At One Place

Clothes dryer vs Water heater

Clothes dryer vs water heater
Water heater is larger on weight
Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on weight — about 1.1×.

A clothes dryer and a water heater can be compared on 5 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

Side by side

Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.
Clothes dryer Water heater
Weight 40–80 kg 40–100 kg
Height 85–110 cm 120–180 cm
Typical lifespan 10–16 yr 8–15 yr
Typical cost 400–1,600 $ 500–2,500 $
Power draw 1,800–5,500 W 3,000–5,500 W

What the numbers say

  • Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on weight — about 1.1×.
  • Water heater is 1.5× clothes dryer on height.
  • Clothes dryer is somewhat greater than water heater on typical lifespan — about 1.2×.
  • Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on typical cost — about 1.3×.
  • Water heater is 1.5× clothes dryer on power draw.

Weight compared.

Water heater 40–100 kg
Clothes dryer 40–80 kg

Clothes dryer

A heated rotating drum that dries laundry, vented outdoors or condensing internally.

Water heater

A tank or on-demand heat exchanger that supplies hot water to a building.

This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

Common questions

Which is bigger, clothes dryer or water heater?
Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on weight — about 1.1×. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.
How do clothes dryers and water heaters compare on height?
Clothes dryer: 85–110 cm. Water heater: 120–180 cm. Water heater is 1.5× clothes dryer on height.
How do clothes dryers and water heaters compare on typical lifespan?
Clothes dryer: 10–16 yr. Water heater: 8–15 yr. Clothes dryer is somewhat greater than water heater on typical lifespan — about 1.2×.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place
  2. Residential Energy Consumption Survey — US Energy Information Administration (Public domain (US Government))

How these figures are compiled and checked