Causes of dryer tripping circuit breaker?

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
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It's a washer/dryer stackable combo. Uses then-common whirlpool parts and design.

It trips minutes into the cycle, not immediately

Already replace the heating element and that did not fix the problem. Replace the circuit breaker and that did not fix the problem.

Failure occurs only when the dryer has a large load and run on high heat.

The remaining potential issues I've narrowed down are:
1. Clogged exhaust piping
2. Some sort of motor failure
3. Aluminum wiring causing issues

Multimeter readings do not show an egregiously large current draws. IIRC, it was around 14, but can't remember exactly.
 

PowerEngineer

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2001
3,551
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What exactly is the "it" that is tripping? Has it previously worked correctly in this location before?

FWIW, current draws can spike higher when electrical motors first start up although that is unlikely to be the issue here if the dryer is already minutes into its cycle.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
20,374
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You checked the amperage draw and it was 14 amps? It should be on a 30 amp breaker.
I would expect there would be a sensor that would shut the dryer down if the vent was clogged causing an overheat. That leaves the motor on it's way out or a very flakey connection in the wiring.

I sure as hell wouldn't use it until the problem is resolved.
 

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
11,643
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You checked the amperage draw and it was 14 amps? It should be on a 30 amp breaker.
I would expect there would be a sensor that would shut the dryer down if the vent was clogged causing an overheat. That leaves the motor on it's way out or a very flakey connection in the wiring.

I sure as hell wouldn't use it until the problem is resolved.
It's seems like the wire is 8 gauge aluminum and the breaker 40 amps.

Since it is a stackable the max wattage pull is not quite as high as a full size dryer, and I made sure to order the correct part with the lower wattage.

It a very capricious fault. Only on a heavy load on high heat. Low heat, fewer articles of clothing, it goes through fine.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
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It's seems like the wire is 8 gauge aluminum and the breaker 40 amps.

Since it is a stackable the max wattage pull is not quite as high as a full size dryer, and I made sure to order the correct part with the lower wattage.

It a very capricious fault. Only on a heavy load on high heat. Low heat, fewer articles of clothing, it goes through fine.
Something is seriously wrong if it's kicking a 40 amp breaker. Put an actual amp gauge on the cord.
 
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pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
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If it is only under a heavy load it could be the drum bearings or bushings that are worn and causing an excessive drag under a heavy load. I would think if it was the motor or wiring the amount of cloths wouldn't matter. The extra friction in the bearings would cause current spikes.
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
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^ yeah but the motor should still never exceed spec'd current so could be a cascade failure, extra load from bearings, extra heat, windings suffering, and then how much to replace to make it worth the bother.

It is worth the bother. Current generation washing machines are crap.

In their effort to conserve power, I now set my new replacement to wash as long as possible, double rinse, turned up my water heater, and it's complete BS that it now costs more in water and power to get clothing equally clean from a more flimsily built machine because there is no way to just set it to agitate a normal amount and use the water temperature you set it to use.

"Hot" does not mean, add come cold water if you feel like it. WTF?
 

Steltek

Diamond Member
Mar 29, 2001
3,042
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How is it connected to the house wiring? Is it direct hard wired, or is it connected through an outlet?

The reason I ask is that you may have oxidation damage to the wiring at the point where the wiring connects to the appliance (either at the connection point, if hard wired, or in the outlet if one was used). This is even more likely to be an issue if an electrician didn't install the circuit, as self-installers are more likely to be unaware of the Code requirements that you have to use outlets approved for such connections (usually marked CO/ALR , CU-AL or AL-CU) or other mitigations such as AlumiConn connectors or Copalum connections when connecting dissimilar metals to prevent oxidation damage to the wiring.

If this is your issue, it will be immediately obvious if you inspect the connection point.
 

Meghan54

Lifer
Oct 18, 2009
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You checked the amperage draw and it was 14 amps? It should be on a 30 amp breaker.
I would expect there would be a sensor that would shut the dryer down if the vent was clogged causing an overheat. That leaves the motor on it's way out or a very flakey connection in the wiring.

I sure as hell wouldn't use it until the problem is resolved.

You'd think that but the fact is most dryers don't have that type of sensor.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
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How is it connected to the house wiring? Is it direct hard wired, or is it connected through an outlet?

The reason I ask is that you may have oxidation damage to the wiring at the point where the wiring connects to the appliance (either at the connection point, if hard wired, or in the outlet if one was used). This is even more likely to be an issue if an electrician didn't install the circuit, as self-installers are more likely to be unaware of the Code requirements that you have to use outlets approved for such connections (usually marked CO/ALR , CU-AL or AL-CU) or other mitigations such as AlumiConn connectors or Copalum connections when connecting dissimilar metals to prevent oxidation damage to the wiring.

