If a gas dryer were to malfunction somewhere in the fuel delivery system, could it put soot on the clothing, or does gas burn clean enough, even when not in optimal stoicemetric mixture that soot will not be produced. Something in the back of my mind just thinks that a gas dryer in less than optimal condition would be sort of like an old automobile with a bad carb. Have any of you all experienced sooting or discoloring from a bad gas flame?
gas dryer malfunction
- Thread starter Cybrvanr
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I haven't, but then again, I have only been using gas dryers for 15 1/2 years. But, I would never allow an electric dryer in my house. I hate 'em!!
knitwits1975
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I personally have never had a gas dryer, but I've had other gas appliances. What you're describing to me almost sounds like a NG appliance being run on propane without the proper orifice in place. Are you sure of which fuel you are running it on, and do you have the correct orifice? Are your air inlet vents free and clear? Otherwise, I'm not sure what to tell you. I hope you can get the bugs worked out.
I've also not had a gas dryer, but it is my understand that the combustion byproducts go through the drum and clothes along the regular airflow path, so it stands to reason that a misadjusted burner could cause some trouble.
Interesting side-note: The Whirlpool dealer for whom I worked during high school refused to sell any gas dryers. He said they're too hard on clothes.
Interesting side-note: The Whirlpool dealer for whom I worked during high school refused to sell any gas dryers. He said they're too hard on clothes.
I've only used/owned
gas dryers, and I have never experienced such a phenomenon as you describe.
I think wear on clothes is more a temperature related issue than a fuel one.
After all, coin laundry dryers are all gas.--at least the ones I know.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
gas dryers, and I have never experienced such a phenomenon as you describe.
I think wear on clothes is more a temperature related issue than a fuel one.
After all, coin laundry dryers are all gas.--at least the ones I know.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
Cybrvanr,
I can remember appliances all the way back to when I was 2 and I am now 47. My mom and grandmother always had gas cooking, drying and heat and water heating. and I now have my second gas dryer since purcahsing my house in 1984. None of us has ever had that kind of exsperience with soot apearing on clothes. But I am of the mindset to never say never. Anything can happen.( remember 9/11 ) The way all of the dryers I have looked at underneath are made, as DADoES said, if soot were to happen, it would get sucked into the drum, just hope it would never happen. I do not have any experience with adjusting gas appliances so I do not touch them. My parents had a gas water heater burner go bad and soot accumulated on the front area where the controls were, they wound up replacing it. The gas compnay said it was old and could not get the burner adjusted since the parts were all worn. The soot was a greasy mess to clean off.
MikeO
I can remember appliances all the way back to when I was 2 and I am now 47. My mom and grandmother always had gas cooking, drying and heat and water heating. and I now have my second gas dryer since purcahsing my house in 1984. None of us has ever had that kind of exsperience with soot apearing on clothes. But I am of the mindset to never say never. Anything can happen.( remember 9/11 ) The way all of the dryers I have looked at underneath are made, as DADoES said, if soot were to happen, it would get sucked into the drum, just hope it would never happen. I do not have any experience with adjusting gas appliances so I do not touch them. My parents had a gas water heater burner go bad and soot accumulated on the front area where the controls were, they wound up replacing it. The gas compnay said it was old and could not get the burner adjusted since the parts were all worn. The soot was a greasy mess to clean off.
MikeO
A real situation
Our Norge gas dryers had the big access door in the top. After maybe a year of operation, the area under the door had a coating or film of fine black particles that smeared when wiped. Both burned with a blue flame in the drilled port cast iron burners that went the width of the drum. The flame was very strongly pulled toward the drum by the 21 inch fan. I would suggest that anyone who is not familiar with WP-manufactured gas dryers to begin looking at the white inner door of similar age gas and electric models. I think the yellowing of the area within the gasket, and the earlier degradation of the door gasket is due to more than high temperatures. I use gas for clothes drying in the warm months and electricity for drying in the cold months, so I don't have a claim on one side or the other, but I do know that something happens in a gas dryer to make the clothes smell bad when it is operated while paint fumes are in the air and the horrible smell is not present, or not as noticeable when an electric dryer is used under the same conditions.
