13 replies to this topic

[DryerKillinME]

Dear wise ones ...

Before you tell me my venting suxs, I have followed all the advice re: the dryer venting primer.  I even stuck the stoopid thing in the middle of my garage and let it exhaust on fellow dust bunnies.  Still took 3 cycles to dry one load.

Before that, I dissassembled that bad girl and took all the lint, bracelets, and bookmarks out of the bottom of the vent near the fan (reconditioned unit I purchased a few months back, apparently previous owner(s) lost some stuff down the lint trap).  Vacuumed her up too.

What about some power?  Well, I am getting 240 at the outlet and the element.  There is no continuity on L1 or L2 to the frame, so I assume no short there.  The element resistance is about 10 ohms.  I read somewhere that 8-12 was OK.  I believe the element is fine, so I started looking at the thermostats.

The three thermos I checked all registered continuity.  I cross referenced the part #'s with Sears and they seem to be the right ones.  Each thermo is getting 120V also.  I didn't check the centrifugal switch since I am already getting 120 on that circuit (according to the 240 I was getting at the element).

HELP, HELP, HELP - what did I miss?

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Something doesn't smell right here.  Drying is simple:  if you have heat and you're moving lots of air, you have drying.  Period.  Poor drying problems always come down to one of two things:  1) inadequate heat or 2) insufficient air movement.  Keep that in mind as you're evaluating your dryer.

What's the brand and model number?

[The Seven]

[user=247]DryerKillinME[/user] wrote:

(reconditioned unit I purchased a few months back, apparently previous owner(s) lost some stuff down the lint trap). 

Did the "reconditioned unit" work when you bought it?

If the heat element and power supply are OK, :)
but it is not HOT enough, :(
then one of the thermostats could be BAD by cutting OFF the heating power before its set-temperature.

[DryerKillinME]

Kenmore 11076891100

I think it is like mid-70's built?

[DryerKillinME]

The reconditioned unit never worked.  I tried to return it to the guy I bought it from, but all he did was stick on a different hi temp thermostat.

According to what I can figure out, it looks like Kenmore suggests a 225deg shutoff, and he put on a 250deg.  One of the other thermos is the suggested part (135deg).  The third thermo I cannot read, the lettering has faded too much (s/b 150deg).  But they all seem to work.

One interesting thing though - I get continuity between the series connected thermos and the frame when the unit is running.  But it is open when not operating, even if it is plugged in.  Does that mean anything?

[Mad Mac]

Check your element for a ground!

[XNSXMANNY]

get a good thermometer and turn your dryer on and check the tempature coming out the exhaust. check to see how hot it gets before cycling off and how cool it goes down before it cycles back on

[DryerKillinME]

Two questions...

1) How do I check the element for a ground?

2) What kind of thermometer do I use and what type of temperatures am I looking for?  (ok, that was actually three questions)

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=247]DryerKillinME[/user] wrote:

1) How do I check the element for a ground?

 
Use your multimeter to measure resistance from each heater coil terminal to ground (any unpainted surface on your dryer, such as the heater coil shroud).


 

2) What kind of thermometer do I use and what type of temperatures am I looking for?  (ok, that was actually three questions)

I use a K-type thermocouple that attaches to my digital multimeter.  Not as expensive as they sound.  You can get 'em at Sears for under $100.  You're looking for temp to cycle between 165F (cut out)  to 145F (cut in).

 

[The Seven]

[user=247]DryerKillinME[/user] wrote:

One interesting thing though - I get continuity between the series connected thermos and the frame when the unit is running.  But it is open when not operating, even if it is plugged in.  Does that mean anything?

The dryer is "LIVE" and any one touching it will be "DEAD"!:X

Sound likely part of the heating element touches the frame of the dryer intermittently. The internal overload operates to cut-out power to heater and the heating power is greatly reduced.

Do not use it until it is rectified. It can kill the user.:yikes:

[DryerKillinME]

uh oh ... the "DryerKillinMe" could be a reality!?!  So it's energized!  Thanks for the heads up.  Is there anything I can do, outside of calling the professionals, that you can think of that I could troubleshoot one last time?  Could it be a bare/broken wire or something I could trace if I popped open the whole cabinet.  Maybe I should just toss it - dunno.

What a bummer.  Thanks anyway -

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=247]DryerKillinME[/user] wrote:

Is there anything I can do, outside of calling the professionals, that you can think of that I could troubleshoot one last time? 

Yes:  unplug it and do the tests I prescribed previously so you can locate and correct the problem.

[The Wizard Of Odds!]

I use a " Meat Thermometer " that I bought at the parts supply place for around 7 dollars I pierce the vent tubing with it ( the part that takes the temperature is a shaft around 1/8 inch thick )

attached to a dial where you read the temperature.

that is what we used when I was a tech at Sears.

the hole in the vent tube is VERY small, I would not be concerned about it/

[The Wizard Of Odds!]

The model number tells me it was born in 1978