fishman
Veteran Member
Yes, yes it's the dryer that's shrinking my clothes, not me expanding. I like your thinking. Now, if I can convince everyone else. . . pass the pizza! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Converting to gas dryer
- Thread starter fenneran
- Start date
- Views: 2136
Anonymous Poster
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2005
- Messages
- 29,678
Might I humbly suggest you check the handy dandy fabric care label attached to those shirts. You'll need a magnifying glass to read it.
Also, check the plastic content of the fabric.
Garments, I hesitate to call them clothes, today are manufactured from PLASTIC, unlike years gone by, and plastic has interesting propertys when attacked by chlorine and cooked at high temperatures.
What my wife can do to a teeshirt in a few trips thru the laundry process is amazing in terms of shrinkage. I seriously doubt the operating temperature in a gas drier is much different than that in an electric drier.
I've seen what commercial laundry equipment can do to hospital scrubs, when the operator overuses the equipment and hauls a lump of plastic out of the machine scrubs went in to.
Also, check the plastic content of the fabric.
Garments, I hesitate to call them clothes, today are manufactured from PLASTIC, unlike years gone by, and plastic has interesting propertys when attacked by chlorine and cooked at high temperatures.
What my wife can do to a teeshirt in a few trips thru the laundry process is amazing in terms of shrinkage. I seriously doubt the operating temperature in a gas drier is much different than that in an electric drier.
I've seen what commercial laundry equipment can do to hospital scrubs, when the operator overuses the equipment and hauls a lump of plastic out of the machine scrubs went in to.
thcri
Elite Member
Franz,
When I said I am somewhat in the business, I meant I am around them mostly on a service basis. I don't sell appliances or residential dryers and never will. In regards to your comment about the electric heater and the klixon. Yes electric heaters fail, and so do klixon's. But I can replace alot of heaters and klixon's before I can change one gas valve. A gas dryer will typically have everything an electric one plus more items. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the more you put into a product the more apt it is to fail. I use to sell LP Gas and repair appliances. I would never take gas based on seeing repairs of the gas over the electric. That's just my experience.
Murph
When I said I am somewhat in the business, I meant I am around them mostly on a service basis. I don't sell appliances or residential dryers and never will. In regards to your comment about the electric heater and the klixon. Yes electric heaters fail, and so do klixon's. But I can replace alot of heaters and klixon's before I can change one gas valve. A gas dryer will typically have everything an electric one plus more items. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the more you put into a product the more apt it is to fail. I use to sell LP Gas and repair appliances. I would never take gas based on seeing repairs of the gas over the electric. That's just my experience.
Murph
RAllen
Silver Member
First, I'm not in the business at all. I just use dryers. I am over 50 years old and have owned exactly two gas dryers. Neither went bad. My current is over 12 years old and has never seen a service man. It's still going strong. I checked with a couple of other folks and no one has seen any problems specific to gas dryers. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
I've lived in 4 states and gas is always much cheaper to operate. I bet the money saved in 5 years would pay for a new dryer.
This thread interested me- so I caled the Whirlpool Hotline. According to the person I talked with, there is no appreciable temp. difference in Whirlpool gas and electric dryers.
Personally, I'm glad there's a choice but it seems gas wins in operating costs, at least in my limited experience.
Rick
I've lived in 4 states and gas is always much cheaper to operate. I bet the money saved in 5 years would pay for a new dryer.
This thread interested me- so I caled the Whirlpool Hotline. According to the person I talked with, there is no appreciable temp. difference in Whirlpool gas and electric dryers.
Personally, I'm glad there's a choice but it seems gas wins in operating costs, at least in my limited experience.
Rick
So now that I have the dryer and want to vent it properly, as opposed to the current vent which is a nylon stocking on the end of the flex tube in the basement, I have a few questions:
1. I know I should use the rigid, smooth metal tubing, but how long can that run be? (only 2 90's: one at the dryer and one to go horizontal in the basement). I will need about 20 feet to get from the current location to the outside wall.
2. Should the horizontal run be:
a) level
b) angled up
c) angled down
d) doesn't matter
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif-Frank /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
1. I know I should use the rigid, smooth metal tubing, but how long can that run be? (only 2 90's: one at the dryer and one to go horizontal in the basement). I will need about 20 feet to get from the current location to the outside wall.
2. Should the horizontal run be:
a) level
b) angled up
c) angled down
d) doesn't matter
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif-Frank /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
JATO_RaT
Veteran Member
Another experience I can relate to are gas water heaters. As an electrcian, I have often been asked to repair water heaters, electric ones. My own personal experience with water heaters is that gas has far less problems then electric ones, in particular, those that use the double switching heating elements (which is most). My personal experience may not reflect yours, but I definitely have trend going that shows the longevity of gas appliances being better. In my area, propane gas is still less to operate then electric, the big difference between gas/electric is the recovery time or in the case of home heating, the time required to get to the desired temperature with gas definitely having the advantage. Rat...
Wingnut
Veteran Member
I would certainly blame me expanding rather than the clothes shrinking .... except getting fat doesn't normally cause your arms to lengthen. I assume that arms woiuld have to lengthen in order for the sleeves to suddenly be too short?
But ... to keep the peace, I just buy new shirts rather than suggest she let me do the laundry.
/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
But ... to keep the peace, I just buy new shirts rather than suggest she let me do the laundry.
/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
weedsportpete
Silver Member
Maybe adding a dryer will not make a difference, but we get a quantity discount with our LP gas supplier. Can't get that from an electric utility..
JATO_RaT
Veteran Member
Hehehe, I just thought peoples heads got smaller as the rest expanded. Your a smart man Wingnut. I don't mind doing the laundry, you know, throwing the stuff in the washer and then to the dryer, its the work after that that drives me nuts. My hands and anything fabric just don't coordinate. I don't fold well. Rat...
fractal
Gold Member
Electricity is 25 cents a kw/hr here. We just sold our 2 yr old electric dryer and bought a brand new gas one. It paid for itself in 4 months. Yeah, natural gas is much less expensive than electricity, at least here in california.
It has been my experience that all dryers will shrink clothes. I never run ours on "normal" or "high" setting. I always use the "low" setting. May take longer but clothes don't shrink as much.
As for ducting issues .. It should be covered in the manual that came with your dryer. It was in mine. You get a certain distance and every 90 degree bend costs distance and the like. There was a wonderful diagram in the paperwork that came with ours. And yes, you must use metal duct pipe with a gas dryer as the combustion exhaust goes out with the lint in the one exhaust.
Do check your local building codes. The county I moved from 3 yrs ago required gas dryers to be so many inches above the floor if located in a garage. Where I am now does not. You might want to make sure.
It has been my experience that all dryers will shrink clothes. I never run ours on "normal" or "high" setting. I always use the "low" setting. May take longer but clothes don't shrink as much.
As for ducting issues .. It should be covered in the manual that came with your dryer. It was in mine. You get a certain distance and every 90 degree bend costs distance and the like. There was a wonderful diagram in the paperwork that came with ours. And yes, you must use metal duct pipe with a gas dryer as the combustion exhaust goes out with the lint in the one exhaust.
Do check your local building codes. The county I moved from 3 yrs ago required gas dryers to be so many inches above the floor if located in a garage. Where I am now does not. You might want to make sure.
