Switching electric to gas dryer

[dlminehart]

With my electricity coming in at a marginal rate of 32 cents/kWh, I'm looking to save some money by installing a used gas dryer. There seem to be a number of them on craigslist for $50-$250, many posted by folks who are upgrading their washer to a frontload and insist on a matched set even when the dryer has plenty of years of life. Anyway, I have a gas line accessible to the dryer, and the present 240V electrical one is vented via metal ductwork.

I assume I'll be able to switch the outlet to 120V. Will my existing vent serve for the gas dryer as well, or will I need to upgrade that somehow? Anyone else made this switch? If so, did you see any savings?

[fbrend123]

We did that very thing some years ago. Had to run a gas feed to the new dryer, but used the same vent that we had used with the electric dryer. Never had a problem.

Then we built a house in a rural area, and had to opt back to electricity, because propane would have been too expensive to run a dryer.

[cabinetman]

When we bought this house the stove was piped for LP (big tank outside). We bought all new appliances including a gas dryer and water heater. The water heater is vented to the outside, but the dryer is not. The only vent from the dryer is the lint vent to the outside. All the piping and installation was done by the gas company according to code.

[LCHIEN]

you can probably leave the 240 outlet unused; there is almost always a 120V outlet nearby. usually one for the adjacent Washing machine. The electricity used by a gas dryer is relatively low compared to that used by an all-electric dryer.
To run the timer, the drum and fan, and the igniter. Can easily be run off the same outlet as the Washing machine. The all-electric in addition has a large heater which makes the 240V requirement.

Hint: use the 240V outlet for a Dust collector in the adjoining garage!

[alpha]

Gas dryer

We switched from an electric dryer to a gas dryer about 20 years ago when we moved to a house that only had a gas hookup for the dryer. We found the gas dryer to be much more efficient, which could translate into a cost savings. Electric dryers are more popular so you can generally pick up a good used gas one at a bargain price since they are not in as much demand.

For an even greater cost savings, upgrade from a top load to a front load washing machine. In our case, we were amazed that the clothes were only "damp dry" when they came out of the washer requiring much less time in the dryer. Plus you save usage of water and soap with a front load washer. This is just my biased opinion since I don't really do the laundry in our house.