Poll: What kind of clothes dryer do you use?

[SoonerDave]

I'm wondering what's popular/average here in OK...

[kelroy55]

I use both electric and clothesline.

[venture]

I use to have a gas dryer before I moved into my current house. It was so nice and quick.

[Bunty]

I chose an electric dryer, because I heard natural gas can stain white clothes.

[boscorama]

I'm an all-electric household but that doesn't mean I don't air dry stuff before fluffing in the dryer.

[WilliamTell]

I have electric. About a year ago we went shopping for a new set and i initially wanted a gas dryer (to take advantage of ong's gas dryer rebate program), but after the plumber gave me the price to have a gas line ran 4 feet from the main line to heater in attic and then down a wall i decided against it.

basically when the rebate program started the plumbers prices went up considerably. i do think gas dryers are better, but with natural gas prices going down and ong repeatedly raising their rates im happy that we decided against it.

With all that said my new electric is so much quicker than my old electric and from what i can tell my energy bills have dropped.

[SoonerDave]

I chose an electric dryer, because I heard natural gas can stain white clothes.

I heard this same thing, about white clothes getting a yellowish "tinge" to them, but it didn't make sense to me because the *gas* doesn't touch the clothes. If someone could provide more detail on this I'd be very interested.

[venture]

I heard this same thing, about white clothes getting a yellowish "tinge" to them, but it didn't make sense to me because the *gas* doesn't touch the clothes. If someone could provide more detail on this I'd be very interested.

I never remembered any of my clothes getting stains at all from the NG dryer.

[SoonerDave]

I never remembered any of my clothes getting stains at all from the NG dryer.

And I can find absolutely nothing about this supposed issue anywhere. I think its an urban legend started by the electric folks

[kelroy55]

I chose an electric dryer, because I heard natural gas can stain white clothes.

Bleach

[Servicetech571]

I've had gas dryers for over a decade and have never had any issues with them. Don't think I could ever go back to electric unless NG wasn't an option. Gas dryers run about 10 cents per load on ONG, Electric costs about 50 cents per load on OG&E. OG&E Smarthours customers can dry for 25 cents per load off peak during the summer, but will pay about $1 if they dry clothes 2-7pm M-F. With ONG paying most of the cost of a new dryer, now is a good time to switch. Sometimes you can find gas dryers on Craigslist for cheap, or somebody who wants to swap for an electric dryer.

Dry times have more to do with how a dryers ventign is set up than the type of fuel used. Well vented dryers are much quicker than poorly vented ones. People tend to crank the heat up to the highest setting when the dryer vent starts clogging up and burn out the electric heat element. On gas dryers the burner cycles off on the hi limit. For 90% of clothing loads medium heat is all that should be required to dry clothes in about an hour or so. Kinked flexible ducts and lint blocked outlets are the main culprits for low airflow. Clean the venting out at least once per year, more if you have a roof exhaust.

[SoonerDave]

Clean the venting out at least once per year, more if you have a roof exhaust.

I *hate* my roof-vented dryer. If I ever am in the position of having to buy or build a new home again at some point, the dryer had better be on an outside wall or I'm walking.

It isn't so much the need to clean the vent, its the hassle factor of doing it myself, which involves climbing on the roof, or hiring someone to do it. Direct external vent much, much simpler.

I've got a stub for an NG dryer, but does the burner require a separate vent for combustion exhaust?

[BBatesokc]

The house we just moved into allows for electric or gas. We have electric now, but may switch. What i really hated was/is the fact the dryer vents into the attic (I'm told that's no longer acceptable). Not only does it vent into the attic, but I was told the pipe used is too small and needs to be 4". It must have worked for the previous owner but not going to work for us. For one, the pipe looks to have never been cleaned. Regardless, I don't want to vent heat, moisture and combustable lint into my attic.

I capped the vent line off and for now I use an adapter to vent inside - which surprisingly works really well.

In the next couple of week I'll take on cutting into the exterior wall and direct venting to the outside. Unfortunately the laundry room is located with an exterior wall, but the dryer connections are coming from an interior wall - meaning I have to vent along the wall, over to the exterior wall and then through the wall. So, I will need to box the vent pipe in so it looks presentable.

[PennyQuilts]

We've got propane. Given the choice between natural gas and electric, I'd go NG, hands down. Electric anything eats up fuel.

[Servicetech571]

I *hate* my roof-vented dryer. If I ever am in the position of having to buy or build a new home again at some point, the dryer had better be on an outside wall or I'm walking.

It isn't so much the need to clean the vent, its the hassle factor of doing it myself, which involves climbing on the roof, or hiring someone to do it. Direct external vent much, much simpler.

