Gas vs Electric Clothes Dryer?

[MC Rider]

^^ I think gas vs electrical is a personal choice and whatever feels safest to the homeowner.



Agree. And a gas dryer uses only a little gas compared to a furnace.

 

[Texas Proud]

I will be considering this when I go to replace my washer/dryer. Expensive yes (Although it is a replacement for both units, it's still expensive), but I think it will get cheaper in the next few years. Would I do it at this price, I'm not sure. Something to check out though.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Applian...r-Dryer-Combos/Heat-Pump/N-5yc1vZc3otZ1z1dtqi

I had a really small one when I lived in London as space comes at a premium... loved it...


But here there is plenty of room and I would rather have both units... the cost is very high and so far my washers have crashed more often then the dryer... with this you have to replace 'both'...

 

[old medic]

I have 61 years experience line drying cloths.
I prefer solar over gas/electric.

X2.... but do have an electric drier if needed.

 

[Rustic23]

We had a gas dryer. I broke, and it was going to cost half the price of a new gas dryer to have it hooked up. Lowes, and Home Depot said they would not hook up gas, we had to hire a professional for gas. We had a 220 socket installed when we built the house. We now do electric

 

[bobandsherry]

We had a gas dryer. I broke, and it was going to cost half the price of a new gas dryer to have it hooked up. Lowes, and Home Depot said they would not hook up gas, we had to hire a professional for gas. We had a 220 socket installed when we built the house. We now do electric

Shop at Sam's or Costco, their prices include installation, that alone saves hundreds on top of the savings of the appliance itself.

 

[rk911]

I have 61 years experience line drying cloths.

I prefer solar over gas/electric.

We're in the Chicago burbs. Some of the communities have ordinances prohibiting hanging clothes outside to dry.

We have had gas appliances since we bought our first home in 1974/75 with zero health or CO issues. It's just the two of us so we do laundry every other weekend. I check, and clean the lint trap if needed, after every dryer load.

 

[foxcreek9]

We're in the Chicago burbs. Some of the communities have ordinances prohibiting hanging clothes outside to dry.

We have had gas appliances since we bought our first home in 1974/75 with zero health or CO issues. It's just the two of us so we do laundry every other weekend. I check, and clean the lint trap if needed, after every dryer load.

According to this, Illinois has a “right to dry” law

https://www.abajournal.com/news/art...ave such,Wisconsin, the Seattle Times reports.

 

[bobandsherry]

We have had gas appliances since we bought our first home in 1974/75 with zero health or CO issues. It's just the two of us so we do laundry every other weekend. I check, and clean the lint trap if needed, after every dryer load.

Lol.... I grew up and spent the first 55 years of my life with gas appliances including a furnace. I never had any health or CO issues, and didn't know of anyone who did. I'm back with gas and have no concerns.

 

[CincyDave]

Wondering why your dryer “isn’t working well”. Make sure your vent pipe is clean and the lint inside your dryer is cleared out.

I like my gas dryer and it is cheaper to run gas, however, I seem to worry about having a lint fire more so than when I had an electric dryer. Maybe not a legitimate concern, but it just seems the flame is more likely to start a fire than an electric element. Probably best to keep either type cleaned out on a regular basis.

We did have a dryer fire in our gas dryer. Kind of scary to open the dryer door and see a fire in there. Put it out with an extinguisher and we got a new dryer (gas).
As to which I prefer, IDK because DW does the laundry.

Did have to replace a drum belt once (thanks youtube) and I was shocked how much lint was in the bottom workings of the dryer.

 

[retire48in2018]

We will run dryer on low heat for about 10 min - then hang almost everything to dry. It reduces wear on clothing, won’t shrink, etc. a few items we will run to fully dry (kitchen towels, etc).

We prefer gas, but we moved too often and gas was not always available- so we got an electric. I may have to change the plug to whatever that home has - but that’s it.

 

[pacergal]

The only time I used a gas dryer was over 40 years ago, in an apt we rented.
Dried fast and hot, even on lowest setting, so not a good experience--too many things shrank.
The two homes we have owned were wired for electric, so that is what I am used too.

 

[Sunset]

I've used both, I prefer the gas dryer we have as it's cheap to dry. Cheaper than electric.

I'll hang clothes to dry but only when forced to, as just a pain to carry it up , hang it, see some drop off the line, go out and collect it.

Maybe I "waste" $10 per month using the dryer, but that is far less than the $145/mo I "waste" paying for lawn service.

 

[Walt34]

We had a gas dryer. I broke, and it was going to cost half the price of a new gas dryer to have it hooked up. Lowes, and Home Depot said they would not hook up gas, we had to hire a professional for gas.

