ATOT handymen help needed - dryer

[dfuze]

I could use some help from the resident ATOT handymen (or women ) as my electric dryer stopped working yesterday while I was at work. You can move the dial for the settings but pressing the start button doesn't do anything, no sounds at all. I thought it may be a blown fuse, but the wife checked the panel and said it was on still. When I got home I put my voltage tester (plug in tips into socket and lights up if power) and it lit up.

The dryer (I think Hotpoint) itself is about 13 years old, but has had no prior signs it's life was coming to an end. Is there any internal fuse in them? Or is it just a sudden death of an old appliance and time to get a new one?

EDIT: Whirlpool model LER4634EQ0

 

[edro]

You will have to remove the back (or side) panel to troubleshoot any further.
The motor overload protector could have tripped, which usually has a push button reset (located on the motor itself).
There could also be another thermal overload that tripped located near the heater element.

Some of these are auto-reset (wait until it cools off), others are push-reset.

If pushing them resets the dryer, I would make sure your exhaust is clean and not blocked. That is usually the cause for an overload to trip.

 

[KK]

Our old dry kept popping these.

 

[dfuze]

I'll unplug it and take a look inside the back panel tonight to see if there is a reset. The exhaust did have quite a bit of crap in it when I detached it and tapped it against the basement wall, so crossing my fingers it caused that overload trip as you described.

 

[Analog]

I recently had to replace my dryer's main drive motor, the bearings were shot. Mine was 16 years old. Pretty easy actually. The hardest part was finding the cheapest replacement online and waiting for it to come in.

 

[dfuze]

I've got both of the back panels off of the dryer, but I don't see anything that resembles a sort of reset switch, is there a specific place I should look?

 

[edro]

Look on the motor. Google images of "motor overload switch".

http://www.inspectapedia.com/aircond/Motor_Reset_Button.htm

Follow wires until you fond something that looks like a reset button.

 

[dfuze]

I have the same type of button on my furnace so I can see what I should look for, but I don't see anything. The wires head under the drum but I am not sure how to get into that area, from the pre-punched holes in the frame I can see the motor but not any button.

I'm thinking that there might not be a button though, as I did find the wiring diagram inside it and part of the label in the middle says "THERMAL FUSE NOT RESETTABLE" so I'm guessing that there is no point in searching any further for a button

 

[dfuze]

Our old dry kept popping these.

Ahh, a sigh of relief, looks like google and this image helped me out. Looks like mine is blown (checked w/ multimeter). Looked at it a 100 times, but seeing this pic I thought it was a few inches long, not 1 inch long and dismissed it! :whiste:

Going to order a new one, hope it solves the issue. Thanks for everyone's input!

 

[DrPizza]

yep, that looks like the thermal fuse. Apparently, it got too hot - that fuse shuts it down. It has to be replaced. It's not a simple "any idiot can push the button to reset" type of breaker, because it indicates that you may very likely want to take a look around to see how clogged your vents are, etc. As long as you have it apart, go the extra mileyard and completely clean the vent system.

 

[dfuze]

Oh yeah, I cleaned the hell out of all the vents, and plan on making it a 6 - 12 month ritual to do so.

 

[BUTCH1]

yep, that looks like the thermal fuse. Apparently, it got too hot - that fuse shuts it down. It has to be replaced. It's not a simple "any idiot can push the button to reset" type of breaker, because it indicates that you may very likely want to take a look around to see how clogged your vents are, etc. As long as you have it apart, go the extra mileyard and completely clean the vent system.

Mine had a "thermal limiter", a sensor that was in the air duct line, too much heat and it opened, then reset when it cooled ,wound up replacing it once, the motor would run but no heat. OP, see if your motor has a start/run cap, these go bad a lot, I've never seen a dryer motor with a reset switch as one would have to remove the back of the cabinet to get at it. As mentioned above, if it is a thermal fuse type of protection defiantly time for a complete dryer clean out.

 

[edro]

Bypass the thermal overload (temporarily) to make sure that is the problem.

 

[dfuze]

Bypass the thermal overload (temporarily) to make sure that is the problem.

How would I go about doing that?

 

[KK]

Bypass the thermal overload (temporarily) to make sure that is the problem.

This. If you haven't tried it already.

 

[KK]

short the two leads that attach to the thermal fuse together, and then turn it on.

 

[dud]

short the two leads that attach to the thermal fuse together, and then turn it on.

... but be careful because the fuse blew for a reason.

 

[dfuze]

Just to be sure, you're saying hold the 2 ends of the leads right?

 

[KK]

... but be careful because the fuse blew for a reason.

yeah, heat caused it to blow. as long as he does it long enough to see it work and start to heat up, he'll be good.

 

[KK]

Just to be sure, you're saying hold the 2 ends of the leads right?

short them together, not with fingers. find a paper clip or something that you can stick the end of each lead into that conducts electricity.

Edit, unplug the dryer before doing it, to be on the safe side.

 

[dfuze]

Tested it and it fired up to life, so it looks like that was it!

Thanks everyone for their help.

I found the fuse on Amazon for $5, but I'm going to hit a local shop first tomorrow to see if they have it in stock, I wanna get my dryer put back together

 

[angminas]

Nice work, ATOT.

 

[KK]

may as well buy 2 while you are at it.

 

[dfuze]

may as well buy 2 while you are at it.

First time in 13 years I've had an issue at all w/ the dryer, is it something that would be more common place to happen now that it occurred once?

 

[KK]

First time in 13 years I've had an issue at all w/ the dryer, is it something that would be more common place to happen now that it occurred once?

How linty were the ducts? any sharp turns in the connecting hose? Mine had to be replaced 2 times before it went totally out after about 10 years of use.