Dryers are classified as heavy-duty devices, but is that true? Does it apply to all dryers, or are gas dryers different? How Many Amps Does A Gas Dryer Use?
Gas dryers use as little as four amps. According to SFGATE, the average gas dryer consumes 150 watts of electricity. Considering the average US household voltage of 120v, the gas dryer uses 1.25 amps.
If you’re struggling to choose between gas and electric dryers, gas dryers will come out on top because they use fewer amps. Keep the following in mind:
1). Electric dryers are called so because they run on electricity. Even though these devices are quick and easy to use, they have significant electrical requirements, which is not surprising. According to Energy Bot, most of their energy becomes heat – the rest runs the motor and fan.
They use an average of 3,000 – 5,000 watts. This amounts to 25 – 41.6 amps for 120V and 12.5 – 20.833 amps for 240V.
2). You must understand electric dryers to make sense of the appeal of gas dryers. Unlike electric dryers, their gas counterparts use gas. Electricity plays a role in their operations. For instance, they need some current to run various components, including the fan, drum, and lights.
But their electrical consumption is still smaller than what you encounter in an electric dryer because gas is their primary fuel. They use the same concept as electric dryers. The goal is to remove moisture from wet or damp clothes by generating heat.
However, the electrical consumption of a gas dryer is only a ⅓ of what you observe in electric dryers.
Some people are too paranoid to embrace appliances that run on gas. However, the gas in question is perfectly safe. Not only is it odorless, but it doesn’t poison the environment. If your objective is to save money, I recommend gas dryers.
They have a significant advantage over electric dryers, which use metal coils to generate heat.
Admittedly, you have to understand that the cost of buying a gas dryer is higher, at least initially. Additionally, some people live in places where the price of natural gas fluctuates. Therefore, gas dryers might be cheaper to operate for some people but not others. Keep that in mind before you make your decision.
How To Find Out The Gas Dryer Amperage?
Gas dryers are fascinating because manufacturers use BTUs (British Thermal Units) to express the amount of power they use. However, the BTU does not accurately represent the dryer’s output.
Direct Energy has highlighted the fact that the heat in a gas dryer turns on and off during a drying cycle. Therefore, even though your appliance promises 22,000 BTU per hour, it won’t use that much during any given cycle.
Nonetheless, the BTU will give you a rough idea of a gas dryer’s energy consumption. According to Choose Energy, most gas dryers have a rating of 20,000 to 25,000 BTU per hour. You don’t have to calculate the BTU.
Check the model plate on the gas dryer. It will tell you everything you need to know, including the BTU. If you can’t see the BTU on the appliance, check the documentation that came with the dryer.
You can also consult the manufacturer. Send them a message with the dryer’s serial number. If you can’t find the serial number, send a picture of the dryer. Someone will help you.
But finding the BTU is only part of the equation. The most important step is converting the BTU to watts. You find the amp rating of an electrical appliance by turning the watts into amps. Gas dryers are tricky because they don’t have a wattage.
But Learn Metrics has solved that particular issue by revealing that one BTU equates to 0.293 watts. Once you know this, you can convert any BTU into watts. Just multiply the BTU by the watts.
Once you secure the watts, you can use any online watt/amp calculator to change the wattage into amperage. But those online calculators will ask for the voltage. Do you have 120V or 240V? It matters because you get the amps when you divide the watts by the voltage.
Many online platforms provide BTU – Watts calculators. They also publish BTU/Watt conversion tables. You can use any method that suits you to calculate the amps.
Why Do I Need To Know The Amps Of Gas Dryers?
You need to know the amps because gas dryers are dangerous. Like every other appliance in your laundry room, you may start a fire if you connect the gas dryer to a small circuit. Most homes use 15A and 20A circuits.
The total amperage of the appliances shouldn’t exceed the rating of the circuit. If it does, the breaker will trip, depriving the circuit of power. If the breaker malfunctions, the wires will overheat, and a fire will start.
This is why the amperage matters. It allows you to determine whether or not the circuit can accommodate the gas dryer. If it cannot, you can either invest in a weaker dryer or upgrade the circuit.
I suggest you install a dedicated 20A circuit in the laundry room. But you don’t have to limit yourself to a 20A circuit if it’s too small to run the washing machine and gas dryer.
The size of the load should dictate the size of the circuit. For instance, a 4A gas dryer can run on a 20A circuit. But if the washing machine uses 20 amps, operating both devices simultaneously will trip the breaker. You would be better off using a dedicated 30A circuit.
Every decision you make here starts with the amperage of the dryer and washing machine. Without the amps, you cannot select a suitable breaker size.
Let’s check the electrical requirements for some famous gas dryers!
| Brand | Circuit |
| LG Dryer (LG-dlg7401ve) | 15 Amps (Gas), 30 Amps (Electric) |
| Samsung Gas Dryer | 15 Amps (Gas) |
| GE Gas Dryer (GFD55GSSNWW) | 8 Amps |
| Whirlpool Gas Dryer | 15 Amps(Gas), 30 Amps (Electric) |
| Maytag Gas Dryer | 15 Amps |
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