Hair dryer

System
System Posts: 2,511 admin
I'm in the process of buying a very small house, built on a trailer bed, it will be off the grid. All this is totally new to me, although I've been interested in living off the grid for 15 years or more. I'm embarrassed to ask this question, it's such a girl thing, but what do people do for drying their hair on solar power? I get it that a conventional hair dryer is out of the question, but can't seem to find an alternative.

I was thrilled to find an answer to another of my questions on this forum re: a toaster oven, as I will not have a gas stove, just 2 gas burners. The Coleman InstaStart Portable Oven looks like exactly what I was looking for. So I thought maybe someone could help me out with this question.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I had to ask
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Comments

  • petertearai
    petertearai Solar Expert Posts: 471 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    Look for a low wattage hair dryer.
    How long is a hair dryer operated for? I assume 2 min? So as long as that is the case it should be ok? All depends on your system size.
    2225 wattts pv . Outback 2kw  fxr pure sine inverter . fm80 charge controller . Mate 3. victron battery monitor . 24 volts  in 2 volt Shoto lead carbon extreme batterys. off grid  holiday home 
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    Not being sarcastic, nor intending to sound such - - but what did our grandparents / great grandparents do? Probably the same as a lot of us do now - - let nature do the drying. Not joking, unless the humidity is extremely high, it really doesn't take that long, and your batteries don't get sucked down. Same with drying clothes. My cousin's wife cannot comprehend life without a clothes dryer, but I haven't used one in almost 10 years and my grandparents never had one, yet never once did we go around wearing wet clothes - - unless we happened to fall in the lake. :p
  • bsolar
    bsolar Solar Expert Posts: 103 ✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    a larger system like 1500+ panel watts and a good sized battery bank shouldnt have a problem with a 1000W or so hairdryer. Its better to use a heavy load like that when the sun is on the panels, using it in the evening or with no sun punishes the batteries although a larger system could handle it in my humble opinion no problem .. your not going to want a hair dryer on a reserved system at all like 500w's of panel and a couple of batts , no prolly bad idea ...
  • JESSICA
    JESSICA Solar Expert Posts: 289 ✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer
    I'm embarrassed to ask this question, it's such a girl thing, but what do people do for drying their hair on solar power? I get it that a conventional hair dryer is out of the question, but can't seem to find an alternative.

    Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I had to ask

    It is not a stupid question!
    I am convinced that my wife (the real Jessica) blew up my first inverter by plugging in her STUPID 1500 watts hair dryer to it. But she has always denied it.
    After that, she uses a ceramic hair iron (it is not an iron in the traditional sense) like these:

    http://www.folica.com/tools/flat-irons/ceramic-flat-irons

    they are very good, if your hair or your wife's (or daughter's hair) is long enough for them. They are also relatively cheap. The one I bought for mi wife costs around $75, and draws only 210 watts.
    If only I had known it before my exeltech was destroyed!
  • Slappy
    Slappy Solar Expert Posts: 251 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    but can't seem to find an alternative.


    http://www.12volt-travel.com/12-volt-hair-dryer-with-folding-handle-p-5902.html Do not know if it will work or not, never ordered from this place. So that is at your on risk! or you can use a "desk top type of fan" the cooler air will keep your hair from frizzing ;) and the sun shine works very well. ...my wife brushes her hair in the sun all the time, rarely use the blow dryer.
  • SCharles
    SCharles Solar Expert Posts: 123 ✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    We have a rule here at our house: if someone wants to use a hair dryer, she does so while the sun is shining onto the pv panels. Sometimes that means taking a shower earlier in the day than might otherwise happen. In the winter months, this can mean even earlier in the afternoon.

    My wife found a hair dryer that has two settings, one for high temp. and one for lower. The lower one takes longer to dry her hair, of course. But that is one option: get one with a low setting and use it.

    On rare occasions, we have run the Honda generator to dry her hair, in the winter. But that is quite rare, as I fidget and cringe and feel pretty stupid about burning gasoline to dry some hair. Maybe four or five times a winter we do that. My last hair cut was in 1968 and I've never used a dryer, so I perhapsam not the best person to give advice, I suppose.

