NG or Electric Dryer?

[Bster13]

Wondering if folks considered both and what factors they weighed to go with one or the other?

Things that come to mind...

- NG is cheap now, prob won't get cheaper over time.
- Solar is expensive now, may get cheaper over time and on my roof. And even if no solar, electricity rates may stay constant as the country finds new ways (wind, solar, new energy sources etc.)
- CT has top 5 electricity rates in the country.
- Adapter for NG is $100 more. Is that negated by savings on only needing plumber to run water and gas vs. plumber for water and electrician for 220v outlet?
- Is NG safer or less so? Same?
- Only my wife and I in the household...less laundry than average.

Thanks!

(Waiting for Black Friday sale to buy W/D)

 

[Dix]

My gut is electric, and hang laundry up as needed to eliminate the dryer usage, add moisture, etc.

BUT, no NG here, your mileage may vary

 

[BrotherBart]

Ya ain't ever gonna run a dryer on solar. Trust me on that. Mine sucks five thousand watts when it lights off. A clothes line is the only solar clothes dryer.

Hang the stuff in the stove room and you get dry clothes and that humidity you were talking about in another thread.

 

[Bster13]

Well depending on the size of the array, solar can provide all electrical needs. But I am considering the clothes dry rack idea, even in the summer. Then the $100 extra for the NG hookup may not be as beneficial.

 

[BrotherBart]

The only thing that sees the inside of the clothes dryer here anymore are bed sheets.

 

[Dix]

Well depending on the size of the array, solar can provide all electrical needs. But I am considering the clothes dry rack idea, even in the summer. Then the $100 extra for the NG hookup may not be as beneficial.

I haven't put a bra in a dryer in 10 years.

Just recently threw out the last of them, because the elastic died.

 

[jharkin]

We have NG in the house, but an electric dryer (moved it here from our last place). It would probably be *slightly* cheaper to operate an NG dryer, but when you add up the costs to extend the gas line, install the hookup and buy an all new dryer we would never get the investment back.

I did finally throw out the electric range and put in a gas one - but that was because I like cooking on gas, not to save money on utilities. In fact I cant tell any difference in the elec or gas bills since the change.

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

I'm 5 years dryer free and it has been very little hassle. Especially since the stove.

 

[PapaDave]

I haven't put a bra in a dryer in 10 years.

Just recently threw out the last of them, because the elastic died.

So you are now ...sans bra?

Oh, we have Elec., and it spins the meter like nobody's business.
I'd like to use gas, but the boss says the clothes smell like they're burning. Or something.
Maybe she put bras in there on the highest setting.

 

[Highbeam]

Even though the solar panels on your home won't make enough to power the electric dryer, with net metering you can make up for that high demand over time when you are not running the dryer. So yes, you can have solar electric dryers. I'm not a solar guy at this time but do have an electric dryer and cheap power. Works great.

Gas powered dryers, yikes that is scary. House fires start all the time from people with clogged dryer vents. With NG you not only have to worry about the fire in your closet but also about the fire in that dryer vent. Then you get to worry about the deadly carbon monoxide. You would have to save lots of money to convince me to go with NG.

 

[billb3]

Got a clothes line outside and in here.
Works for two people with an electric dryer rarely used.

Add a couple kids I'd vote NG ( voting with wallet ) .

 

[peakbagger]

I run an electric over off of solar. Of course its net metered but I have about 1700 KW surplus so might as well use it up. NG requires a vent to the outdoors so even when it is not running I expect there is some heat loss. I have a washer but have never owned a dryer. Works for me solo but I expect families would need a dryer.

 

[Dix]

So you are now ...sans bra?

Oh, we have Elec., and it spins the meter like nobody's business.
I'd like to use gas, but the boss says the clothes smell like they're burning. Or something.
Maybe she put bras in there on the highest setting.

Probably, driers will kill elastic in a heart beat

And no, I am not

 

[webbie]

We have a NG dryer. My wife is a laundry hoarder and it saves a lot of money.....

Joke around here is that I drop my clothes on the floor at night and they are back in my drawer still warm when I wake up. Really. She's always asking me if I have anything to add to the hoard (any dirties?)

 

[BrotherBart]

She still remembers having to wash things in the Gauley River with a rub board. In winter.

 

[FanMan]

Since I converted my heat from oil to propane, when the electric dryer needed replacing a propane dryer seemed the logical choice, as it will be when the stove and hot water heater need replacement. Running the gas line is cheap as I did it myself, and the goal is normal living even if the electric is out without needing an insane generator.

 

[Bster13]

I was under the impression you needed a plumber certified to work with gas lines vs. say regular plumbing I could do myself?

 

[webbie]

She still remembers having to wash things in the Gauley River with a rub board. In winter.

We had modern washers - see the washer outside Elmers house (we lived there for a while)....

 

[fbelec]

the one thing that gas dryers have on electric is they are faster on dry time than the electric. if all the laundry gets done on the weekend then speed is a must. new electric line for a dryer in a basement about 300 to 350. a new gas line for a dryer in a basement is 600 to 1000. depends on the plumber and the length of run.

 

[rowerwet]

grew up with gas dryers, all I've ever owned is gas. my experience with electric was in the dorm at college, the electric dryers kept having the element burn out or catch lint/ lost socks on fire, that stinks the whole area up!
If you already have NG in the house I would go with gas, if the blockheads in DC get out out of the way there will be an even bigger drop in price. Even with just private land production the price will stay low for the rest of my life.
Popain isn't worth it, unless you live in a power failure prone area, being able to run the dryer off the generator is priceless in a long outage.

 

[FanMan]

I was under the impression you needed a plumber certified to work with gas lines vs. say regular plumbing I could do myself?

I did it all myself, then the gas company came out and leak tested it (which I had already done anyway) before filling the tank for the first time. But you do need to know what you're doing...

 

[Bster13]

From consumer reports: While the gas dryers in our Ratings are similar to the electric models we test, we've found that gas and electric dryers perform similarly.

Yeah I don't know what I'm doing. Haha.

Seeing as how we have no kids, a gas dryer will have slightly higher purchase price and higher install costs I will probably go electric. I'm not in a power outage prone area.

 

[jharkin]

I was under the impression you needed a plumber certified to work with gas lines vs. say regular plumbing I could do myself?

It varies by state. Here in MA they will not issue gas permits to homeowners so you have to hire it out to be legal.

 

[Highbeam]

It varies by state. Here in MA they will not issue gas permits to homeowners so you have to hire it out to be legal.

In WA I can do my own gas in my residence, permitted and inspected of course. Not commercial though.

 

[Highbeam]

NG requires a vent to the outdoors so even when it is not running I expect there is some heat loss.

No, it doesn't. This is why they're crazy, the dryer vent that blows out the lint and steam also blows out the combustion exhaust.