Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Dryer quit working

Collapse

Forum Top GA Ad Widget

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Dryer quit working

    This one happened to me 2 months ago and I'm still kicking myself over it as i write the check to pay off the new unit.

    About 3 months ago, my dryer started to trip the breaker after 10 minutes of running. After a little screwing around with it, i decided to unplug it and plug it back in which solved the problem.

    A month later, the same issue happens, except this time, my trusty "unplug and plug back in" method has failed.

    I do some googling and find a few different options on how to fix the issue depending on the problem.

    Several options stated that the dryer may have gone bad or that there were loose connections or the breaker had gone bad etc.

    Seeing as how the whole box and breakers are brand new, I went ahead and crossed the breaker issue off the list.

    I tightened down the connections inside the plug and from the electric dryers power supply as well. No luck

    At this point, i figured the dryer was just shot. I bought it used and was already a few years old so it didn't strike me as strange.

    As I'm looking for a new used dryer to get me by, i decided to go and purchase a new breaker just to make sure, cost me $15.00. I figured i'd try to replace it before buying a new one just to say i tried the simple solutions.

    Got it home, hung it on the doorknob and forgot all about it thinking that it couldnt be that simple and the breakers are still pretty new, why would they go bad.

    I find a new to me used dryer and payed $250 for it with delivery. A few days later it is delivered and they offered to take away my old one for free. This i agreed to so i didn't have to mess with it.

    I hook it up and get it situated and turn it on. It starts running so i immediately turn it off thinking the problem has been solved.

    The next night, it was time to do some laundry...

    After 10 minutes the breaker trips...again.

    This tells me it wasn't the dryer but something electrical and then i remember my $15 purchase.

    After 10 minutes of fiddling around in the dark replacing the breaker, i got it installed and closed up and to my disbelief it ran for the full cycle and ran like a champ for the rest of the night...

    Because i kept telling myself that a simple $15 part couldn't be the problem i ended up shelling out an extra $250 to replace and already working dryer! i tried to see if they still had the old dryer but sadly they had already shipped it out for refurbishing...

    So next time, i will make sure i try the cheap and simple options well before i start looking to replace.

    Hopefully someone learns from my mistake. If not, maybe someone will find it more amusing than I did when I realized my error.

    New homeowner gets schooled 5 months into his first house by a breaker... Still cant believe it.

  • #2
    if a circuit breaker repeatedly trips it will weaken. It operates off a thermal principal of a bimetal contact. the other option is instantaneous trip due to an overload. most dryers operate at 27 amps or below. another contributing factor is wire size. 10 gauge is minimum however, #8 would also work. Its amperage carries a higher amp rating -- 40.

    Comment


    • #3
      The post says that when the problem first appeared they unplugged the dryer then plugged it in again and that resulted in a temporary fix.....

      If that was the case I would also suspect that there may be a loose or burned connection in the plug itself.

      Comment


      • #4
        Lazypup, I suppose anything is possible. loose connections attribute to high resistance which increases current flow. I'm just surprised the plug or receptacle hasn't melted by now.

        Comment


        • #5
          About 2 weeks ago my mom called me and said her drier would run but wasn't putting out any heat. I immediately though the heating element was bad, but when I went to her house I checked the fuses in her fuse panel and found 1 of the 2 fuses was blown. I replaced the fuse with a new one and everything was fine.

          Comment


          • #6
            Tcanuth:

            That's called "learning the HARD way".

            Comment


            • #7
              I always had bad experience with dryers. Don't know, but it's good to read others can fix it properly - I'll ask you next time.

              Comment

              Working...
              X
              =