Our Norge gas dryers had the big access door in the top. After maybe a year of operation, the area under the door had a coating or film of fine black particles that smeared when wiped. Both burned with a blue flame in the drilled port cast iron burners that went the width of the drum. The flame was very strongly pulled toward the drum by the 21 inch fan. I would suggest that anyone who is not familiar with WP-manufactured gas dryers to begin looking at the white inner door of similar age gas and electric models. I think the yellowing of the area within the gasket, and the earlier degradation of the door gasket is due to more than high temperatures. I use gas for clothes drying in the warm months and electricity for drying in the cold months, so I don't have a claim on one side or the other, but I do know that something happens in a gas dryer to make the clothes smell bad when it is operated while paint fumes are in the air and the horrible smell is not present, or not as noticeable when an electric dryer is used under the same conditions.
I was just asking this not as an actual machine that was experiencing this trouble, but if it was actually possible, as I learned in engineering classes, incomplete combustion will produce a wide variety of by-products...some troublesome, others not, depending on the application. Complete natural gas combustion does produce a fair amount of moisture, I imagine that little bit of moisture would dry clothing much more gently/
andrewinorlando
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- 1,392
I've had gas dryers forever, and never experienced a soot problem, though the gas burners do have an air mixture adjustment, which may be off on yours, causing soot.
Interesting side-note: The Whirlpool dealer for whom I worked during high school refused to sell any gas dryers. He said they're too hard on clothes.
IMHO the burning of gas gives off water vapor. This makes the dryer more gentle, esp at the end when the clothes are bone dry.
Cleanliness:
Electric dryers carbbonize lint and dust and can then put it on clothes.
Gas dryers would burn such things complelety. However as described avbove gas is sirtier than electric in general and can cause soot when combusiton is not complete.
Natual gas should burn entirely blue.
Propane (bottled) gas has tell-tale yellow orange tips(CARBON!)no matter what.
Here is a GREAT way to get soot:
Propane system with a natural-gas tuned dryer. The flames will be HUGE and burn orange. SOOT galore.It happened to my sister. Sears REALLY goofed up. (she deifnitley ordered it READY for propane.)
I saw LIGHT coming out of the back and bottom of the machine. Then when listening to the machine,the flame ran for two minutes and cut-off. I knew right away what the deal was. She had to wash the drum our completeley of all the soot once the machine was adjusted. Good things the flames did not enter the drum!
IMHO the burning of gas gives off water vapor. This makes the dryer more gentle, esp at the end when the clothes are bone dry.
Cleanliness:
Electric dryers carbbonize lint and dust and can then put it on clothes.
Gas dryers would burn such things complelety. However as described avbove gas is sirtier than electric in general and can cause soot when combusiton is not complete.
Natual gas should burn entirely blue.
Propane (bottled) gas has tell-tale yellow orange tips(CARBON!)no matter what.
Here is a GREAT way to get soot:
Propane system with a natural-gas tuned dryer. The flames will be HUGE and burn orange. SOOT galore.It happened to my sister. Sears REALLY goofed up. (she deifnitley ordered it READY for propane.)
I saw LIGHT coming out of the back and bottom of the machine. Then when listening to the machine,the flame ran for two minutes and cut-off. I knew right away what the deal was. She had to wash the drum our completeley of all the soot once the machine was adjusted. Good things the flames did not enter the drum!
stoichiometric
LOVE that word.
Big fancy way to say *in proper proportion.*
An automobile's carbeurator has the function of stoichiometrically mixing air to gasoline in a precise 14.1 to 1 ratio for proper combustion.
The OI in Greek is a dipthong (not a thong, a dipthong) much like the EI in English. Makes the word IMPOSSIBLE to say in English.
[usually the first letter does the talking and the second one does the walking- i.e. elongates the sound of the first vowel.]
dictionary.reference.com
LOVE that word.
Big fancy way to say *in proper proportion.*
An automobile's carbeurator has the function of stoichiometrically mixing air to gasoline in a precise 14.1 to 1 ratio for proper combustion.
The OI in Greek is a dipthong (not a thong, a dipthong) much like the EI in English. Makes the word IMPOSSIBLE to say in English.
[usually the first letter does the talking and the second one does the walking- i.e. elongates the sound of the first vowel.]
Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words
The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years!
dictionary.reference.com
Dipthongs
It's all about the placement of the tongue.
It's all about the placement of the tongue.
One of the functions of a Venturi-jet is to pre-mix air (for the oxygen) into natural gas in the proper proportion. Secondary combusiton air is needed at the point of combustion.
Older gas stove top-burners got some air frrom BELOW the cooking sruface. New sealed top-burners tend to have very TALL grates to allow secondary combusiton air to get to the flame.
The venturi preceeds the orifice in the gas flow. Just past this is the (usually) adjstable air-flow shutter
(and y'all thought Queen Cloaca was a totally shallow B--ch.)
