On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 23:50:37 GMT, 3rd eye
wrote:

I just had the appliance guy at the local borg tell me that a gas
dryer is not as efficient as electric due to our mile high altitude
here.

I know. Most of these guys at the borg are hardly what I'd consider
experts in their field.

It's the first I'd heard of that.

Any merit to this?



Every time I make this calculation, the gas beats the electric. We
have had recent price hikes in both gas and electric. If you can
easily install the gas dryer, that would be the better of the two.
With a scientific background, I can't see how altitude can make any
difference (but I'd be curious to read the reason!). I have found
that gas dryers cost more initially, but will save money in the long
run.

On Fri, 31 Mar 2006 02:58:56 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 23:50:37 GMT, 3rd eye
wrote:

I just had the appliance guy at the local borg tell me that a gas
dryer is not as efficient as electric due to our mile high altitude
here.

I know. Most of these guys at the borg are hardly what I'd consider
experts in their field.

It's the first I'd heard of that.

Any merit to this?



Every time I make this calculation, the gas beats the electric. We
have had recent price hikes in both gas and electric. If you can
easily install the gas dryer, that would be the better of the two.
With a scientific background, I can't see how altitude can make any
difference (but I'd be curious to read the reason!). I have found

Well cars have to be readjusted to run at high altitudes**, but cars
are more complicated than mere fires. And I think gas dryers have
adjustments also, since stoves, furnaces, water heaters, and gas
grills do. As long as the fire in the dryer is burning right, I don't
see how it could be less efficient***

**Maybe that's just the idle. In the old days, cars had to be
adjusted manually, and now the computer has to have sensors and code
to accomplish the same thing.

***Except for what Bob said, but electicity generation also has loses
heat, at the power generation station. So they bill you after the
heat has been wasted, but iiuc, gas is still cheaper.

that gas dryers cost more initially, but will save money in the long
run.

"3rd eye" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 31 Mar 2006 02:58:56 GMT, Phisherman wrote:
Snip

Be wary of advice by the experts at home depot.

Hey! An oxymoron...

Al

Every time I make this calculation, the gas beats the electric. We
have had recent price hikes in both gas and electric. If you can
easily install the gas dryer, that would be the better of the two.
With a scientific background, I can't see how altitude can make any
difference (but I'd be curious to read the reason!). I have found
that gas dryers cost more initially, but will save money in the long
run.


At high altitudes, the air is thinner, so you are more likely to have
problems with incomplete combustion. You have to lower the gas
pressure or change the orifice size to reduce the gas input. A gas
dryer will dry slower at high altitude because the heat input is lower.
That does not make it less efficient, just slower. Being slower with
a lower heat input, it will use less gas per hour than at sea level.
The total amount of gas used to dry a load of clothes should be about
the same. As was pointed out, burning gas in air produces water vapor,
so the air leaving the flame is wetter, but because the temperature is
higher, the RELATIVE HUMIDITY is lower, even though there is more
moisture in the air. That is because air at high temperatures can hold
more moisture than air at low temperatures.

Stretch

In article .com,
says...
Every time I make this calculation, the gas beats the electric. We
have had recent price hikes in both gas and electric. If you can
easily install the gas dryer, that would be the better of the two.
With a scientific background, I can't see how altitude can make any
difference (but I'd be curious to read the reason!). I have found
that gas dryers cost more initially, but will save money in the long
run.


At high altitudes, the air is thinner, so you are more likely to have
problems with incomplete combustion. You have to lower the gas
pressure or change the orifice size to reduce the gas input. A gas
dryer will dry slower at high altitude because the heat input is lower.
That does not make it less efficient, just slower. Being slower with
a lower heat input, it will use less gas per hour than at sea level.
The total amount of gas used to dry a load of clothes should be about
the same. As was pointed out, burning gas in air produces water vapor,
so the air leaving the flame is wetter, but because the temperature is
higher, the RELATIVE HUMIDITY is lower, even though there is more
moisture in the air. That is because air at high temperatures can hold
more moisture than air at low temperatures.

I'd think that a dryer at high altitude would be *more* efficient
than one at sea level because the boiling point of water is lower,
requiring *less* heat for the same amount of water. ...the same
reason eggs take longer to boil (less heat in the water before it
boils).

--
Keith

Keith, you are correct for an electric dryer. The heat output will be
the same at any altitude. Yes the water in the clothes will evaporate
easier. But a gas burner will give off less heat because there is less
air to combine with the gas in the combustion process, hence the dryer
heat output is less. Of course the lower heat required would offset
that effect some. You might want to do some experimenting. But you
would have to use the same dryer at 2 different altitudes.......
Maybejust ask the manufacturer.

Stretch

i forgot the original question, but here in indiana, NIPSCO charges $1.70+
per therm for gas... while AEP wants .07/KWH... i've done the BTU math
and electric at *that* rate is at least 50% cheaper, and i can vent my
electric dryer into the basement without CO problems... today i heat the
house with electric, haven't turned our gas boiler on for 3 years... there
is no contest here... live electrically!

js

Stretch wrote:
: Keith, you are correct for an electric dryer. The heat output will be
: the same at any altitude. Yes the water in the clothes will evaporate
: easier. But a gas burner will give off less heat because there is less
: air to combine with the gas in the combustion process, hence the dryer
: heat output is less. Of course the lower heat required would offset
: that effect some. You might want to do some experimenting. But you
: would have to use the same dryer at 2 different altitudes.......
: Maybejust ask the manufacturer.

: Stretch


--

Venting anywhere other than the outside air goes against code in most
places.

AND Books wrote:
i forgot the original question, but here in indiana, NIPSCO charges $1.70+
per therm for gas... while AEP wants .07/KWH... i've done the BTU math
and electric at *that* rate is at least 50% cheaper, and i can vent my
electric dryer into the basement without CO problems... today i heat the
house with electric, haven't turned our gas boiler on for 3 years... there
is no contest here... live electrically!

js

Stretch wrote:
: Keith, you are correct for an electric dryer. The heat output will be
: the same at any altitude. Yes the water in the clothes will evaporate
: easier. But a gas burner will give off less heat because there is less
: air to combine with the gas in the combustion process, hence the dryer
: heat output is less. Of course the lower heat required would offset
: that effect some. You might want to do some experimenting. But you
: would have to use the same dryer at 2 different altitudes.......
: Maybejust ask the manufacturer.

: Stretch


--

In article .com,
says...
Keith, you are correct for an electric dryer. The heat output will be
the same at any altitude. Yes the water in the clothes will evaporate
easier. But a gas burner will give off less heat because there is less
air to combine with the gas in the combustion process, hence the dryer
heat output is less. Of course the lower heat required would offset
that effect some. You might want to do some experimenting. But you
would have to use the same dryer at 2 different altitudes.......
Maybejust ask the manufacturer.

But, if you're starving the flame of oxygen you're producing all
sorts of nasties. ...not good! If you adjust the fuel/air mixture
to bring the nasties back in line (all the gas burned) then you're
back to being more efficient at high altitude. It may take longer
to dry if a smaller orifice is required, but will still be more
efficient.

--
Keith