Yea! I knew it wasn't a good idea. Thanks for the imput.

Hi all.

Plan to buy a new Dryer soon. Going electric this time. With a gas dryer , air is pulled from the house and pumped outside, so what ever is outside is sucked in to replace it. So I'm thinking electric dryer pumping humidified hotter air back into the house should be better than outside air being sucked in, most of the time.

You could also duct your gas dryer so it sucks air from the outside... Incorperating some form of heat exchanger to heat up the incoming air would be very cool. See ideas in this thread:

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/projec...ry-system.html

Even better is a heat pump.

With a standard installation, an electric dryer will blow air out of your home, just like a gas dryer.
If you didn't pipe in some air from the outdoors, it will come inside via all the little nooks and crannies (air leaks).
Since your home isn't really air-tight like a space station. ;)

I wonder which utility bill would be higher in your area? Gas or electric?
If Gas is a lot cheaper per BTU than electric, the BTU gain you get from venting moist air indoors,
might not make up for the cost of the electricity..


I don't spend any money to heat my basement, so it's always cold down there.
Just leakage from the boiler keeps the area in the 55F-65F range.

When the dryer runs, once a week, it ventilates the whole basement,
drawing cold clean outdoor air into the area from many small leaks.
The overall temperature drops a bit, but recovers in a few hours.

I look at this leakage as one way to clear out any lingering heating oil odors or radon gas.. :eek:

I'm thinking that a heat pump dryer only makes sense in a climate that uses lots of airconditioning. Heat pumps just move heat from one location to another.

Assuming your dryer draws air from within your home, it will steal heat energy from the inside air providing 2 benefits - additional cooling for your home and drying your clothes. If you're already heating your home then stealing heat from it makes no sense. At best you've got a zero sum gain (exhausting to the interior) at a higher cost and complexity.

Most heat pump dryers actually use the heat pump as a dehumidifier. There is no venting needed.
LG WM3431HW Washer Dryer Combo - All-In-One Washer/Dryer Combo - LG Electronics US

Are you aware of any other manufacturers making similar machines Mike? I love the idea, but wouldn't mind it being a bit larger, and I'm not too fond of LG from my experiences so far.

I just got this one in the door today .. haven't even got it setup yet.
Its bigger at 4.2 cu.ft.
LG WM3988HWA Washer Dryer Combo - SteamWasher? and SteamDryer? Full-Size Washer/Dryer Combo with Allergiene? Cycle - LG Electronics US

Yeah, I saw that one the other day. Much larger in size for sure. Just wondering now about non-LG alternatives. Reviews are great on that one though...