If I have 2 dryers the same but on gas and one electric can I take the gas dryer and make it electric from parts taken from the electric dryer? Or will the controls off the gas dryer work on the electric?

 

Why not just use the electric? I have never done it nor know anybody that has done it before, but I think it would be more trouble than it is worth.

What is wrong with the electric dryer?

 

The gas dryer is coin operated and I need a electric coin operated dryer. The dryers are the same but the gas dryer has a coin operated control.

 

I am sure anything is possible. You would need the entire wiring harness from the electric dryer since you have to convert a 115V gas to 240V electric. I am thinking the timer assemblies for gas and electric dryers are different though. The timer in your coin-op gas dryer may not work on the electric. Then you would need to figure out how to convert the wiring from the electric dryer to work with a coin-op timer. The wiring for a coin-op dryer is considerably different than an ordinary dryer. I haven't worked on very many coin-op dryers, but they do seem quite different, at least in the controls and wiring. The internal mechanics are almost the same.

 

I guess I need to open them both up and look at it. It seems like it wouldnt be to hard to just convert the heating part of the dryer. Just have the control to fire up the gas turn on the electric heater. Im not sure what controls the on and off part of the gas heater, there must be a solinoid valve in there. Maybe the wire running the gas solinoid hook it up to a electric solinoid to power up the 220V heater.

 

michaeljp86,

The electrical scheme is totally different between a gas and electric drier.
The gas uses a single capilliary thermostat to control temerature and the electric use a series of heat chamber mounted "klixon" type thermostats wired to the timer to control temperature and also provide overtemp protection.

Even if the basic chassis is the same if you are not intimately familiar with how the safeties work and should be wired it would be possible to miswire it and have a fire.
You also have to ensure that the wiring was installed exacly as it was at the factory.
It would be easy to have an unsafe job by not properly fastening the wiring to prevent rubbing or pinch damage.

 

Dryers are too cheap to screw around with something like this.

 

Mitch17, $700 is not cheap to me. A coin operated electric dryer will cost me about $700 with tax. A used apliance place will give me maybe $50 for a used coin gas dryer.

 

$700 is cheap compared to the expense and effort it will take to make the conversion.

 

Mitch17, your probably right, I thought it would be farily simple but I never really thought about thermostats. $700 is what I didnt want to spend but it sounds like it would be a big pain in the arse. I had no idea how exacty they worked but I thought it wasnt so complicated which is why I asked.