Thread Number: 86234
/ Tag: Vintage Dryers
Gas dryers - visible flame? |
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Post# 1107817 , Reply# 1   2/13/2021 at 08:43 (1,139 days old) by kd12 (Arkansas)   |   | |
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The old gas dryers I remember from my college dorm in the '80s didn't have a visible flame when running. Had a glass window on the door to see inside the drum. That's my only experience with gas dryers, as I found they didn't dry particularly well. |
Post# 1107820 , Reply# 2   2/13/2021 at 09:23 (1,139 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Post# 1107824 , Reply# 4   2/13/2021 at 09:42 (1,139 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)   |   | |
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gas dryers and fire? nahhh....
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Post# 1107828 , Reply# 5   2/13/2021 at 09:56 (1,139 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 1107834 , Reply# 6   2/13/2021 at 10:45 (1,139 days old) by rinso (Meridian Idaho)   |   | |
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Maytag HOH gas dryers had a flame that you could see by opening the pilot lighting door while they were running. |
Post# 1107836 , Reply# 8   2/13/2021 at 11:27 (1,139 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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Maytag gas dryers from the mid to late 50’s to the 80’s all had a small access panel on the bottom right hand corner for the burner and I am familiar with removing the small access panel to light the pilot on my 1973 Maytag DG306
A video of the burner in operation on my 1973 Maytag DG306. CLICK HERE TO GO TO Maytag85's LINK |
Post# 1107837 , Reply# 9   2/13/2021 at 11:29 (1,139 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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What the burner looks like when starting up on a Maytag HOH gas dryer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO Maytag85's LINK |
Post# 1107861 , Reply# 11   2/13/2021 at 15:52 (1,139 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)   |   | |
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And as they are now, all these dryers suck all the particles and toxic gases that are expelled when burning through your clothing.
That toxic gas is so bad you HAVE to vent a gas dryer, like a gas furnace and water heater, outside. This is according to manufacturers. Then there is the brown residue that you will find in chimneys from gas burning appliances. That builds up on the inside of the dryer and ON YOUR CLOTHES. You can see it when looking at the insides of older gas dryers. There is a noticeable smell and gross brown discoloration of the inside of the drum. That doesn't happen with an electric dryer.
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This post was last edited 02/13/2021 at 17:33 |
Post# 1107866 , Reply# 13   2/13/2021 at 16:10 (1,139 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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Don’t see any evidence of unburnt deposits in my 1973 Maytag DG306. If there are deposits in the burner cone or plenum then the burner isn’t burning properly and the burner will need to be adjusted somehow. My 1973 Maytag DG306 has that one adjustable air mixing valve for the burner you can adjust and you will see it when you open the pilot access door.
A gas dryer doesn’t admit that much if any carbon monoxide at all according to John Lefever/combo52 plus there is tons of air being pulled through a gas dryer burner and burns more clean and efficient compared to a gas stove or gas water heater burner. Real reason why gas and electric dryers are exhausted to the outside is because of the lint and moisture that comes out of the exhaust. |
Post# 1107890 , Reply# 14   2/13/2021 at 20:33 (1,139 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)   |   | |
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Northeast Ohio has a huge majority of gas dryers instead of electric. They are very clean, cheaper to operate than electric, and very safe. I have a 62 year old gas dryer whose drum is just as clean as my 40 and 30 year old gas dryers, and just as clean as my many electric dryers. I do vent all my dryers, but there are a few neighbors and homes I've seen where their one gas dryer is not vented, and no one died, though I agree it isn't wise. When I bought my home, the previous tenants had an unvented gas dryer for 14 years they lived here, but I vented it within a week. And my whitest of whites are still whitest of whites after all that gas drying. Also, in my experience with gas versus electric, the electric burners seem to wear our more often than any parts of the gas burner/ignition system. Fewer repairs.
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Post# 1107893 , Reply# 15   2/13/2021 at 21:12 (1,139 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)   |   | |
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Post# 1107937 , Reply# 18   2/14/2021 at 12:31 (1,138 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 1107941 , Reply# 19   2/14/2021 at 12:39 (1,138 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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The HOH electric dryers have the heating element fairly close to the drum like the GE dryers of the era but they limited the heat output to 4500 watts and used a extremely sensitive high limit thermostat and even as something as simple as opening the door on a HOH electric dryer will cause it to trip by the heat rising from the heating element.
