We really didn't need a new dryer. It was the washing machine that quit, after all -- the dryer still worked fine. Still, when you get a new washer, particularly one of the HE3 Elites, it is pretty hard not to succumb to the temptation to just upgrade the pair.
For more on the background to this, please see my review of the Kenmore HE3 Elite Front-Loading Washing Machine at
http://www.epinions.com/content_115084398212
But the dryer is what we are talking about here so lets get to it:
The Kenmore Elite Electric is a dryer I ended up with due to an error by the sales clerk at Sears. I told him on the phone before driving down there that I wanted the gas dryer, not the electric. He said he had one in stock to go with our new washer, so I bought it, thinking I had the gas model.
Now, when one installs a new washer and dryer, what does one usually do first? If you said "Why, you remove the old ones first!" you would be correct. I dragged the old washer dryer pair out of the house first, then went in and unpacked the new gear in my garage. The dryer was the electric model, not the gas! I called our fine local Sears outlet immediately and told them they had given me the wrong dryer. Instead of hemming and hawing about, Sears asked first if I had a 220 Volt outlet in the laundry. We do.
"Do you have a cord?" (Most electric dryers do not come with the power cords; they have to be purchased separately because of the multiple plug configurations found with different amperage 220V services)
"No, do you have one there."
"Sure, come on down and we'll give you one to use while we get your gas dryer ordered."
That, Dear Reader, is service. You know, any human at any time can make an error. The key thing is, what do you do to fix it.
Essentially, Sears gave me a free cord to use while waiting for our new gas dryer, and then offered to come and install the gas one when it arrives and take back the electric model without complaint. So, at least we can get our clothes dry while waiting for the new gas dryer.
Now, about the dryer. First of all, the tub is huge. 7 cubic feet vs. 5.9-6.0 seen in conventional dryers.
The tub in the dryer is deeper front-to-back. It looks like they basically took a large tub and built the machine around it. Both of the machines, btw, are deeper front to back than conventional home laundry machines, and may not fit into all laundry spaces. You will need about another 5 inches front to back in order to install the HE3 dryer. This will probably only affect those with "laundry nooks", those little spaces you see in apartments and such, but it is crucial that before buying one of these units that you measure to ensure the dryer will fit.
I am a firm believer in the the theory that whatever you can get into your washer must also fit into the dryer. So far, the theory has held up with the new HE3. Any load we have been able to get into the washer has also fit into the dryer and been efficiently and quietly ridded of moisture.
For instance, I am currently drying a full-size sleeping bag without difficulty. Sleeping bags and comforters are about the biggest things we ever wash and the dryer can handle them without complaint.
Installation:
The dryer is easy to install if you understand how 220V circuits work. If you do not, do not attempt to install this or any electric dryer. Essentially, a 220 volt circuit is comprised of 2 "hot" legs, each 110V and 180° out of phase, and a neutral. You should measure ~220VAC across the hot legs and 110 between each of the hots and the neutral. If this makes sense, proceed. You pull the access cover off of the rear of the dryer and will see 3 terminal lugs with phillips head screws. Remove them and attach the two hot legs of the cord to the outside ones and the neutral to the center. If you have a 4-wire plug, the remaining wire goes to the frame ground. The instructions are pretty clear, but I always check the outlet to make sure that the readings are correct and that the supply was properly wired. You do the same, okay? If you put the wires in the wrong spot, you will be in for the shock of your life.
If you are going to install one of these permanently, I advise prospective owners to check the strain relief clip provided with your cord. The reason is that the sheet metal rear panel has been formed with a downward tilt at the cord inlet port. The strain relief clamp that came with the cord from Sears simply does not fit into the opening. A trip to the hardware store would find one that would, but I will only have this dryer here for another week, so I didn't worry about it. Permanent installations are a different matter, so if you are a do it yourselfer, take a look at the layout and make sure the strain relief device you have fits.
There are no shipping bolts in the electric model dryer. After wiring, all I had to do was remove the shipping tape and the documentation from the tub, set the stationary drying tray on the side and start drying. (NOTE: The same is NOT true of the washer. You MUST remove shipping bolts from the washer before plugging it in! Read the directions)
Controls follow the same design as the washer. The various drying cycles are selected by pressing one of a circular array of push buttons. Then you press and hold the start button to get things going. Just like the washer, there is a solid-state LED display showing the approximate time left in the drying cycle. A selectable volume end-of-cycle alarm is also featured as well as an indicator that tells you how much moisture is being detected in the load.
You can also select temperature settings manually if you wish.
The stationary tray device is a nice touch for drying shoes, hats, etc., and the lint filter is conveniently located directly inside the door opening.
In operation, the dry is pretty quiet -- not as eerily silent as the washer -- but quiet enough. All in all, our laundry room is a much more peaceful place now that the new equipment is on the job.
There are a few things about the dryer that should be mentioned as possible detractors. First, the thing is expensive as heck. $857 for a dryer is really steep, and there is no way this thing is going to pay for itself in energy savings at that price. If you are spending that amount of dough on a dryer, you have to be able to admit to yourself that a large part of the money you are spending is going toward esthetics and the convenience of a larger drum. I have no problem with this, but it should be mentioned.
Next, the dryer, while very nice, does not live up to the level of quality found in the washer. The tub is a conventional, plasticky looking drum, pretty much like any dryer. The rear panel is a black sheet metal stamping as opposed to the shiny and stout rear panel found on the matching washer. You can really tell the difference by looking at the back panels of the machines, side to side.
Finally, these units, both the washers and the dryers, are short and stubby, meaning you really have to bend down to get stuff in and out. Sears sells a matching pedestal for each machine that gets them higher off the floor, but they cost $150 apiece and you need two of them. For us, it just wasn't worth the extra money to get the pedestals. One bright side of this "stubby" thing is that you can actually stack the dryer on top of the washer if you wish. There was a kit included with the dryer for just that purpose. It consists of some strips of adhesive cushioning and and some brackets that hold the pair together. I am not sure whether we will do this or not once we get the gas-model dryer, but at least it's an option that would save floor space and make loading and unloading the dryer easier.
Well, that about wraps it up. Once I get the gas dryer in, I will probably write a review of that too. As I finish this, I should mention that I just pulled that big sleeping bag out of the dryer. It took maybe an hour to dry fully, just a little longer than it took to wash. With our old laundry machines, the whole process would have been noisy and painful. With the Elite HE3 pair, I will have 2 large sleeping bags washed and dried in less time than it took to write and edit this review. I like writing reviews and I do not like doing laundry. Anything to make the latter easier suits me fine, and this machine does just that.
