LG DLG5966 Gas Dryer: A Benevolent Monster in Our Laundry Room

Nothing went wrong with the old washer and dryer: no explosions, no floods, no mangled laundry. Nope, it's just that they stayed at the great (formerly) white elephant on the edge of the prairie when we moved to Houston. All of which left a gaping hole in the laundry room, exactly the right size for a brand-spankin' new matched set. We did the Consumer Reports thing, read reviews here, and checked the ads. We wanted gas (believe it or not, the electric power rates in the "energy capitol" are some of the highest in the country); we wanted enough capacity to dry king-size comforters, and we wanted dependable. CR says LG dryers (and washers) have an above-average repair record, which is good. The Ms wanted a large-capacity set so that we can wash and dry comforters at home. The DLG5966 has a capacity of 7.3 ft³ - big enough for a king-size comforter - and it comes in both gas (DLG5966) and electric versions (DLE5966). We got the gas model - along with a matching large-capacity LG WM2455 front-loading high-efficiency washing machine.

Dryers have come a long, long way in the fourteen years since we bought our last dryer, an electric Kenmore. One such distance is the cost: that Kenmore was well under $400; the LG was pushing $1000 even though The Great Indoors was running a 15% off sale. They've also come a long way mechanically, though some things still haven't changed. Of course, this one has the space-age look we've come to expect from front-loader pairs like the LG - I almost expect Rosie the Robot to unload the Jetsons' clothing from it instead of my socks. But in the long run, it doesn't matter what a dryer looks like; what really matters is what jobs it does and how well it does them. On those counts, we're quite satisfied.

What we wanted was a efficient large-capacity gas dryer. What we got was a versatile, efficient,  large-capacity gas dryer. Here's the "tale of the tape," so to speak:

Capacity: an "extra-large" 7.3 ft³, which is large enough for a king-size comforter. It's paired with a 4 ft³  washer (an LG WM2455), so it has to be big enough to handle a full wash load from that large front-loader.
Stainless-steel drum: this tough material resists scratches and chips from metal buttons, rivets, or zippers on clothes; or the occasional coin (or small tool) left in a pocket. It also has a higher heat capacity, so requires less energy to keep your clothing warm through the cycle.
LoDecibel® operation: This baby is quiet! Our old Kenmore sounded like a cement mixer, but you can barely tell this one's running without looking through the door's window at the tumbling clothes. What LG doesn't mention, though, is that the beeps - a charming set of tunes and chimes - have only two settings: loud and off.
Sensor Dry: a sensor in the exhaust stream determines how much moisture remains in the load. This lets you specify a desired dampness/dryness level of the clothing when the cycle is complete
Variable Heater: the heater output is stratified, with a high-temperature zone in the middle of the drum area and cooler air around the perimeter. Clothes dry by tumbling through the hot zone. With a variable heater, the temperature and size of that zone of hot air can be controlled.
 
Controls are electronic, with soft-touch buttons and a master "Dial-a-Cycle" selector dial. The dial selects among the nine basic cycles, and the push buttons tweak the settings. The automatic cycles - those that use the dryness sensor - are:

• Heavy Duty for large items, heavy work clothes, jeans, and the like
• Cotton/Towels for non-permanent press garments, cloth diapers, towels, sheets, etc.
• Normal for... well, duh.
• Permanent Press with a built-in cool-down period so that perma-press clothing isn't still hot when it finishes drying (which sets wrinkles)
• Delicate for those items that are supposed to be dried "in a cool dryer" per the care instructions - mainly synthetics.
• Ultra-Delicate ummm, must be for teeny-weeny delicates?