Never really liked the design of GE dryers since the heating element is literally behind the drum not to mention it’s 5600 watts. GE still uses a similar design to this day in their electric and gas dryers. |
Post# 1107953 , Reply# 20   2/14/2021 at 15:19 (1,138 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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My Mom's old Apex had a perforated drum and you could look through the glass window and see the flames in the upper left-hand corner.. I've mentioned it too many times before so I won't get into it again. It was "fun." Working at the appliance store all those years, I saw several dryers come in as trades that had caught fire, some brand new ones too. The ones that stick in my mind are the electric Maytag Halo-of-Heat models. I worked on a lot of those and they were very fine appliances. but when the high-limit thermostat failed they would burn a big ring into the front, like they had been branded like a steer. Usually the door seal and other non--metal parts were burned up too. |
Post# 1107964 , Reply# 22   2/14/2021 at 17:09 (1,138 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Interesting thread.
Hi Sean, MT HOH electric dryers were 4800 watts and had more than their share of heatdamaged clothing and fires when things went wrong.
10 Ga copper wire does get warm when running and electric dryer, yes 8 Ga is cooler running but keep in mind the shorter the run of 10 Ga wire the Hotter it gets.
Wiring failures at connections, circuit breakers, buss bars etc are a very common electric dryer failure, I see some form of wiring failures on electric dryers nearly every week often several times a week.
Generally in a typical home no other circuit is loaded as heavily as the dryers circuit, electric water heaters come close but are usually 4,500 watts where as dryers are close to 6000 watts on the same size circuit and wiring.
There were so many wiring failures related to electric dryers in our neighboring county [ Montgomery County ] that in the 60s through the 70s they required 8 Ga wire a 40 amp breaker or fuses and use of a range cord and receptacle. on all dryer installations.
John L. |
Post# 1107974 , Reply# 23   2/14/2021 at 18:59 (1,138 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Post# 1107976 , Reply# 24   2/14/2021 at 19:06 (1,138 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)   |   | |
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Yes.
Electric furnace 90+ amp double pole, poss. 2 double pole breakers typical stove 50 amp double pole Hot tub 60 amp double pole tankless w.htr 80-120 amp double and triple pole breakers RV outlet 50 amp double pole electric car plu 50 amp double pole packaged AC unit 60 amp double pole pool heater 50 amp double pole an electric dryer just uses 25-30 amps double pole. |
Post# 1107984 , Reply# 25   2/14/2021 at 19:59 (1,138 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)   |   | |
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It's just funny hearing the apologists for gas dryers.
Personally, I've always had electric dryers. Have had both electric and gas water heaters, had gas furnaces for many years of my life There is much more that can go wrong with a gas appliance compared to an electric one. I've seen coin-op electric dryers in apartment buildings and they might get dirty from daily wear, like any appliance, but they don't get the yellow grunge on them.
I've had probably 100 dryers since I've been fixing/collecting/ repairing and gas dryers build up a yellow/brown haze on the inside of the drum and obviously on the clothing that has been in the drum.
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IMO- A proper gas dryer should have a combustion chamber and heat exchanger like a gas furnace. That combustion chamber should have it's own fresh air intake and exhaust.
There is a good reason why as far back as the 50s there were advertisements for "clean living" in an all electric home. It's true.
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Post# 1108015 , Reply# 28   2/15/2021 at 00:22 (1,137 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)   |   | |
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Proper breaker is important.
I remember a friend had a 1970 rental mobile home with a newer (2000ish) GE washer and electric dryer . He mentioned that he kept having problems with the dryer not working. He had a service person come out and replace a part on the dryer but still not working right.
