Gas or Electric Clothes Dryer?

[Gary Allan]

In my case I can't take advantage of any economy of a gas dryer. I don't have gas service to my house ..but the charge isn't too expensive to tap in from the street if you have enough useage. They just charge you if you don't provide enough demand.

I have interuptable electric service. A seperate meter and panel. It's either radio or heterdyne controlled -- perhaps a digital component riding on the sinwave. It cost me 0.05/kwh+fuel adjustment. This is opposed to my extreme $0.15/kwh+ fuel adjustment for continuous service. My interuptable can be off from 1pm -9pm in the summer ..and from 4pm-7pm in the remaining 9 months. It may not shut off if Peco (and Excellon company) doesn't sell their excess on the grid (for $0.025/kwh - yes, I pay $0.15/kwh so that Peco has the ability to send $0.025/kwh power outside their distribution area - you've got to love "honeybucket" regulated monopolies).

There is no way gas can compete with it. The only thing we have to live with is it being unavailable during certain hours.

[ September 27, 2005, 11:58 AM: Message edited by: Gary Allan ]

 

[Matt_S]

Nothing personal, motorguy, but I feel it's necessary to comment here.

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I think that an electric dryer is better than gas.

We have gas and when one needs work,it can be quite expensive.

The gas controls such as the regulator and electric coils needed to operate the valves in the regulator can be pricey.

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True, but a good dryer should rarely, if ever, need work. In all my life, and all of my parents' and my dryers have been gas, I can remember one dryer repair, and that was a belt replacement on the drum. Nothing to do with the gas. Most dryers last 15 - 20 years.

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Gas dryers are also more expensive than electric when buying one.

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...but you get that money back in lower operating costs, usually within 1 or 2 years.

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Gas dryers must also use an approved venting system,usually a flexible metal discharge from the back of the dryer to the outside exhaust.

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...which is no different from the venting system that an electric dryer uses. Local codes dictate what type of ventilation you can use.

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Gas dryers make carbon monoxide just like any other gas heating does.

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Every news report I've ever heard about CO poisoning attributes it to either the furnace or water heater. Even with leaky vents (my parents' vent is HORRIBLE, BTW), problems are rare.

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An electric dryer can be vented to help heat in winter by adding a vent box to the exhaust.

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You have to be careful not to put too much moisture in the air, though. Dryer exhaust is heavily laden with moisture. Too much can foster mold growth in your house.

 

[motorguy222]

Matt_S,no problem.

You are wrong in one area.

A gas dryer MUST use an appropriate venting duct.

Some ducting is made of a plastic/vinyl substance and can be damaged and burned by a gas dryers flame/exhaust heat.

This would allow a flame/hot exhaust and fumes to enter the house.

Gas dryers MUST use a metal/flexible metal duct for the exhaust.

A gas dryer may only need work rarely but from my experience,when they do it can be rather costly.

A regulator can cost $100.00-120.00 for the part alone.This does not count any labor that one pay incure.

This would almost buy a NEW electric dryer in my area.

Electric dryers have fewer parts,no burners or burner controls that can fail.The dont have gas regulators that can cost large sums.They dont have ignitors that can fail.

Also,electric in my area is MUCH cheaper than gas.

Gas prices are expected to go up 70% this winter on top of what they already are.

I was only pointing out that gas dryers do put out carbon monoxide,this could be a VERY big problem on newer homes that are insulated and sealed much better than older homes are.

This could especially be a problem if the dryer is used often as it would be in a growing family.

 

[Matt_S]

Just to clarify, in my area codes are no different for gas vs. electric ventilation. You can't use plastic or metal foil ducts for either. The heat source doesn't matter as there is a fire danger either way. Their only use is for unheated exhaust fans, like you would use in the bathroom. Anything involving heat requires rigid ducting or flexible semi-rigid metal (not foil) ducting.

Also, gas is a cheaper heat source here, despite the price increases. I realize that varies, though.

Finally, I'm not trying to downplay CO dangers, but dryers are a comparatively small risk compared to water heaters and especially furnaces. People use unvented gas stoves and ovens in their homes all the time with no trouble. Gas dryers don't give off much more heat than that.

 

[kenw]

" was only pointing out that gas dryers do put out carbon momoxide,this could be a VERY big problem on newer homes that are insulated and sealed much better than older homes are."

I know of no clothes dryers, gas, electric or otherwise (just CMA) that don't require an outside vent.

A non-vented gas dryer would just be another means of cloroxing the Darwinian gene pool. I cannot fathom a building code that would allow such a setup.

And electric dryers' timers can and do fail. I've replaced 2 of them on my first Sears unit. In 25 years: 1 belt, 2 timers and 1 heating element damaged in a move. Not bad, but not nirvana either.

 

[brianl703]

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Originally posted by motorguy222:
Some ducting is made of a plastic/vinyl substance and can be damaged and burned by a gas dryers flame/exhaust heat.

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I don't think that cheap plastic ducting is a real good idea for electric dryers either...

 

[motorguy222]

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Originally posted by kenw:
And electric dryers' timers can and do fail. I've replaced 2 of them on my first Sears unit. In 25 years: 1 belt, 2 timers and 1 heating element damaged in a move. Not bad, but not nirvana either.

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Just for comparison,what was the price for the timer?

 

[kenw]

well, iirc, they ran about $80-100? For some reason the 2nd one was much more than the 1st one so I'm not sure on the exact price.

But they were very simple to DYI, didn't even have to move it away from the wall.

The belt was actually the most difficult to replace, I had to almost disassemble the entire unit to get it on and around all the internals. But it cost all of $5 !!!

 

[motorguy222]

I think that an electric dryer is better than gas.

We have gas and when one needs work,it can be quite expensive.

The gas controls such as the regulator and electric coils needed to operate the valves in the regulator can be pricey.

Gas dryers are also more expensive than electric when buying one.

Gas dryers must also use an approved venting system,usually a flexible metal discharge from the back of the dryer to the outside exhaust.

Gas dryers make carbon monoxide just like any other gas heating does.

An electric dryer can be vented to help heat in winter by adding a vent box to the exhaust.

 

[XS650]

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Originally posted by HardbodyLoyalist:
Yes, our dryers were the commercial laundromat types. I just figured all gas dryers worked like that.

The STUFF you learn on BITOG!

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They are trying to dry things as fast as possible so they can have money flowing into the machine faster, and to **** with your clothes