Pulley system for indoor clothes airer

VoucherMan

I bought a clothes airer, the type that is suspended from the ceiling, and though it works okay, I've been wondering how easy it would be to add some sort of double pulley system to it.
A couple of images below to help me explain.
It's currently fixed like the first image, the extra pulley is just to help locate the cord in a more suitable location.




Then I started thinking about the type of pulley system that (I assume) most outdoor washing lines use, with one attached to the wall, and one to the washing line.



It shouldn't be too hard to fit, but I'm not convinced that fixing a couple of extra pulleys to one of the walls is the best way to do it, so wondered if anyone else has anything similar, or any suggestions for a good method?

stator

I'm not really sure what you're problem is.
This is the standard outdoor rigging that I use for a washing line.

The purple lines are used to pull the main line down to within arms reach and then you slacken them out and tighten the blue rope back up to get it up to height.
They can actually be the same rope if you want to.

-taff

screw a small roller to the wall and run the cord over it....much simpler.

getmore4less

what are you trying to do?

if it is to reduce the pull needed to raise the actual rails?

There are two main options

1. you need extra pulley on the rail and a different pulley at the top where you can tie the ropes so the double loop is between the rails and the ceiling pulleys.

2. add the mechanism in your second picture to the loop as it leaves the extension pulley that extra pully will be floating(you do not fix them both to the wall.


google pulley leverage.

bluesnake

how about this one?

http://www.clothesmaid.com/Topic/16-assembly-instructions.aspx

VoucherMan

bluesnake wrote: »

how about this one?

http://www.clothesmaid.com/Topic/16-assembly-instructions.aspx

Thanks, but all that is doing is moving the cord. It won't make it any easier to raise the airer.

VoucherMan

getmore4less wrote: »

what are you trying to do?

if it is to reduce the pull needed to raise the actual rails?

google pulley leverage.

I don't remember the correct terminology, but I think that's probably it.
I'd thought it was quite common on outdoor lines, but replies suggest not.

Maybe a better example would be



The line currently uses example 1, as would any of the suggestions given. Example 2 is what I'd like to set up, but haven't decided where best to site the pulleys given the more compact indoor location.
I haven't thought of a way to adapt the existing single rope, & think I'll need to add a line and pull through 2.4 metres of cord in order to lift it, instead of the current 1.2 metres

martinthebandit

You need one extra pulley, run the 'pulling' line round it and take that line back up to the first pulley that's fixed to the ceiling.

Tie an additional bit of line to the bottom of the new pulley for you to pull on.

In your diagram 2 the new pulley is the one with the weight on it

Hope that makes sense.

stator

The other option is to use a winch. This will reduce the amount of force needed to pull it up but take longer to do it.

getmore4less

martinthebandit wrote: »

You need one extra pulley, run the 'pulling' line round it and take that line back up to the first pulley that's fixed to the ceiling.

Tie an additional bit of line to the bottom of the new pulley for you to pull on.

In your diagram 2 the new pulley is the one with the weight on it

Hope that makes sense.

That won't work it makes the pulling harder.

getmore4less

stator wrote: »

The other option is to use a winch. This will reduce the amount of force needed to pull it up but take longer to do it.

These are winches!

As I said earlier there are two places you can put the leverage needed.

Between the ceiling and the rack(as per second picture in the later post) or on the pull line(the second picture in the first post.