If this is your issue, it will be immediately obvious if you inspect the connection point.
The short version of this is "aluminum wire sucks". I never use the stuff in my projects. The only reason it gets used in residential wiring at all is because it's cheaper than copper.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Clogged vent is an issue for different reasons, and should be checked and fixed if it really is clogged. But that condition should only cause the temp inside the dryer to rise until its normal thermostat shuts off the heating element, then turns it on again later when the temp drops. This repeat sequence caused by inadequate air flow (and hence removal of heat and water vapour) certainly can make the total drying time for any load too long and thus waste electrical energy and increase your costs. But it should not cause any electrical overload and breaker tripping unless there is a fault in the dryer's components.

Regarding the aluminum wiring, IF it is an issue (it usually is not, but is possible), the real problem is that there is oxidation of the aluminum at contact points, making excessive resistance there. That means generation of heat at the contact point and a reduced voltage going to the load. The result of that is reduced max current flow thought the load, so the impact on the breaker is to REDUCE the current, and therfore reduce the probability of tripping. The practial hazard of this is the HEAT generated at a connection point in some small junction box, and whether that can damage the wiring and insulation. It is NOT a higher load on the circuit. Now, in a rare case there MIGHT actually be damage to wires somewhere in the circuit at a junction point (HIGHLY unlikely inside the cable), so you could open and inspect every junction point box for visual hints of damage. But unless there is major damage causing significant leakage to Ground, that will not affect current load through the breaker.

A typical stand-alone dryer fed with 220 VAC has a 4500 W heating element, so that's just over 20 A. Add the ¼ HP motor that operates on 110 V, and that's another 5A or so. Allowing for motor starting inrush current, most estimate that max load to be about 28 A. A common rule of thumb is to say the current limiter (in this case, the breaker) and wiring should be chosen to operate in normal circunstances at no more than 80% of its rating. So such a dryer often is fed from a 35A breaker of fuse: 80% of 35 A is 28A. You have a stacking system that, as you say, is designed to use less power. BUT the wall outlet is designed to feed BOTH the washer and dryer simultaneously. Your dryer very likely has less than 28 A max load, but the washer adds another 5 to 6 A for its motor, so we're up in the 30 A max load combined. That is why the supply line and breaker are chosen for 40 A. Now, your post indicates that this breaker tripping happens very often when ONLY the dryer is running, and the breaker is rated well over the proper load for that device. As Greenman said above, something is seriously wrong!

You say the load was measured as 14 A. I suggest you need to get that re-measured and monitored while running normally, watching carefully for any sudden change just before the breaker trips. It will be a large spike to trip a 40 A Breaker! Start by measuring current flow right at the output of the breaker, which is what the breaker responds to. This is a bit tricky because you have TWO Hot lines to check. IF this indicates that the actual current flow out of the breaker DOES spike and cause the trip, then you need to follow the circuit further down to find where. The next test point would be the lines right at the dryer, to see of the current spike is caused by something in the dryer. On the other hand, if there is NO current spike but the beaker trips anyway, maybe the breaker is faulty.

I just thought of something I ran into recently. I understand that in many jurisdictions now, the current-protection device being installed (often because of new rules) are NOT the classic breakers or even the newer Ground Fault Circuit Interruptors (GFCI's). A Breaker trips due solely to high currents for a sustained period of a few seconds (a bit faster for a real short circuit). A GFCI trips for that AND for a detected imbalance of current flowing out on a Hot line vs current returning on the Neutral line (indicates leakage current out of the intended load). The NEW devices coming into use are called Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI's), and they will trip due to current overloads over a few seconds, AND for a sudden high current of very short duration that indicates a brief short circuit caused by a flash arc somewhere along the circuit. Such events can result from deteriorated insulation, improper conductor spacing, debris bridging between wires, or other items. These situations can cause recurring arcs that may ignite a fire and hence are dangerous, even though they last for such a short time that they cannot cause the wires themselves to overheat and fail. As I understand the situation, these new protection devices are somewhat controversial becasue many tend to trip out too often due to normal and acceptable short-duration current surges in equipment that is NOT faulty, but create brief arcs and sparks. That might be a motor or a switch or relay, for example. So, examine carefully exactly what type of "Breaker" you have in your panel. If you replaced an old faulty breaker that was tripping too soon with a new AFCI type of breaker that is prone to tripping too easily, that MIGHT make your situation appear to NOT have changed with the replacement breaker.
 
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pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
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You'd think that but the fact is most dryers don't have that type of sensor.


I can't say they all do, but every dryer I have ever serviced or worked on has had a temperature sensor on the heating duct work.

1615183835370.png
 

Meghan54

Lifer
Oct 18, 2009
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I can't say they all do, but every dryer I have ever serviced or worked on has had a temperature sensor on the heating duct work.

