A gas dryer uses a burner bar similar to the burner found in the oven of a gas range. The burner bar consists of two rows of holes through which the gas passes to produce the double row of flames that produces the heat to dry your clothes. A pilot light flame or an electronic ignitor may be used to ignite the gas passing through the burner-bar assembly. Whether and how long each flame stays on depends on the make of your dryer.
Manual Pilot Light vs. Electronic Ignition
Older-style clothes dryers have a fixed-flame pilot light that burns continuously, even when the dryer is not being used. Modern dryers have some form of electronic ignition that eliminates this continuous flame, which consumes energy and produces heat even when the dryer is not being used.
Burner Bar Flame
The burner-bar flame burns throughout the drying process, cycling on and off to keep the dryer at its preset temperature. The flow of gas to the burner bar is controlled by a solenoid-controlled valve, with the solenoid being controlled by a temperature-cycling thermostat. (A solonoid is an electromagnet used to control a device such as a valve.) Once the timer reaches the "off" position, the flame goes out.
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