What nonsense. They're just afraid of the liability if one of their underpaid idiot "installers" forgets to tighten the fittings. It's an easy DIY install, but then I used to work on that stuff. Just tighten the fitting, drip some soapy water on it and look for bubbles, if none you're probably good to go. As a final check hold a match to it, and if you hear a loud "BANG!" or see fire there is still a little bit leaking.

 

[braumeister]

What nonsense. They're just afraid of the liability if one of their underpaid idiot "installers" forgets to tighten the fittings.

Agreed. I think many of us here would be fine with such a simple installation, but looking at the wider population there are an awful lot of folks who just don't understand the principles and are happy to pay to have it done.

 

[aaronc879]

I have 61 years experience line drying cloths.

I prefer solar over gas/electric.

That might work in SoCal but where I live it rains 100 days a year and is excessively cold 150 days a year so line drying outside is not practical IMO.

 

[RetMD21]

Wondering why your dryer “isn’t working well”. Make sure your vent pipe is clean and the lint inside your dryer is cleared out.

I like my gas dryer and it is cheaper to run gas, however, I seem to worry about having a lint fire more so than when I had an electric dryer. Maybe not a legitimate concern, but it just seems the flame is more likely to start a fire than an electric element. Probably best to keep either type cleaned out on a regular basis.

Historically gas has been cheaper but I was interested to see that with local rates the calculator confirms that this is still the case.

I don't have a vent issue. The moisture sensor stopped working and now the drum bearing slides seem to have gone out. Maybe I should try replacing them.

 

[Mark1]

We will run dryer on low heat for about 10 min - then hang almost everything to dry. It reduces wear on clothing, won’t shrink, etc. a few items we will run to fully dry (kitchen towels, etc).

We prefer gas, but we moved too often and gas was not always available- so we got an electric. I may have to change the plug to whatever that home has - but that’s it.

This resembles our household. DW trained me at this method many years ago. I suspect that you hang and reuse your bath towels, as well.

 

[jrgators]

What nonsense. They're just afraid of the liability if one of their underpaid idiot "installers" forgets to tighten the fittings. It's an easy DIY install, but then I used to work on that stuff. Just tighten the fitting, drip some soapy water on it and look for bubbles, if none you're probably good to go. As a final check hold a match to it, and if you hear a loud "BANG!" or see fire there is still a little bit leaking.

we bought our gas dryer from home depot. They did the installation but, prior to that, they had to pull a permit and then after hookup the inspectors came to check things out (checked the fitting as well as the exhaust).

 

[Deuce]

I would consider the new heat pump dryers that run on electric.

 

[NewEnglander]

I would consider the new heat pump dryers that run on electric.

This
In the last few years we installed heat pump heating /ac as well as heat pump water heater. The energy savings have been huge. I will look into a heat pump dryer when our 15 year old electric dryer dies. No vent is needed but a condensation line to a drain or connection to a washing machine drain is required. The rebates will more than pay for any increased cost over standard electric.

 

[Rustic23]

Shop at Sam's or Costco, their prices include installation, that alone saves hundreds on top of the savings of the appliance itself.

Lowes included instalation, but not gas hookup.

 

[bobandsherry]

Lowes included instalation, but not gas hookup.

Costco included gas hookup as well. They scheduled the day following install with licensed plumber to do the hookup.

 

[mpeirce]

While the newer heat pump based electric dryers consume less power when used, people should be aware of a couple of drawbacks

1. Drying times are longer, typically 1.5 to 2.0 times longer.

2. In colder climates, the heat pump is dumping cold air into your house. If it's during hot weather that's a plus, but not in the winter.

3. While you will save money running it, these models are pricier than traditional dryers. This may change in the future, but maybe not since they are much more complex machines since they basically replace a simple heating element with an air conditioner.

 

[Montecfo]

We had a heat pump HVAC. It was cheaper than electric as long as you did not turn on the auxiliary heat, which is another word for "the heat" .

But the house was always chilly.

We have made sure to have gas heat ever since.

I'd be dubious of a heat pump dryer.

 

[RetMD21]

Check my math


I tried to look up comparable standard electric and heat pump dryers at https://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-clothes-dryers/

I picked Whirlpools since my local Home Depot has them
The WHD560CH* heat pump dryer costs $1388 and uses 460 kwh/hear
The WED5605M looks similar and costs $679 and uses 608 kwh/year
both are 7.4 cu/ft

So I save could save 148 kwh/year about $22.20 at my current electric rate and about 32 years to save the price difference. We probably dry fewer loads than many so it might be longer.

What diid I do wrong? To be fair the cheaper dryer is on sale right now