View attachment 40746

Are those the sensors for the heating portion, like to adjust the temp (you know, hot/warm/barely there), or are those sensors for the exhaust temp? I know my Whirlpool has no exhaust temp sensors in it and it's not a bottom line model. Manual does go on about checking the exhaust for blockage, but never states a sensor will tell you if/when the dryer's exhaust is blocked, thereby setting off that particular sensor and shutting off the machine.

Care to link those sensors so can see where they fit?
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
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There is no exhuat check AFAIK, thermistors are there to check heating element temp.

Have you ever replaced belt, tensioner and rollers? Those are the most common causes of dryer malfunction.
 

Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
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There is no exhuat check AFAIK, thermistors are there to check heating element temp.

Have you ever replaced belt, tensioner and rollers? Those are the most common causes of dryer malfunction.
This amounts to the same thing. Plug the duct and the heating element will overheat. There has to be something that prevents a meltdown if the duct gets plugged.
 

[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
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This amounts to the same thing. Plug the duct and the heating element will overheat. There has to be something that prevents a meltdown if the duct gets plugged.
It makes no sense that it would draw more power, thus tripping the circuit, rather than just shutting down the heating element.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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In the dryers I have had, there does NOT appear to be any high-temperature limit switch anywhere that shuts down the entire machine. There IS a high temp limit mounted right on the heating element assembly to shut it off if its temp goes too high. The temp sensor in the air duct, however, is the THERMOSTAT that turns the heating element on and off to maintain the normal operating temperature during drying. In some cases it's a dual-setpoint item: there are TWO thermostat trigger points in the unit, and two outputs to maintain different temperatures for high and low heat drying options.

As Osiris says above, though, that is not really pertinent. Either of those devices merely turns on and off the heating element according to its temp trigger point; it does not cause total shut-down. It does NOT cause any abnormal electrical load to trigger a breaker. However, as I tried to outline previously, I wonder whether minor arcing inside a switch mechanism (like a thermostat) with moving contacts might produce enough of a brief current spike to trip one of those new AFCI units IF there is one in OP's breaker panel supplying this appliance. But I think the more pressing point is that, assuming OP is dealing with a normal standard breaker in the panel, why is a 40 A breaker being tripped often by a device that should never exceed 30 A? There may be a REAL problem that is causing actual high current surges and needs to be found.
 
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Micrornd

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Mar 2, 2013
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FWIW - I have a Whirlpool Duet Gas Dryer and it's service manual.
It has a thermistor that is used to monitor and control the heating element via delivered air temperature. It also has, for safety, in it's heating element circuit a auto-resetting high temperature limit cutoff and in series with that, a thermal fuse on the gas version and a thermal cut-off on the electric model. The temperatures that both activate at for different for electric and gas, of course.
The thermal fuse of the gas model is located adjacent to the thermistor at the end of the internal duct work entering the drum, with the high temperature limit cutoff being at the burner end of the ductwork.
The electric model has the thermistor at the drum end of the ductwork and the high temperature limit cutoff and the thermal cut-off at the heater element end of the internal duct.
The electric models require a 30A circuit and the gas models just standard 15A grounded outlet.
 

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
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Are those the sensors for the heating portion, like to adjust the temp (you know, hot/warm/barely there), or are those sensors for the exhaust temp? I know my Whirlpool has no exhaust temp sensors in it and it's not a bottom line model. Manual does go on about checking the exhaust for blockage, but never states a sensor will tell you if/when the dryer's exhaust is blocked, thereby setting off that particular sensor and shutting off the machine.

Care to link those sensors so can see where they fit?


Yes they sense the heated air duct temp and if the exhaust was blocked it would turn off the heater element just as it was designed so that it doesn't exceed max temp and burn out. It serves the same function as what you are saying doesn't exist.

But you are correct that it doesn't pop up an alarm that says your exhaust is plugged.

I don't think anyone said it would shut down the dryer entirely. It only turns off the heater element.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Much of the discussion of temperature limiting for safety, etc. does not relate directly to OP's problem. Those protections turn off the dryer or ist heating components WITHOUT causing any excess electrical power use. OP's problem is the the BREAKER suplying the unit from the panel trips very frequently indicating excess current draw or perhaps a faulty breaker - or vaguely possibly the AFCI device I suggested. The reason the dryer shuts down is NOT a mystery - it is the breaker tripping.
 

mrblotto

Golden Member
Jul 7, 2007
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Perhaps if you put the breaker on a different set of 'plugs' or whatever they're called in the fuse box it may tell you something? I dunno, just spitballin here and trying to be helpful :)
 

Motostu

Senior member
Oct 5, 2020
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If it were my dryer, I'd take off the panels and look at the wiring harness to see if there's any place where insulation may have gotten rubbed, exposing a wire (maybe one in proximity to the drum that might get hit with heavier loads?). While in there, check that the drum can turn freely per PCgeek's thoughts on the motor loading.
 
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