loading washer would be opened - it would be an extra large door so it’s the same size as the wash drum so there’s no “lip” for clothes to get caught on. The wet clothes would fall through a chute down to the waiting dryer, which is a front loading dryer, facing upwards. Once the clothes are in, the door on the dryer closes, and it tilts back to the normal orientation and starts. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/7 "2015-07-07T06:04:54Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > They’re out there. They just don’t work very well. Agreed. There is nothing to invent here - the product already exists. Devices that combine functions are often inferior to a collection of separates. In this particular case, mostly because they have to combine the non-common components in a package that is the same size as the separate devices (nobody wants a washer/dryer that is one-and-a-half times the size of a standard washer or dryer). So cramming in the components for both means the drum has to be a bit smaller than usual, or some other compromise must be made such as a smaller motor, etc. And there’s the eggs-in-one basket factor; the more functions you combine in one unit, the more severe a problem you have when it breaks down. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/8 "2015-07-07T06:07:09Z")
[Washer dryers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combo_washer_dryer)are a pretty standard item in the UK. Edit - the previous 6 posts weren’t there when I typed my answer. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/9 "2015-07-07T07:22:41Z")
I used to have roommate who had one. European. It worked well. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/10 "2015-07-07T07:29:43Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > [Washer dryers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combo_washer_dryer)are a pretty standard item in the UK. According to that link, the OP is just a little over 60 years late. It’s funny how these things often end up as a race to the patent office. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/11 "2015-07-07T07:34:51Z")
I used the word “invention,” in quotation marks, for the sake of the thread title. > [@araminty](#): > > They’re out there. They just don’t work very well. > > [http://www.lg.com/us/washer-dryer-combos/lg-WM3431HS-washer-dryer-combo](http://www.lg.com/us/washer-dryer-combos/lg-WM3431HS-washer-dryer-combo) > > And really, switching a few armfuls of wet washing from one box to another isn’t a big deal. They exist!! No, I was not trying to say that switching armfuls of wet washing from one box to another was **hard to do**. But what if I get more accomplished by _not being here_ to do it? Program it to “finish,” and go do my errands? Also, sometimes sleep is a rare commodity. If I don’t have to wait up an hour (or wake up an hour early) to put clothes in the dryer, that gives me more time. > [@Mangetout](#): > > Devices that combine functions are often inferior to a collection of separates. > > In this particular case, mostly because they have to combine the non-common components in a package that is the same size as the separate devices (nobody wants a washer/dryer that is one-and-a-half times the size of a standard washer or dryer). A single unit _ **only** _ one-and-a-half times the size of a standard washer or dryer? Yes, I\*\* DO\*\* want that! I could fit that next to the sink, and free up the other wall. Or leave it where it is, and put the litter box next to it, freeing up the area next to the bathroom sink. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b782af/32.png) [@Why\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_Child)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/12 "2015-07-07T07:37:24Z")
Wait, so these are common everywhere **but** the U.S.? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/13 "2015-07-07T08:29:07Z")
> [@Why\_Child](#): > > Wait, so these are common everywhere **but** the U.S.? Our homes and apartments are bigger. I’ve used these in Europe and the clothes always come out damp. They take forever to dry anything big and/or you end up hang drying everything. I wasn’t impressed, but if you have no space they make some sense. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/14 "2015-07-07T08:49:31Z")
> [@Why\_Child](#): > > Wait, so these are common everywhere **but** the U.S.? yup. The quality varies but the best ones are excellent. (meile particularly) The same is true of chip and pin debit cards and cheap cell phone contracts. The USA is wonderfully inventive but curious blind spots still exist. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/15 "2015-07-07T09:04:39Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Our homes and apartments are bigger. I’ve used these in Europe and the clothes always come out damp. They take forever to dry anything big and/or you end up hang drying everything. I wasn’t impressed, but if you have no space they make some sense. Ok, tangential question. I live in UK, and have used dryers, and they seem to spit out reasonably dry clothing. Why can’t the combined washer/dryers achieve this? ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/16 "2015-07-07T10:24:22Z")
> [@Lars\_Aruns](#): > > Ok, tangential question. I live in UK, and have used dryers, and they seem to spit out reasonably dry clothing. Why can’t the combined washer/dryers achieve this? [The Wikipedia article posted earlier explains it in detail,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combo_washer_dryer#Condensation-based_ventless_drying_system) but the short answer is that they can, but since they combine the functions of both washer and dryer, their designs typically make compromises that means that they take longer and are less efficient. ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/17 "2015-07-07T10:29:36Z")
I suppose now someone’s going to tell me that my “Reduced Sliding Friction Constant-Radius Transportation Module” has been thought of already. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/18 "2015-07-07T12:08:31Z")
> [@Why\_Child](#): > > A single unit _ **only** _ one-and-a-half times the size of a standard washer or dryer? Yes, I\*\* DO\*\* want that! I could fit that next to the sink, and free up the other wall. Or leave it where it is, and put the litter box next to it, freeing up the area next to the bathroom sink. Automatic washing machines and tumble dryers are very much standardised on sizes - they are designed to fit under a standard kitchen/utility room counter and occupy a standard width. Many people do run them standalone in garages or utility rooms, but what I mean is that (at least here) the market would be diminished for a larger-than standard device. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/19 "2015-07-07T12:20:05Z")
The big disadvantage is that you lose the ability to parallel process multiple loads. You gain a lot of time by being able to wash load two while load one is drying. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452/20 "2015-07-07T12:23:25Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > [The Wikipedia article posted earlier explains it in detail,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combo_washer_dryer#Condensation-based_ventless_drying_system) but the short answer is that they can, but since they combine the functions of both washer and dryer, their designs typically make compromises that means that they take longer and are less efficient. That addresses ventless systems. I don’t know any real reason a combined washer and vented dryer could not work just as well as separate units. I think they are just not in great demand. The unit should cost less than the combined cost of separate units. Malfunctions will be more likely as the same parts will have to tolerate high heat and water. It would take the combined washing and drying time to do a single load, multiple loads couldn’t run in parallel, but for a family that has to do a lot of loads you could just get two of them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wont-my-invention-work/724452.md?page=2)