NG or Electric Dryer?

[blades]

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.

Sorry your cost for ng is off base unless you are referring to a complete line from the meter. Generally one can just extend a line to the area needed. Ng dryer does not need a 1.5" or 2" line, 3/4 max most are only 1/2", likely if you have a newer ng furance it is only 1/2' line as well. My cook top, Dryer, furnace, and hot water heater are all1/2" lines. Cost too much to change out the oven from electric to gas but seldom use it anyway.
NG dryer is quite a bit less cost to operate in my area given the electric rates at this time. Fifty years ago that was the reverse.

 

[Papa-Yankee-Romeo-Oscar]

We run a gas dryer, with gas you get a whole lot more BTU's/dollar than with electric. I believe the average cost to dry a load in a gas dryer is in the .10-.15 cent range and electric is in the .30-.40 cent range so the savings can add up fairly quickly.

On another note, it's not too difficult to run a gas hookup, I wouldn't expect it to cost a whole lot to tee off another line, run it over, up through the floor, and throw a valve on the end of it.

 

[fbelec]

my numbers are accurate for the mass area. i work along side 4 different plumbers and that was the going rate. it is expensive up here. do it your self up here is not allowed. and most people don't have the tools for threading black pipe. copper is not allowed for ng just for propane.

 

[Grisu]

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.

That is nonsense. Without those "blockheads in DC" natural gas prices would probably be higher not lower. Since they require leased lands to be put to production within the primary term the gas companies need to drill and frack to not lose their lease rights. In addition, they need to pay rent to the land owner regardless whether they produce anything. In the last years, most gas companies were making losses on the gas they produced due to low prices. Chesapeake Energy for example needs its oil business to stay afloat. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/06/us-chesapeake-results-idUSBRE9A50IB20131106 Major layoffs, less exploration and sales of $4 billion in assets to raise cash are not really signs of a healthy company.

 

[jharkin]

my numbers are accurate for the mass area. i work along side 4 different plumbers and that was the going rate. it is expensive up here. do it your self up here is not allowed. and most people don't have the tools for threading black pipe. copper is not allowed for ng just for propane.

Agree on the numbers for MA. I had my existing gas run extended to the kitchen. they had to put in a new T, 30ft of black pipe and a shutoff and the cheapest I could get it done for was $800. Other estimates ran as high as $1200.

 

[Papa-Yankee-Romeo-Oscar]

Agree on the numbers for MA. I had my existing gas run extended to the kitchen. they had to put in a new T, 30ft of black pipe and a shutoff and the cheapest I could get it done for was $800. Other estimates ran as high as $1200.

Ouch, maybe I'm in the wrong business.

 

[Bster13]

Just reminded myself, I need to see if my 100A service has enough room for a washer/dryer. The goal was to keep the old washer/dryer hooked up in the basement as a backup. *gulp*

 

[Bster13]

Back to the NG dryer idea.... do they have a pilot light running all the time like my old NG boiler or are their instant on with the pilot?

 

[Grisu]

Ours has an electric ignition. I doubt any recent model will have a pilot light.

 

[Papa-Yankee-Romeo-Oscar]

There isn't a pilot light in any of the newer gas dryers.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

My electric dryer went a few years ago. I ran the costs for electricity and gas and electricity was 2.5x more expensive. The gas dryer was only a bit more expensive than the electric one. I added to the gas manifold and ran the black pipe myself for just under $100 in materials. It's not hard, just make sure you check for leaks before everything is hooked up and you turn the gas back on.


Our bank account is much happier with the gas dryer. I'd like to swap the stove out for gas, but can't bring myself to get rid of a perfectly good stove. The only other large consumer of electricity is the fridge and that will be replaced when the new regulations come out in the middle of next year. I'm on a quest to give the utility company as little of my hard earned money as I can.

Matt

 

[fbelec]

Just reminded myself, I need to see if my 100A service has enough room for a washer/dryer. The goal was to keep the old washer/dryer hooked up in the basement as a backup. *gulp*

are you talking physical or electrical? if you have room in the panel tell me what you have for big electricity users. a.c. stove heaters house and water. i'll be able to tell you if your service will hold it.

 

[Bster13]

I believe I have physical spare. Stove & waster heater are naturalgas, but electric I have:

- Central Air for 1974 sq foot home
- Washer/Dryer
- Refrigerator

Can't really think of anything else. I don't even own a TV.

are you talking physical or electrical? if you have room in the panel tell me what you have for big electricity users. a.c. stove heaters house and water. i'll be able to tell you if your service will hold it.

 

[Highbeam]

The only other large consumer of electricity is the fridge and that will be replaced when the new regulations come out in the middle of next year.

Pretty great to be able to say that. The fridge is a very low consumer and makes up a very small portion of actual use in most all-electric households. I was really surprised about that when I logged its use with a kill-a-watt. You must be down to just a few appliances.

