Heat exchanger cleaning system for laundry appliance

Abstract

A laundry appliance may include a blower configured to deliver exhausted air through an airflow path, a heat exchanger arranged within the airflow path and configured to dehumidify the exhausted air, a drain channel configured to receive condensate from the heat exchanger, a cleaning block arranged above the heat exchanger and configured to deliver fluid flow over the heat exchanger to clean the heat exchanger.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for cleaning a heat exchanger of a laundry appliance, comprising:
 receiving a fluid solution at a cleaning block arranged above the heat exchanger;   delivering a fluid flow over the heat exchanger to clean debris from the heat exchanger;   removing residual fluid and debris with a drain pump arranged below the heat exchanger;   receiving additional fluid at the cleaning block; and   delivering the additional fluid to the heat exchanger for further cleaning.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a cleaning cycle of the heat exchanger is initiated in response to a trigger event. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the trigger event includes exceeding a predetermined amount of time. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the trigger event includes exceeding a predetermined amount of dry cycles. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the trigger event includes detecting that a condensate bottle is full. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the trigger event includes receiving a user initiated instruction to initiate the cleaning cycle. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the additional fluid is recycled fluid from the residual fluid. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the additional fluid is fluid from a water source. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid solution includes cleaning solution. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the additional fluid includes cleaning solution. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing cleaning solution from a dispenser to the fluid solution. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing cleaning solution from a dispenser to the additional fluid. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising providing the cleaning solution prior to receiving the fluid solution at the cleaning block. 
     
     
         14 . A method for cleaning a heat exchanger of a laundry appliance, comprising:
 providing a detergent to a fluid solution;   receiving the fluid solution at a cleaning block arranged above the heat exchanger; and   delivering a fluid flow over the heat exchanger to clean debris from the heat exchanger;   removing residual fluid and debris with a drain pump arranged below the heat exchanger;   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the detergent is provided via a dispenser. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 receiving additional fluid at the cleaning block; and   delivering the additional fluid to the heat exchanger for further cleaning.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a cleaning cycle of the heat exchanger is initiated in response to a trigger event. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the trigger event includes exceeding a predetermined amount of time. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the trigger event includes exceeding a predetermined amount of dry cycles. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the trigger event includes detecting that a condensate bottle is full.