For homeowners, electric clothes dryers are a blessing. Even though they can survive for many years, they occasionally experience minor issues. Such problems may stop your dryer from working correctly. As a result, even after the drying cycle, your clothes can still be damp. This post will examine some of the most typical issues with electric dryers, paying close attention to the sections that frequently break down.
What Issues Affect Electric Clothes Dryers the Most Frequently?
When electric dryers malfunction, the following parts are frequently to blame:
- heating component
- Heat-sink fuse
- thermostat that cycles
- Maximum-setting thermostat
- system of ducting
You’ll need to conduct a little testing and troubleshooting to identify the problem. You may also contact dryer vent installation and repair Gainesville, GA, for further information.
How to troubleshoot a faulty electric dryer
Before starting, keep in mind the following advice on how to troubleshoot a faulty electric dryer:
- Don’t forget to unplug the dryer from the power source.
- Your closest companion is the owner’s manual. For information on reaching, removing, and replacing particular parts, refer to it. After all, the brand and model may impact the precise removal and reinstall procedure.
- Before using the multimeter, calibrate it and set it up correctly. The manufacturer’s instruction manual should contain all the details you require.
- Always remove the desired testing component from the dryer.
- Before making any modifications to your dryer while it is still under warranty, we advise you to call the manufacturer. Tampering with the device can be against your warranty’s terms.
Ensuring your safety should be your primary priority. If in doubt, halt your work and get in touch with a qualified repair technician.
Top five electric dryer problems and their solutions:
It can be a huge hassle when the dryer stops working. Commonly, dryers encounter the five most common problems. These five common electric dryer problems will help you troubleshoot issues and get your dryer back up and running.
A broken heating element
The heating element in electric dryers is in charge of warming the air inside the drum. As an aftermath, the dryer takes so much time to dry your clothing, linen, and other materials. The heating element frequently breaks down over time and with frequent use. If this occurs, your dryer might not heat up sufficiently to dry the items. As an alternative, the heating element could overheat and provide a safety risk. You must use an ohmmeter or multimeter to test the heating element for continuity to determine whether it is operating correctly. It should ideally show a read between 20 and 50 ohms. It is evident that an element is no longer functional, and you must replace it if there is no continuity.
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Blown thermal fuse
A small safety device, a thermal fuse, is often located in the back cover panel, within or on top of the exhaust duct. The purpose of a thermal fuse is to stop fire and flames. The fuse will trip as soon as the dryer starts to overheat or reaches a specified temperature. However, this method may prevent your appliance from operating correctly. For instance, it might not provide enough heat to dry the clothing. Therefore, even after drying, your clothes might still be wet or primarily moist.
You need to test the fuse with a multimeter to see if it has blown. Set the multimeter to the lowest RX setting to start. Repeat the operation on the left side after touching the suitable multimeter to the correct fuse terminal. The resistance reading on the multimeter should be zero, or the multimeter needle should move accordingly. If not, you likely have a thermal fuse that has blown.
Remember that the thermal fuse is typically a single-use part, which means that once it trips, you can’t use it again. You certainly need to change the fuse instead.
A defective cycling thermostat
The cycling thermostat is in charge of controlling the dryer’s internal temperature. The heating element is turned on and off to maintain the desired temperatures. When the thermostat malfunctions, it will no longer be able to maintain an even temperature or sense the temperature accurately. The dryer can overheat or fail to turn off when it should.
Using a multimeter, you can determine if the cycling thermostat is damaged or not. Attach the test leads from the multimeter to the appropriate wire connections. If the reading on display is shown as infinity, the thermostat is defective, and you need to replace the thermostat.
Problem with the high-limit thermostat
Two different dryer thermostat types are frequently found in contemporary dryers: cycle thermostats and high-limit thermostats. When the dryer overheats, the high-limit thermostat is intended to monitor the temperature and turn off the heating element. If it has crashed, the element can continue operating for too long or produce unsafe heat levels.
Test the high-limit thermostat as a cycling thermostat to see if it is operating correctly. If the multimeter shows a reading other than zero, one needs to replace it with a manufacturer-approved replacement item.
Obstruction in the Duct system
Electric dryers come in two varieties: vented and ventless. As you might have imagined, a vented device needs a venting duct to function.
In essence, the ducting system operates by expelling the heated air outside. Therefore, if the dryer’s ducts are blocked, heated air will become trapped inside them and overheat. Additionally, you might discover that your garments feel hot to the touch after the drying cycle or dry too slowly. Additionally, the dryer may even give off a burning scent. In the worst instance, it might potentially cause a fire. Make sure to clean the ducting at least occasionally to avoid these risks.
Additionally, it entails removing any accumulated lint, dust, grime, and other undesired particles. Ensure the flexible ducting is properly straightened and not twisted if it is composed of flexible material.
An Important Reminder: Make Sure You Remove the Lint
If you make it a point to clean the lint frequently, you could prevent a wide range of dryer issues. The primary purpose of a dryer’s lint trap is to collect lint. Without routine cleaning, lint will build up, obstructing unrestricted airflow and reducing drying effectiveness. In other words, your dryer will have to work harder and take longer to dry the clothing, which could result in a sharp increase in your electric cost.
More importantly, lint buildup is a significant factor in dryer fires. Therefore, you may significantly lower the risk of fires and keep you and your family safe by cleaning the lint trap or screen after each load of washing.
If your dryer isn’t heating up like it used to, or it’s just not drying your clothes the way it should, try troubleshooting these common problems. With a bit of detective work and some simple fixes, you may be able to get your electric dryer back up and running in no time!