    Otherwise, we are accustomed to showering early if hair drying is desired.
  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    I have seen propane/ butane powered hair driers, but couldn't tell you whe to find one. what is the matter with just letting nature do it's thing. I have had shoulder length hair for nearly 4 decades and have never used a hair drier. ( I know, I am revealing mor of myself than most needed to know)

    Icarus
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Hair dryer

    From a math point of view--Assume 1,500 watt hair drier running on an inverter--how large of battery bank/solar array...

    Inverter ~85% efficient, 24 volt battery bank, C/8 maximum continuous current draw from flooded cell battery bank:
    • 1,500 watts * 1/0.85 * 1/24 volts * 8 maximum discharge = 588 AH @ 24 volt battery bank minimum
    Assuming 5% to 13% rate of charge for solar array:
    • 588 AH * 29 volts charging * 1/0.77 derating * 0.05 rate of charge = 1,107 watt array minimum
    • 588 AH * 29 volts charging * 1/0.77 derating * 0.13 rate of charge = 2,879 watt array ~cost effective maximum
    Assuming used in winter with ~2 hours of sun per day with a minimum sized solar array, you could run a 1,500 watt load (without generator backup) at night/early morning around:
    • 1,107 watts * 2 hours of sun * 0.52 system efficiency * 1/1,500 watts panel+charger derating = ~0.77 hours per day
    May or may not be practical for your needs--but at least you have a rough set of figures for a pure solar RE solution.

    For a more accurate estimate--you can use a Kill-a-Watt meter to measure the energy use (average watts, how many Watts*Hours per use) you use the hair drier (high and low settings). If you use the drier on low (say ~750 watts), you could use a 1/2 size battery bank. And depending on how long run the drier, you could possibly use a smaller array (also depends if you use the drier every day or every other day).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • offgrid me
    offgrid me Solar Expert Posts: 119 ✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    I had my better half run through her normal bathroom routine with both a 1500w hair dryer and hair straightener and it only used .24kwh combined on a kilowatt meter. So It may be a large draw but its only for a short time. Just make sure you have a large enough inverter for the load.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    what this boils down to is a lifestyle change for her. tell her what the alternatives are to dry her hair and what it will cost her to implement it. of course that could cause a fight, but do remind her it is an adjustment living without the grid and she will come to know just how difficult and costly it is for such frivolous conveniences. it will make her think a bit into ways of lessening the cost or inconvenience to her and still achieve her goal. if not then you've got a problem.:cry:

    getting a shorter hairstyle also helps to shorten the time needed to dry the hair.

    the biggest excuses i hear for hair dryers is that their hairstyle won't lay right air drying or it frizzes from being wet too long like a bad humid day does.

    i am not one to really talk as my wife and step daughter can't live without a clothes dryer and the washer loads are huge because they think it's normal to change 5x a day or more and not whear those clothes again until washed. i am somewhat lucky that they don't use hairdryers much, but my other half never used it on wet hair and used it on dry hair prior to brushing it out. don't question me on this as you're asking me to figure out a woman.:roll::p we are on the grid here though. they are obviously spoiled and they wonder why the electric bill is so high. i simply say to them it's because you use too much, but they don't think so and don't have a concept of power usage even though i tried to explain it.
  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    .24 kwh is about 1/2 of my total daily loads,,,

    Tony
  • bluewickedburner
    bluewickedburner Solar Expert Posts: 78 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer
    I'm in the process of buying a very small house, built on a trailer bed, it will be off the grid. All this is totally new to me, although I've been interested in living off the grid for 15 years or more. I'm embarrassed to ask this question, it's such a girl thing, but what do people do for drying their hair on solar power? I get it that a conventional hair dryer is out of the question, but can't seem to find an alternative.

    I was thrilled to find an answer to another of my questions on this forum re: a toaster oven, as I will not have a gas stove, just 2 gas burners. The Coleman InstaStart Portable Oven looks like exactly what I was looking for. So I thought maybe someone could help me out with this question.

    Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I had to ask

    We don't even have solar installed yet and my wife uses a hair drier off the inverter from our 12 volt battery bank. Unless you leave it on to dry clothes and you home, it is only on a few minutes.

    The practical approach is pretty simple:

    Dry your hair as much as possible with a towel first. Use a good absorbent one that is thick. That really reduces the amount of time you need to use the hair dryer. Then just dry it enough to satisfy your needs, not make it bone dry.

    If you have a 12 volt source get a 12 volt hair dryer, they make them.

    http://www.roadtrucker.com/power-hunt-power-plus/12-volt-high-performance-appliances.htm

    Replacing the used power is another story but this way it is minimal.

    Sometimes the answer is a lot simpler than we want it to be, sometimes not.
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    Re: Hair dryer

    Been working all weekend, just had time to read posts and reply. First of all a huge thank you to all that took my post seriously and replied. I am so stoked to have found this group (just lucked on to it while googling solar something or other) as I know I have a huge learning curve.

    I live in Hawaii, and will be living up the mountain a bit, still, we're pretty much guaranteed 4-5 hours of morning sun year round, with the exception of a few days. And since I shower and take all of 2 minutes to dry my hair in the morning, with lots of sun time afterwards, it seems that if I get a lower wattage dryer, and use low setting I'll be all set. Too new to even think about doing things like this when there is the ability for batteries to immediately re-charge. I don't know how large my system will be yet, but will take this into consideration when figuring out what I need :-)

    I was expecting at least one reply to tell me to air dry my hair..... but unfortunately my hair is much better suited to 2 minutes of drying, will probably do without on weekends though.

    Thank you again
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer
    I was expecting at least one reply to tell me to air dry my hair..... but unfortunately my hair is much better suited to 2 minutes of drying, will probably do without on weekends though.

    Thank you again

    actually somebody did and i would think that is an obvious answer that you have already disregarded or you wouldn't have asked the question.

    waynefromcanada answered in post #3 as, "let nature do the drying".
  • silvertop
    silvertop Solar Expert Posts: 155 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    I have a Vidal Sassoon 1875 watt hair dryer that has two heat settings, and two fan speeds. I have used this hair dryer every morning for the last year on low heat low fan no problem. It uses aprox 550 watts on the Kill-A-Watt meter. I manage my loads closely not dropping below 80% full on the Tri Metric meter; a balancing act since I live in the North West and my Array that I am enlarging, is currently at 1080 watt nameplate. I think the secret is just conservation; we run just about all LED,so this affords us the extra battery Amps for the hair dryer, curling iron , computers, TV etc. I have to make this work as my wife is a manager for a local store and if I told her no hair dryer /curling iron this off grid array would be very OFF...GRID>>>>:cry:

    Just as a side note going off topic: Our local pastor at church heard me talking about my 30 foot long pile of firewood for this coming winter's heat, and commented 'doesn't solar do everything?' I let him know that it doesn't do everything but also yesterday, my entire house was completely off grid including the fridge. Interestingly enough, this pastor drives a Prius, but is an extreme namesayer on solar in the NW.
  • techntrek
    techntrek Solar Expert Posts: 1,372 ✭✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer

    Solar can do everything, as long as your array is big enough. This guy has massive PV and massive solar thermal arrays, with big tanks in the basement for thermal storage.

    http://solarhouse.com/
    4.5 kw APC UPS powered by a Prius, 12 kw Generac, Honda EU3000is
  • bmet
    bmet Solar Expert Posts: 630 ✭✭
    Re: Hair dryer
    silvertop wrote: »
    Interestingly enough, this pastor drives a Prius, but is an extreme namesayer on solar in the NW.

    Tell him the Sun is God's gift, and see him refute that.
  • Susan
    Susan Registered Users Posts: 1

    We will be moving to an off grid tiny home and this has been a concern for me. I am a business professional and must not look like a wet dog :) at work. I also thought about going to the gym prior to work and use their electric. :P


  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    There is not a reason that you can't use a hair dryer in your tiny home power system if the design is right.
    There are different size hair dryers BTW.
    Some are at near the max of a typical bathroom circuit. You might try measuring one with a Kilwatt meter. There a few travel models that are around 1300 watts that should be fine.
    Start a new thread and there will be many here who can help!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Susan,

    With off grid power--It is a matter of what your needs are... For example, there are hair driers with high/low power (1,500-1,800 Watts high, ~550 Watts on low). Can you use a drier when set to low power? If so, that will make the power "peak power" requirements 1/3rd as large. If you need the hair drier on high/full power, you are stuck with a pretty large off grid power system (or even a genset).

