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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    967 tree 4
    Posts
    1,213

    Home made boot dryer

    materials:

    bathroom vent: $12
    60" drain pipe: $5
    1/3 sheet 5/8" plywood $5-$10

    time required: 1 hour

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    sfbay
    Posts
    2,179
    what's inside?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    967 tree 4
    Posts
    1,213
    Quote Originally Posted by jondrums View Post
    what's inside?
    little geisha girls fanning air through the pipes

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Mexitana
    Posts
    2,474
    sucking in or blowing out? Heat?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Teton Village
    Posts
    2,674
    Excellent!

    To answer the questions above.

    Q: Inside? A: Nothing

    #2nd Q: Sucking in and forcing air into the boots through the tubes. No heat.

    The shop guys have an excellent homemade model that somebody built a few years ago. I will post a pic this week.
    Ski Shop - Basement of the Hostel



    Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish.

    Mark Twain

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Ski-attle
    Posts
    4,217
    Boot dryers don't really need heat. Best portable ones I ever had didn't use it and dried soggy liners in the boots in about an hour. Looks like a good setup.
    ROBOTS ARE EATING MY FACE.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    JeffCo
    Posts
    972
    That's a great idea, would there be any advantage to making the tube longer with a 90* bend and another short section so the air is put into the toe box then forced out the cuff?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Praying for Fresh
    Posts
    2,343
    Needs some steezy stickers, and then you're good to go.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Treading Water
    Posts
    6,683
    Somebody needs to run a trial of sucking vs blowing on a rig like that. It just seems like blowing would do a better job of penetrating the lining, especially up in the toe (away from the pipe opening.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    S-E-A-T-O-W-N
    Posts
    1,792
    Well, that one IS blowing.
    that's all i can think of, but i'm sure there's something else...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Treading Water
    Posts
    6,683
    Just realized that. Got confused since it's a sucking fan, but the exhaust is what's going into the boots.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Treading Water
    Posts
    6,683
    Gave it a go with an old modified range hood, some irrigation pipe and flexible beer bong tubing. Fan reversed so that it pulls through the little vent in the face and blows into the boots/gloves.



  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
    Posts
    30,881
    NICE !

    I got a buddy who retrofitted an ugly used range hood over his waxing bench to pull off wax fumes and send them out side

    I am working on a plan to plumb something into the furnace for drying boots & gloves probably a rack with some flexible hosing

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Adirondacks
    Posts
    73
    I hooked up a duct to my forced hot air heat in the basement. Ran it to a plywood box I built with 12 PVC tubes, 6 large and 6 smaller diameter. I've been using it for about 20 years now. It works awsome and will dry 3 pairs of boots and 3 pairs of gloves at the same time. Only works in the winter when the heat is on though.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
    Posts
    30,881
    Quote Originally Posted by K man View Post
    I hooked up a duct to my forced hot air heat in the basement. Ran it to a plywood box I built with 12 PVC tubes, 6 large and 6 smaller diameter. I've been using it for about 20 years now. It works awsome and will dry 3 pairs of boots and 3 pairs of gloves at the same time. Only works in the winter when the heat is on though.
    Picts !

    and if you have figured a way to ski in the summer ...you are a genius

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Squamish BC.
    Posts
    707
    Two computer fans, some wood wire and 2 inch pipe. An hour or two at the most to get everything dry, unless it is really soaked, then maybe three or four.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    4
    here is my version for 5 pairs of boots and gloves.

    for more details check out http://chris-cbphotography.blogspot....ove-dryer.html it will dry boots and gloves usually in an hour or less.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    entrapped
    Posts
    2,497
    I can't move my legs right now and my face hurts, literally opening my mouth hurts, from skiing the last two days of fresh ...life is tough.

    So, it is time to contemplate and possibly tackle the famed boot dryer project.

    Is it damaging to liners to take them out of boot shells after each ski session to dry? (searched and couldn't find an answer)

    If so, then I'm goin' for it and will post pics when finished.
    No matter where you go, there you are. - BB

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    co
    Posts
    45
    I would like to see one with heat. potentially to use before skiing. hmmm

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    livin the dream
    Posts
    5,761
    Quote Originally Posted by carlcarlson View Post
    I would like to see one with heat. potentially to use before skiing. hmmm
    Put any of the aboves air intake next to either the HVAC registers, stove, fireplace, radiant heater, or space heater.... I have mine right next to a register. But heat is really not needed.
    Best Skier on the Mountain
    Self-Certified
    1992 - 2012
    Squaw Valley, USA

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    28
    Sweet designs. Anyone have any reccommendations for a battery power/no power boot dryer option.. Camper living often lacks electricity after all.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    North Idaho
    Posts
    1,149
    I'm considering making one of these for the car, powered off the inverter.

    In searching around, I have seen people use a 100W lightbulb with a black painted interior for the heat, and a small 120VAC muffin fan. A 100W bulb can be safely lit continuously even with no airflow so I would say it's OK in this application.

    If you're running on batteries and can't afford a 100W load, you could rig it up so the fan and the heat could be powered separately. This fan is only 18 watts.

    You could also go no heat and use a 12v computer fan.

    With absolutely no batteries, you could pick up 2 of these Zippo catalytic heaters.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    SW Jongistan
    Posts
    447
    Computer case fans run on 12V dc and are wicked cheap. Possibly more efficient than going through the inverter.

    If you wanted a lightbulb/heat of course there are many 12V lights.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Beautiful BC
    Posts
    2,970
    Quote Originally Posted by coreshot-tourettes View Post
    I'm considering making one of these for the car, powered off the inverter.

    In searching around, I have seen people use a 100W lightbulb with a black painted interior for the heat, and a small 120VAC muffin fan. A 100W bulb can be safely lit continuously even with no airflow so I would say it's OK in this application.

    If you're running on batteries and can't afford a 100W load, you could rig it up so the fan and the heat could be powered separately. This fan is only 18 watts.

    You could also go no heat and use a 12v computer fan.

    With absolutely no batteries, you could pick up 2 of these Zippo catalytic heaters.
    I have lots of comments:

    100W is way too hot for a boot heater. I should measure my boot dryer when I get home.
    100W is about 9A at 12V. A truck or RV battery has about 70 - 85 AHrs so it would drain a battery in 7 - 9 hours.

    A propane powered boot dryer works great (we use it hunting).

    If you wait for sales at Cabelas you can pick up a nice dryer like this for $30:


    I built a dryer using PVC pipe and a hair dryer which worked ok but it turns out PVC has a low melting point and PVC fittings aren't cheap either.
    If you have a problem & think that someone else is going to solve it for you then you have two problems.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    San Diego
    Posts
    172
    Quote Originally Posted by Snow Dog View Post
    If you wait for sales at Cabelas you can pick up a nice dryer like this for $30:
    For the same price this seems like a better deal. It actually blows the air instead of just heating it and has 4 posts instead of 2.

    Edit: I just pulled the trigger on one of those, not for ski boots (never had a problem with just pulling the liners) but for my surfing booties. Those things stink to high heaven if I don't point a fan at them all night!
    Last edited by SaSSafraS_LTK; 11-23-2011 at 11:46 PM.

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