I have a Whirlpool dryer. Probably at least 15 years old, it was here when I moved in.
Two weeks ago it stopped working. Not entirely - it still turns on, spins clothes and blows air. But there’s no heat.
The heat comes from natural gas.
From reading a bit, it sounds pretty convincing that I blew the thermal fuse on the dryer. I mean, it still turns on, spins, blows - but no heat. That fits a thermal fuse blow, right?
Is this something I could change out myself? I’m not terribly handy. I mean, I am an engineer, but I’m a chemical one. I don’t mind technical stuff, but I couldn’t fix your car. I’m way more comfortable with electrons than I am with moving parts.
My other option is to call in a repair-person from Sears or something. This isn’t horrible, but I suspect it would cost at least a few hundred dollars.
Opinions? Should I just bite the bullet and have it fixed by a professional? Or might this be an easy fix?
Some idiot (:smack:) ran our drier without the lint filter in place, causing a sock to get stuck in the “squirrel cage”. The hardest part was figuring out just how to dismantle the thing to get at the “guts” ("Oh, those screws too? And the two hiding under that thing! :rolleyes:).
Most likely, half an hour finding and removing the 15 or 20 screws that hold all the outside panels on to get at the fuse (DON"T DROP ANY!), and 30 seconds to replace it! :eek:
I had the exact same problem with my dryer. A Kenmore. Through the magic of YouTube I found a whole series of videos showing me EXACTLY how to fix the problem. Too easy. Total cost $35.
I’d suggest culling the internet for advice before biting the bullet. If you can’t find an exact solution, do a YouTube search for Kenmore dryer. The basic dryer design must be pretty similar.
Worst case scenario is you’d dismatle your dryer and not be able to fix it. Then have to call the repair guy anyway. Should save you a little on labor, as you’ve done the front end work yourself!
Just a note - That doesn’t have to be the thermal cutout, it could also be a faulty gas valve (do you hear a ‘thunk’ when it tries to fire up?), a faulty igniter (either glow plug or sparker, 15 year old is probably not a pilot light), a faulty flame sensor (Fireye or FireRod), a bad control board, a stuck or broken exhaust air-flow sensor, a kinked or crimped exhaust (vent) hose, or a faulty humidistat or timer control.
I guess it could be a bad thermal cutout as well
ETA – Repairing any of the above should not be a problem, dryers are fairly simple devices, as long as you pay attention to what you are doing, and diagnose the problem properly. Also, make sure you unplug it, and cut off the gas supply before working on it. Be careful not to damage the flexible gas supply hose, or the exhaust (vent) hose.
I had a dryer blow a thermal fuse while it was still under warranty, so I had the service guy do it even though I was perfectly capable, and I watched the action. The actual fix was easy, the hard part was access because it was located in a tight spot. It was a matter of a few screws with shorty screwdrivers and an open end wrench.
Get yourself a cheap $10 multimeter. If it has a continuity beep, use that, otherwise just set it for resistance. Disconnect the thermal fuse by unplugging its two wires. Measure the continuity of the fuse. If it beeps (or if you are using resistance then if it measures a very low resistance) then it’s good. If it doesn’t beep (or measures a very high resistance, i.e. no connection) then it’s shot. Replacing it is as simple as unscrewing two screws and pulling it out. It’s very simple.
Some dryers have two of them. If you don’t know what you are looking for, the electrical diagram (which should be inside the dryer somewhere once you take it apart) will usually show you the wire colors leading to it.
On some dryers, at least one of the thermal fuses may be in series with a temperature regulating thermostat. If the one that blew is in series with a thermostat then when it blows it usually means the thermostat died and needs replaced as well (the thermostat dies so that it sticks shut, the dryer overheats, and it takes out the thermal fuse).
Thermal fuses cost less than a buck to manufacture, but expect to pay about $15 for one.
$15 for the fuse and $10 for a cheapie meter are a lot cheaper than calling the repairman.
Go to Repair Clinic.com. This is a Detroit area company that sells replacement parts. They also have breakdown pictures and instructions on how to replace those parts and diagnose the problems.
Yes, you could change a thermal switch quite easily. But it could be that the gas valve is not opening. You need to know how to listen to the dryer start and observe what happens. Does the valve not open or open for a short time and shut down. Could be the solenoids in the gas valve are bad or the valve itself. Diagnosis is the key here. Still, a do it yourselfer can afford to throw parts at something and still come out ahead in the long run.
I would not advise the inexperienced to change the gas valve itself because of the large amount of gas that flows there and the risk of explosion. It can be done carefully. If you check for leaks afterward, you’d be OK.
Don’t count on it. Reassembling something that someone else has dismantled is more vexing, and sometimes more time-consuming, than doing the complete disassembly and reassembly oneself.
On the load it failed - The dryer started out properly. There was heat and whatnot.
When I went to take out the clothes they were still a bit damp. I noticed, in the dryer drum - there’s a little housing type thingy in the back. There was a quarter wedged in between this little housing thing (not sure what it is) and the drum.
The lint trap seems clean, overall. I’m pretty good about cleaning the screen before every load.
Still waffling between trying to fix it myself or just calling a repairman. Either way, there’s a trip to the laundromat this weekend. I tried “drying” without heat, it doesn’t work. I ended up air drying the last load on racks in my closet. It took like two days.
I am the least handy person in the world, and I almost got it done. Except it was the temperature coil, and I couldn’t get to it, so I had to call the guy. But checking the thermostats and the fuse out with a multimeter and replacing a bum one is a piece of cake.
Of course, I have an electric dryer – I would never have tried it with a gas machine even if the fault had nothing to do with the gas line because I’m way too clumsy to be safe. But as long as the repair isn’t in the gas system, a normal person who takes safety seriously should do OK.
I’d also like to add a vote for “try to fix it yourself” and under no circumstances should you try to call a repair man.
When our dryer crapped out after 11 years, I could not figure out what the problem was, and not being handy like yourself, I tore it apart and tried to systematically fix it. As others have said, the hidden screws and other fasteners will drive you to insanity because all dryer manufacturers apparently only hire truly evil engineers who have never experienced the anguish and horror of trying to disassemble their own products.
That said, assume you destroy the dryer completely trying to fix it. Now, compare the cost and headache of having the jerkoff from Sears or other repair place out to fix it. He will be there sometime between 9 and 5 on a weekday that you will have to take off work and charge you a minimum (large) fee just to walk in the door if its not under warranty, which yours (like mine) surely is not. Then whatever the part is that is bad will cost you a small (large) amount and will take 6 weeks to come in because it’s only manufactured in a small town in Pakistan two times a year and you just missed the last manufacturing cycle. Meanwhile, a visit to a discount appliance store, especially with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend sales, will likely yield a brand new dryer for the same price with a new warranty. Toss the broken one up on Craigslist or Freecycler and someone will be by in 30 minutes to haul your nightmare away and make it theirs. At least…that’s what I did.