I checked the breaker box and they had the dryer circuit as a double pole 20 amp. It was enough for the motor to run and heat but not continuous. The breaker also didn't switch off correctly because it was damaged from getting hot. It wouldn't stay on. |
Post# 1108019 , Reply# 29   2/15/2021 at 00:34 (1,137 days old) by kenwashesmonday (Carlstadt, NJ)   |   | |
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There was a block of Gold Medallion all electric houses in the town I grew up in. By the 1970s, they all had gas lines run to them due to the high cost electric heat. |
Post# 1108020 , Reply# 30   2/15/2021 at 00:40 (1,137 days old) by Maytag85 (Sean A806)   |   | |
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The house I live in that was built in 1985 and it would classify as a Gold Medallion all electric home but the previous owners got gas in 2001 sometime. I find it interesting how in the Live Better Electrically commercials from the 50’s and 60’s they tout that having a all electric home is better but they don’t even bother mentioning what the electric bill would be like in a all electric house.
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Post# 1108023 , Reply# 31   2/15/2021 at 01:59 (1,137 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)   |   | |
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Electric may be more expensive in some areas compared to the equivalent BTU in gas, coal, wood, etc.
But that doesn't change the fact that for living standards electric is still better, more convenient, safer, and cleaner.
Those are two different issues.
Sure you could shovel coal or wood daily to heat your home, or you could spend thousand of dollars to install a tank and a dirty oil furnace, or spend the same to install pipes, ducts, a chimney, and a gas furnace that will need frequent service calls and create noisy background disturbances. it might be half as expensive monthly. It might be 1/3 the cost monthly.
It's interesting because by 1970 it was clear that homes built in say: 1920 had no insulation, were drafty, and expensive to heat. 1960 had minimal insulation 1" , no vapor barrier, cheap windows, and was easier to heat 1970 had more insulation 3", a vapor barrier, thermo pane windows, and was even easier to heat, keep comfortable, and less expensive monthly. They should have focused on subsidizing home insulation, windows, and doors rather than subsidizing residential gas service because most all homes already had electric service, it is expensive to install gas lines, and we would have been better off in general.
By the mid 1980s new homes in the northern regions had 2x6 walls with R-19 and ceilings with R-60 insulation so they were on the right track.
Now insulation has got so good, people in some areas are heating their homes with light bulbs or the equivalent. That's awesome. Goals as they say.
Insulation: doesn't require a pipeline or over head lines, doesn't require a service call, doesn't make noise, has no moving parts. |
Post# 1108024 , Reply# 32   2/15/2021 at 02:06 (1,137 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)   |   | |
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Solar electric is getting so affordable convenient and available too.
You can power your home with this.
I've seen utility company advertisements where they will install panels on your roof for like no money down and if you feed back into the grid you may not have to spend any money. Might even get money back.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO bradfordwhite's LINK on eBay
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Post# 1108025 , Reply# 33   2/15/2021 at 02:06 (1,137 days old) by bradfordwhite (central U.S.)   |   | |
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I hadn't looked at these in a while.
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Post# 1108029 , Reply# 34   2/15/2021 at 06:43 (1,137 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Yes I know that there are many circuits in most homes larger than the 30 Amp line most dryers use.
My Point Was that in most homes the dryer more often and more consistently loads its circuit nearer to its limit, an electric range, an electric water heater, central A/C- HP and even back up electric heating almost never load the circuit to around 90% of its capacity.
John
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Post# 1108032 , Reply# 35   2/15/2021 at 07:13 (1,137 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)   |   | |
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My house was built in 1956 and was entirely electric. It didn't have a dryer connection in the house at all. At some point in time one of the previous owners who worked for the gas company changed out to gas water heater, stove, furnace, and ran a line out to the shop and had a gas dryer in there. I have 3 240V outlets (well 4 now since I got the Miele and had to run one for it). After I bought the house I was looking at the fuse box and saw the reason why the PO changed everything to gas. There were melted wires in there! Now, the only thing that pulls much juice is when the central AC is running. As far as yellowing of the dryer or the clothes, never had an issue. Mother has had both fuels in my lifetime. I do know that homes with an indoor cigarette smoker will have more yellowing with gas appliances. |
Post# 1108070 , Reply# 36   2/15/2021 at 13:54 (1,137 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)   |   | |
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Heaven forbid I'd have an electric clothes dryer or an electric water heater, not with 2 central air conditioners (have friends that have 4) with triple-digit temps the norm for all of July & August. If all of my electronics, TV's and computers and the like, along with the all of the lighting could operate on gas I'd have those too. I suppose in a way they do since most of the electric power I receive is generated with natural gas.
Gas...I like it.
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