"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
03/03/2016 at 11:10 • Filed to: None
1
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
03/03/2016 at 11:10 • Filed to: None | 1
| 36 |
UPDATE : I decided to pull the dryer apart. Again. But this time, I had my boys help me, so at least it was a bit of a teaching moment. Turns out one of the temp sensors was indeed bad. I’m going to replace them both. Thing is, one of them (not sure which) failed almost exactly one year ago ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , to be precise). The first sensor lasted 12 years. The second one lasted 1 year. Is this going to turn into an annual project?? There is also a temp sensor on the exhaust vent. I wonder if I should go ahead and replace it too, since I’m in there. “Since we have to pull the water pump to get to the timing belt.....”
Not a whole lot in there....
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
My electric dryer is not heating. Again. In its history, I have replaced the heating element, and a year or so ago I replaced the temp sensors. That’s really all there is to these things. I have tested the element for continuity, and the element is good. So, it’s likely one of the temp sensors or the overheat sensor. Last time I had it apart, I replaced them all with new ones, OEM as far as I know. But to test them, I’ve got to pull the drum, and that’s a PITA.
So here’s the deal. The dryer is almost 14 years old, and I’m bloody sick of taking it apart, though at least I know what I’m doing. I’m considering just getting new W/D set, since these are both the same age. What do you think, Oppo? Should I spend another day or two futzing around with the dryer, or is it time to put this thing out to pasture? I’m pretty sure I can fix it, but is it reaching EOL?
It’s a Kenmore, btw.
PushToStart
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 17:37 |
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your choice. a lot of the stuff on the market is shit now, too. you’ll probably have problems with it within 2-4 years.
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ttyymmnn
> PushToStart
03/02/2016 at 17:38 |
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Great. I would probably go back to Sears.
Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 17:41 |
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I just bought a very nice used W/D from Craigslist for $125 for my daughter up north in school. Can’t see buying new appliances.
Is gas an option?
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ttyymmnn
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/02/2016 at 17:42 |
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The house has gas, and I believe there is a valve behind the dryer. If a gas dryer breaks, though, I won’t be digging into it myself.
Spaceball-Two
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 17:44 |
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When we bought our house 6 years ago there was an old washer and dryer set in the garage. There were loud and used a lot of water but were much more reliable than the front loaders we bought. I wish wasn’t so hasty to sell them on CL for a quick buck. I say keep em. The new stuff has a shelf life for sure.
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ttyymmnn
> Spaceball-Two
03/02/2016 at 17:47 |
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That’s part of my conundrum. The dryer, aside from the electronics, is drop dead simple. It’s a hassle to fix, but it’s fixable. I’m afraid anything I buy now would be difficult to service myself, and nowhere near as well-built as what I have now.
4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 17:54 |
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I’ve just bought a new washer machine and dryer (LG and Bosch respectively), and the difference from the old is vast. My washing machine has direct drive rather than a belt and motor config so it’s super quiet and doesn’t wobble and rattle all over the place when it’s going full chat, and it even notifies me on my phone when its finished it’s cycle so there’s no leaving your work clothes in the washer overnight. It takes half the time the old one did while accepting an extra 2KG wash load. The dryer has a sensor-dry function which is remarkable insofar that it actually works on all dry settings, unlike any other sensor dryer I’ve used before, and it’s double the energy efficiency of our old dryer. I never thought I’d get excited about stuff like washers and dryers, but the new stuff really is a world apart from anything over 8 years old and I’m more than happy to do the laundry at the moment. Dare I say it’s even fun.
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Spaceball-Two
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 17:54 |
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I find the new units are made so that if you can't fix it a tech will come and charge parts and labor for what a new unit costs. I suggest repair the one you have until it just plain dies.
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ttyymmnn
> Spaceball-Two
03/02/2016 at 17:57 |
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And the thing is, as long as you know how to take it apart, it will never really die. You just keep giving it an organ transplant. I’ll probably try to get it stripped down tonight so I can get parts in the morning.
*Sigh*
Boxer_4
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:02 |
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Here’s a silly question: does your house have a fuse box connected to the outlet used for the dryer?
We had a Maytag that didn’t produce heat a few years ago, and we figured out that one of the cartridge fuses leading from the outlet was bad. We believe those fuses were original to the house (built in 1966), since the cardboard insulator body literally disintegrated when we pulled the fuse. We replaced both cartridge fuses (one for each outlet), and we’re still using that dryer many years later.
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ttyymmnn
> Boxer_4
03/02/2016 at 18:07 |
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I don’t think so. And the dryer is running, it’s just not heating. The dryer gets power from one of those huge, triangle-pronged cords (I’m sure there’s some sort of technical name for this). So, since the dryer is running, but not heating, that the house power issues are not in play.
Chariotoflove
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:07 |
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It all comes down to how much time do you want to spend fixing this thing. Your labor saves you $$, but how much is your time worth? We bought a new Kenmore a few years back, and it’s been doing well. If you do get a new one, the key thing is to do the research and buy a model that’s been around long enough to have plenty of reviews. I wouldn’t be too afraid.
