Put a tray under it and open and shut it real fast. If water comes out, it’s a water line. If you hear hissing and smell rotten eggs, it’s a gas line. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(Chances are you’re not gonna blow yourself up with a fraction of a second’s worth of gas leaking out, but for legal reasons this comment is a joke.)
If it opens but not closing anymore you have a problem. This can happen with old valves.
You could probably save money in the long run by purchasing a combo washer/dryer that dehumidifies the laundry and uses a heat pump. Watch for possible rebates starting next year.
I’ve yet to read a positive review of a combo washer/dryer, but I’ve admittedly only done a little bit of research. What model would you recommend?
Heat pump water tanks are amazing, especially in warm climates - its like air conditioning, but instead of moving heat from inside your house to outside, it puts that heat into your hot water tank.
I’ve never seen a heat pump dryer IRL. They must be new technology, and that makes me wonder if existing models are reliable?
If you’re worried about the combination which to be fair honestly I also would be I can at the very least recommend the Miele heat pump dryer. At this point I’ve had mine for several years and also convinced three other people to get it and all of us love it. The only thing that takes a little bit longer is particularly thick towels and even then it’s only maybe an extra 15 to 20 minutes.
When you first get it I promise you that you will think your laundry is not fully dry when it’s done, but it is. Humans are actually really really bad at sensing moisture our brain estimates it based on temperature and a heat pump dryer uses dry air and condensation from the cold side to not need anywhere near as much heat which is how they are able to use 1/4 the amount of power of a standard electric.
This is way better for your clothes it’s a lot gentler on them it’ll help them last longer especially shirts with designs on them they won’t become a cracked and damaged anywhere near as quickly. But it takes getting used to because it’s not going to be anywhere near as hot as your brain is used to dry laundry being so it’ll feel like it’s slightly damp but if you simply take it out of the dryer and allow it to cool fully then it’ll feel dry again because it’s back to what you’re used to for cooled down dry laundry.
A trick that my grandmother taught me because she would air dry laundry a lot and it has that same problem is to touch the laundry to your lips as your lips are significantly more sensitive than your hands and they will give you a better feeling for if it’s actually wet or not