Electric Dryer went out

  • Thread starter ADMIRALSTOCKDALE
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ADMIRALSTOCKDALE

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It's an old sucker. Probably 12 years old. I assume it's the element though not sure why I would assume anything??
Can I buy the element at Lowe's/HD?

edit: i meant it's not heating. everything else appears normal.
 
yeah, i'm gonna do that when i get home, but even if that's what caused it i'll still need a new element, right?
 
It could be the element, but I doubt it. More likely a defective switch, blocked exhaust, overheat sensor, etc. 12 years isn't that old for a dryer. I just replaced one that went about 25 years before the motor gave out. Parts are readily available online from any number of sources. Some sites include full parts diagrams, diagnostic flow charts, etc. The inside of a powered-up electric dryer is no place to poke around diagnosing a problem unless you know what you're doing, but I'm sure you already knew that.
 
how can i tell if it's one or the other - the element, a switch, etc.?
 
Wow ... only 12 years old. That's not old at all for a dryer.

We got ours in 1985 and it's still going strong. Of course, now I've jinxed it ...
 
Dude, start with the obvious; the circuit breaker. in a 220 dryer, there are two breakers...one turns the motor, the other powers the heat. It's possible "half" the 220 circuit blew. Ofter the two switches are tied together so when one blows it takes the other with it, but not always.
 
Buy a multimeter
unlpug dryer
test various connections
the one that doesnt register is the one thats broken
 
i didn't have a lot of time to jack with it last night, but i did check the breaker which was fine and cleaned any connections i saw and did clear debris from the exhaust. i even found a dollar bill! the element appeared to be in good shape - nothing overtly wrong - and since i wasn't able to delve deeper i just hooked it back up to see if i lucked out.
think maybe the thermal fuse??? we'll see... thanks, guys.
 
A similar thing happened to me about a year ago. The drum would still rotate and all, but no heat. Since it was still under warranty, I called for a service call. The repair man came out and tested the 220V outlet (3-prong) where the dryer was plugged in and turns out that one of the breakers in my service panel was bad. Not the electrical panel in my garage, but the main service panel outside my house where the power line comes from the power meter. The repair man couldn't fix that due to liability reasons, etc. So I did a little research and bought a new breaker for about $5 at Home Depot, and VERY CAREFULLY (i.e. with the power turned off at the power meter) changed the breaker and voila, the dryer was working again.
 
i started off trying to save a few bucks but i might just be better off spending $400 on a new dryer, as i don't think i'd be comfortable making any repairs beyond that which is contained within the machine.
 
just did that repair last night.

1) check your breakers
2) prolly the element. check it for obvious cracks. If not its the thermostat.
3) Order the parts online. The local parts shop (lowes wont carry stuff like that ) will charge you 90 bucks for an element while online its 50.
4) chech your airflow. Most of the time the stat/element will fail b/c of restricted airflow. If you dont fix that problem you will be doing the repair again in a couple of days
 
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