Tweet
Appliance Tip of the Week...
Dryer Basics - Dryer door won't catch properly...
Dryer doors have a latch and catch assembly that often wears out. Many are a plastic device, but some are made of metal. Usually a kit is available with both parts coming as a kit.
Dryer Basics - Blowing house fuse after the dryer runs for a while (same as tripping the house breaker after the dryer runs for a while)...
Q. We have a dryer ( could be any make! ) that is consistently blowing fuses after about 15-20 minutes. We have taken the dryer apart to check for clogs in the venting system and to check if the heating core was okay and they seem to be fine. Any ideas?
A. Blowing the house fuses? If yes....the dryer usually will blow a fuse right away if there is a problem in the dryer....more often than not a fuse that blows after the dryer has been running a while it is a fuse box issue. A test: Put 2 new 30 amp fuses in and run the dryer with the heat on for 5-10 minutes, turn off the dryer and quickly remove the fuses from the house fuse box and see if they are hot at all ( especially on the bottom )....if the fuses are getting hot they are probably melting the fuse link and not really blowing = fuse box problem.
As for most things there are exceptions....a grounded heating element -may- blow the fuse after the dryer has been on for a while, it is easy to test for that as well. See link here. A burnt/loose power cord/plug -may- also give this type of a problem.
Dryer Basics - Funny smell from a gas dryer...
If you are having trouble with a funny smell inside your dryer or on your clothes, consider this...have you painted or varnished anything inside the home recently? Your gas dryer uses a lot of air, not just the air that blows out the vent but the air used to burn the gas (natural or propane) as well, anything like paint fumes or varnish fumes in the air will be picked up in the air used by the burner flame and burnt....this is often described by customers as - burnt fabric softener smell ..... - burnt soap smell .... - burnt medicine smell. Open your windows, air out the basement/home as good as possible, most customers tell me this will go away after a week or so once everything is dried and all the fumes are gone. Remember, if you smell gas....turn off the gas valve to the dryer and call for service!!
A tip from ( Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Douglas ) - This is sometimes caused by the filter not being completely clean. By this I am referring to the clogging of the screen from the use of fabric softener sheets. The chemicals in these sheets will, over a period of time, impair the air flow through the screen and cause the "gas odour" to become prominent - not to mention the temperature to rise within the dryer. I clean my filter with soapy water and a tooth brush about every other month and it keeps this from occurring.
Dryer Basics - Ohming help and tips for the gas valve coils...
You can test the coils using a multi-meter. The two prong coil ( 4 and 5 ) will read 1,000-1,300 ohms, and the three prong coil will read 1,300-1,400 ohms across prongs 1 and 2, and 500-600 ohms across prongs 1 and 3.
Before testing the gas coils, unplug the clothes dryer or shut off the power at the fuse box or breaker panel to avoid an electrical shock hazard. Turn off the gas line to avoid a possible gas leak. When moving a gas dryer be careful not to damage the gas line.
On the gas valve are one or two coils (solenoids) used to open and close the valve to control the flow of gas. If a coil fails, gas will not flow and the dryer will have no heat.
Dryer Repair and Maintenance Parts
Related Linksjeff sr,
Dryer Basics - Dryer door won't catch properly...
Dryer doors have a latch and catch assembly that often wears out. Many are a plastic device, but some are made of metal. Usually a kit is available with both parts coming as a kit.
Dryer Basics - Blowing house fuse after the dryer runs for a while (same as tripping the house breaker after the dryer runs for a while)...
Q. We have a dryer ( could be any make! ) that is consistently blowing fuses after about 15-20 minutes. We have taken the dryer apart to check for clogs in the venting system and to check if the heating core was okay and they seem to be fine. Any ideas?
A. Blowing the house fuses? If yes....the dryer usually will blow a fuse right away if there is a problem in the dryer....more often than not a fuse that blows after the dryer has been running a while it is a fuse box issue. A test: Put 2 new 30 amp fuses in and run the dryer with the heat on for 5-10 minutes, turn off the dryer and quickly remove the fuses from the house fuse box and see if they are hot at all ( especially on the bottom )....if the fuses are getting hot they are probably melting the fuse link and not really blowing = fuse box problem.
As for most things there are exceptions....a grounded heating element -may- blow the fuse after the dryer has been on for a while, it is easy to test for that as well. See link here. A burnt/loose power cord/plug -may- also give this type of a problem.
Dryer Basics - Funny smell from a gas dryer...
If you are having trouble with a funny smell inside your dryer or on your clothes, consider this...have you painted or varnished anything inside the home recently? Your gas dryer uses a lot of air, not just the air that blows out the vent but the air used to burn the gas (natural or propane) as well, anything like paint fumes or varnish fumes in the air will be picked up in the air used by the burner flame and burnt....this is often described by customers as - burnt fabric softener smell ..... - burnt soap smell .... - burnt medicine smell. Open your windows, air out the basement/home as good as possible, most customers tell me this will go away after a week or so once everything is dried and all the fumes are gone. Remember, if you smell gas....turn off the gas valve to the dryer and call for service!!
A tip from ( Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Douglas ) - This is sometimes caused by the filter not being completely clean. By this I am referring to the clogging of the screen from the use of fabric softener sheets. The chemicals in these sheets will, over a period of time, impair the air flow through the screen and cause the "gas odour" to become prominent - not to mention the temperature to rise within the dryer. I clean my filter with soapy water and a tooth brush about every other month and it keeps this from occurring.
Dryer Basics - Ohming help and tips for the gas valve coils...
You can test the coils using a multi-meter. The two prong coil ( 4 and 5 ) will read 1,000-1,300 ohms, and the three prong coil will read 1,300-1,400 ohms across prongs 1 and 2, and 500-600 ohms across prongs 1 and 3.
Before testing the gas coils, unplug the clothes dryer or shut off the power at the fuse box or breaker panel to avoid an electrical shock hazard. Turn off the gas line to avoid a possible gas leak. When moving a gas dryer be careful not to damage the gas line.
On the gas valve are one or two coils (solenoids) used to open and close the valve to control the flow of gas. If a coil fails, gas will not flow and the dryer will have no heat.
Dryer Repair and Maintenance Parts
Related Linksjeff sr,