17 replies to this topic

[heatedup]

Whirlpool dryer question . popping circuit breaker. . heater element comes on, then stays on during normal cycle .. will not turn off until circuit breaks. . is quite hot. . . it will run all day on "air fluff" mode. . so the motor/drum seems fine. . what happened was the thermal fuse went out about a month ago .. dryer wouldn't run at all .. i replaced it, then dryer ran fine until a few days ago . .started doing what i've described above .. seemed to be heat element to me, replaced. .didn't fix, replaced high limit thermostat and thermal cutout on housing, didn't fix. . .ideas?? Thanks!

[kdog]

Does it still heat with the door open and the motor shut off ?

[heatedup]

No, it only heats up when placed on a normal cycle, either timed or "auto-matic" deal. . then it spins and starts heating as normal, will shut off if i open door, but the element does not turn off. . gets hot, pops circuit breaker..
thanks for quick response

[RegUS_PatOff]

... but the element does not turn off. .
... gets hot, pops circuit breaker..

1) Cycling Thermostat may be "stuck"
http://www.repaircli...sp?R=154&N=2893

 

2) although, it shouldn't blow the Breaker if it does stay ON...
and you said there's is no heat in the Air-Fluff Cycle ?
It may also be a weak Breaker

[heatedup]

1. you know, the cycling thermostat is sort of bent up on one side, on account of not having two holes to screw into, only one. . perhaps that is causing an issue. .

2. correct, no heat in "air fluff" mode, but dryer runs fine and does NOT trip circuit breaker..

for what it's worth, i've attached some pics. . thanks

 Picture 001.JPG   58.71K   13 downloads

 Picture 002.JPG   64.73K   12 downloads

[RegUS_PatOff]

Cycling Thermostat # 8

[Strathy]

The dryer element is warping or sagging when it gets hot. Pull the element out (1 screw on each side of the element and remove the high temp thermostat), and take a look at it. You will likely find the either the center plate of the element is warped or the coil has sagged. It will look something like this: http://neighboursapp...ng-element.html. If you see that - or if you see anywhere that it appears to have touched the housing or center plate (black spots where the coil is close to the housing or center plate) in the past, then replace the element assembly.

Edited by Strathy, 21 December 2011 - 09:26 PM.

[heatedup]

Well, i've replaced the heating element with a new one, but unfortunately it did not fix the issue. I have attached photos of the old heating element that i replaced.. it does not appear particularly warped .. thanks

 Picture 003.JPG   65.5K   14 downloads

 Picture 004.JPG   60.18K   15 downloads

[Strathy]

Nope - the old one is good. Nice and straight ... not like the ones in the photos I showed. I don't like the cycling thermostat being the problem because you said it continues to heat even when the door is open and it is blowing a breaker. This points more to a short or a grounding situation.

OK ... this is dangerous, but this is what I would do to narrow it down. Essentially we want to find out if power is being supplied to the element from L1 or L2 or both when it is off. You have to be very careful doing this - consider yourself warned ... 240v will do damage to you.

***Unplug the dryer.***

Take one of the red wires off of the heating element - does not mater which one. Bend it out of the way so that it is not close to any ground.

Plug dryer back in.

Turn unit on - it will not heat, but should be sending power to the red wire you have disconnected and to the terminal that you took it off of. Check that - put one lead on the wire that is out in the open and the other on the terminal. You should be seeing 240 volts there. Now open the door. As you said the element continues to heat even though the unit is not running. Now check those points again. Do you have 240 volts? If not, then check each one to ground. Do you have 120 volts on one side? If so which side? With this information we can decide if the power is coming through the motor (centrifuge switch) or the timer.

Please don't electrocute yourself.

[RegUS_PatOff]

... it spins and starts heating as normal, will shut off if i open door, but the element does not turn off.

what shuts OFF when the Door is opened ?

[heatedup]

what shuts OFF when the Door is opened ?

the entire dryer shuts off when i open the door, as normal . .and . .Strathy, when i open the door the heating element DOES shut off as well...

[Strathy]

Oh - ok. Do the same thing. Pull one wire off the element and run it. Does it still blow a breaker? Then reattach that wire and pull off the one from the other side of the heater. Does the breaker still blow?

If not, then you need to get an amp-probe on first the black line and then the red line to see which side is drawing the high amps that are blowing the breaker.

[john63]

<<<the thermal fuse went out about a month ago>>>

*******************

Has the *cause* of the failed THERMAL LIMITER been identified?

