Maytag Atlantis/Neptune dryer conversion to propane flame test.

[tecnopolis]

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I don't have gas service but I didn't let that stop me from setting up a second dryer in the garage.

Yogitunes sent me the conversion kit a year ago and I started the conversion process which is outlined in an older thread I had going on here at the time.  Unfortunately, other real life events took up my free time and this project sat in the corner.

I did need some additional hardware besides the conversion kit.

I first bought an inline fuel gauge to tell me how much propane was left in the tank. Nothing like running out of fuel mid load.  Second, I bought an inline fuel pressure regulator to equalize the fuel delivery.  Lastly, I hooked it all up to a standard gas hose that attached to the dryer. 

the instruction say to open the burner shutter until a yellow flame appears, then dial it back until just a blue flame or an almost all blue flame with a little yellow on top appears.  

So here is my first video showing the setup.  The noise you hear is some change stuck under one of the drum baffles that I need to remove, so please disregard the clickety clacking.

 

 

[tecnopolis]

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Sorry, my embedded video shows up in my preview, but not in my post, so here is a link to it.

 

[foraloysius]

Did you use the embed code? The normal link works for posting videos here.

 

[combo52]

Great Demonstration

There is always a way to get an extra dryer going, only real problem is, if you are using propane cylinders like you use for the grill you are paying about $10 per gallon for propane.

To dry a full load of clothing it will cost a least a dollar to more than two dollars in fuel.

 

[henene4]

I don't know a lot about gas systems. Could somebody please explain me why there needs to be a conversion done and what the final differences are? I just can't think of anything that would be needed to change. Thanks by now already!

 

[arbilab]

Substantial difference in BTU/CuFt between natgas (methane) and tank gas (propane). Forget which is which. To get proper heat switching between them, orifice size has to change.

 

[tecnopolis]

I'm not sure of the science behind it. I just followed the instructions included with the conversion kit. 

As far as the cost per load goes, I'm ok with it since it's only going to get occasional use.  

It was also cheaper than having an electrician come out and run a new 220v line as our regular laundry room is in the house.

A large portion of our electric bill is taken up by heating and cooling costs. You spend all this energy cooling your home only to have your dryer suck in the air, circulate it for all of a few seconds and then dumps it to the outside.  This causes a drop in pressure inside your home pulling in hot/cold outside air thru every crack and gap making your HVAC system work that much harder.  

With the dryer in the garage it can suck up all the non-air conditioned air it needs without running up my electric bill.  The dryer still vents to the outside thru a temporary set up I have with an extendable dryer periscope vent and some flex hose.  

 

[arbilab]

Propane is the higher energy, by more than twice (per cu ft) than natgas. So the propane orifice is smaller than the natgas orifice for the dryer to see the same BTUs.

However, propane is so much more expensive than natgas, propane costs twice what natgas costs per BTU.

Natgas contains propane and butane. The bulk of it is methane. It takes more refining to produce propane alone.

Propane is much easier to liquefy than natgas. This is why it is better as a 'portable' fuel. One would struggle to lift the amount of steel necessary to contain liquefied natgas at room temp, about 4 times more than propane.

For vehicles which are already heavy and the added tank weight is little consequence (like a bus), liquefied natgas makes much more economic sense than propane.