    I looked around for what folks who live in RVs use--And there does not seem to be many options. There are 12 VDC "hair driers"--But between smoking when new and very low heat output (maybe 120 Watts???), they appear to be useless.

    A good start is to measure your power requirements... Get a Kill-a-Watt type meter and plug in your drier. Try it on high and low and see what you need. We need two readings... The Power Usage (Watts--something like 1,500 Watts on high), and the kWH (kilo Watt*Hours)... For example, a 1,500 Watt drier used for 15 minutes would be:
    • 1,500 Wattts * 1/4 hour = 375 WH = 3.75 kWH of energy used
    Using my "made up numbers" above, a 12 volt battery bank (flooded cell lead acid) would be:
    • 1,500 Watts * 400 AH per 1,000 Watts of inverter power = 600 AH @ 12 volt battery bank (minimum)
    And based on 2 days of storage and 50% maximum discharge:
    • 375 WH * 1/0.85 AC inverter eff * 1/12 volt battery bank * 2 days storage * 1/0.50 maximum discharge = 147 AH @ 12 VDC battery bank (nominal)
    So--The size of the battery bank, in this case, is driven by the high power required by the hair drier (Watts). The actual total energy used (Watt*Hours) is actually not that much.

    There are other options (AGM and LiFePO4 batteries for example) that can supply higher power for short periods of time--But generally, the overall system requirements will not need those (much more costly) battery types.

    Of course, you have other loads in your home, so the battery bank (plus solar) is sized to supply the rest of your loads. I would ask what are your planned loads and system basics (battery bank size, solar array, AC inverter, backup genset?). And, roughly (nearest major city) will the system be installed (sizing for amount of sun you will receive).

    Please create your own thread (post here, and I will move this to your own thread). It will make it easier to talk about your specific needs/system design.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    When possible, my wife towel dries her hair and fluffs it in the sun, but always needs a 90 sec finish with the blow dryer before she goes to work.  It's not a problem in the summer, and in the winter, we co-ordinate with running the generator for the toaster, battery charging and then the hair dryer.  The toaster and hair dryer sure make the generator grunt when the turn on, and gives a great indication of how the Inverter's generator assist mode can work.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • littleharbor2
    littleharbor2 Solar Expert Posts: 2,036 ✭✭✭✭✭
      Went camping with a person who HAD to blow dry their hair. Ended up giving him one of those high volume/ low pressure air pumps. These are used for inflating all your air mattresses and pool toys, they plug into a 12 volt power port. It actually even looks like a small blow dryer. While it creates no heat it does push a lot of air. Guess what? It worked great for him.
     I realize this is an old post but this info may help others who are reading.

    2.1 Kw Suntech 175 mono, Classic 200, Trace SW 4024 ( 15 years old  but brand new out of sealed factory box Jan. 2015), Bogart Tri-metric,  460 Ah. 24 volt LiFePo4 battery bank. Plenty of Baja Sea of Cortez sunshine.

  • 706jim
    706jim Solar Expert Posts: 514 ✭✭✭✭

    I have a Trace DR1524 inverter and have powered it with 4 GC's, 12 GC's and presently 8 L16's. The 1200 watt hairdryer I have has worked great on all of these combinations. It's a high load, but short duration.

    Now, running a 1 hp spa pump for 10-15 minutes places a much greater battery draw, but that worked ok as well.

    It all comes down to replacing what you take out IMO.