Older gas stove top-burners got some air frrom BELOW the cooking sruface. New sealed top-burners tend to have very TALL grates to allow secondary combusiton air to get to the flame.
The venturi preceeds the orifice in the gas flow. Just past this is the (usually) adjstable air-flow shutter
(and y'all thought Queen Cloaca was a totally shallow B--ch.)
Not totally,
your Majesty!
Love and laughter.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
your Majesty!
Love and laughter.
Lawrence/Maytagbear
Said: I'm scared to death of gas-operated appliances!
Said: I'm scared to death of gas-operated appliances!
I personally am scared to death of gas operated appliances, as the gas can EXPLODE, and blow the whole house sky high to smithereens.
For gasses to burn they must be perfectly stoichiometric (proprotioned) to the air. Too much or too little and NOTHING.
Just as with electricity (which is friend OR foe) there are internalized rules of safety for natural gas that become second-nature.
Just apply good sense!
Pulling the gas stove out from against the wall every 6 months to clean behind it puts a HUGE stress on the flexible connector. Not a bright idea! But we lived. LOL
Said: I'm scared to death of gas-operated appliances!
I personally am scared to death of gas operated appliances, as the gas can EXPLODE, and blow the whole house sky high to smithereens.
For gasses to burn they must be perfectly stoichiometric (proprotioned) to the air. Too much or too little and NOTHING.
Just as with electricity (which is friend OR foe) there are internalized rules of safety for natural gas that become second-nature.
Just apply good sense!
Pulling the gas stove out from against the wall every 6 months to clean behind it puts a HUGE stress on the flexible connector. Not a bright idea! But we lived. LOL
GRIN
Lawrence/ MB
Lawrence/ MB
cleaning behind the gas stove, constantly
That was my clean-freak mother who'd do that.
I insisted that I do it for her (when she go the urge), with a pliers nearby to cut off the gas ICE- In case of Emergency.
That was my clean-freak mother who'd do that.
I insisted that I do it for her (when she go the urge), with a pliers nearby to cut off the gas ICE- In case of Emergency.
you speak of having the proper mixture, take a look at the Myth-busters episode when they were trying to make a porta-potti explode! The idea was that the methane gas that builds up within the potty could cause an explosion if one were to present an ignition source within.
Well, as stinky as those things are, there was not enough methane in one to ignite. So, they tried to artifically place enough methane into the potty to find out actually how much was actually needed to make the thing blow up! They had to cover all the vents in the enclosure, and then inject the methane into the potty. They then presented an ignition source...They did this several times, but only ended up with a few pieces of smoldering toilet paper. The problem? First, they were too lean, then they were too rich...they were having a VERY hard time trying to get the right mixture to blow it up!
So, the myth that a porta potty could explode was busted, but it also shows actually how HARD it is to create a gas explosion!
Yes, there have been a FEW instances where homes were blown right down to the foundation, but these are very rare, considering how many homes there are that are equipped with natural gas appliances. If you are really worried about dangerous things, I highly recommend not traveling in a vehicle that uses roads, since approx 37,000 people were killed on public roads last year. Your chances of loosing life, limb or property out on the road is significantly higher than having an accident with natural gas...still, I believe you are going to continue driving your automobile, and will never own a gas appliance! We can't avoid dangerous things in this world, so just enjoy what modern technology has graced us with, and just be careful with it!!!
Well, as stinky as those things are, there was not enough methane in one to ignite. So, they tried to artifically place enough methane into the potty to find out actually how much was actually needed to make the thing blow up! They had to cover all the vents in the enclosure, and then inject the methane into the potty. They then presented an ignition source...They did this several times, but only ended up with a few pieces of smoldering toilet paper. The problem? First, they were too lean, then they were too rich...they were having a VERY hard time trying to get the right mixture to blow it up!
So, the myth that a porta potty could explode was busted, but it also shows actually how HARD it is to create a gas explosion!
Yes, there have been a FEW instances where homes were blown right down to the foundation, but these are very rare, considering how many homes there are that are equipped with natural gas appliances. If you are really worried about dangerous things, I highly recommend not traveling in a vehicle that uses roads, since approx 37,000 people were killed on public roads last year. Your chances of loosing life, limb or property out on the road is significantly higher than having an accident with natural gas...still, I believe you are going to continue driving your automobile, and will never own a gas appliance! We can't avoid dangerous things in this world, so just enjoy what modern technology has graced us with, and just be careful with it!!!
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