When you buy a new dryer, you can usually pay a small fee to have the appliance delivered and hooked up. But you can also undertake installation yourself. The job is quite simple if the laundry area is set up for the machine.
All clothes dryers need an electrical outlet for the electric motor; gas dryers use a conventional 120-volt receptacle, but electric dryers need a 240-volt receptacle because this also supplies power for the heat. A gas dryer involves connecting both a gas supply and a vent to the appliance.
During installation, be sure the circuit breaker to the dryer's circuit is turned off and that the gas pipe's valve is closed. Dryers are designed to operate on flat, level floors. After positioning the appliance, check the top for level. If necessary, turn the adjustable feet at the front of the unit to properly level it.
1. To hook up a gas dryer, turn the gas off at the shutoff valve. Wrap the threads of the gas supply pipe with pipe-wrap tape (use the type made for gas connections), and then tighten a stainless-steel connector onto the pipe. Thread the flexible gas supply pipe onto the connector and the dryer's gas valve, and tighten both connections. After turning on the gas, check for leaks by mixing a 50/50 solution of dishwashing detergent and water, daubing this onto the connections, and watching for bubbles.
2. Fit metal duct piping onto the vent connector at the wall, and, using elbows along with lengths of straight pipe, run the vent to the dryer's outlet. Drive 3/4-inch sheet metal screws through the pipe into the flanges to hold the vent pipe in place. Wrap joints with duct tape. Note: Be sure the vent of a gas dryer exhausts to the outdoors.
3. Plug in the dryer. An electric dryer will have a large, 240-volt plug like the one shown. A gas dryer will just have a conventional plug. Push the dryer into place, leaving a couple of inches on each side for air circulation.
