A clothes dryer or tumble dryer is a major household appliance that is used to remove the residual moisture from a load of clothing and other textiles, generally shortly after they are cleaned in a washing machine.
There are two general classes of rotating dryers: electric and gas. Both of these refer to the method used to raise the temperature of the air flowing through the tumbler, since the tumbling action is usually electrically powered.
The electric dryer generally uses a coiled wire that is heated with electric current. The amount of electric current is varied to adjust the air temperature. In the United States and other countries following USA wiring standards, electric dryers typically have a 4-wire NEMA 14-30 plug, rather than the 3-wire NEMA 5-15 plug used by most appliances, and need a 30-ampere, 240-volt centertapped single-phase circuit. Small "portable" clothes dryers, popular with urban dwellers, normally use conventional 110 volt connections.