    Island cottage solar system with 2500 watts of panels, 1kw facing southeast 1.3kw facing southwest 170watt ancient Arco's facing south. All panels in parallel for a 24 volt system. Trace DR1524 MSW inverter, Outback Flexmax 80 MPPT charge controller 8 Trojan L16's. Insignia 11.5 cubic foot electric fridge. My 30th year.
  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't use a hair dryer, but when running a heat gun with adjustable heat and fan setting at less than full power on inverter it make flourescent light flicker like crazy. I assume it must pulse the element.

    Doesn't seem to hurt anything but makes the shop seem like a disco.
    Off-grid.  
    Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
    Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    If the system is designed right with a large battery and large inverter and large arrays, there is not any problem with these kinds of loads.
    In the right location you do not need a generator! After 3 days of low solar you could get close to low battery cut-out with a large load. Just want to post this for someone who may think that there is not another way to do solar without problems with everyday home power use.
     It does cost more to do it right if that is your requirement. Many of the people here are solar hobiest and will put up with these issues in order to save money or just put up with what they have chosen.
     It does not have to be this way is my point to you. Good Luck!
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • cupcake
    cupcake Solar Expert Posts: 254 ✭✭✭
    Short answer is: you can do whatever you want off-grid if your system is fat enough.  If you wanna put 30kws of panels on your off-grid rood go for it... wanna go for 200kw and 100 panels.. go for it... otherwise off-gridding is about BALANCE (like life itself) to maintain a LIFESTYLE...

    dry you hair with a towel and the sun, put your food in a box outside when the temp is below 40f.  Dry your clothes on a line.. windows & sylights to bring in natural light..  the POINT of being off-grid is the lifestyle that comes with it... many 'modern conviences' are meant to get the slaves presentable enough in QUICK TIME to then go slave all day long at an office... if you are living off-grid you likley life a lifestly that allows you to towel dry your hair and then sit in the sun for an hour or so while you are sipping your coffee..letting the sun naturally dry your hair...

    If you are living off gird you likley have the time to put your clothes on the line and let them dry in whatever timeframe is necessary to dry them... offgrid lifestyle and TIME go hand in hand.. hairdriers. microwaves, clothes dryers are less about labour-saving and more about time-saving for the modern proletariat who needs to be at the office for 14 hours a day 8 days a week.......



    ~1.5Kw PV in parallel
    Morningstar MPPT-60 controllers (2) in parallel
    3 Trojan tr-1275's in parallel 450ah total
    Samlex 2,000 watt 12-volt inverter hardwired


  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    No way I could go without a generator in winter without massive battery and solar. Can go weeks with little sun from mid-Oct to mid- Dec and sun is too low from then to mid-Jan. Right now sun is around 17 degrees above the horizon, barely clearing a hill to the south. Even if I cleared acres of trees I might get an hour or so of weak sun.
    Off-grid.  
    Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
    Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
  • Dave Angelini
    Dave Angelini Solar Expert Posts: 6,728 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2016 #29
    Well your location is the key to avoiding a generator. I am generally talking about places like the southwest US. There can never be shading and so the location on the hill is just as important. The solar needs to point at the sun when it is out.....This is for any size system BTW.
    "we go where power lines don't" Sierra Nevada mountain area
       htps://offgridsolar1.com/
    E-mail offgridsolar@sti.net

  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Agreed. It's probably cheaper to move my carcass south for winter though, so that's my solution ;)
    Off-grid.  
    Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
    Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
  • oil pan 4
    oil pan 4 Solar Expert Posts: 767 ✭✭✭✭
    > @icarus said:
    > Re: Hair dryer
    >
    > I have seen propane/ butane powered hair driers, but couldn't tell you whe to find one. what is the matter with just letting nature do it's thing. I have had shoulder length hair for nearly 4 decades and have never used a hair drier. ( I know, I am revealing mor of myself than most needed to know)
    >
    > Icarus

    Are you sure you are not thinking of a plumbers torch?

    Solar hybrid gasoline generator, 7kw gas, 180 watts of solar, Morningstar 15 amp MPPT, group 31 AGM, 900 watt kisae inverter.

    Solar roof top GMC suburban, a normal 3/4 ton suburban with 180 watts of panels on the roof and 10 amp genasun MPPT, 2000w samlex pure sine wave inverter, 12v gast and ARB air compressors.