One last thing in case you don’t already know this: the key to keeping a dryer alive is blowing out the duct a couple times a year so lint doesn’t clog it up.
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Spaceball-Two
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:09 |
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Good luck!
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ttyymmnn
> Chariotoflove
03/02/2016 at 18:10 |
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As for the value of my time, I’m a stay-home dad and spending hours on the dryer only keeps me from other household chores. And Oppo :)
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ttyymmnn
> Spaceball-Two
03/02/2016 at 18:11 |
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Thanks. Not exactly how I planned to spend my evening......
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Spaceball-Two
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:14 |
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Never is. I got home from work the other night and Mrs. Spaceball had two nightstands and a baby bouncer waiting to be assembled. I just grabbed a beer and got to work.
It’s what we do.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:14 |
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I bought a new set last fall when the washing machine started making strange noises (and not working and shredding my clothes), I don’t regret it. There was even a $75 energy discount with our local utility company. My previous set wasn’t so trashed as I spent the time doing repairs if needed. I gave that set to my dad and kind of regret it.
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ttyymmnn
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
03/02/2016 at 18:16 |
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I probably have less time to go out and research W/Ds than I do to fix this one.
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ttyymmnn
> Spaceball-Two
03/02/2016 at 18:17 |
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Except that I’m trying to lose weight and not drinking during the week. :/
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Spaceball-Two
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:18 |
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I hear ya. Drinking juice and playing with tools just doesn’t have the same flair.
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ttyymmnn
> Spaceball-Two
03/02/2016 at 18:19 |
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I may still put one or two in the fridge for when I’m done. I rode my bike 10 miles today, so I’ve got some calories in the bank.
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Spaceball-Two
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:22 |
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There you go!
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Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:23 |
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Line dry, or line freeze then.
E92M3
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:31 |
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With each year new products are made with worse quality than the products before it. From furniture, to appliances, computers, to cars. I’m starting to become a connoisseur of older stuff myself. They just don’t build em like they used to.
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Boxer_4
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:32 |
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Ours was running, too, but not heating. If you have cartridge fuses, they should be in-line with the outlet wiring wise. It’s typically older houses that use cartridge fuses for things like this.
Also, power should be removed from the circuit before pulling cartridge fuses (at least at the circuit breaker preferably the whole house). These fuses are typically 30-50 amps, which is nothing to mess around with.
That cord is probably a
NEMA
(National Electrical Manufacturers Association) 10-50, where 50 is the number of amps the outlet is rated for. A typical household outlet is usually a NEMA 5-20, unless it’s an old house like ours where we have NEMA 5-15 outlets.
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Chariotoflove
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:39 |
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Well then, as someone who reads your posts, that’s a tough call. :P
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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 18:41 |
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This would be a good project for us to tackle when we see each other. Gas is better than electric, IMHO.
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ttyymmnn
> Boxer_4
03/02/2016 at 18:43 |
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No, no cartridge fuses.
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ttyymmnn
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/02/2016 at 18:45 |
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We’ll see. I’m going to tear down the dryer tonight so I can get parts early tomorrow morning. You’d love my hardware store, btw. Super old school place. Their motto is, “Together, we can do it yourself.” It’s all the way across town, but worth the drive.
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Boxer_4
> ttyymmnn
03/02/2016 at 20:00 |
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It seems odd that one of the sensors you replaced might have failed, but it does happen.
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ttyymmnn
> Boxer_4
03/02/2016 at 20:31 |
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I just got through pulling it apart. Of the two temp sensors on the heat box, one is bad. I’m going to replace them both. On the plus side, I had one of my sons help me take the dryer apart.
yitznewton
> ttyymmnn
03/03/2016 at 11:19 |
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Our gas dryer was spinning but not heating... I bought all the normal parts except for one more rarely-to-fail one, and it still didn’t work. Finally called a repair guy to get it done, and sure enough it was that part. At least we got to replace all the parts at once.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> ttyymmnn
03/03/2016 at 11:22 |
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Odd that it would last as long a period as a year and yet as short a period as a year. I wonder if the control board burned it or something screwy like that.
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Chariotoflove
> ttyymmnn
03/03/2016 at 11:27 |
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Maybe you just need to start buying clothes with alternate care options.
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ttyymmnn
> yitznewton
03/03/2016 at 11:35 |
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Last time it broke, I bought a multimeter. I use maybe 1% of its functionality, but that 1% allows me to test for continuity on the sensors and heating element. That way, I know exactly which part is broken.
Birddog
> ttyymmnn
03/03/2016 at 11:41 |
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Our apartments at work (15 units) started having dryer failures similar to this over the last ~2 years. Household grade units seem to last 10-12 years before you start throwing parts at them on a regular basis. Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana, and whoever builds Kenmore this week aren’t what they used to be.
I started replacing them (and the washers) with Speed Queen Commercial units.