I've got a stub for an NG dryer, but does the burner require a separate vent for combustion exhaust?

The gas dryer does not require a separate vent for combustion exhaust. It all goes out the 4", it's impearative that it vents OUTSIDE when using NG.

[Servicetech571]

The house we just moved into allows for electric or gas. We have electric now, but may switch. What i really hated was/is the fact the dryer vents into the attic (I'm told that's no longer acceptable). Not only does it vent into the attic, but I was told the pipe used is too small and needs to be 4". It must have worked for the previous owner but not going to work for us. For one, the pipe looks to have never been cleaned. Regardless, I don't want to vent heat, moisture and combustable lint into my attic.

I capped the vent line off and for now I use an adapter to vent inside - which surprisingly works really well.

In the next couple of week I'll take on cutting into the exterior wall and direct venting to the outside. Unfortunately the laundry room is located with an exterior wall, but the dryer connections are coming from an interior wall - meaning I have to vent along the wall, over to the exterior wall and then through the wall. So, I will need to box the vent pipe in so it looks presentable.

If you have front loaders you can build a frame under the machines and run the vent that way. Plus you save $400 not buying the overpriced drawers that match the washer/dryer.

[SoonerDave]

The gas dryer does not require a separate vent for combustion exhaust. It all goes out the 4", it's imperative that it vents OUTSIDE when using NG.

Oh, absolutely understand that. Ours goes through the roof, as I mentioned. I didn't think I needed a separate exhaust vent, but never hurts to ask

[BBatesokc]

If you have front loaders you can build a frame under the machines and run the vent that way. Plus you save $400 not buying the overpriced drawers that match the washer/dryer.

I considered running the vent from the dryer, to the floor and then along the floor/wall to the exterior wall and then up the wall to the vent (would look a little nicer). However, wouldn't that be less efficient than just running it along the wall level with the dryer exhaust port on the back of my dryer - fewer turns and no pushing the air unnecessarily up/down?

[Servicetech571]

I considered running the vent from the dryer, to the floor and then along the floor/wall to the exterior wall and then up the wall to the vent (would look a little nicer). However, wouldn't that be less efficient than just running it along the wall level with the dryer exhaust port on the back of my dryer - fewer turns and no pushing the air unnecessarily up/down?

Less turns and shorter runs will have less back pressure and therefore more airflow. Will both options allow you to use 'hard pipe" the whole way?

[BBatesokc]

Less turns and shorter runs will have less back pressure and therefore more airflow. Will both options allow you to use 'hard pipe" the whole way?

My 'plan' (as someone who has no idea what they are doing) is to use the periscope skinny duct currently attached to my dryer (allowed me to vent to the interior vent and back the dryer all the way up to the wall) and simply turn it to the side (level with the dryer connection). this way I've got a smaller profile coming out of the back of my dryer and the skinny duct has two 90-degree turns built in. Then using the more stiff piping (not the Slinky-Dink looking one, and not a fully rigid pipe, but the one in between) to run straight across the room's south wall to the east wall and connect direct to the vent pipe that leads outside. To me this seemed to be the most direct venting. Doesn't look as pretty, but more efficient???? I figure I can go back later and encase the piping in a wood frame and drywall and then paint it to make it look better. Would that work?

[Servicetech571]

I wouldn't drywall over anything that wasn't 100% hard pipe. I don't think it's allowed by code. Mine is under the washer/dryer "shelf" but you can't see it unless you are laying on the floor...

[BBatesokc]

I wouldn't drywall over anything that wasn't 100% hard pipe. I don't think it's allowed by code. Mine is under the washer/dryer "shelf" but you can't see it unless you are laying on the floor...

If I can make it a straight shot from the back of my dryer to the vent wall then I will most likely go with hard pipe. My vent pipe will have to be visible because the exterior wall is directly across from my dryer - no way to hide it. If I could control the humidity without opening a window, I'd just keep this interior vent.

[Servicetech571]

With ONG offering up to $500 to switch, the deal just got a lot sweeter. They even pay for gas to gas, which I took advantage of. Got my rebate less than a week later.

https://www.oklahomanaturalgas.com/e...placement.aspx

[rezman]

Bates- maybe you can build a removeable valance that covers your ductwork, that way it looks good and the ductwork is concealed, but you can more easily access the duct if it ever needs cleaning or reconfiguring. The two 90 degree bends you mention are areas of restriction and posible build up.

[SoonerDave]

Some brilliant soul needs to come up with a self-cleaning dryer duct system. If someone does it, they'll be a zillionaire almost overnight, and all the cleaning companies will be out to get them