Drying is an important step after washing clothes. Obviously, we can’t wear or store wet clothes. Drying can be of two types, natural and artificial drying. Naturally, clothes can be dried out on washing lines, either outdoors or indoors. While natural drying is inexpensive, it is subject to weather changes and sometimes ineffective.
Artificial drying requires the use of cloth dryers. Cloth dryers, colloquially called dryers, are appliances used to eliminate moisture from clothing and fabrics, mostly after washing. Cloth dryers are powered by gas or electricity. We will be discussing the pros and cons of gas and electric dryers.
Have you been thinking of changing your gas dryer but you do not know about the electric dryers? Perhaps, you are thinking of buying an electric dryer for your new home. Here is the right article to guide you. A brief explanation of various parts of the dryers and how they work won’t be bad.
Contents
Parts of a dryer
Now we know that there are two types of dryers based on their power sources. We can simply say a gas dryer is powered by gas (mostly propane) and the electric ones use electricity. However, some parts of the former make use of electricity.
The basic parts of the dryer include a rotating drum, fan, motor, controls, display boards, energy source, sensors, and thermostat. The electric dryers use electricity to power heating coils which provide the need heat for drying. Most electric dryers run at 240 volts. For gas dryers, they are supplied with gas to burn in a gas burner. In the gas dryers, the motor and blower are powered by electricity, running optimally at 110 volts. Other parts include the vent, door and door seals, and the chassis.
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The vent helps to remove heat and hot air from the machine. However, there are dryers without vents otherwise known as ventless dryers. The ventless dryers are powered by electricity. The heat pump and condenser dryers are the two types of ventless dryers. The heat pump dryers are generally milder on clothes since they generate a lesser amount of heat. Dryers are also equipped with lint traps to catch small fiber particles (lint) which separate from clothes when drying.
How do dryers work?
The clothes dryer uses a rotating drum, also known as a tumbler, for its core operation. For this reason, it is sometimes called a ”tumble dryer”. The heat source (gas-fired or electric-powered) generates heat, heating up the surrounding air. The heated air is circulated around the dryer with the aid of the blower or fan.
The rotating drum collects your clothes. As it rotates, the heated air reaches the wet clothes and evaporates moisture from the clothes. The moist air is then expelled through the vents. As the clothes get dried, some fiber particles called lint is released, resulting in shrinkage.
The condenser dryer differs from the basic dryer since it condenses moisture from the air and reheats the air. The heat pump dryer, on the other hand, keeps circulating air and eliminates moisture from the air and clothes.
Having established that there are lots of differences between the two types of dryers. This article will be focusing on installation, cost, efficiency, maintenance, and safety. From this, you can decide which works best for you.
Which of the dryers are easy to install?
Electric dryers do not consume space. Provided you have a 240-volt outlet in your apartment, you do not have any major concern. Simply, plug in the machine and it starts working. It is recommended for apartments having limited space. However, you need to check if your device requires a vent so you can make provisions for it.
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Gas dryers need to be supplied with a gas line, hence, it requires more space. Except if you have previously been using a gas dryer, it requires a technician to set up and this increases the installation cost. Gas dryers also need proper venting.
When considering the overall cost of installation, the gas dryers are more expensive and not easy to install since they require the services of a technician.
Which type of dryer is more expensive?
Generally, gas dryers are more expensive. Gas dryers may cost between $300 and $1600 while electric dryers may cost between $230 and $1500. A gas dryer will be pricey than a comparable electric model, sometimes with a minimum difference of $50.
On the basis of operating cost, expenses incurred over the use of a particular type of dryer is dependent on some factors. For gas dryers, the cost of operation will be determined by gas prices and for the electric dryers, this will be determined by the electricity pricing.
For people living in an area where gas is expensive or scarce, it will be advisable to go for the electric dryers. Areas, where gas is cheaper than electricity, can consider using the gas dryers. Generally, electricity tends to be more expensive than gas, therefore, gas dryers going to be cheaper in the long run.
Which dryer is more efficient?
Gas dryers get hot faster than electric dryers. Also, gas dryers do not waste time warming up as the electric ones do. Therefore, it dries up your clothes faster. The electric dryers use 240 volts power supply, far more than the gas dryers, hence, gas dryers are more energy-efficient.
Maintenance
Generally, the cleaning processes are the same. The dryers need to be free from lint. Too much lint in the ducts of these dryers may lead to fire hazards.
The electric dryers, particularly the ventless ones, require little maintenance procedures. On the other hand, the vented dryers (mostly gas dryers) require proper management. Gas dryers need to be well vented to prevent carbon monoxide from accumulating in the home.
The electric dryers last longer than their gas counterpart. They are relatively easier to repair. The pilot light in the gas dryers are popular for getting faulty quickly, this may be quite costly to fix. Generally, a cleaning session should be considered at least once a year.
Safety
Dryers are prone to fire hazards. The accumulation of lint poses a greater risk in dryers. Lint is extremely combustible, hence, most dryer fire hazards are caused by lint. However, electric dryers more susceptible to fire hazards since they get hotter than gas dryers.
Conclusion
While drying clothes naturally seem stress-free and inexpensive, it may not be useful in your climate. Having discussed the pros and cons of gas and electric dryers, you should be able to find the best one for you. The striking difference between the two dryers is the energy source (gas and electricity) used for their drying process. Therefore, you need to determine the cost and availability of these two energy sources.
Jim Powell
Jim is our staff editor and writer. He has a degree in engineering. His hobbies are radio engineering and new technologies about which he has been writing for more than 7 years.