I think my television consumption is higher than the fridge. Heck, the fridge only uses 100 watts when running.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Nah, my fridge says Montgomery Wards on the front.

My electric bill usually measures 270+- kwh/mo. My Kill-a-watt shows the fridge using 90kwh/mo. Maybe some months are lower after I clean the coils in the back, but there's plenty of time they are dirty and/or I'm adding heat to the house which doesn't help the fridge. If the new fridge cuts my usage down to 1/3 of the existing fridge it would be pretty significant percentage wise. Our TV isn't on much and is only connected to a DVD player for the little one. It's a phantom draw, but plugging it in each time the kid wants to watch Dora the Explorer would be a pain.

Looking around my house, phantom draws upstairs are the TV and DVD player. On the 1st floor I have the bed room alarm clock, wireless and cable modem, microwave clock, stove clock, and refrigerator. In the basement, the washer and dryer (even though it's gas) are computer controlled so I assume there is a phantom draw. I have a 10 cuft freezer (energy star from 2007 or so) plugged in down there along with a 1927 or 28 monitor top refrigerator. The monitor top uses just under (.95) kwh a day when it's plugged in. I just pulled the rest of the apples out of it. When the 10lbs of potatoes are eaten it'll be turned off.

The rest of my usage are lights that are turned on and off. Laptops and phones that get recharged and unplugged, etc.

Matt

 

[fbelec]

I believe I have physical spare. Stove & waster heater are naturalgas, but electric I have:

- Central Air for 1974 sq foot home
- Washer/Dryer
- Refrigerator

Can't really think of anything else. I don't even own a TV.

you'll have no problem with that 100 amp service.

 

[Bster13]

Another question... I am comparing the warranties on these two models:
(broken link removed to http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/THDProductCompare?errorURL=ProductAttributeErrorView&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&prodComp_0=203673140&prodComp_1=203578178&keyword=wa422prhd)

"1 year parts & labor, 2 years control board, 3 years drum 10 years motor"

vs.

"1 Year Parts and Labor, 10 Years Motor, Lifetime on Drum"

I guess the biggest difference is the lifetime on the drum.... is that a big ticket item? Something likely to go wrong? I also hear bearings can go bad, but they have a ~habit~ of not being included in the warranties. Thx.

 

[Grisu]

The drum in our dryer is a pretty solid piece of metal; unlikely that it will ever break before you want to replace the dryer anyway. I would be more concerned about the control board. Those pieces tend to go suddenly and are often expensive. If it comes down only to warranty I would like the first one better.

 

[Bster13]

Damn, 10yr warranty? (Bottom right of the screen)
http://www.pcrichard.com/Samsung/Sa...her-White/WA422PRHDWR.pcrp?_requestid=3534457

With all this talk of "they don't make them like they used to" maybe it would be worth it?

 

[Dix]

Damn, 10yr warranty? (Bottom right of the screen)
http://www.pcrichard.com/Samsung/Sa...her-White/WA422PRHDWR.pcrp?_requestid=3534457

With all this talk of "they don't make them like they used to" maybe it would be worth it?

! would (if it were me, knowing what I know about appliances, their repairs, their warranties, extended service contracts, etc) stay away from Samsung. IMHO, an over priced product by a manufacturer that really does not stand behind their products.

 

[rowerwet]

15 years on my whirlpool, no problems

 

[Bster13]

Actually, if I take the $ I am being charged for the warranty and invest it at 5% it's almost a "wash."

 

[Highbeam]

I shy away from most extended warranties except for these front loading washers. Not dryers but washers have very expensive and damage prone bearings and structural items. A dryer, they are relatively trouble free. I used the crap out of my wash machine extended warranty and now that it has expired I have gotten good at fixing them myself.

I had to fix my front loader whirlpool duet washer again yesterday. Stupid sock caught between the drum and the outer shell. Sock gets stuck at the water inlet and water pours out of the front. These front loaders suck.

Dryers are so simple.

 

[Grisu]

I had to fix my front loader whirlpool duet washer again yesterday. Stupid sock caught between the drum and the outer shell. Sock gets stuck at the water inlet and water pours out of the front. These front loaders suck.
.

Sounds more like an American company trying to engineer a product they don't have any experience with. In my parent's house in Germany we only had/have frontloaders for 35+ years. I think my Mom is on her third washer since we moved there. And I don't remember my Dad spending time fixing them either. When I moved out me and my roommates got our own, a used one. Worked 4 years without any trouble, then I moved over here.

If you are tired of frequent repairs and can afford to spend something extra get a Miele. The company tests them for twice the number of washing cycles other companies usually do. Their washer's life expectancy is 15+ years and their service (at least in Germany) is outstanding.

 

[Dix]

Miele's are a great machine, but pricey.

Howard Stern has 8 of their dishwashers in his Hampton house

Repairs OOW can be pricey, their parts are not inexpensive.