Dryer No Heat

Update:
  Dryer working OK still, but maybe a little less heat than before. I put that down to less element in the replacement. 
Anyway, crossed fingers, it's still working ok after 6 loads.


The job is all done, excepting replacement of the vent pipe to outside, & I cobbled that together for now till good weather again.

I couldn't walk after kneeling down for so long yesterday. Hobbled around took aspirin & went to bed.

A vertical vent pipe is just asking for trouble. it takes a lot of air pressure to get the lint out and I suspect water condensation at the bottom.
 i would pull the back of the dryer and clean out all the heat ducting in it. It is likely still clogged and probably a lot in the heater element housing too. They can catch fire. Parts guy said it was a common. 
 I let my dryer run for 10 minutes before loading it with clothing, to blow out the rest of the dust I missed and any residue on the new element.

Looks like I might have to replace a roller or bearing, but for now I am done. The pain is barely worth it. The hardest part was repairing the outside vent pipe and re-connecting the dryer to it, by literally standing on my head to get access to the hose and retaining ring. My dryer is in a niche and it is a straight run outside. I didn't design the niche for the dryer when I put in the shower tub combo- it just ended up that way. It was to be for a cupboard space for linens.

All in all, they are quite easy to work on. When i go in to replace the roller or bearing, I'll change out the 40+ year old belt too.

19&41 wrote:

I use a flexible aluminum exhaust hose on mine and replace it every couple of years.  I put a nylon stocking over the outlet with a clamp and blow out , run it and blow it out again.

Wife complained the dryer was taking a long time to dry...   That was 2 3 weeks ago, when it was warmer...

My laundry area is part of the conservative hous construction, sinc ther is no cellar to hide the dryer it is in a corner ally next to the washer. facing an inside double partion that has all the plumbing access. I located a spot where I could put a vertical 6 foot stack of gas vent and a weather cap with rather open louvers. Tha balance of the vertical run is flex vent the hits a 90 deg elbow out the side of the dryer, my modification.

So, Up on the roof, the weather cap was 95% plugged, it slides off. I start the dryer with no heat, back up on the roof with a weighted 4" wire chimney flue brush and a rope. Down goes the brush, up flies the lint. After a few strokes, clean the lint clog from the brush this time let the brush drop right down the flex to the elbow at the dryer. Even more lint flies up. I stop the vent with the cap upside down and let the static pressure build, remove quickly and still more flies up, I repeat the brushing twice more until I get just dust to come up. Finish off by hand picking the lint from the weather cap, done for another 3 years...

My neighbor also has a roof vent his contractor installed, but it has the usual dryer flap door on the roof. He has to go up every two weeks to clean it out  

IMHO with any household device installation, careful planning has to go into it in consideration of maintenance. The easier it is to maintain the easier it will get maintained...  chas

I use a flexible aluminum exhaust hose on mine and replace it every couple of years.  I put a nylon stocking over the outlet with a clamp and blow out , run it and blow it out again.

To my chagrin I found out that the heater replacement element requires 2 modification kits. 1 wire & wire nut in each kit. Totally effing insane!
 they "Used to come with the element kit". The mfgr saving maybe 10 cents on the sale of a part for a 50 yr old dryer!
 Anyway, got them today, but giving my knee a rest before tackling it tomorrow. 

I mentioned toe charred lint to the parts guy & found out that dryer fires are pretty common!   

So it looks like it would be pretty smart to have a dryer looked at every year or two to do a clean & PM on it.

If chlorine bleach is used in a nearby washer, chlorine fumes breakdown of the surface of the heating element temperatures and hasten the erosion of the element. The same is true for nearby gas water heaters, the bottom of the tank will rust away and the vent flues installed above...

I once owned a G-E dryer from the early 70's, (coppertone) I went through five changes of heater coils, three sets of drum bearings, starter relay, one motor, three belts at least one timer... I had kids, so laundry and chlorine were every day... Oh three water heaters too...

The tile floor was waxed so I could pull the dryer out of the corner and slide it to the living room for surgery... I two minute procedure...

I kept all the cool porcelain feed-through insulators, three came with every set of heater coils

I have a Whirlpool dryer that failed to heat.

DISCONNECT POWER FIRST THING!!!

 After disassembly I found the heating element open.
 Now I am not certain the age of the dryer, but does Avocado Green paint tell you the age? 

I ordered the replacement assy. The replacement one has different size connection lugs than the original and requires a modification kit. (Used to be included with the element, but no more). Order separately.

Pull the lint filter retaining screws at the top and lift the lid up to get access to the fan blade blower assy. Clean out the rocks, nuts, bolts screws, etc out of it. Vacuum out the dryer really good!
 When i pulled the heater element casing out I found on the front side of it there was a grill that had one 1/4" hex head screw holding it in place. I removed that and pulled out a huge clump of blackened & charred lint!
  I also checked the thermal fuse (or fuses in some units),

So am waiting for the adaptor kit to come in to finish the job. 

Oh, also wear gloves as there is a lot of sharp metal edges. And before you ask, Yes, I did make a blood sacrifice to the Electron Gods. Several in fact.

You will find a extendable parts magnet a great help in fishing out odds and ends of metal in the bottom of the dryer too. I even recovered about .35 cents in change, and found where a part I had lost decades ago had ended up . A good mantra is always empty pockets before washing & drying.  

The tools I needed were a Multimeter, 3/8" and 1/4" nut drivers, pointed tip vice grips, a small adjustable wrench, a 1/4" socket set,  flat, & Phillips type screw drivers.  Also a small shop vacuum is really handy & a small 1" brush to clean out the dust bunnies. 

I expect the dryer to run better than it has in decades and dry a lot better because of the new element and the pile of dust & lint in heater casing I removed. Also while you are in it, clean out the lint trap ducting and the vent pipe.

 Note [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]: I discovered that they make a "Quick disconnect" for the vent pipe. (Mine is 4" but they make an adaptor for 3").  Wish I had discovered this decades back. I found mine at Home Depot for about $7.00. Fits on the wall thru for the vent hose.  I will install mine when there is a break in the rain, as my thru the wall vent  pipe broke from the plastic outside " flapper"  door.

Oh, & be sure to check under the dryer for cat toys. I found a missing mouse toy from 15 years back, and the 2 plastic caps for my toilet to floor bolts that mysteriously were missing after my old cat discovered they were fun to bat around.