Spin dryers suitable for club huts

[flakey]

Since we’ve recently had a washing machine thread, why not keep the theme going and talk about spin dryers too?

The spin dryer in our club hut frequently gets damaged, partially because it’s a little too small for most furries, partially because it’s a slightly flimsy plastic design where it’s easy to snap things, and partially because cavers aren’t always the most delicate of people.

Have people found (or built?) a spin dryer which works well for the hard environment of a club hut? I was wondering about whether it would make sense to take the innards out of our one and re-mount them in a more sturdy (waterproofed, drained, insulated) wooden box which could survive a bit more of a battering from people. Or perhaps getting an old washing machine drum (bigger than the average spin dryer drum) and building that into a box so there’s more space for more furry.

Interested in all ideas, thanks!

 

[alanw]

What sort do you have at the moment? A top loading one like this?

 

[flakey]

Yup, that kind of thing, although I don’t know the exact model off the top of my head

 

[JasonC]

May be worth keeping an eye on local auctions. White goods from house clearances often go for very little.

 

[flakey]

Getting hold of a replacement spin dryer is not a problem, I’m thinking more about what we could do so it doesn’t keep getting broken, and consuming people’s time in repeatedly fixing or replacing it.

 

[ChrisB]

The ideal thing would be a commercial quality dryer from a laundry that was updating or closing down. A new one would be very expensive.

 

[martinr]

Interested in all ideas, thanks!

Get a second furry for Sunday trips?

 

[flakey]

That’s really helpful thanks

 

[Maj]

If I had time and no other projects to do I would consider the following:-
An old washing machine. Take out all the electrical components. Instead then of using an electric motor to spin the drum, spin by utilizing parts of a push bike or a hand operated crank handle via a bicycle freewheeling sprocket. With some thoughts of gearing it should be possible to reach a suitable spin speed. The whole thing can then be situated outdoors and doesn't take up valuable interior space. Very cheap to run . Would require some thought about a door interlock to prevent the door being opened whilst the drum is spinning.

In the meantime I pick up spin dryers for both myself and our caving club from Freecycle or Free to collector on Fb Marketplace/Gumtree.

I currently have a spare one that requires 3 rubber motor mounts if anyone would like it. I found the rubber mounts could be purchased but are something like £10 each .

 

[Pitlamp]

The spin dryer at the NPC (Green Close) has been in successful use for a long time I think. No idea what sort it is but if you're nearby at some stage pop in and have a look. The inmates are fairly friendly!

 

[Jenny P]

We bought one new in 2022 after our old one caught fire because the lid dropped when it was empty but switched on. We bought an English Electric. 5.2 KG capacity with a safety lock on the lid and it cost us £149 new. That was the largest capacity standard domestic machine we could find and it's set up so it's permanently plugged in through an electrical trip so overloading will shut it down immediately. It's "tied" back to the wall with a bicycle inner tube so it can't waltz around the floor. We got it from Curry's with free delivery and a warranty to save messing about. So far it's behaved perfectly and is large enough to take a fair amoint of wet caving gear.