[Pristine Clean]

Hi Lads,

Just a quick question on Air Movers.

They blow cold air. Does that mean it dries carpets faster or would a warm/hot blower dry carpets faster. Do they make a warm/hot air mover.

You thoughts and knowledge appreciated.


Dave

[Joe H]

Your right in that they do not have heat, they move air around which assists in the drying, and usually effective.
I have sold the 2 "professional" air movers I had and got one from Machine Mart for about £35. These dont take up as much room in the van, cost a lot less but are quiet good. 2 maybe 3 of those and your away at a fraction of the cost.

[daysdeepclean]

I use the Powerflite F6 Axial Whole room dryer which draws the warmer air from above and disperses it all over the room....

I also use a "Snail" for stairs and upholstery. I would have thought that if they did blow warm air things would dry faster. If you think about it, at summer when it's (Supposedly) warm and breezy, clothes dry on the washing line a lot quicker than winter when the air is cold!

[Pristine Clean]

Thanks for the replies,

I have 2 air movers, Yes Joe they are about 18kg in weight and are a pain to manover.

I am drying rugs out at present, one I soaked in a bath and its taking ages... I think I am on my second day.

I have them hung out out on large plastic piping with a scuffold tube in. As JK kindly suggested.

Just guess they take ages to dry.

Dave

[Jim_77]

If we lived in a land where the sun shone once in a bloody while it wouldn't be a problem

In the east and over in the hot parts of the states they just fling em out in the sun for a few hours and bob's your uncle.

Blowing warm air might dry quicker but really wouldn't be practical (or economical) to try to achieve.  As long as it isn't 10 degrees below, air of just whatever the ambient temperature is will do the job.  Moisture naturally wants to move to less saturated air, so if you simply exchange the air you'll keep the drying process moving.  Heat the room a bit if you need to but I wouldn't try to get a giant hairdryer on the go

After saturating a rug it really helps out to spend a decent amount of time extracting it really well, to cut down the drying time.

[John Kelly]

When surfaces dry they create an interface just above the surface where the air becomes saturated. The moisture from this saturated air then evaporates into the air above. What your airmovers are doing is dissipating this interlayer enabling the moisture to evaporate directly from the surface which speeds the drying process up. If you are using them in an enclosed space the air will only be able to absorb so much moisture depending on what temperature it is at. Once it is near or totally saturated no further drying will occur. Air will absorb 100% more moisture for every 10 degrees it is heated. Thats why heat makes a big difference. It will still eventually become saturated which is why either dehumidification or ventilation is also required.

[Mike Halliday]

Ive heard 2 theories about how airmovers dry carpets. the first is What john said, the second is that the air passing across the top of  the carpet creates lift which pulls air upwards within the carpet, carrying with it the moister.

now if Johns right that its about displacement of damp air laying over the top of the carpet then all that is needed is a very, very small fan  because all though saturated with water damp air is still very light and is easily moved even by the smallest draught, so why do we need powerful airmover unless we are trying to totally exchange the air from another environment (Eg outside)

I think the second theory is quite plausible, because Ive tried domestic fans  that create little more than a light breeze and found them to be rubbish, but snail blowers that direct the air over the top of the carpet are sometimes very good.

and just to be clear I carry betreen 4-6 snail blower and 2 large industrial upright fans on the van at all times, they are used daily in various combinations .

[nevil]

I like the sound of Johns theory. I would think that just stirring the air to dissapate the layer of moisture and dilute it into the rest of the air in the room would only do half of the job. Surely over time the moisture throughout the room would all become saturated without having suficient supply of dryer air from somewhere else. Therefore I am not sure that a small fan with cut it as it would only address the layer of more moist air close the the carpet. And big fans look better and tend to keep the customer away from you so you don't get bothered constantly.    

[Mike Halliday]

after reading it My  last answer looks like Im disagreeing with John but what he says is correct, displacing the air does aid drying.

Ihave just bought 2 big fan of Ebay, after a clean they do look good. the same guy is also selling snail airmover for £45