Patent ID: 8082677

Claim:
A home laundry drier comprising a drying tub for housing the laundry to be dried, and a hot-air generator for circulating a stream of hot air inside the drying tub; the hot-air generator comprising refrigerant compressing means for compressing a refrigerant so that the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant at the outlet of the compressing means are higher than the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant at the inlet of said compressing means; a first heat exchanger, through which the refrigerant from said compressing means and an airflow into said drying tub flow, and which is designed so that the refrigerant releases heat to the airflow into the drying tub; and a connecting pipe for feeding the refrigerant from said compressing means to said first heat exchanger; said laundry drier being characterized in that the hot-air generator also comprises a tank containing a predetermined amount of water, heating means for converting the water in said tank to steam, and an exhaust manifold for feeding the steam produced in the tank to said drying tub; said heating means being defined by at least one portion of said connecting pipe.