Clothes dryer and laundry system

In combination with a building including an environmental zone generally closed to the outside for conditioning of air therein by heating or cooling and a dryer located within said environmental zone, said dryer having a housing, a drying chamber in said housing, blower means for generating flow of air through said drying chamber, heater means for heating air prior to flow through said drying chamber, inlet means for air heated and circulated through said drying chamber, and means for directing air from said inlet means to said heater means for heating by said heater means, the improvement comprising means for selectively supplying air to said inlet means from a plurality of different air sources, at least one of said sources being from outside said environmental zone.

A clothes dryer comprising a housing, a cylindrical drum in said housing for receiving wet clothing, means for tumbling the wet clothing in said drum, blower means for generating air flow through said drum single heater means for heating the air prior to passage through said drum, and diffuser means located in said drum for receiving the heated air and discharging it into said drum against the wet clothing at a plurality of locations spaced along the axial length of said drum, said diffuser means including a plurality of baffles circumferentially arranged about the interior of said drum and mounted for common rotation about the axis of said drum, each said baffle extending radially inwardly from an inside cylindrical wall of said drum over a substantial portion of the axial length of said drum, and each said baffle having an inlet at one axia end thereof for substantially continually receiving the heated air and a plurality of discharge holes spaced along its axial length, said discharge holes substantially continually directing the heated air into said drum.

In combination with a building including a first zone generally open to the outside for passage of air therethrough and having a second zone generally closed to the outside for conditioning of air therein by heating or cooling, said building further having a dryer located within said second zone, the dryer having a housing, a drying chamber in said housing, blower means for generating flow of air through said drying chamber in one direction, and heater means for heating air prior to flow through said drying chamber, the improvement comprising inlet means normally closed to said second zone during dryer operation said inlet means supplying air to said blower, said improvement further comprising duct means connected to said inlet means for directly supplying air to said inlet means from the first zone, said duct means further being provided with a flapper valve for selective connection of the dryer to an air source other than the first zone, and said dryer further including means for directing air from said inlet means to said heater means for heating by said heater means.