Electric or Gas dryer?

I am buying a home later this month and I will need to buy a dryer, I have never owned a gas dryer only electric. Any reason I should switch or just stick with the gas?

The house is set up for a gas dryer but the breaker box is maybe six feet away and I was going to have a three phase line ran after moving in so adding one more line should be easy.

Paul B

The only time I've ever seen electric dryers is in places where natural gas was not available. I can't back my opinion up with facts, but I believe gas dryers are the cheaper option, at least in terms of operating costs.

I quite like the gas dryer I have now in this house, the first I have had. It works well, and gas is cheaper than electricity. There is also part of me that prefers gas for things like this because it seems like a shame to make energy into a very refined form (electricity) just to use that to make a very basic form of energy (heat)

My last 2 houses have been all electric. My first house had gas. I think I prefer the gas dryer. If you have that available and are paying for gas anyway, I would stick with the gas. Unless you don't want to buy a new dryer, then run what ya brung.

I doubt they're actually any more dangerous but the idea of something that both naturally contains fire and produces lint doesn't sit well with me.

The electrics have a higher chance of catching on fire. They suck lint into the coils and the burning lint can send sparks to the clothes. When a gas dryer sucks in lint, it burns it. The gas dryer also has a much longer path for the hot air before it goes into the drum. An electric dryer usually sucks in air at the back, a gas dryer typically sucks air from the rear front.

Back or rear ?

I delivered appliances for several years through college and gas dryers were far less common in my area. There's plenty of gas around, so I'm not sure why. Gas dryers all had to be special ordered and took some time to arrive vs having several electric dryers on hand and available. Not sure if the availability is a regional thing or if it's that way everywhere, but it's worth considering.

I've had both.

Gas dries faster.

I've also had both, but only recently switched to gas when I bought my house. Gas is definitely faster, though it is also hotter - the first time I used the dryer on high heat, I shrunk the E36 M3 out of my clothes.

Good to know. I will shop around for in stock units and parts.

Thanks, Paul B

gearheadE30 wrote: I've also had both, but only recently switched to gas when I bought my house. Gas is definitely faster, though it is also hotter - the first time I used the dryer on high heat, I shrunk the E36 M3 out of my clothes.

SVreX wrote: I've had both. Gas dries faster.

This, usually gas is a little cheaper to run, but both will do well with a good vent and both suck with a bad vent. There is a blower in some of the whirlpool/maytag dryers with the vent in the door (usually paired with a top loader not the front loaders) that blows exceptionally well with a long or bad vent, but best bet is a short good vent. Think of it like an exhaust on a car. Length is bad, bends are bad.

No worries on fires for newer dryers. Older ones yes, but even some older ones were very safe. Some could burn you down on day 1, though. Get a solid metal vent, not that flexible e36m3, and definitely not white plastic garbage, that's asking for a fire.

I was going to have a three phase line ran after moving in

Have you checked with your local electric utility? It's pretty uncommon for them to be willing to install a three phase service to a residence.

iceracer wrote: Back or rear ?

I meant front, corrected.

Thanks

We have had both. Have a gas dryer now. Gas is the way to go!

I would have gas dryer, gas hot water heaters and gas heat if there were gas available, but it does not exist where I live and I don't want to get a big propane tank.

Donebrokeit wrote: The house is set up for a gas dryer but the breaker box is maybe six feet away and I was going to have a three phase line ran after moving in so adding one more line should be easy. Paul B

I had a gas line run, so I could put in a gas dryer, where it had been wired for electric.

Like others have said, gas dries faster. Watch temps, though, if you're used to drying with electric.

I have some experience. My ex had gas in her house and we ran a line for a gas dryer (FWIW, gas piping as very easy to do - I ran a bunch of it when renovating her house and it turned out to be one of the easier tasks).

Her dryer worked well enough, although I think venting was an issue for her house which I determined after I relocated my electric dryer from my garage (about 3.5' vent duct) to my basement (over 8' of vent duct). After doing that, my dryer definitely doesn't work as well so I plan to install a helper fan after I get all of the locations down there finalized.

I plan to convert my house to gas this year since I need a new heater (currently oil) and a gas dryer is also on the upgrade list.

Running on propane versus municipal NG will require an adapter.

As far as a furnace, I prefer fuel oil to propane.

Just changed our heating system from a combination of oil and propane to natural gas. Only had the system running for 2 months and have saved $150 in heating fuel costs. Every appliance from now on will be NG.