How to Troubleshoot Your Electric Dryer – Part Two
If your dryer takes an hour or longer to dry clothes, here is what to do. First check your vent and ducting that goes outside of your house. If there is a clog or some type of obstruction it can cause your dryer to improperly heat. Check your heating element too; sometimes just a part of the heat element can burn out. In this case your dryer would still heat up, but it would take a longer period of time to dry your clothes. If your heat element is burned out in one section, you should replace it. Your dryer also has internal ductwork. If this gets clogged, then your dryer will not dry properly. In most dryers you will have to actually disassemble it to get to the ductwork. However, you can check for clogs by removing the lint filter, and use a flashlight to inspect the ductwork. You can use a vacuum to suck out the obstruction. A less common problem is the cycling thermostat. The cycling thermostat is one of the thermostats that control the temperature in your dryer. If this breaks it can cause your dryer to take longer to dry clothes, if it is broken you will need to replace it.
If you notice your dryer is getting noisy, there are five things that you can check: the rollers, idler pulley, glides, rear drum bearing, and the blower wheel. Most dryers use wheels, or rollers to support the drum. When the wheels are worn out, they tend to be noisy. If this is the problem, you should replace them as a set. The idler pulley keeps tension on the drive belt, and when it gets worn out, it can be noisy. You should replace that if it is worn out. Dryers use either plastic or nylon glides, located at the front of the drum, for support. Again, if they are worn, replace them. Some dryers have drum support by using a center spindle instead of wheels. The spindle could be a shaft through a sleeve style, or a ball and socket type. When these get worn they can make an awful squeaking or squealing sound. They cannot be repaired, just replace them. The blower wheel pulls air over the heat source, through the drum, and past the thermostats, and then it is pushed out through the exhaust duct. The blower wheel, usually made of plastic, can wear out. If it's noisy, it's probably clogged with lint. Clean out the blower, re-install it, and see if your dryer still makes noise. If it does, you will need to replace this part.
Do your clothes smell bad when they come out of the dryer? If you aren't cleaning out your lint trap after every use, you could be having small lint fires in your dryer cabinet. These fires can leave a smelly odor in the clothes drum. If there are any sorts of paints or lacquers in your home, your dryer can amplify the scents to one that is not like the natural fumes given off from the paint, lacquers, etc. First clean up all the lint that you find in the cabinet and ducting of your dryer using a vacuum. You should move any flammable liquids at least thirty feet away from the dryer. Next run a couple loads of old rags to try and eliminate the odor.
Here is my last tip to troubleshoot your electric dryer. If your clothes get marked up or torn by your dryer you can check the rollers, rear seal, the front glides and front seal. As I explained earlier, your dryer uses rollers, or wheels to support the clothes drum. When they get worn out they can cause the drum to drop slightly. It can pinch the clothes that are between the top of the drum and rear of the dryer. When the rollers wear out you should replace the both of them. Your dryer has a felt seal at the rear of the dryer drum. If the seal gets torn or worn out, clothes can get caught in that space between the drum and the back of the dryer interior. You will need to replace it if you notice it is worn out or missing. Your dryer might use plastic glides at the front of the drum for support. When these get work they can also cause the drum to drop down, and again, pinch the clothes in the top and front of the dryer interior. Replace these as a set if that is the reason your clothes are getting marked up or torn. The last thing you can check is the front seal. Just like the felt seal at the back of the drum, your dryer has a seal at the front of the drum. If it is worn your clothes can get caught in that space between the drum and front of the interior. Replace it if that is the case.
I hope that after reading this article that you know how to troubleshoot your electric dryer, or at least what is wrong with it. Remember this important note, that if you need to do repairs on any appliance, that you need to unplug the machine first. Otherwise you could damage your appliance, and it could do serious damage to you.
by Jimmy Balcum
Gloss