Dryer Hook Up - Electric or Propane

[Dick]

Am buying a new dryer and have the ability to connect to propane gas or electric. What would be the most efficient and less costly to operate?

[Dick]

Am buying a new dryer and have the ability to connect to propane gas or electric. What would be the most efficient and less costly to operate?

[hallerb]

propane is likely cheaper than electric although electric dryers are slightly cheaper to purchase.

whats the cost of KWH and propane in your area?

[Robert Gammon]

US DOE says that Gas, Electric clothes dryers differ very little in energy use. Spot differences may exist for short term intervals due to relative prices of gas vs electricity.

Much more bank for the buck in picking a highly rated Energy Star washer and use a dryer that matches. New clothes washers can make electrical use to wash clothes almost disappear from the electric bill.

[hallerb]

locally electric coists way more than natural gas......

beware some of the most energy star efficent cost so much more than a regular top loaded you will NEVER recoop the costs.....

say a old style top loader that lasts 10 years costs 350 bucks, but is a energy pig:(

The high efficency front loader costs a grand but saves half the energy consumed.

but must save 700 dollars in energy before you save a dime:(

700 bucks of water and sewer is a lot........

[trader4]

Especially true if you have utilities where they bill for a certain minimum monthly/quarterly water/sewer amount and you rarely go over it.

[Steve Barker]

Cutting the water from 55 gal a load to 14 we figured our new washer will pay back in about a year. At our water rate.

and that's not even figuring the electricity.

s

[JohnR66]

How many loads a week do you run? I pay 10 cents per kilowatt hour and run only a 30 minute load per week. My dryer is about 6000 watts, so I pay 60 cents per hour of operation, thus 30 cents a week or about $1.30 per month. If I ran 4 loads in a week, it would be $5.20 per month (52 weeks a yr /12)

The extra cost of gas and getting it routed and hooked up just would never pay off in my case and still would take a while unless you have a very large family and run the dryer often. John

[hallerb]

whats water and sewer cost? cost of new washer?

sorry you might fin a new lower cost machine was viable too, 55 gallons is a lot, even for a old unit

[Proctologically Violated©®]

Yeah, 55 gals opened my eyes, as well! What is typical usage for a top loader? Typical usage for a front? Best efficiency for tops/fronts? And Steve, how did you determine your washer uses 55 gal? Thru the water meter? I'll have to try that. For anyone interested, 5 gal is about 2/3 of a cu ft, for meters measuring cu ft, like mine. One gallon is 231 cu inches, one cu ft = 1728 cu inches. Etc.

[Proctologically Violated©®]

Wouldn't gas dryers require a vent as well? Mine is electric, consumes about 20 Amps at 220V, which is a lot of juice, about what my 5 ton A/C draws! Don't know the comparison to gas, but bear in mind that w/ gas, a lot of heat does go up the chimney!

And with electric, at least in the winter, you can vent *all* the exhaust (*all* that electical energy!) right into the laundry room, and blow it into the house, w/ fans. Or even duct the exhaust into your heating system, assuming you've got forced air, AND have filtered out the lint properly. So you can get a sort of a freebie, here.

They make a little water doo-hickey, which sposedly catches lint, allowing you to vent your electric dryers inside, w/ not much lint. Don't know if something similar exists for gas.

[HeyBub]

"Proctologically Violated©®" wrote in message news:ZWI5h.98$ [e-mail]...

No.

A lot of the heat from an electric dryer goes "up the chimney," too.

Same with gas (if you're not paranoid).

[shebaaa]

Gas is hotter and drys faster. Makes a difference only if you have a lot of loads to do. Otherwise a toss up.

[Proctologically Violated©®]

But gas, if unvented, also throws *a lot* of moisture in the air.

[Beachcomber]

Let's look at the most important points. Every gas dryer produces products of combustions (CO2) and every code I've ever seen requires outside venting for gas dryers, else it could kill you.

Electric dryers needed to be vented too but do not produce products-of-combustion.

Both types of dryers will vent warm, high-humidity air, that is full of dust. It is tempting to recycle all that waste heat and filter out all that dust and there are some means of doing so, but, in general, it is not economical to do. The easiest thing to do (in most cases) is just vent it outside.

Beachcomber

[Robert Gammon]

$300 Sears top load uses DOUBLE the electricity of a EnergyStar washer

Can't find the specs of the water usage of this model, but it is at least double the water used in an EnergyStar.

[Robert Gammon]

Not so. 100% of combustion gases route THROUGH the drum and the clothes in it.

No vent other than the one carrying the high humidity air and lint to the outside.

Same with gas, Bind an old pair of panty hose to the dryer exhaust and hang it up by its toes.

Not recommended in a TIGHT home, but with 3-4 ACH its ok.

[Proctologically Violated©®]

I have a cupla ventless gas heaters, in my shop/garage. They are awful. I know *immediately* when they are being used. Use them only on the coldest days, or for an hour in the morning to take the chill off. Don't see a gas dryer being much diff.

[Proctologically Violated©®]

4,000-6,000 watts not being economical to keep inside?? As you stated, the lint is easy enough to trap, why not advantage of the btu's? Esp. w/ a large family. Esp. w/ electric dryers.

[HeyBub]

"Beachcomber" >>

Oh, fudge. A gas dryer won't produce as much of anything - including heat - as a gas range plus oven cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

And, contrary to Al Gore's histronics, CO2 is not a pollutant, nor poisonous. A plant or two will convert any excess CO2 to O2.