Was the dryer taking twice or three times as long-to-dry before the THERMAL LIMITER failed?

In *most* cases---this is caused by a partial or complete blockage in the vent system.

Start/run the dryer with rear exhaust vent disconnected.

Is the air flow at the rear exhaust *strong*?

If no---there's an obstruction in the BLOWER HOUSING that needs to be cleaned/removed.

If yes---check the rest of the vent system from the duct that was disconnected behind the dryer---all the way to---the outside vent hood of the home.
If this vent system is very long in length and /or *buried* in the wall of the home---a professional vent cleaning company should be consulted to FULLY clean-out the unseen/unreachable portion of the vent system.

**************************

<<< heater element comes on, then stays on during normal cycle .. will not turn off until circuit breaks. . is quite hot.>>>

**************************

Yes---the HEATING ELEMENT and the area around it can become---seemingly---alarmingly hot. This is normal.

Is there *any* other area of the dryer that seems out-of-the-ordinary hotter than before?

If observed---from *behind* the dryer---will the HEATING ELEMENT cycle on & off----ever?

NOTE: If this dryer has been taking an abnormally l-o-n-g time to dry laundry----for weeks-on-end...
And...
Your whole house circuit breaker/fusebox is more than 10 years old...
The CIRCUIT BREAKERS may have less-than-tight wires that need to be tightened (electrician) again to prevent tripping continuously under a "load".
or...
The CIRCUIT BREAKER is worn/faulty.

Edited by john63, 22 December 2011 - 12:52 AM.

[heatedup]

Before the thermal fuse blew a month ago, the dryer was drying as normal. The exhaust is a short 4' run to the outside, and it's verified clear and is blowing well out of the dryer. At the time i replaced the fuse, I cleaned some trash out of the blower fan/lint trap assembly that had built up. At this point, as you asked, I don't suppose I completely understood what blew the fuse, only that it needed to be replaced as the dryer wouldn't turn on at all . . it ran for about a month as normal after that until a few days ago. . please Note. . I have NOT replaced the cycling thermostat mentioned above. . the other thermostats have been replaced

No other area of the dryer seems out-of-ordinary hot other than the element and housing. .

And yes, i have observed the dryer cycling with the back panel off so i could watch the heat element. . it stays on when you start a normal load until the circuit breaks. . you can open the door and it shuts off ..

[RegUS_PatOff]

Dryer Cabinet must be fully assembled for correct air-flow

Check the temperature at the Dryer Vent:

Dryer Vent

Vent should be rigid metal.
Short lengths of flexible metal may be OK, if not crimped when moving the Dryer into place.
NO plastic
NO PVC
NO screws
Foil Duct Tape is OK.
With an empty load, Timed Dry, High Heat, the vent temperature should cycle somewhere between 135F and 160F
Check / clean the Dryer Vent
Disconnect the Dryer Vent and check for good air-flow there and where it exits the house.
Check the Vent air temperature at the back of the Dryer.

 

[john63]

<<<it stays on when you start a normal load until the circuit breaks. . you can open the door and it shuts off ..>>>

********

"until the circuit breaks"---------> Does the house/home 30 AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER trip?


Or is the dryer CYCLING THERMOSTAT turning off the HEATING ELEMENT after 3 to 4 minutes of run time?
If so---I believe RegUS had the correct answer in post #4

Edited by john63, 22 December 2011 - 05:46 PM.

[jumptrout]

And yes, i have observed the dryer cycling with the back panel off so i could watch the heat element. . it stays on when you start a normal load until the circuit breaks. . you can open the door and it shuts off ..

The cycle thermostat and the high limit thermostat are both in series with the heater. Either one should control the temperature to cycle the heater off. The control thermostat senses exhaust duct temperature. The high limit senses element duct temperature.
Even though the high limit has been replaced it may be bad.
The control thermostat can be verified using the thermometer as Reg U.S. described.
You should also take a amp reading on the heater while running.
As someone else stated,it may be a weak breaker.

[DurhamAppliance]

Sounds like a grounding issue but I would first replace cycling thermostat as well as main fuse. Cycling Therm and Main fuse should be replaced as a tandem much like Hi limit and thermal cutoff. We had customer with similar symptoms. It was caused by multiple failures, replaced all therms and finally noticed that a penny somehow got wedged against the main fuse and blew circuit once heated.