Plus three manual cycles, for which you can set a timer:

• Speed dry: high heat in a timed cycle for small loads
• Air Dry: no heat applied; only tumbling action - as for items that will shrink with the slightest heat. I also use this setting as a "freshen" setting to remove wrinkles
• Freshen Up: a timed (defaults to 30 minutes) heated cycle for wrinkle removal

Tweaks: three one-touch buttons cycle through presets for several different options per cycle. The three buttons are
:
Drying Level: five settings, from damp dry through very dry
Temperature Level: five settings, from Ultra Low to Very High
Drying Time: (for manual setting) 20 through 60 minutes, with an additional control for more or less time

Additional Drying Options: LG provides additional custom options using a four-button control panel. These options include:

Rack Dry: a stationary rack (provided with purchase) allows drying items that shouldn't be tumbled, such as tenny-runners or stuffed animals
Damp Dry Beep: a short signal to let you know that the load is damp so you can pause it and remove items that you want to hang to finish drying or iron while they're still damp.
Wrinkle Care: for three hours after a load finishes, the drum will periodically turn for several minutes - this is supposed to keep wrinkles from setting without over-drying the clothing.
Anti-Bacterial: ultra high heat for diapers or other bacteria-sinks.

Other features:

Flow Sensor: keeps track of the volume of air going through the exhaust, and provides a graphic display to let you know when the ductwork is clogging (or clogged).
Drum Light: lets you look inside the drum without using a flashlight
Reversible Door: the see-through door can be hinged on either the right or the left. Either way, it locks during the drying cycle.
Child Lock: I don't much care 'cause my kids are canine, but there is one.

Options:

Colors: available in white, pearl gray (electric only), titanium; colors are about $100US more than white
Pedestal: available as an extra-cost (about $200US) option; adds storage room under the unit and raises the door to a more comfortable level (about two feet).
Stackable: stacks on matching washer with optional stacking kit; the works ends up about seven feet tall.
Matching Washer: matches either the WM2455 or the WM2355 4.2 ft³ washer.
Gas or electric power: gas costs extra; about seventy dollars. Statistically speaking, though, it costs significantly less per load than an electric version (depending on your local rtes, of course)

Living with the LG DLG5966 gas dryer: First things, first: besides being a large-capacity dryer, it's a large dryer - the footprint is only a little larger than conventional-size dryers we've had in the past (27" wide by 28" deep), but the body is taller (39"). There are a few things you have to get used to with this style of dryer. One of them is that the door swings (it's hinged on the side) instead of lowering, so if you're in the habit of using the dryer door as a sorting table you'll need to adjust. It's also lower to the floor - which is probably why so many people get those ruinously expensive (about $200 each) pedestals. My back is almost ready to get a pair, however...

Our gas dryer is rear-vented - we could've gotten a side-vent kit (left only) at an additional cost of about $45 or $50. It operates on natural gas, but a conversion kit for LP (liquid propane) is readily available if you live in an area without natural gas but want a gas dryer. The vent hose is included in the sale price, but the gas supply line is not (I hear that the electric supply line isn't, either, but cannot confirm).

It's an attractive unit (ours is the basic white instead of one of the more vibrant colors), with its stainless-steel drum and the chrome trim around the door window and on the control buttons. Controls and the display panel are mounted at the top right of the front, above the door. It makes lots of cute chiming noises as you set the controls, and plays a merry little tune when it's finished doing its thing. The dual LED display (green) shows cycle status and remaining time.

The lint trap is large, and mounted at the bottom of the door opening for easy access and cleaning.

The proof of the pudding, of course, is how well it performs. I have absolutely no problems with performance. Programming is quick and easy, though the automatic (sensor) cycles are almost always sufficient for the task. The drying sensor has performed flawlessly during the time we've owned the DLG5966, and the quiet operation is a blessing. With a large-capacity drum like this 7.3-ft³ monster, we've found that large items - especially sheets - don't get as tangled as they have in smaller drums. On our old Kenmore, the sheets would get all balled up (with a towel or some socks in the middle of the ball) and parts would still be damp even though the sensor thought the load was dry. We've not encountered this problem, even when drying queen-size fiber-fill comforters.

Based on our experience, I heartily recommend the LG DLG5966 Gas Dryer.


See our matching LG WM2455H washing machine.